Family

Once again it has been a while since I have posted an update, so just in case people are starting to forget what we look like. Here you go...

As you can see, the boys are growing up quickly. Johann really enjoys learning and Amelia does a great job and puts in a lot of effort with home schooling. Louis is active (as most boys, I guess), he's adventurous and loves being outdoors.

We were blessed with a Christmas and New Year visit by my sister and brother-in-law from Abu Dhabi and Grandma visited at the end of January for a couple of weeks (it was like having Christmas twice!).




This was a great time to rest and recharge with family after a busy end to 2019. 

2020 is in full swing and a new pilot family has transferred from MAF Arnhem Land to Tanzania to replace our pilot who is leaving in July. They are settling in and we are working on pilot's licenses, language learning, orientation and flight training to get him operational.

The short rains at the end of last year was not so short and we basically went straight into the long rainy season. This carries with it the blessing of potentially good crops and beautiful green landscapes, but too much rain can also be bad for the harvest and of course the danger of flooding is very real. As always the rainy season brings with it some challenges to our flying operations and the conditions of some airstrips can deteriorate quickly if not maintained properly. We continue to do our best to reach the village with medical care and to share the love of Christ, but sometimes it is just not possible. 

Please continue to pray for our family, our team and the other families who serve with us here in Tanzania.

The smallest and youngest passenger I ever flew...

Last week I flew teams for mobile clinics in the Haydom area. After dropping off the first team at Matala on Wednesday, I was just about to start the plane to go to Haydom for the second team, when a guy approached on motorbike and signaled that he wanted to talk. He explained something about a mother and baby who needed a lift to Haydom. I didn't understand exactly what the problem was, but I told him to bring them and we'll talk with the nurses...

While I was waiting for them to return, one of the nurses came to the plane saying there was a lady who started labor more than 4 days ago and needed to go to Haydom.

When the others arrived, the patient was a premature baby born during the night at 24 weeks pregnancy! The smallest little person I have ever seen and the youngest passenger I have ever flown.

In Haydom I held the bundle of material in which the baby was wrapped and could hardly feel any weight, but some movement inside confirmed that there was a life in my hands.

I completed the rest of the day's flying, taking two more teams out to villages for clinics and back to Haydom at the end of the day.

At the end of the day, I went with one of the nurses to find the patients we flew in. The lady with the prolonged labor had a c-section and the baby and mother were both doing well. Some family from the village made it up to Haydom by that time (more than 6 hours later), a journey that would not have been easy for her or survivable the premature baby.

We also found the premature baby in the neonatal unit., wrapped up in blankets with warm water bottles and connected to CPAP machine for breathing. Looking at her chart, she only weighed 700 grams and had extremely low O2 levels and pulse rate when she arrived. They were only able to record a measurable temperature on her by 3pm.

Over the next few days, we checked up on her and there were positive signs, but it would be a long recovery process for her.

I left Haydom on Friday, but one of the nurses would stay in touch with the family, monitor her progress and keep me updated. When my phone rang on Monday morning with a call from the nurse, the news was that the little one had passed away. It's hard to understand these things sometimes and evaluate what difference we actually made, but it's safe to say that the transfer by plane gave this baby the best possible chance of survival. We showed to the mother and family that we value them and the chance of life of the baby. 

MAF impact in Tanzania

Johann's video update

Video update

Tanzania Flight Reel

JANUARY 2018 NEWSLETTER Christmas Fun with Louis' Godmother, Becky   Dear Supporters, We have been back in Tanzania for two weeks now after having spent a wonderful time in the UK for Christmas. Our 140kg of luggage has almost been unpacked and we are slowly settling back into Arusha life. Kirstein started the first week on flight support for our new pilot's first week of flying in the central region, with quite a bit of weather around. Last week was his first four day outreach for with some weather challenges of his own and a new challenge for Amelia with the two boys at home! Johann has done really well to settle back in at 'Johann's house' after being away for nearly six months, he really seems at home. Louis is also growing well and does not complain too much about the change in climate and environment. We welcome our new supporters, especially those from Robertson and Walmer in South Africa and from CSK Hampton in the UK. Thank you and our 'old' supporters for partnering with us and enabling us to serve out here. 2018 has already shown some challenges, but with prayer and through Christ all things are possible. The Combrinks

SUPPORT AND COMMUNICATION Thank you to everyone who has continued to support us during this 2-year contract extension, we will be extending for another two years until December 2020. The additional stipend Amelia has received at the school has helped cover the shortfall of our monthly support. However, her school administration is not providing sufficient maternity leave so she has been unable to renew her contract for now. As our family is growing we will need to expand our support base for the next 2 year assignment. Please consider prayerfully to partner with our work here and contact us for more information or download this form.