It wasn't easy. We lined up at 9:00 AM. Then we had procession from the road to the big tent. Then music and speeches, including local leaders, various church and Nazarene Health Ministries officials, and a politician. Then the group moved, not in the planned orderly procession, but in a haphazard swarm to the new hospital. A ribbon was cut, a plaque was unveiled, then the invited guests were allowed to walk through the new hospital, such as it is in it's not-quite-complete state. Despite the admonitions, the crowd went ahead and moved through the hospital, not the buildings themselves, but the walkways, most of them seeing it from this perspective for the first time.
We went on to eat in three different venues. I don't have the exact statistics on the food, but hundreds were served. It was past 3:30 by the time I got home and settled down to a cup of coffee.
I've looked through the photos I tood today, trying to decide what would really symbolize, would summarize the day. I settled on this one of the crowd of people surging through the heart of the new hospital. The hospital is for the people, not just the dignitaries, the politicians, the officials, but for the people of the Wahgi Valley, the Jimi Valley and of East Kambia, and as many more as we can accommodate. The picture says it.
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