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We had agreed on a price! It was a Toyota Tacoma in good condition. I suspected that we would close the deal at the dealership that evening and pay with my check. The manager asked the financial person fill out all the paperwork with me and sign EVERYWHERE! Then he wouldn’t accept my check. He used other stalling techniques. This immediately inflamed me as it had in Cameroon, when I was being taken advantage of by a government official, who was suppose to be doing a public service that he wanted pocket money for. Very irritated, I left the dealership and went back to the place we were staying. It is a small room attached to a large building. Has a bed and bathroom, and we are very happy to have a place to stay. I returned the following day after “wiring” the money to them that they required, and we drove away with a beautiful truck.
There is a scale of life stressors, and amongst the top few are a broken marriage, loss or moving a job, change in a house or living situation. Right now I think we are high on these lists. No job, no house, no stability to our lives. Now at least we have one solid vehicle and can move around without rental cars. We are very blessed to have interviews lined up and that is encouraging. We did an interview in Oregon in a location that was very nice, as well as the hospital and staff. We are praying for God’s guidance on what He wants us to do and where he wants us to be. It is often hard to differentiate our desires from what we feel God wants us to do. Often we wish He would be very obvious about what He wants us to do next. I have heard and feel that this is part of the growing process of our faith. That God does not direct us as we direct our children. He allows us to choose, and gives much less guidance than we would give our children. But it does not diminish my frustration for the desire of being lead in an open way by Him. He has done that for us but does not always choose to do it in every circumstance.
As far as I know there is still no doctor in Koza, and I have not heard of anyone being interested yet. PLEASE PRAY for Koza Adventist Hospital! The last I heard they had had more than 40 cholera patients and had lost only 3. They desperately need a physician. Again I offer to any physicians reading this message, if you are interested in a mission opportunity in rural Cameroon, or have considered long term mission service, please contact me, or Adventist Health International, or the General Conference of Seventh Day Adventists. We are looking for committed people who want to help in rural areas. The earthly remuneration is minimal, but adequate, the heavenly remuneration is eternal.
As I am now back in states, we will continue to support the Koza Hospital with funds and donations. If you would continue to support he hospital, as I will, you could continue to send it to:

Summersville SDA Church
Box 2128 Hwy 41
Summersville WV 26651

Labeling it for “Koza Adventist Hospital”. We will insure that the money makes it out to Koza with the next available person to hand carry it there. If you have any specific way that you would like the money used please specify that, and we will comply with your desires.

Please continue to pray for us as we look for jobs and for Koza Hospital for a physician to choose to cover the hospital on a long term basis. Greg

Unfortunately this is our last Shanksteps from Cameroon. As you already know, from previous shanksteps, we are moving back stateside to be near our daughter Sarah and be in closer proximity to our families. It is with sadness that we leave.

The past few weeks, even months have been hectic ones. Sarah, our daughter, was able to come out to visit us for the summer. After school she flew out and has been with us since. She has helped replacing screens on the hospital windows and doors. this is a daunting task, especially with all the “help” of patient families and workers that are to be doing other jobs. But many were recovered. I have been doing a couple operations a day and Audrey covering the majority of the hospital with 35-50 inpatients. Often when the rains start the census drops to 15-20. But so far this year it has maintained higher numbers. I am thankful for that, and hope that the income will help, before the lull without a doctor sets in, and salaries become hard to pay.

We are very concerned about the hospital. As of yet, I have not yet heard of a replacement for us. We are trying to get a local doc in the mean time, unsuccessfully. I feel lead to make this move, but am very concerned about a hospital decline like when we arrived here. If you are a physician and have considered long term missions, please do not hesitate to contact myself, or better yet, Adventist Health International about working at Hopital Adventiste de Koza. Please pray for this hospital. Greg Shank

She had been 3 days in labor at home. Then she went to the clinic. They recognized that she needed to be at the hospital, so she was sent to us. As I walked into the room a putrid odor hit me in the nose. The smell of rotting flesh mixed with pus. So infection was clear. I did an exam and discovered a macerated head. The abdomen had a bizarre contour making me worry about uterine rupture. I attempted to pas a urinary catheter without success. It felt like it only went into the vagina. So I decided to place it as we performed a Caesarean section in the operating room.
Knowing the baby as dead I used Ketamine for anesthesia instead of a spinal, Ganava administered the anesthesia. Jacques and I performed the operation. Suspecting the uterine rupture, I made a vertical abdominal skin incision. The uterus was somewhat contracted and had a large hematoma all around the base where the bladder is. I opened the uterus in with a classical incision and pulled out a macerated child. As I inspected what was left, I could see that the uterus had ruptured completely at the base and was not attached to the cervix as usual. Also as I inspected why I had been unable to pass the urine catheter, I discovered that the bladder had necrosed the entire posterior wall. This occurs from pressure from the child’s head against the pelvis, where the bladder lies between them. This pressure of three days had caused her bladder wall to necrose entirely, leaving only part of the sidewalls and nothing down to the urethra (the normal area to urinate). We placed a catheter and attempted to reconstruct a bladder from the remaining tissue. I also removed the Uterus that was not attached any longer.
We are now three days after the surgery. I praise God! First, because she is overcoming the infection she has. Second, because her intestines are starting to function again. Third, as of yet she has had no urine leakage. May God be glorified in His healing of this woman and in all the patients we see.
Another I praise God for directly healing is a thirty-year-old man with tetanus. For about a week he appeared like it was likely he would die of spasms at any moment. Yesterday he was up and walking around, eating, and having almost no spasms. Glory be to God! Greg

There are six weeks left of time here in Cameroon. Each day is filled with the usual complex patients at the hospital. Inpatient rounds, outpatients, surgeries, and periodic calls at night. The evenings are spent with Audrey and Sarah, often packing a few boxes, in preparation for shipping things back. Time seems to be passing quickly.

We are anxious about where we will work in the future. Anxious about who will come to cover the work here. Will the hospital fall again, as it had before we arrived? We have not yet heard of anyone willing or interested in coming! What lies ahead for us? What lies ahead for this hospital?

I spend periodic nights awake, mulling over things in my mind. I know we need to be back in the US, but there are so many uncertainties. We give the responsibility for the different things we have done to others as it is possible. I pray for Yves often (our administrator) who has been through many tough periods at the hospital. He is a missionary from the Southern part of Cameroon.

Life continues as it has for the past five years. But in the back of all our minds there are concerns for the future here and in the US. This is especially easy if we let ourselves focus on us! When we focus on God and His faithfulness, all worries diminish.

God has demonstrated He loves us. His ultimate sacrifice on the cross demonstrates that very clearly. If the God of our universe loves me, is interested in my life, is interested in this hospital and the lives of it’s workers; then I can sleep at night, knowing that He is in control if I allow Him to be in my life. He is in control of the hospital if He is allowed to be. And who better to be in control than our: all knowing, all understanding, all loving, compassionate God!

When I focus on Him, and not myself, I sleep, and am content in knowing that He is in charge, and despite of my inability to see my future or the future of the hospital, He IS love. And when I allow Him to take charge, He will do what is best for me, best for my future, best for my learning more about Him. Praise Him! Greg