P.E.T. rolls in the village of Kiaba
For many years United Methodists in the West Michigan Conference have supported the P.E.T. Project. But how often does a person from West Michigan get the chance to help deliver a P.E.T.? That rare opportunity materialized on July 3 when Alfred, the head nurse at the Dispensary at Mulungwishi, DR Congo, invited the DeMoss family to jump in his ambulance and drive to the village of Kiaba, some five miles away.
With Alfred at the wheel, Lynn, Kay, David and Drew shared the back of the van with a P.E.T. supplied by missionary, Delbert Groves. Groves is the director of the New Life Center in nearby Zambia. A United Methodist Advance Special, New Life Center assembles and distributes these hand-pedaled tricycles from parts received from the United States.
A large crowd greeted the ambulance in Kiaba. People had gathered at the clinic there to receive mosquito nets. Malaria disables and kills many in Congo, particularly children. Sixteen hundred nets, procured from the government, are being made available through the Mulungwishi Dispensary. They are making a big difference in controlling the disease. Pierre Mutanda, head nurse at the clinic, greeted us. When the P.E.T. was unloaded from the van, two men began to push and to pull it into the village. 
It was then that David DeMoss jumped on the seat and peddled it to the home of Kiembe Francoise. All ran to keep up.
How did David know how to peddle a P.E.T.? Easy! His home congregation, Holland United Methodist Church, has been assembling P.E.T.s for the past two years in partnership with P.E.T. Florida, operated by retired missionaries, Larry and Laura Hills. “Sometimes us kids ride a P.E.T. in our sanctuary when nobody is looking,” his brother, Drew, confided. The Holland affiliate is the only one in the country manufacturing child-size Personal Energy Transports (PETs).
As the group arrived, Francoise was seated in front of her house. There were braces on her legs and crutches next to her chair. With the help of nurse Mutanda, she got on the P.E.T. and immediately started to peddle. “I like this very much,” she beamed. “I am filled with joy! Thank you. Thank you.” She went on to say that the P.E.T. would enable her to go to church and to the market. Right now the uneven ground and inclines around her house present a bit of a challenge. But the more Francoise uses her P.E.T., the more strength she will gain in her arms.
Returning to the ambulance, we met another woman without use of her legs. Nurse Alfred said that she also would benefit greatly by a P.E.T. He also noted that there are 23 children in the greater Mulungwishi region who cannot walk either from polio or injuries. The cost of making and transporting a PET is $450. The life-changing gift…priceless!
Reported by Kay DeMoss. The DeMoss family has been in DR Congo since May 2. They will return to Michigan on July 20 after participating in the Centennial Celebration of Methodism in Southern Congo.
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