'Let There Be Light'

A hand delivered letter requesting solar lights for a medical clinic on the remote island of Nikinau, Kiribati was given to Elder Jeff and Sister Judy Brock, humanitarian and self-reliance missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The letter explained that the medical clinic, which serves two communities totalling about 485 people, was without lights. They had to borrow solar lights from community members when seeing emergency and other patients in the evenings and for use in the new born delivery room. There were times when those lights failed and the healthcare providers had to use a torch (flashlight). 

With its proximity to the equator, Kiribati receives only about 12 hours of daylight, with the sun setting around 6:30 p.m., so many patients are seen after dark.  

With funding from Latter-day Saint Charities, Elder and Sister Brock arranged for solar lights to be boxed up and flown to the island and delivered to the medical clinic. The healthcare providers were pleased to receive them and put them to good use. The new solar lights help patients see the area as they approach the clinic, light up the waiting room, provide much needed light while medication is dispensed, aid in checking on admitted patients in the clinic's huts, and are a valuable asset in the examining room and new born delivery room.