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| Watching the sunset by the river on a Friday after work. It was so lovely to be outdoors! |
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| My work seems like play some days. Pure joy to hold this little fellow and sing Sunday School Songs and tell him that Jesus loves him! |
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| Paul has such joy in his work. This little one was so scared and just wanted Paul to hold him while he was put to sleep. Love this picture. Paul loves his patients so! |
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| Sunday night Lessons in Carols at Sahel Academy...love the flags as it reminds us that Jesus is the LORD of ALL NATIONS |
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| The service ended with Silent Night and candles....we weren't in the know as we should have brought our own candles! |
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| Monday morning back to work training the nurses in SIR which is French for Basic Life Support |
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| Nurses hard at work practicing how to ventilate babies and do chest compressions as a team. |
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| Sodogas our physical therapist was in one of the classes. He is a Moslem. He has two wives who I have met. He is such a wonderful worker and colleague. Please pray for all our staff. |
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| Sometimes our work includes showing visitors around the hospital. This visitor was so happy to jump in and greet our out-patients who are waiting for their turn to have their dressings changed. |
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| Gary Bellig came to visit from our Mission Support Center. We were so glad to get to know him a bit better! Kindred spirits! |
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| Tanti Seffie, who is on our spiritual ministry team is sorting and filling the gift bags for the children at the Christmas party |
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| Hannatou and Seratou are also filling the bags. It was team work for sure! |
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| I was even allowed to help with the bags, threading the drawstrings and stuffing the bags for the boys and girls. |
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| Mama Mantou was very busy sewing over 160 draw string bags for the candy, cookies and gifts. What a sweetheart!The pattern for these bags comes from Robin Maddux, a dear friend in Lexington, KY. We have replicated it over and over! |
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| This is Ali and his son Ishmial. He was very sick with malaria on one of my first visits to CURE Niger 2010. He is now 11 years old and a health young boy. He is so kind to come to the hospital especially to visit me. His dad reminds him of our prayers for his healing. This young fellow nearly died. Malaria is a killer for the young and old. Pray that Ali's family would all know Jesus our Healer, Helper and Savior. |
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| Dr. Pelumi is a 3rd year Anesthesia resident from the University of Kentucky. She is hand delivering some cards made by children in a church in the USA. It was fun to help her and sing Jesus Loves Me This I Know to the little ones. |
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| Paul enjoying a moment of peace and solitude after a full week of training and anesthesia in the OR |
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| The beauty of Niger is found in many places. We spied this spot on a boat ride to see the hippos. It was a very restful one Saturday morning. |
Bonjour Papa et Maman Good morning Papa and Mama
Comment ça va? How is it going?
Ça va bien It is going well
Ça va un peu Local way of politely saying it is not going so well
Et la famille And the family?
Ça va It's going
Et la santé And your health?
Et la fatigue and the tiredness/fatigue?
Always the questions are about your family, health and fatigue. It may seem a little strange way of greeting but in this place it makes perfect sense. Most people here do not have electricity, hence, no fans or air conditioning in the heat. Likewise, now that the evenings, nights and mornings are comparatively cool, people have little to keep them warm. Life is fatiguing! Paul and I are the oldest folks on the CURE Hôpital des Enfants au Niger campus! So naturally, everyone wants to know if we are tired, ill or able to work. They seem surprised when we show up to work at 7am in the morning!
Weather and work are not the only things that contribute towards fatigue. For us, it is tiring listening and trying to understand and communicate in a language that is not our mother tongue. The daily routines of life here take longer too. Shopping, food preparation (washing everything in clorox solution) and cooking can be energy zappers too. Some days it is all we can do to stay up until 8pm. Haha!
So you can see that physical fatigue is a natural response to the many duties of daily life.
The daily drive to work exposes us to a world of suffering too as we see many disabled, marginalized and indigent people. It breaks ones heart to drive down the street knowing that one does not have the means, nor are called to help everyone. It is tiring and stressful being exposed to the devastating and extreme poverty. It is tiring to know the best way to help the many beggars on the street. Our hearts are always alert and keen to obey what the Spirit prompts us to do.
We come to work and see many dear children who suffer from the after effects of burns, congenital deformities and trauma. This too is tiring to the soul as we long to see healing, wholeness and functionality of these young bodies.
Our call at CURE is to proclaim the kingdom of God and heal along the way (Luke 9:2).
All of this would be unbearable if not for our Loving Heavenly Father who gives us rest from our labors and stresses. His love poured into our hearts gives us strength to respond with His love for those we encounter daily. He has provided the beauty of nature and the sweet fellowship of colleagues. Best of all, the LORD has given us His rest, salvation and His promises to sustain us along the way.
As with the other blogs, I have turned to an old hymn that expresses the beautiful rest our Heavenly Father provides in of who He is to us.
Thou Hidden Source of Calm Repose
Thou hidden source of calm repose,
Thou all sufficient love divine,
My help and refuge from my foes,
Secure I am, if Thou art mine,
And lo! from sin and grief and shame
I hide me, Jesus in Thy name.
Thy mighty name salvation is,
And keeps my happy soul above,
Comfort it bring and prayer and peace.
And joy and everlasting love,
To me, with Thy dear name are given
Pardon and holiness and heaven.
Jesus my all in all Thou art,
My rest in toil my ease in pain
The medicine of my broken heart
In war my peace, in loss my gain,
My smile beneath the tyrant's frown
My shame my glory and my crown.
In want my plentiful supply,
In weakness my Almighty power
In bonds my perfect liberty
My light in Satan's darkest hour,
My help and stay when e'er I call
My life in death, my heaven my all.
Charles Wesley (1707-1788)
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