Gifts

One of the nurses made a delicious soup for me from a cows tail like this. It was a labor of love. It took hours and hours of cooking!  The nurses are so kind to Paul and me! They do not like it when we are not feeling well. I was getting over my second round of malaria and they thought I needed something for my health!

There was a designated gift for toys for the children so the Executive Director's wife Georgiana and I went to a large store to buy toys for the children in the hospital and in the long stay hostel called Case de Passage.

What a pile of toys for boys and girls of all ages! These will be precious gifts for the patients.

Fatchima is my beautiful nurse manager of the ward (Pavilion) She is my sister in the LORD and a gift to me working here.

Fatchima had this dress made for me. She has a matching one which is a tradition when people are working, worshiping or celebrating together. Men and women wear outfits made from the same material. What a gift!

Gift giving a part of many cultures. Here in Niger, the giving and receiving of a gift is a huge thing. So often it is a huge sacrifice as most people have so little compared to the USA or Canada. We try to be as generous as possible but do not want people to feel that they need to reciprocate. These sweet gifts of food and the dress touched my heart so much. The gifts we purchased for the children with the donated money will bring such joy to the children. The children here get excited about playing with an empty water bottle! Many have nothing!
I get a little distress some days with all the poverty.  There are so many children and adults begging on the road as we go to the hospital in the mornings. We could never give enough to supply what it needed for these dear ones. We know that God has called us to help the poor. When it is not appropriate to give money, one can offer a piece of fruit or bread....and if that is not on hand, one can offer a smile, a listening ear and acknowledge the person's presence. Everyone likes to be noticed. Even small gestures of kindness are important. We have a call to serve at CURE Hôpital des Enfants au Niger. The Lord called us to invest our time, talents and treasures in these children and their caregivers. We hope that there will be a ripple effect of love, generosity and kindness as the children return to their villages and homes. We are so grateful to be here to share the best gift of all in the person of the LORD Jesus Christ. Thank you for praying for us!

Psalm 9:18 

But God will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish.

Proverbs 14:31

Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.

2 Corinthians 9:15

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! 

This week in Niger-Workers together and a new discovery

I know this doesn't look like work at the CURE Hospital, it isn't! We are having dinner with two dear friends who are very involved with various ministries in Niger, including CURE. After a day of work at the hospital (mostly administrative stuff for me) We had supper by the river. It was a delightful change of pace. There were swarms of bats (I told Paul they were swallows or else he wouldn't have been able to eat there!)

Friday, I worked from home while Paul went to another hospital to help out. At the end of the afternoon I invited two precious sisters in the LORD over for a little tea party. Paul joined in for a little bit then left us women to chat alone!

And we did chat a good long while. Maman Soula on the right lives in Montreal and is very involved with the widows group called Dorcas project. Lucia, Soula's daughter is on the left . She has been in Niger for more than two decades. Lucia and her husband Scott train teachers in how to teach Math. They are wonderful folks! We love being together. It was a great time of sweet fellowship with yummy tea time snacks. We finished our time together praying for one another.

Here is a camel laden with woven mats. Note the contrast of the ancient carrier and the modern containers in the background. Africa is a continent of vast contrasts.

Sharing the road

The Niger River was flowing very fast today!

These same type boats have been used for many centuries!

Cap Banga is a simple and rustic restaurant on the river. We were picked up by motor boat and delivered to the dock of the restaurant. It was very beautiful and tranquil to be by the river. The menu was limited but delicious and inexpensive.

We discovered a terrace up in the trees and enjoyed God's creation together.

The terrace was up in the tree.

The Niger River is not very clear or clean although people bathe, wash clothes and do some boating on it.

There is such contentedness in God's beautiful creation. After hospital work, we were so glad to come here today. It is not very far from our apartment. 

For the Beauty of the Earth

For the beauty of the earth

For the beauty of the skies

For the love which from our birth

Over and around us lies

Refrain:

Lord of all to Thee we raise

This our joyful hymn of praise 

For the beauty of the hour

Of the day and of the night

Hill and vale and tree and flower

Sun and moon and stars of light

For the joy of human love

Brother, sister, parent, child

Friends on earth and friends above

For our gentle thoughts and mild 

For each perfect gift of Thine

To our race so freely given

Graces human and divine

Flow'rs of earth and buds of heav'n

Some weeks at the hospital I forget to take pictures. The work is sometimes routine or so hectic that picture taking is not on my mind. This week I had a lot of paper work to do which does not make for exciting pictures. Paul was in the operating room at the CURE hospital and another hospital in Niamey.  We were blessed this week with a visit from Marcia Lanoha and Brian Decker from MADALA which is an organization that most generously supports many missions including the CURE hospital. It was great to have time to be together for a couple of the evenings.

We are so aware of God's goodness in allowing us to be in Niger. We do lift our voices in joyful and grateful praise! God alone is worthy of our adoration.

Thank you for your interest in reading these blogs. Thank you to Josh Korn for explaining how to find Cap Banga. It was a little tricky as the road was so bad we had to use the four wheel drive to get there! Fun! 

Happy New Year 2019!

It hardly seems possible that we have been in Niger for more than two months! How time flies! We hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas! Ours was quite different in many ways. Being far away from family and loved ones was hard naturally. We had wonderful memories of our special Thanksmas celebration before we left for Niger.
Christmas is a time of sharing and caring remembering the best gift to the world being our Savior Jesus Christ when He came as a baby. We participated in a couple of parties one for children at the hospital and one for widows and their children in the church community. It truly is more blessed to give than to receive. The joy on the children's faces was wonderful. 
I even tried to make a few Christmas cookies in our little apartment. They came out well enough to share as Christmas gifts to a few friends. The butter is imported from Europe and is very lovely for baking!
Our Christmas Eve was spent with the Negrini family who we have known since the hospital opened here. We had a most blessed time of being together and shared in delicious food and exchanged some tokens of our affection for one another. Their children are growing beautifully and we enjoyed our time together very much! It was Christ-centered and such a blessing!
Sadly around midnight on Christmas Eve, I spiked a fever and had all the symptoms of malaria so on top of the antimalarial pills, I had to begin the appropriate treatment right away. The hospital was closed so had to wait for blood tests on the 26th, by then I had almost finished the regiment. Sadly, I was very dehydrated and needed IV fluid re-hydration and more antibiotics for typhoid (which is going around).  These tropical diseases are not fun. Christmas Day I was so sick and poor Paul worked with our guard to fix a leaky tire. He couldn't even go out to get me a ginger-ale (not that I could have drunk it!) To make a long story short, I spent Christmas week recuperating enough to get on a plane to go to London for some good food, exercise and REST! We were both in need of a little break away and had planned a week off in London while the hospital was essentially closed. It was a great plan as we both needed this time to walk, regroup and get a bit healthier.
One of the highlights of our week in London was attending All Souls at Langham Place. We went on the Sunday morning and then again for Monday, December 31, 2018 New Year's Eve Watchnight Service. This is a service that brought back happy memories of our younger years in Montreal at Rosemount Bible Church (formerly Ebenezer Gospel Chapel) and Bethel Chapel in Pointe Claire. What joy to ring in a new year with fellow believers-even if you don't know them!
We were particularly touched by the sermon on Romans 8 reminding us that we are MORE than conquerors through Christ Jesus. No matter our problems, persecutions, sufferings, we can enter into the new year with His strength, presence, love and promises. What an encouragement of the steadfast love of God!
One thing that we did before the clock chimes struck midnight was to sing the following hymn sung to the tune of Auld Lang Syne. Indeed whatever we say or do may be it to the glory of the LORD JESUS CHRIST. He is the reason we are here in Niger.

Should nothing of our efforts stand not legacy survive

Unless the Lord does raise the house in vain its builders strive,

To you who boast tomorrow's gain tell me, what is your life?

A mist that vanishes at dawn, all glory be to Christ!

Refrain:

All glory be to Christ our King,

All glory be to Christ!

His rule and reign we'll ever sing all glory be to Christ.

His will be done, His kingdom come, on earth as is above,

Who is Himself our daily bread, praise Him the Lord of love.

Let living water satisfy, the thirsty without price.

We'll take a cup of kindness yet, all glory be to Christ!

When on the day the great I Am, the faithful and the true,

The Lamb who was for sinners slain is making all things new.

Behold our god shall live with us and be our steadfast light .

And we shall e're His people be all glory be to Christ!

Dustin Kensrue @2012

Imagine the pipe organ full stops...all glory be to Christ! We couldn't help but think of our friend Ted Gentry of Lexington. Glorious!!

We enjoyed a wonderful Christmas Eve with the Negrini family including Anne's sister who is working with MSF (Doctors without Borders) in Sudan

Hajara and Amina took great care of me when I was so sick. God has blessed us with a dear family at CURE.

 

At the suggestion of our friend Gerald Bray we visited the British Library for a special exhibition of Bibles and old manuscripts...WOW!!

Met a couple of special folks along the way as we walked about London!

Paul is standing in front of the Dominion of Canada Gates that are by Buckingham Palace.

Paul is standing on a bridge in St. James Park with the Palace in the background.

 

Happy New Year 2019 from Paul and Maureen! (I had just gotten used to writing 2018!)

Thank you to each one of you who read these blogs and to all of you who pray for us. We are back in Niger after a week away and are refreshed for the next 4 months. God bless you all!