Clinic

Jan. 17, 2008

Niamey / Kollo, Niger

Hosanna Medical Team – Day 2

9:47 pm

Today we went to the town of Kollo, which is about a 45 minute drive from Niamey. We had our first day of medical clinics and it was pretty darn great. I stuck with our pediatrician, named John, for the whole day. I assisted him as he explained to me what he was doing and thinking during each exam. It was really fun and I learned a lot.

The way it worked was this: the day before we arrived for the clinic, 200 tickets were given to the chief to distribute throughout the village. Those who received a ticket were allowed to be treated, and when we finished seeing those patients, we were done for the day. This is a good idea because we really can’t see everyone. Once people start making exceptions, it gets crazy and people can start fights and stuff. By the end of the day though, we did finish the two hundred and then redistributed some of the tickets so that we could help more people. It’s kind of tricky but I think the system worked pretty well. We also had guards who did crowd control.

Man, I saw some really cute kids today. To be able to give them some basic meds, even chewable vitamin C was something! So many of the children we saw had pale gums, indicating an iron deficiency. This makes perfect sense because it is often rare that someone in these villages would have meat or dark green, leafy vegetables which provide a good source of iron.

Also, they were very happy to receive medicine, which is so encouraging! People were thankful and we knew we were helping them. We also carried out several blood tests in which we checked for malaria. We found two positive cases, and were able to give them malaria treatments.

All in all a good day, and quite tiring. We’ll go back to Kollo tomorrow for Round 2. Should be good!

The chief of N'dounga, one of the towns we went to.

These ladies cooked the whole morning so we could have some food for lunch. This is traditional...all the cooking is done outside, just like this.

Striking!

Two sets of twins! Can you believe it?

This baby was super-malnourished and sick. The doctors gave him two IOs (inter-osseous) where they stick a needle into the patient's tibia and put fluids straight into the bone marrow. The baby didn't even cry...
Finally they found a vein and were pushing fluids through him. He was looking much better.

All in all it was a great week!
(These pictures are from throughout the week, not just the first day...)

Pictures from the week...

Here are some pictures from the nine days I had with the medical team from Oklahoma.

The four doctors from Enid, Oklahoma

Posing before one of our clinics...

Zachary (on my immediate right) and some other guys who are a part of this ministry.

This little boy was so happy and not afraid of all the white people!

Sorting pills with a bunch of cute girls!

Joining the Team

Jan. 16, 2008

Niamey, Niger

10:12 pm

Today I met the team. The medical team, that is. Within the last week or so it has worked out for me to join this short term medical team from Oklahoma that just arrived yesterday. We will be going to several towns near Niamey to hold day clinics, pass out meds, and treat patients. On the team there are four doctors (ER, OB/GYN, Pediatrician, Family Practice) and two nurses, along with some others to help out. There is also a well-drilling branch of the team, but I’ll be working with the medical side.

So today I spent many hours taking pills from bottles, then putting them into plastic bags. This was after I labeled the plastic bags. Yep. Pretty exciting. Then I took some different pills and put them into other bags that I’d labeled with my Sharpie pen.

Of course I got to talk with other people from the team and get to know them a bit. I heard doctors’ stories which were pretty cool, and got more of an insider’s view into the medical field. Oh yeah, and we ate some great food! Tuna sandwiches for lunch, and for dinner we had spaghetti which nearly brought me to tears it was so good!

Anyways, time to go.

Crowning of a Chief

Jan. 13, 2008

Sunday, 3:44pm

Tera, Niger

Today I witnessed what no one has witnessed for 23 years and 7 months! The new Songhai chief in Tera had his coronation ceremony today, and we were invited.

We knew it would be a long ceremony, and it was supposed to start around 9:00am. So we got there around 10am or so, and it was a good thing! The chief arrived just as we were getting there, and there were seriously thousands of people gathered for this event! We were allowed inside the stadium (football field where the ceremony was held) and given seats near the front.

It turns out that many important government and regional officials were also coming for the coronation. As we waited, many of these “big men” arrived in Land Cruisers driven onto the stadium, with personal bodyguards and the whole lot. In fact, the prime minister himself (2^nd in command in all of Niger) came in a convoy and I was able to get a few pictures of him.

I think the fact that I am white and that I was holding a camera granted me certain privileges. I stood up and walked towards the action, and several men nodded me onward to take pictures. I went right up to the prime minister and took his picture, nodded in thanks, and was returned with a slight nod from the 2^nd most powerful man in all of Niger!

Although I did not come fully prepared for the three and a half hours of heat and commotion (no hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, or food), I did bring some water and a book to keep me occupied. All in all it was a great day and I got some pretty cool shots of the people, culture, and ceremony. Life truly is an adventure out here, and you never know what each day is going to bring!

This is the new Songhai chief. Serious guy.

These are the drummers and musicians. Those drums are made out of huge gourds.

This man is the prime minister of Niger. He's 2nd in command over the whole country! It was cool to see him up close.

These are the Muslim malams (leaders) who said a prayer and were in the middle of the whole stadium.

These boys love their camels! And it's a good thing they've got sunglasses too, eh?

This horse had some serious decorations. Must've been hot.

We got to sit right next to the prime minister's tent, and even made it on Niger's national TV station!

This guy is a Fulani chief and he danced while these other guys played drums for him.

A Town Called Tera

Jan. 11, 2008

Friday, 2:07 pm

Tera, Niger – DeValve House

Yesterday we drove three hours up to Tera, where my new friends the DeValves, who are SIM missionaries, live. The drive was not bad, only 3 hours or so, and we were able to cross the Niger River on a ferry. I got some decent pictures.

So the DeValves (John, Nancy, Suzanne, and Daniel who is in college) are the only SIM missionaries up here in Tera. In fact, they’ve been the only missionaries at all here since the Southern Baptists left a few years ago. Just recently they’ve decided to move back to Niamey to live, so they can be closer to their daughter Suzanne who goes to Sahel Academy. It’s kind of a hard move for them since they’ve been here for about 16 years, but they feel it is where the Lord wants them.

All that to say I was invited to join them and help them pack up their place this weekend. I’m really glad I’ve been able to come since I’ll be sticking around the Niamey area anyways for the next few weeks before heading out to Maradi. In this part of the country (which is northwest of Niamey), they speak primarily Songhai and some French. It’s amazing to think of all the different languages just in Niger. At conference, each area gave ministry reports on praise and prayer points from this past year. It was cool because now I am so much more informed about the country, and especially how there are many different people groups. Even within the Fulani tribe, for example, there are many different dialects (West Fulfulde, East Fulfulde, Chadian, etc).

The DeValves are very generous and I’ve enjoyed being here with them. I’ve been helping pack up books, move boxes, and do other odd jobs as needed. This is way better than just sitting around at the CBN guest house in Niamey! Life is slower out here in Niger, that’s for sure. In the early afternoon, they usually even have a “siesta” rest period. When it gets really hot later on in the year, no one can work outside in the blazing heat of the day, so most people just rest inside (the heat can be so draining)!

Another thing I’ve been learning or realizing since I’ve been here is flexibility! Let me say that again: flexibility! It’s not like you can really wait to be served or expect other people to do things for you. I’m realizing more and more that I need to be very proactive in getting things done, asking questions, and helping out. There’s no real room for complaining, especially since everyone is in the same situation as I am. The things that we care about in the States aren’t so important over here. I can talk about this more later, because there is a lot that can be said. That’s it for now.

Luke

Waiting for the ferry across the Niger River...what a contrast!

The Ferry

At the dam in Tera...sitting on the dam wall...

Taking down poles at the DeValves

Loading up the truck...

Conference

Jan. 9, 2008

Niamey, Niger – 11:50pm

Last Day of Conference

Conference is over. Man, it was really good. One thing I’ve really appreciated is the SIM community. It really is like a family, and it’s cool to see people from so many nationalities! I mean, in Danja I’ll be working with these people, for example:

Tony – from DR Congo

Bunmi and Loveth Oluloto – from Nigeria

Jason and Leng Hazell – from Australia and Philippines

June Leech and Felicity – from United Kingdom

Helen Nixon and Laura – from Australia

In Maradi:

Peter and Sally Cunningham – from Australia

Chris and Freuke Nicholson – from New Zealand

Gail Klippenstein – from Canada

Aaron Thacher – from USA

That is seriously a multicultural team, and I am so glad to be a part of it. It’s kind of like a piece of heaven, in that people from all over the world come together to praise the same God and serve him!

Lunch with some guys from the Green Valley Church team. They were great!

Pictures on the Niger River!

The Kennedy Bridge, which crosses the Niger River.

Pastor Ken Burkey and I. He's a good man.

Arrival at the guest house!

Jet Lagged

Jan. 5, 2008

Niamey, Niger

4:51am

I woke up at 1:17am. In the morning. After going to bed around 11:00pm. Wowser.

So yes, I am fully jet-lagged. After a good long sleep yesterday I was hoping to sleep through the night tonight. That obviously didn’t happen. But c’est la vie and I’ll adjust eventually. I’ve been up pretty much since then, lying in bed. It’s almost 5:00am now.

Thanks to technology I was able to watch “The Bourne Supremacy” on my new Ipod. Way cool, I am so glad I have that thing. It’s kind of like my jet lag medicine. In the early hours of the morning when I was in Morocco, I watched “The Bourne Identity” so this was the logical continuation. Jason Bourne won again, in case you were wondering.

You definitely have some time to think when you’re the only person awake in the pitch black of night. Music is very soothing and helps to pass the time. I guess boredom makes me pray more than I normally do. I’m just being honest, but why not talk to God when you have nothing else to do? I think it’s good, and I can talk to God about whatever I want during these slow hours of being alone. I just wish I didn’t need to be completely bored to actually spend time with my Maker. Maybe that’s what I’ll pray about.