bright spots at Galmi

Well, after my first full week here, i decided to share some bright spots that are very real and worth sharing, amidst the death and suffering that drones on - like a constant hum in this land.

TWINS!
the Nigerian (from Nigeria, a full time doctor here) general practice MD who does a lot of surgery here tracked me down on saturday to ask that i attend a C-Section delivery of twins. In my mind i wanted to say "what, so i can try to recussitate 2 scrawny babies who will then die in a day or two or seven? because they're too small... and no one feeds them properly... or because the mothers take them home for the Day 8 Naming Ceremony celebration before they're ready...?
But i instead said, "of course - how many weeks?" He didn't know. because she didn't know.
So i prayed, knowing that in the US, i would be one of MANY people attending this delivery - many people with a lot of equipment and training who make neonatal recussitation look like a systematic, well-oiled machine. and in the US it is. Here it is only me. with oxygen tubing that i had to tape together after someone found a "splitter" (i.e. make the one tube of oxygen fork into 2 tubes for the 2 babies, potentially). with towels that come from the sterilized packs of towel and instruments after they are unwrapped. with nothing disposable. with no cute little hat to put on the baby's head. it's not quite like being born into a manger, but it is close in a lot of ways.
And probably the most important way - that God is near. He is the Giver of Life. and He is with me.
So i readied my area in the OR. cleaned off (literally, wiped down, scrubbed) the warmer where babies would lay, taped the tubing, wiped off other supplies visibly dirty, gathered some clean cloths to dry and warm my babies soon to come.
and prayed.
and out came number one - a girl - looking BIG! (a good thing when you're a twin in Niger). she needed a little help. nothing dramatic.
and then number two - a girl - pink and screaming and BIG.
Praise God.
they did great. i was so relieved. and for now, as long as the LORD gives breath, they live.

Cerebral Malaria...
bad news. bad prognosis. children who are affected to this extent by the malaria usually don't live - 40% die with treatment. Of the 10 kids i admitted last night, 1 died already, and likely had cerebral malaria.
Well, i had been treating 2 boys with what i think to be the Cerebral form of malaria. One day last week (wednesday, maybe), it was a particluarly hard day... several kids had died overnight waiting for blood transfusions (in part due to inadequate nursing care, no donor, or they were just really really ill), another baby had died, and i went to see these two boys and thought, "they are looking at death today..." we prayed for them. i kept thinking of them throughout the day. praying frequently. at night. thinking of them. praying they would be there in the morning.
Thursday came. they were there!
the 4 year old boy sat up and looked at me. for the first time in several days. sat up! the day before he had looked death in the face, was unresponsive, not breathing right... and the LORD gave another chance at life. i discharged him yesterday, walking weakly, but without any damage to his nervous system that i could appreciate.
the small 1 year old boy was also better - not quite as dramatic. but better. again we offered praise to the LORD for his mercy and healing. He is still in need of prayer for healing, and that his family would turn to Christ through their time at the hospital. His name is Moustapha.

movie night
in a much less substantial realm, some of us gathered on saturday evening to watch a movie - it was hot, not the greatest sound, no popcorn/rootbeer/candy to pass around... but great to fellowship and kind of divert our attention for a few hours. it's an older movie called "second hand lion" - a pretty cute PG family-ish film i'd recommend. maybe it just seemed good since it was all we had :)

cinnamon buns
even less substantial on many levels - they were a highlight of last thursday. a weekly tradition here. they were a taste of all things lovely and sweet. thanks to Yoko - the lovely, lovely Japanese nurse who has been here for 13 years, fluent in Japanese, English, French and Hausa (the local language). she is sweeter than her cinnamon rolls, gifted in hospitality, is always producing something helpful at just the right time, and also helped me make rice "the Japanese way"... by measuring to the first line on your finger (that's how deep the water should be above the rice). of course!