Niger letter

Dear Friends, I have been quite tardy in distributing thanks to many of you for your support and prayers while I was in Niger in April. As you know, I've been out of Toronto, and even Canada, for most of the time that I have returned from Niger, and am now in the midst of a move to Ottawa. It has been quite hectic, and I have yet to have been given the chance to sit and reflect with my Nigerien journal and think back on my experiences properly!
I went to Niger, a culturally Islamic country, from April 3 to April 26, 2002 to work at Galmi Hospital. It is a 100-bed hospital about 500 km east of the capital of Niamey, 17 km north of the Nigerian border, and just south of the Sahara Desert. It was established by SIM Niger in 1950, after lobbying long and hard with the (then) French government to build a mission hospital. After humble beginnings (the hospital was given land in what was, essentially, the middle of nowhere, lacking water, power lines and the like; in fact, Galmi Hospital still lacks a functional, dependent phone line out of the hospital), it now serves about 600 out-patients a day, offers surgical and obstetrical services and runs an emergency department. Most of the staff at the hospital are nationals (163 nationals at last count); only seven to eight missionaries remain full-time, mainly in the form of administrative and physician/surgeon roles.
My role as a medical student was to learn and do, as much as I could and as much as I felt comfortable with. I helped in the out-patient clinics, did some (very) minor surgeries and helped the mid-wives in the obstetrical ward. Overall, it was a whirlwind experience for me, as my limited amount of time at the hospital was dispersed amongst many different medical serivces. I feel like I saw and did much that wouldn't be seen in our 'first-class' medical system here in Canada. It was humbling to see patients with disease that we would never see or deal with in Canada, and even more frustrating when there was very limited therapy that we could offer.
The Nigeriens struck me with their bravery and stoicism. People would travel for days, from miles around, hoping that perhaps Galmi could help them with their problems. How some of them adapted with their symptoms and their pain for months, or even years, before seeing a doctor, astounded me. I realized that I would have gone crying for some medication long before many of them would have even acknowledged that there was something amiss. Nonetheless, people would come from far and wide, even from neighbouring countries, because they knew "sai Galmi (only at Galmi)" could they find an answer.
Galmi Hospital's witness throughout the years is manifest in how it has changes its pocket of the world. When it first begun, it really was in the middle of nowhere. Today, Galmi is a village of about 5000-6000 people. Two churches are present here, with several more within a ten to fifteen minute drive of the hospital. A kindergarten and primary school have been built and are running, while a secondary school is getting off the ground. All have been built and are being taught by the local Christians. Galmi Hospital's reputation is far-reaching and is recognized as one of the best hospitals in the entire country. God is even working amongst the employees of the hospital. The majority of the employees are Christian, but some are not. In particular, a mid-wife named Fatima had been asking about Christianity and wanted to know more over the past year. The hospital director had give her a copy of the Bible, and she was in the midst of reading it while I was at Galmi. Please remember her as she tries to figureout who Jesus is. For a long time, the mid-wives of the hospital have all been Muslim, or at least non-Christian. This will change as some new Christian mid-wife graduates are coming to join the staff at Galmi Hospital within the next few months. Please pray for them that they might be able to make an impact amongst their colleagues in the obstetrical department.
Please remember the missionaries who are at Galmi, particularly Allan Quinn, the hospital director, as well as Drs. Maja Graber, Nick Palmer and Ibrahim Barre. Two other physicians are returning from furlough within the next few months and will help make the work a bit easier when they arrive. Please continue to remember the church in Niger; it is in the minority, but it is there!
Thanks again for all your support and your interest in me! I would love to tell you more, if you'd like, Please don't hesitate to get in contact with me at...