We've been here almost a week and we're finally greeting you!
The journey has been a long one. We travelled through Toronto, Paris and Niamey, Niger before making our way by bus to the village we will be calling home for the next month. I managed to lose a bag each step of the way from Canada which, despite having to wash clothes in the sink, worked out quite well because the taxi in Niamey was pretty small. We also have been dealing with departure in a different way, as an important family member passed on while we were travelling. Our families are in our hearts as they grieve, and we are grateful for the time spent together before we left.
Now, we are sitting in 33 degree heat in the middle of the night trying to find a way to describe our first few days here, on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert. Everyone here has been warm and welcoming; getting us on our feet, filling our cupboards, and lending me clothes. We've also enjoyed reconnecting with good friends made on my prior trips.
I've been working in a 120 bed hospital; mostly on the medical and paediatrics side. I also get to spend time at the CREN, a rehabilitation centre for malnourished mothers and children. So far it has been a steep learning curve as many of the diseases seen here are not common in North America like malaria, typhoid and tetanus. It's a challenge to work in an area with limited resources but amazing to see how much good the doctors here can do with so little.
Josh has been working on maintenance jobs all over the hospital and compound. With such a transient community of missionaries, there is often a lot of cleaning up and organizing to do. He is working with a guy who could probably use three short termers at all times to help get everything done, so they are busy! Josh also has such an amazing gift for building community so he is making fast friends with the Nigeriens despite not having French or Hausa.
Thank you all for your support and your prayers. If you're interested in following along with our journey we will try to post photos and updates here regularly!
- Lydia