2016 Maternity Mission - Update 1

MEDICAL MATERNITY MISSION | UPDATE ONE

Day 1
 

Whether first-timers or veterans, being together with a single focus and mission in Niger is an incredible privilege. Due to the sensitivity of the work we are doing here, we will be especially careful in the information we share during our mission. Thank you for joining with us in praising God for orchestrating this brand-new opportunity to serve the nation of Niger. We covet your prayers over the next 7 days as we each desire to be the hands and feet of Jesus. May each one of us be a reflection of his endless, incomparable love.

 

After 24+ hours of traveling, we arrived at The LINK Guesthouse around midnight on Thursday night. Following a 1am dinner and brief team meeting, we turned in for a "nap" before meeting again at 6am for devotion time, breakfast and unpacking on Friday morning. We took our first venture out during the daylight hours where many of our travelers saw Niamey and the surrounding area for the first time. Our team of 15 enjoyed seeing 5 giraffes and experiencing the cooler weather of Niger on Friday morning.

 

During Friday afternoon, we were able to visit the clinic where we will be serving this next week. The purpose of this visit was to meet the staff and leaders of the clinic, as well as take a tour of the facility. The clinic staff were incredibly welcoming and excited to have us there, and they are eager to learn from us as we are from them. These mothers are so strong as they labor, and this mission team of all women is so grateful to partner with them as they experience the miracle of giving birth. Several team members were overjoyed to hold a few newborns and this visit really propelled our excitement about what God has called us to be a part of.

 

After dinner on Friday, we moved into sorting our 24 tubs with the purpose of preparing the postpartum bags for the mothers and separate bags for the newborns. We are grateful for so many of you in the States that donated newborn clothing and blankets, helped sew reusable sanitary napkins and knit newborn hats, donated funds for underwear and bagged prenatal vitamins. Other items we are including in the bags are washcloths, soap, a high protein grain product called Misola for the mothers and mosquito nets.

 

Please keep praying for these women we will be serving, the newborn babies we will get to love on and the medical professionals we are partnering with. Thank you for praying for us, too - for our continued good health and courage to venture into unknown territory... We truly feel like we are "trailblazing" for God. Your prayers have already made such a difference as God has opened many new doors in our partnership with the nation of Niger. We cannot wait for our first full day tomorrow at the clinic!!!

 

Bon nuit (Good Night) From Niger

The Medical Maternity Mission Team