2016 Maternity Mission - Update 2

MEDICAL MATERNITY MISSION | UPDATE TWO

 

 

Saturday - Day 2
 

Our first day at the clinic was filled with many stories of sadness and many of joy. Within the first hour two of our team members assisted in the delivery of a healthy baby girl. One of the two team members is a nurse and she caught the baby, cut the cord and completed the delivery. It was a miracle as all births are. This was the mother's 8th pregnancy, which in Niger, is not uncommon. She was grateful for our help, and we were blessed that she allowed us to help. We sang over this baby girl and prayed she would become a generation changer for her people. We gave the mother the bags we packed with things to take care of herself and her new baby. It was one of many unforgettable moments.
 

Four other team members spent the afternoon in the NICU where many small and sick newborns were being tended to. The group saw two children taken too soon from this earth, which was nothing short of devastating. They saw a third left to slip away as the NICU nurses decided there was nothing left to do. Two of them with medical backgrounds miraculously brought this sweet child back to life with strong stimulation, forced oxygen and a lot of suction. The other team members prayed constantly over them as they worked, and you can imagine their emotion when the child came to. We are all praising God for this miracle!

We saw many breast cancer patients recovering from mastectomies and met one patient who was 10 weeks pregnant. She was one of two wives and had been beaten by the first wife and feared she lost the baby. Thankfully, one of our team members was able to find the baby's heartbeat using a non-digital, non-electric metal cone and confirmed that she had not lost the baby. 

This clinic performs thousands of C-sections a year because many smaller, rural clinics send complicated deliveries here. Among our team, individuals observed C-section surgeries, helped change a bandage in wound care, inserted IVs, administered medicine and cared and prayed life over many, many babies. They also met a mother suffering with malaria who had never heard the name Jesus. Through a translator she learned who he is and asked that he come live in her heart. Praise God! Some of our team worked with the doctors and nurses in the triage area working with women who had emergency medical conditions, self inflicted abortions, and assisted the midwives with D & C surgeries. We all witnessed how strong these women are here. The majority having to endure these medical procedures without any pain medications. 

Most of the clinic staff were so happy to have us and spent extra time explaining what they were doing and how they were doing it. The hospital conditions were certainly different, but we did find order and a few more technologies than we expected. We were told weekdays are incredibly busy, so we are anticipating an extremely full week with many more incredible stories. 

Sunday - Day 3

Today was a rest and play day, and we did just that. A celebratory church service had the entire team dancing with our Nigerien sisters and brothers at the front of the church. We had no warning that they'd invite us to sing and dance, so quickly we came up with a song most of us knew. They passed out a few microphones, and singers and non-singers alike sang and danced at the front. For several on our team, this was a huge step out of their comfort zone. We praise God for this thriving church, and we were blessed to worship with them.

Following lunch, we took a quick trip to a nearby orphanage where we brought out our playful selves to love on these children through soccer, painting nails and just being plain silly. We were so sad to leave because in just a short amount of time they made such an impression on us. 

We finished the afternoon with a lively walk through a village where the children greeted us with open arms and made us feel like celebrities. 

Afterwards, we headed up the beautiful majestic sand dunes on camels where we laughed, sang, and danced watching the sunset on another amazing God-filled day. 

As we begin a full week at the clinic, we ask that you keep our team in your prayers and the women and children we will serve. Our team song is "Be One"...and that we truly are! God bless each one of you as you continue to travel with us!

Au Revoir from the Medical Maternity Mission Team