VC Family and Apples

What a pleasure it is to have a couple members from our Via Christi family visit us in Niger!

Awaiting the plane

Meeting the Galmi Team

"Unkoow" Todd and "Unkoow" John, as Gracie calls them, arrived Saturday.  

They will be spending the week with us.  

We have already enjoyed fellowshipping together over meals and during break times.  

Today Gracie enjoyed reading with them: 

Quality time.

We have also been enjoying the treats they brought to share with us!  

A special thanks to Dawnita and Shea (the supportive wives of these two men) for your help with the packing!

Gracie's first taste of laffy taffy...she's a fan!

Dean and Marc have appreciated having some help with rounds (especially since Dr. Todd knows French and both men have experience practicing medicine overseas).  Providentially they arrived in time to assist with a mass casualty that occurred Sunday afternoon.  A bus overturned and 30-some locals were brought to the hospital for emergency care.  All the providers who were on the compound went to the hospital and worked together triaging and treating these patients.  There was one fatality: a young lady who sold drinks on the street near the hospital.  Many others had a varying injuries: some required laceration repairs, others surgery for broken bones, another a chest tube for a pneumothorax (air in the chest that collapses the lung and can put pressure on the heart).  We are praying for the family who lost a loved one and for those who are healing from injuries.  We also pray that God's love will be demonstrated to each person through the care he or she receives.  Please join us in these prayers for each day we are seeing how God answers them.

Our latest answer to prayer:

Apples arrived in Galmi today!

We've had a bit of a produce dilemma the last couple of weeks.  The lady who normally supplies the compound with imported fresh fruits and veggies has been very ill and unable to come.  She has cancer and the prognosis has not been good.  However, she is a fighter and surprised us all by showing up today with a bountiful selection of produce.

Gracie enjoyed playing with her daughter while we made our selections.

Then Gracie helped haul our purchases home.

And when we arrived home we were soon greeted with our bulk order of fresh carrots straight from the local fields.

Now it's time to wash, peel, grate, cook and bake!

Thanks to all who prayed for "apples" -- we are yet again reminded of how God hears our prayers.

Please pray for the lady who sells the produce -- for continued strength, for health, and for peace that only come through (hrist alone.

Grateful for His bounty,

DD&G