May Day

Perhaps most of you are like us and unaware that May 1st is International Worker's Day (aka "Labor Day").  Well, we'd like to enlighten you (as we were yesterday) and share a bit of how Nigeriens commemorate in Galmi.

Our first clue that something was brewing came over the weekend when 7 rams appeared in a pen (which previously housed a pet tortoise) adjacent to the basketball-tennis court on the Galmi compound.  Gracie enjoyed observing these "sheeps," as she called them, and quickly learned that "sheeps eats weaves (leaves), no (not) poop;" this is true, the pen stayed full of fodder and waste.

Yesterday morning we ventured over to the pen around 7:45 A.M.  Seasoned ex-pats had informed us that local butchers (who previously owned the rams) would begin the slaughtering process early in order to have the meat prepared and fully cooked in time for the late afternoon celebration.

And a process it was!

Once again we should provide a disclaimer for those who are squeamish about blood as well as those vegetarians out there who are anti-animal killing.  These pictures are literally "in the raw."

By the time we arrived, the process was well underway.  We missed the throat slitting and from what we heard (from MKs who made it on time for the start) this was not a bad thing to miss (well Dean may not completely agree with that statement).  Anyway, this is what we did see:

Gracie (with mini box of raisins in hand) watching the butchers at work.

The traditional method of skinning a sheep is rather ingenious (though not particularly hygienic).  We had heard about "ballooning of the ram" but did not fully appreciate how literal this term is until we observed the process firsthand.  After the ram is dead, a stick is used to make a hole under the skin in one of the hind legs.  Then (far right in picture above; center in picture below) one blows air into the hole, which inflates the ram along the fascial plane between the hide and the meat.
And by the end, the ram truly looks like a balloon!

Ballooning of the ram

This makes skinning the ram fairly easy -- at least these professional butchers made it look that way.

Local butchers skinning the rams.

Next, the rams were gutted and then splayed open like this:

Finished product -- great anatomy lesson!

Nothing goes to waste (as later pictures will attest).  

And as you can tell from these pictures, this was a well attended spectacle!

Visiting pediatrician (Dr. Sam) showing off a ram head while men, women and children watch, amused.

This little boy, who is a son or grandson of one of the butchers, was close by throughout the process.
A little bit of everything -- ram head, hide, entrails, meat as well as the mats and rods used to transport  the carcases -- is displayed around him in this shot. 

Let the cooking begin!

All seven rams were "smoked" by a fire -- a process that took most of the day.

Raw rams at the beginning of the roasting ("smoking") process

Well done rams ready to be carved and served

While we waited for the evening's main event, Gracie investigated the other preparation happenings that were underway.

"What dat?"
How does one explain sheep entrails to a 23 month-old?

More ram parts

So far G was a bit disappointed that despite all the food prep she'd struck out on ready to eat options.  Ah, but, press on she did until she hit a homerun: ladies making sauce.

Tasting the tomato paste...she had at least 3 finger-fulls

Begging some tomato slices from Auntie Deb

Not even finished with the tomato she just scored and already heading to the freshly peeled onions.
Yep, she ate some of those too!

While many men and women from the hospital continued to prepare for the main event, we retired to the pool followed by lunch and a nap before setting back out to join in the festivities.

Between 5 and 6 PM, folks began to gather on the compound basketball/tennis court.  All hospital employee's were invited to this hospital sponsored "banquet" in honor of May "Labor" Day.  Everyone was excited, and as the various departments (surgery, maternity, pharmacy, etc.) gathered, it was clear that they had been planning for this event.  Each department (at least the female reps) had chosen a fabric and had matching outfits made which they wore to the banquet as a symbol of solidarity.  Chairs and benches were arranged in a large circle so everyone could gather around for the music, speeches and games (never expected to see musical chairs played in Africa!) which proceeded.  While these activities were underway, the ladies who'd been food-prepping all day began to serve the evening meal.  Each person (including ex-pats like us who were in attendance) received a bottle of "coke," hunk of baguette, bowl full of "sauce" (which has been appropriately named "organ stew" by one of the MKs) and a plastic baggie with a hunk of roasted lamb.  Most folks enjoyed the soda, bread and sauce while watching the program -- the meat was saved to be taken home and shared with each worker's family.  A few people poured the sauce into a separate bag and took all the food home with them -- again most likely to share this special treat with the rest of his or her family.  And a handful of others (like Dianna & Gracie) nibbled the bread and enjoyed watching everyone else (especially Dean) chow down!

May Day Celebration
Only about 1/3 of attendants are shown from this vantage point.
The large basins in the center contain bread and sauce.

We are really glad we could participate in the day's events.  And we are thankful for all these hardworking men and women who contribute to the work and success of Galmi Hospital.  Hopefully, the day was successful in letting these folks know how appreciated they are.

Now, for one more random picture of G that we've been meaning to post.  

Over the last couple of weeks, G has spontaneously attempted to mimic the local ladies by carrying various items (nalgene water bottle for instance) on her head.  Here is a shot of her congratulating herself for a successful attempt:

G with Old Rabi

May Day blessings,
DD&G

Sad Things, Real People

Let’s begin with a warning: graphic pictures are in this post.  

Not inappropriate pictures, but medically graphic pictures.  These are not put here for shock value alone, but to show that incredibly sad things happen to real people.  And to remind us of just how blessed we are.

If you want some less graphic images, I might suggest you search Google Images for “Care Bear Stare,” or something similar.  I cannot personally verify that this is a safe, non-graphic search, but judging by the people I know who know so much about Care Bears, I assume that it is.  

For the sake of the faint-hearted who will not endure the pictures at the end of this post -- here is one of our little "care bear" caring:

Gracie loves to "go see babies;" here she is visting kids at the CREN.
She's also learned "Jeeza make baby feew betta" and often spontaneously reminds us of this truth
(for those needing translation, "Jesus makes babies feel better").

Okay, so now proceed at your own discretion.

Kids break bones here, just like they do all over the world.  Some breaks are bad, some not so bad.  And parents, of course, seek help when their child has a broken bone.  There are traditional bonesetters here who often do a remarkably good job at (as their title implies) setting bones.  They are to be commended for the impressive results that they often accomplish with no X-rays and with rather primitive materials.

At times, however, the outcome is quite disheartening.  And this is due, presumably, to a combination of factors working together against the favor of the child.  Perhaps the bonesetter applied the splint a bit too tight or failed to recognize a vascular injury.  The child may have complained of pain, an early warning sign of a worsening condition - but as the parent expects pain from a broken bone, and as the cultural expectation is to be quite stoic, the child’s complaints are scolded and ignored.  And even when the limb began to swell and blister and perhaps even drain pus or exude a foul smell, the parent may have hoped it would just get better.  Or maybe they didn’t have money to come to the hospital.  Or maybe the husband wasn’t home so the wife couldn’t get his permission to bring her child in.

In any case, the result is the same: a young child who loses a limb.  A limb that, if cared for properly, often would have healed with no noticeable long-term sequelae.  A limb that in some cases would have done well with no treatment at all, not even a splint.  A limb that, obviously, will be absent for a lifetime.

We are not used to seeing these kinds of cases because they don’t happen (if so, quite rarely) in our society.  We are blessed with relatively convenient access to health care.  We are educated enough to seek help when things are looking worse.  We don’t live under such harsh conditions that we have developed a pain tolerance that in some cases can be pathological.  And even if we are afraid we cant afford to pay, we still go in because we know that our society just doesn’t tolerate these type of disasters and someone, somewhere, would bail us out if it got really bad and we couldn’t pay.

So here goes, a brief look at some of the arm and leg disasters here in Niger.

A traditional splint made of bamboo-like grass stems.  The arm and hand are mummified in places and draining pus elsewhere.  A purplish dye has also been applied, presumably for some medicinal effect.

A few days later, after the amputation.
This young man had a greenstick fracture, often treated with a splint but will quite often heal well with no treatment at all.

Zakari did quite well with his daily dressing changes.

Following-up in the clinic after being discharged from the hospital - he has healed well.

Osteomyelitis (bone infection) of the tibia (shin bone) in a young boy.
The entire right side of his jaw bone was also infected. 

This young girl had a splint placed on her leg after a minor injury approximately one month before she arrived at clinic.
Her lower tibia and upper ankle are exposed beneath dead skin.  Her entire foot is mummified and shrunken.
She was taken for amputation the next day.

An older lady who had broken her tibia and fibula (leg bones between knee and ankle) after slipping on a step - not typically a mechanism with enough force to break these two bones.
She had received treatment in her village and came to our clinic after about three months.   

This is her first X-ray.  Both bones are broken but there appear to be some signs of preliminary healing.
However, there are also some concerning signs.

Her follow-up X-ray five months after the first X-ray (she has now been unable to walk for two months).
This X-ray was taken on the same day of the picture of her leg shown above.
You can see a tumor on the X-ray and missing portion of bone.  At this point, amputation was her only option.
She refused and is living out her remaining days while the tumor continues to grow.

Lady with neurofibromatosis (condition involving numerous, small growths along nerves).
Her case is rather unique in that she also has this large "related" growth on the back of her leg.

Hopefully (those who hung with us this far), you are as thankful as we are for how richly God has blessed us.  Again, this was not an attempt to overwhelm you or guilt you; it was an attempt to share with you what life is like for others.  Please join us in praying for the people in this post as well as the many others who suffer in ways that seem unthinkable to us.  Pray that they may come to know and experience TRUE comfort, hope, healing and peace which comes only through Jesus Christ.

For HIS glory,

DD&G

The Vine

John 15:1-17  The Vine and the Branches

This passage is likely familiar to most of us.  Recently, God has given us a fuller understanding of what this passage represents in our lives.  We shared the following with our brothers and sisters in Galmi last Sunday evening, so thought we would share with you as well:

In preparation for facilitating tonight’s time of worship, we reflected on how the Lord has been moving in our hearts these past few months.  Several possible topics came to mind, but one repeatedly came to our attention: Intimacy with God.  

During medical school and on into residency, the demands of work made it hard for us to maintain a vibrant quiet time and, thus, our intimacy with God (individually and as a family) waned.  At the time -- sleep-deprived, over worked and stressed as we were -- we did not seem to notice our straying, but looking back we clearly see how our intimacy with God has suffered.  By God’s grace, He has been drawing us nearer over the last few months.  It seems we are now near enough to see how far we strayed and how much further there is to grow.  

By no means are we proud of this, nor do we share this to suggest we have “arrived” and you should get on board.  Many of you are surely ahead of us in the journey of knowing our Lord and Savior more and more.  We share this to set the stage for how and why this yearning for intimacy with God through Jesus Christ has come to the forefront of our hearts and minds.

What does intimacy with God look like?  

Charles Stanley teaches on David’s intimacy with God, even when in the desert.  

__________________________________________________

Psalm 63:1-8 adapted from Charles Stanley's teaching:

(A psalm of David.  When he was in the Desert of Judah).

¹ O God, you are my God,

earnestly I seek you;

my soul thirsts for you,

my body longs for you,

in a dry and weary land

where there is no water.

1. Yearning for God

We can relate to the dry and weary land.  David says that he has a longing in his soul and his body for God.  Perhaps he was referring to the Desert of Judah, but perhaps he also meant that without intimacy with God, his spiritual life felt dry and weary.

² I have seen you in the sanctuary

and beheld your power and your glory

2. Awakened Spiritual Senses

See the One who is unseen, growing understanding of His nature, His ways, and His Word.

³ Because your love is better than life,

my lips will glorify you.

⁴ I will praise you as long as I live,

and in your name I will lift up my hands.

3.  New Values and Priorities

Nothing else in life compares to our intimacy with God, no possession, position, power, or prestige is better than knowing Him more.

⁵ My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;

with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

⁶ On my bed I remember you;

I think of you through the watches of the night.

4.  Satisfaction and Fulfillment

We feel in love again!  We are satisfied by and sing songs about the one we love.  We don’t have to be reminded to think about the one that we love, even in the middle of the night.

⁷ Because you are my help,

I sing in the shadow of your wings.

⁸ My soul clings to you,

your right hand upholds me.

5.  Trust and Dependence

We cling to Him and can sing even in times of trial because we have confidence that He loves us and wants what is best for us.

____________________________________________________

So, now that we have taken a peek at what intimacy with God looks like, let’s discuss a few things together.  Perhaps after last week’s quote in “Galmi Now,” this has been on some of your minds as well.  Anyone remember the quote?

“God will never call you to sacrifice your intimacy with Him on the altar of ministry.”

Beth Moore

Mercy Triumphs

What detracts from our intimacy with God?

What do you think?

Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret by Dr. & Mrs. Howard Taylor suggests a few distractors that Hudson Taylor found particularly trying while serving in China. 

“I knew that if only I could abide in Christ all would be well, but I could not.  I would begin the day with prayer, determined not to take my eye off Him for a moment, but pressure of duties, sometimes very trying, and constant interruptions apt to be so wearing, caused me to forget Him.  Then one’s nerves get so fretted in this climate that temptations to irritability, hard thoughts and sometimes unkind words are all the more difficult to control.” (HTSS 158-159)

Anything you can relate to there?  We all agreed that life in Niger shares many of these same daily trials (as you may also find trying in your daily life).

So how do we maintain intimacy with God?

Jesus gave us the example in His life:

Matthew 14:23 -- Jesus goes to a mountain side to pray after feeding 5,000

Mark 1:35 -- Jesus awoke early and prayed in solitude

Luke 5:16 -- “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”

Luke 6:12 -- Jesus spent the night in prayer

Jesus also speaks to us directly John 15, instructing us that we maintain our intimacy with God by remaining in Him -- the vine.

Taking a look back at Hudson Taylor’s dilemma in China, we read how this truth came to life in Taylor's life.

“All the time I felt assured that there was in Christ all I needed, but the practical question was -- how to get it out.  He was rich truly, but I was poor; He was strong, but I weak.  I knew full well that there was in the root, the stem, abundant fatness, but how to get it into my puny little branch was the question.  As gradually light dawned, I saw that faith was the only requisite--was the hand to lay hold on His fullness and make it mine.  But I had not this faith.” (HTSS 160)

Taylor quoting McCarthy (his close friend):

“But how to get faith strengthened?  Not by striving after faith, but by resting on the Faithful One.” (HTSS 161)

“As I thought of the Vine and the branches, what light the blessed Spirit poured direct into my soul!  How great seemed my mistake in wishing to get the sap, the fullness out of Him!  I saw not only that Jesus will never leave me, but that I am a member of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.  The vine is not the root merely, but all-root, stem, branches, twigs, leaves, flowers, fruit.   And Jesus is not that alone--He is soil and sunshine, air and showers, and ten thousand times more than we have ever dreamed, wish for or needed.  Oh, the joy of seeing this truth!  I do pray that the eyes of your understanding too may be enlightened, that you may know and enjoy the riches freely given us in Christ.” (HTSS 161-162)

“The sweetest part, if one may speak of one part being sweeter than another, is the rest which full identification with Christ brings.  I am no longer anxious about anything, as I realize this; for He, I know, is able to carry out His will, and His will is mine.  It makes no matter where He places me, or how.  That is rather for Him to consider than for me; for in the easiest position He must give me His grace, and in the most difficult His grace is sufficient.  It little matters to my servant whether I send him to buy a few cash worth of things, or the most expensive articles.  In either case he looks to me for the money and brings me his purchases.  So, if God should place me in serious perplexity, must He not give me much guidance; in positions of great difficulty, much grace; in circumstances of great pressure and trial, much strength?  No fear that His resources will prove unequal to the emergency!  And His resources are mine, for He is mine, and is with me and dwells in me.”  (HTSS 162-163)

Spiritual secret behind it is abiding in Him!!!

A variety of other books that we have been reading in preparation for life overseas echo the importance of maintaining intimacy with God wherever you are.  On Being Mission@ry (by Thomas Hale) and The Surge (by Pete Briscoe) are two examples.  

Truly, no matter where you are or what your day-to-day activities entail, we are designed for intimacy with God, and in order to live our lives to the fullest we cannot neglect our place in the vine.

Remaining in Him by His Grace,

DD&G

Random stuff, random pictures, MANY thanks

It seems we keep quite busy these days -- or maybe it's just the heat that slows us down...

Temp INside our house: 100F!

Thankfully, that is not a daily occurrence.

But 90F is!

Well, it's likely a combo of both the heat and the work at hospital and home.

All 3 Kubaczs have been to the hospital recently.  Dean continues with daily patient care duties.  He has moved from obstetrics to mainly general surgery and burn care.  Soon he will transition into pediatrics and adult medicine.  Here are a couple pics of patients he's seen:

This baby's older brother was burned while she was still inside her momma's belly.
Dean took care of the little boy and then recognized the mother a couple weeks later
 when she showed up on the labor ward and delivered this healthy little cutie.
Praise the Lord that all 3 (Momma, brother and baby girl) were discharged home last week!

Young boy receiving wound care...
More specifics on his story in a later post.

Dianna has taken a few half-days and seen patients in the outpatient clinics these past 2 weeks.  Even in this short time she has seen many "firsts,"  some congenital abnormalities (3 day old boy with one leg shorter than the other because one thigh bone did not develop -- otherwise healthy and normal appearing baby) and a nerve injury due to birth trauma (Erb's palsy in 6 week old girl) are just 2 quick examples.  More thoughts from Dianna in another post...

Now, about Miss Gracie.  She, too, has been to hospital.  Gracie enjoys visiting patients.  She often says, "I wan go see babies."   Which means, "I want to go the hospital and look at the newborns on the maternity ward where Daddy works."  She truly is a precious child!

Gracie at Danja Hospital
She was very interested in "owies"

Other interesting happenings....

Look closely at this one

Did you see it?
Usually the cows are beside the road and the truck is riding on the road,
BUT this time the truck is on the side of the road (old accident) and the cows are on TOP of a van riding on the road!

Camel
Never really thought of them as beasts of burden until coming here.

G also helps out with "heavy loads"...

Helping bring in the laundry.

A special thanks to all who have sent PACKAGES our way!!

"Open it" is one of G's new favorite commands...

"Open it,"
as G and Daddy rip into a letter from Uncle D and Aunt C
while riding in the backseat of a rental van (taxi).

Proudly showing off the new pic of G and A from last July!

Enjoying all the new treats...
G prefers the edible ones!

Thanks, again, to all of you who have filled boxes and envelopes with goodies and lots of love.  We continue to enjoy them (boxes and all) every day!  

BUT given we've only 7 weeks left in Niger (yep it's true, June is just around the corner), it's probably best not to send any more...although someone will surely enjoy any boxes we aren't here to receive!

Also, our heart-filled thanks to all of you for keeping us in your prayers.

-DD&G-

Black Dog, Misty Mountain

Some mornings it looks like there is mist on the mountains.  Well, not really mountains so much, more like a long ridgeline.  And not really mist - just dust and dirt that fills the air, obscures the horizon and looks deceivingly like mist in the early morning sunrise.  But who would expect mist, anyway, when the humidity is 9%.   Either way, there is a bit of an eerie aura as the sun rises most days.

"Misty mountain" on a rather clear day

And while the day starts eerily, one wonders what may have happened during the night.  In traditional Hausa culture there are groups of people who have faith in devil possession.  Those who participate will tell you that they do so to “protect” the public and to assist in providing cures for many diseases.  Through this art of devil possession, they even claim to cure those that were incurable at the hospital.  

"Ambulance" at the rear of the hospital...

and leaving again.

Without going into too many specifics (although specifics can be found in a book entitled “Hausa Customs” by Madauci, Isa, and Daura and published in Zaria, Nigeria) let us just say that the initiate, a drummer, a chicken (and its blood), the roots of 99 different trees (boiled in a large pot), and two coarse grass mats, among other things, are involved in the initiation process.  

The devils are claimed to have some attributes similar to humans, such as being parents and children of one another.  Each is addressed by it’s title and is asked if it intends to stay and “possess” the subject or to “pass on.”

The initiation ceremony may last for a week or more and involves a bizarre series of rituals and events (including the gathering of seven different kinds of chickens, all of which will be slaughtered at the base of a tamarind tree).  Near the conclusion of the ceremony, all who are present kneel before the tamarind tree and pray that their wishes will be granted by the devils.

Additionally, there is a belief that an animal which is completely black is useful for the transfer of a curse.  Any small amount of white coloration would render the animal useless for this purpose.  But a completely black animal can be sold to the local practitioner of curses for a good price (a black dog, however, may be given to the practitioner for no cost as a dog is considered to be of little value).  Someone can then pay the practitioner to put a curse on another person and the black animal is employed to carry the curse to the intended victim.

Camels around the well

Boys riding home from the well

 

Why discuss such practices on a blog post- are they even relevant to us?  There are dimensions to the spiritual world of which many of us are unaware and ill-prepared to confront.  Jesus and his disciples often confronted the spirit world in a way that seems unfamiliar to us today (and His disciples sometimes weren’t quite prepared to deal with what they found!)  (Mark 9:14-29)  But as Jesus was leaving His disciples and giving them His final command, He said that those who believe in Him would be able to confront these things (Mark 16:15-18).

How incredibly blessed we are to have been shown the Truth, the One true way to God, Jesus Christ.  He expects no ritual of us, but just that we trust Him with our lives.  And when we trust Him to do what He promises to do - forgive all our sins, never forsake us, intercede on our behalf - He fills us with the Holy Spirit.  And His Spirit gives us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  No chicken blood required, no fear of black cats.  Praise God!

An Abyssinian roller - one of God's beautiful creatures!

No Foolin'

It may be "April Fool's Day," but it's no joke that over 2 weeks have passed since our last post!

Much has happened since mid-March so we will do our best to fill you in on the highlights.

On March 13th we boarded SIMAir's four-seater plane.  Two stops and nine hours later we landed on the dirt airstrip at AmTiman, Chad.

At first glance the scenery was nearly identical to Niger's desert landscape.

But as we greeted the TEAM (The Evangelical Alliance Mission) families who were awaiting our arrival, we began to notice slight differences.  Dianna quickly learned that women cover themselves differently and adapted her shawl to serve as a head/neck/shoulder covering.  On the short drive from the airstrip to the D family's home, we noticed that although most homes were built out of mud bricks similar to those in Niger, the buildings were round instead of square and there was not a smooth layer of mud covering the bricks.

Other differences:

Horses were fairly common

Camels were abundant

Women rode donkeys (side-saddled)

We were warmly welcomed into daily life of the TEAM families and greatly appreciated their taking great care of us during our stay.  Together we:

enjoyed St. Patty's Day treats,

baked in the brick oven,

shared evening meal (a weekly event after Friday group prayer),

visited a nearby village.

Gracie enjoyed exploring her new surroundings 

and playing with the other children while Dean and Dianna toured several important places in Am Timan.

Hospital

Christian school

Well drilling site

On our return trip, we started out by road on March 19th.  Two of the families living in Am Timan take quarterly trips to the capital, N'Djamena, in order to stock up on supplies (gas for stove, some food items) as well as for respite.

The journey was long, 16 hours (12 driving).  Usually the trip takes 10-12 hours, but one of the trucks had mechanical issues (roof rack unstable) that needed to be fixed en route.

The scenery made the long trip worth it.  We particularly enjoyed seeing the “mountains.”

There are many more details to share but are not able to post.  We look forward to sharing more with each of you (hopefully in person) in the future.

We thank you for your prayers leading up to and during this excursion.

Shortly after returning from Chad, we attended a conference in Maradi, a larger town in Niger that’s about 4 hours drive from Galmi.  Several other families (including the Carrigans) joined us, and we had a great time together.  Seasoned workers with SIM and the EERN church in Niger shared valuable information with us.  Topics ranged from maintaining spiritual health to language learning tips to SIM-church relations to sustainable agricultural techniques.  We returned to Galmi on Friday, March 30th, just in time for Saturday’s ice cream social!

So as you can tell, life is by no means uneventful for us here in the desert!  In fact, we just walked outside and saw CLOUDs in the sky, an uncommon sight this time of the year.  Always something new, exciting and unexpected!

We ain't foolin' --

DD&G