Scorpion

The front of the hospital

I am currently standing in my kitchen waiting for my tortilla dough to sit for fifteen minutes. I don’t know why it needs to sit for fifteen minutes but I am told it needs to before you roll it out so I will wait…

What made me jump this week? Not as many things as before. I am getting used to the spiders. We were moving the maintenance room out of the middle of the ward and behind a box I moved was a scorpion chilling on the wall. I thought it was dead. It wasn’t. Ashley was the brave one to kill it. Just a small one though. I hear they get pretty big here. The gecko still lives in my drain. We are becoming more understanding of one another’s space. I still laugh as he runs and squeezes his fat little body down my drain when I come in, but we are learning to live together and share the space in my sink.

In Maradi there is a ‘French Club’ which has a swimming pool and tennis court. It’s a good place to go on the weekend to relax. We went there last weekend and played tennis. It was fabulous! Ashely and I both brought our tennis rackets so we could play. I loved it! It was great way to relax. I’m wondering how we can make a court here… Put that on my list of things to do!

What a week this has been! The transformation of the hospital has been incredible, really. It’s been a ton of work but even through the early mornings and late nights putting shelving units together, unpacking boxes and scrubbing floors, I wake up thankful to be here and excited to head down to the hospital. It really still surprises me, although it shouldn’t by now, just how God gives you the strength and grace for wherever it is that He calls you to.

Dr. Steve and the rest of the team arrived this past week. Today was our first full staff meeting. Ready or not, Monday is almost here. Monday we will start screening the thirty something women already waiting to be seen. I wish I would have had more time to spend with them this past week but that time will come. On Tuesday we will start our first surgeries. We are starting slow and I’m grateful for that. Starting from the beginning means training everyone and working out all the kinks. Even things like this should go there or who was supposed to clean that and all the little details we may have overlooked. This will be a full week but I’m really excited! I do feel so privileged to be here for such a time as this. I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else right now.

Please continue to pray for my Hausa. I have been getting better but still a long way to go. It was helpful having cleaners in the ward this past week. Zo, come. Shigo, come in… I threw out any and all words I knew to practice on them. They laughed, knowing I was doing my best but then they helped to teach me as well. Please pray for this coming week that kinks will be worked out and policies will be written and women will start to be healed. Thanks!