Hello dear friends, sorry for the long lapse in communication- we have been without internet for most of February and so posting hasn’t been possible, but we are still getting along just fine out here!
We have said goodbye to harmattan and “le chaleur” has hit- and boy is it ever HOT. I take at least three showers a day and am so thankful for my bedroom ceiling fan! The rain is coming soon, and with it (I am hoping) some cooler temperatures.
We are finding lots of fun things to keep us busy- recently we bought a football (soccerball) in Parakou and have had our first game with colleagues from the hospital- le Benin vs. le Canada! It was a lot of fun, nobody took themselves too seriously and it resulted in a tie. We already have the next game scheduled for this week.
We have also discovered “les collines”- the big hills behind our house. Not sure why it took us so long to venture beyond the gate, but I’ve been enjoying running the many trails and going hiking, and it’s really quite beautiful- last week I noticed wild blue orchids growing all over.
At the beginning of February, Ryan, a former peace corps worker who lives near Parakou, granted a long-awaited wish and provided us with kittens! We took the two kittens into our home, an interesting cross between the domesticated cat and the wild borgu bush cat. We named them Baloo and Bagheera and they were incredibly entertaining little friends.
Unfortunately we underestimated the amount of work these cats would be, and with our busy nursing schedules and small home, it was only three weeks before we decided to find them new homes! Please don’t think we’re heartless- Bagheera went to the new Canadian missionary, Miriam, and Baloo went to our colleague Adam whose young kids are enjoying the cat very much.
I’m also greatly enjoying the deepening relationships with the locals here, especially fellow colleagues, a huge answer to prayer and something that I know often comes only with extended time.
Feeling much more settled in Chirurgie, although the things I see there never cease to amaze me. The other night we had a whole family come into Chirurgie at 4:30am after a driver had hit their house in the middle of the night, causing all the walls and roof to collapse on them. Two children under the age of five and a baby, all crying on a gurney. One of them was seriously injured and needed surgery for internal bleeding. A far cry from Canada, where building inspectors won’t approve living spaces they are not built “to code”!
One night an 8 year old child came in after being gored by a bull. One man (a thief, apparently) had been shot in the hands, then waited 4 days before coming into the hospital. By then one hand was gangrenous and had to be amputated. Lots of young men with compound fractures from moto accidents, lots of peritonitis, and lots of children with full body burns from spilled cooking oil or hot water.
Many difficult cases, but I’m somehow struggling my way through dealing with even the gory traumas.
One of my colleagues also suffered a serious moto accident- if he had not been wearing a helmet he would have died, but as it was he suffered a broken arm and badly broken jaw (the helmet didn’t cover his chin). He came into the hospital and I could not recognize him except for his eyes, his face was so swollen. It was quite a chilling feeling, to see someone I see and work with all the time have such a close brush with death.

And so, the fragility of life is much more visible here. And I do say ‘visible’- because even in Canada, for all our safety measures and accident prevention, medications and advanced lifesaving treatment, it is a lie (and from the Devil himself, make no mistake) to believe that we are somehow in control. We are finite- like grass that grows and then dies. I don’t say this to be depressing, but only because it helps remind me to not waste this life of mine that is so quickly gone. God is over all, and I am in His hands. But we have a hope greater than this world around us and our fragile bodies, because our God is not only in control, He is good.

The long-anticipated arrival of my dad and brother finally came, something we had been talking about nearly since we arrived here. They made a quick stop in Benin on their way back from my dad’s Medical conference in Kenya and where they also visited with good friend Charles Mully and spent time at the Mully Children’s Family (Quite a remarkable organization- check it out at www.mullychildrensfamily.org).
Amy and I made the long journey down to Cotonou again so that we could get our visas at the same time, and a huge highlight was definitely the hotel pool! We spent one day in Cotonou, then spent two days in Bembéréké. It was short, but so nice to be able to spend some time with them and be able to show them my life here.
Their visit also has marked the half-way point of our time here in Benin- how strange! I am truly falling more and more in love with this place and these people every day.

It’s funny how at the beginning the French was so difficult, while now it’s like a breath of fresh air to find a patient who understands French- less than twenty percent of our patients do. So now I am actually trying to add more Bariba words to my vocabulary each day, and the patients always meet these efforts with laughter and surprise over the “baturi” who can “speak Bariba”. Such beautiful and special people, I feel blessed for this opportunity to work with them and learn from them.

Please pray for the hospital, for more Christian staff. There is a great need for personnel and not enough people to hire to fill all the spots. Pray that this would not result in the compromise of hiring non-Christians, but that the hospital would remain evangelical, with the focus of meeting the spiritual needs of the people, not only their physical needs. Pray for faith to grow- belief that our great God can truly provide for all our needs, even when it seems desperate or impossible. 

As the result of the limited staff, the hospital has had to begin decreasing the hours for the dispensary, which means that the patients are sent directly to the units for the consults... and this obviously greatly increases the workload, and can cause tension in the staff. Please also pray for unity and love between our existing Christian staff, that the Holy Spirit would work in hearts to a common purpose and goal.

Thank you, my Christian family! I am incredibly grateful for your prayers and for your love and concern for me.
With love,
Charity