April 21st 9:30pm
We arrived safely in Galmi today after spending the night at a SIM guest house in Niamey, Niger. We were treated to a wonderful Indian meal by our mission host Dr. Christopher Zoolkoski. The flight from Paris only lands in Niamey every other day, and we were the only ones there. Thankfully customs was a breeze (thank you for your prayers). The only issue was one of the customs officers thought our dermabond (surgical super glue) was antibiotic ointment and he wanted some for his foot! Niamey was hot, dusty and busy. Small shack like shops cluttered the sides of the streets along with goats and dogs. Most women were wearing full head coverings and many had large loads balanced on their head and a baby on their back. They all dress in wonderful bright fabrics which cover the mid arm almost to the ankle (showing more of the body is considered seductive and improper).

We took a small plane with SIM pilot Ed from Calgary Cananda. He has flown as a missionary pilot for 15 years, and has been flying a total of 30 years. Needless to say, the flight felt very safe from the copilots seat. The views on the 90 minute flight to Galmi were composed of small villages surrounded by desolate land, few small trees and muddy dry rivers. I cannot understand how the people survive, especially during the "dry season".

We were greeted with a warm Galmi reception off the landing strip in 105 degree weather. The hospital compound is gated and in addition to the hospital has many small apartments, a community center/church/library, a small store, and a small pool. They opened the store which is usually open twice a week so Hal and I could buy supplies such as powdered milk, rice, canned beans, butter and oatmeal.

After a hosted lunch (which was delicious especially considering the limited supplies here!), we toured the hospital. I guess one is really never "ready" to see such suffering, poverty, and desparation. It was dark and crowded. I wanted to speak to the people, but need to learn Hausa first, and improve my French to communicate with the nurses. We arrived just after a woman had undergone a c-section. She was lying on a stretcher in the hallway, with only her incision covered, and the baby was in a completely different room unattended on a warmer with an adult sized oxygen mask on. The only other person in the room was another woman in labor who was all alone. I kept going back to check on the baby and felt reassured when he was vigorous enough to pull off the oxygen mask! There was another patient, only 6 months pregnant who was brought in seizing last night, and another with a 20 week intrauterine demise.

My devotion a few days ago (from Jesus Calling ) said: "When you are shaken out of your comfortable routines, grip My hand tightly and look for growth opportunities"...and that is what I hope to do.

Thank you for all of your love and support!
Drea