The CSPS: The clinic where I (Shannon) work, ?called the CSPS, has been busy over ?this last month. It started with a team of ?surgeons who came to restore sight to ?the near blind. Performed under local ?anesthesia only, I was astonished at ?how quickly the surgeries made a difference.  A day later and many of them ?could already see again! ?   After the surgeries, the coming of ?“winter” brought with it the cool, dusty ?winds of the Harmatan (a seasonal wind ?blown in from the desert) causing many ?to become sick with bronchitis. Cooler ?weather also means more fires which ?has resulted in many badly burned children coming to the clinic. Every week I ?spend a lot of time doing dressings with ?meager supplies.  Many wounds are ?terribly infected and often complex such ?as one young boy, Antoine, who has a ?wound of unknown origin from hip to ?foot and a man with gangrene on his ?face. Pray for wisdom! ?

The CSPS services 26,000 people a ?year with few supplies and even fewer ?staff.  The director of the clinic works 7 ?days a week and since there are no ?doctors, the nurses must diagnose and ?treat.  The closest hospital is 60 km ?away (on bad roads) and there are few ?ways to transport patients. ?However, despite discouraging ?odds, the staff have great camaraderie ?and meet three times a week for prayer ?and Bible study.  As well, the clinic pas?tor shares the Word of God with those ?who stay overnight in the clinic and he ?has seen many conversions!  Many ?people travel far to come to this CSPS ?because of how they are treated. Also, ?unlike other clinics, if they cannot afford ?the treatment, they are not turned away ?here. Pray that this CSPS continues ?to be salt and light to the world ?around it!

 

Noel in Mahadaga –

?How Christmas was NOT like home: ?

-Africans don’t decorate (we put snow- ?flakes on our door with pictures of snow ?in Canada and the children were per- ?plexed and mesmerized!) ?

-Everyone goes to Church on Christmas ?day, for the WHOLE day (including us) ?-Everyone lights firecrackers 

?-People have rice and sauce with meat ?for a change– (eaten without cutlery) ?

-Instead of Turkey dinner at the mission ?station, we had curry (on Christmas Eve) 

?-Literally, NO advertising whatsoever ?-No boxing day shopping (bummer eh!?) ?

 

How Christmas was kinda like at home: ?

-We sang Christmas carols! (although– ?while riding on top of a truck during a ?safari and looking for elephants!) ?

-It was “freezing” on Christmas (at 30 ?degrees everyone wears jackets and ?tuques and has the sniffles!)

 

Prayer Requests:

Pray for Antoine’s healing! Pray also 

for more clinic staff to help the very 

overworked director, Mambagari. 

Pray against famine– they are  afraid 

another one is coming this year.  We 

are trying to decide as a mission what 

we should do in advance. 

Pray for our SIM Burkina missionary 

conference coming up in mid-January. 

Pray also (of course) for Jason as he 

continues his work on the database.  

He is making good progress, but pray 

he completes it in time!