Village Clinics

SOUN

     One of the most exciting aspects of our CCC medical team going to Mali is joining the Koutiala Hospital staff as they make excursions to a surrounding village to reach people who need medical attention but can not afford it, nor can travel the distance.  Also, men are not treated at this hospital whose focus is on women and children.  It takes about two dozen people to perform all the various tasks that keep the flow of hundreds of village patients moving.  The hospital doesn't have the manpower to send so many of their own staff to the village and leave the hospital understaffed for that long, so having CCC's team support makes this once a year outreach possible.   

     We met at the entrance of the Pediatrics Building at 7:30am, where the hospital staff received their instructions from nurse supervisor Jessica in French (the scientific and business language of many African nations) and we were blessed in a spiritually-rich prayer by Chaplain Moeise ('Mo-eece' for Moses) a wonderful, Godly brother in Christ.  We climbed into our vans and SUVs that had been loaded with medical supplies, equipment and medications the day before (which the Omaha team contributed to). 

     We drove for 45 minutes , about 30 of which were cross country over sand and gravel tracks with no evidence of marking--only donkey carts, motorbikes and walkers following the same trail.  These trails are "washboards," potholed and gully-washed from last year's three-foot deep flash flooding that comes from the runoff of each and every rain storm.  Part of the agricultural problem with these countries is that the hardpan is ON the surface, not below the surface, and hardly any water is absorbed.  Charles, our driving-companion this week, has done a great job getting us over these rough and rolling roads.

     We arrived and set up our clinics, which took about 1 hour.  Dr Jen and Kristen were in Peds, of course, and Eva (our former pre-school teacher) weighed and measured her share of babies alongside the Malian Peds nurses and Kristen.  They ran out of 500 pre-numbered patient record cards before the end of the day and still saw more patients, possibly 550. 

     Jason was in-processing men and Elosia was doing women: recording vital signs and triaging patients. Tami, our pharmacist, was working in her own turf filling the scripts we would write.  Vaughan was doing the 'fast-track' for the adults, along with two other Malian practitioners treating simple and common complaints, and quickly referring the high-risk chronic conditions needing follow-up and women's Gyn complaints to the hospital doctors  Dan Nesselroad and John Gilliland. 

    A visiting surgeon, Rick, from Raleigh, NC, who had been at the hospital for the past few weeks assisted us in the clinics, while the visiting Mayo audiologist, Pam, focused on scores of draining ear infections (out of her normal electronic world).   Dr. John's wife, Carol, pulled teeth all day; not that many--just very difficult extractions that had to be done very carefully.

     We had time to relax for about an hour before we gathered to eat a traditional Malian dinner of rice (grains or, in this case, noodles) with lamb (or goat or chicken) cooked into a stew on top.  They brought large plastic basins with a tea pot full of water and each one of us took turns washing our hands with soap, as the next person poured a small stream of water over them.  Then they presented the meal and we shared the large bowl of food among five or six people; you eat from your wedge of the bowl like it was a pie.  They brought us plastic bottles of 'American Cola'  to drink with our meal (with the empty bottles becoming treasures that the after-dinner groups of boys competed to retain when we were done with them).

After dinner the sun set quickly and we all migrated to the village center where there was an open area, large enough for a meeting with the villagers, who had been our patients a few hours before.  This was the real purpose of our visit:  to hear the group of Malian pastors conduct a service which included Christian music sung (to our pleasant surprise by our mixed hospital staff, including the Amercan doctors and nurses) in traditional African / Bambara style.  

    Then the villagers watched a unique movie (a DVD, powered by a portable generator humming away at the end of a 100 ft extension cord) projected on a screen that could be seen from either side, by the continuously growing crowd.  The video (which seemed to go on with more than a few too many episodes) depicted traditional African themes and customs describing evil spirits that live in trees and rocks all around us, and of shamans who wielded deadly curses as freely as road rage insults in rush hour traffic on unsuspecting victims all around them, all around us.  It showed these spirits (wearing heavy makeup and costumes that any 1950's sci-fi cult classic, B-grade, horror film director would have envied, complete with an actual goat sacrifice and lively insane dancing) preying on their victims, forcing them to do their evil will.  Of course, the movie has a predictable ending with a Godly figure (also in dramatic B-movie cult costume and makeup) who comes to the rescue of these hapless victims and destroys the evil spirits and the trees they hide in.

     I emphasize this unusual part of the pastor's service because the DVD seemed to be so popular with the growing crowd of watchers.  We were told it was so popular because it freely depicted a hidden/secretive part of their daily lives (which is so foreign to us from a modern society) that might not otherwise (out of fear) be viewed and discussed so openly, and those very fears that were portrayed in the movie.  It made it an open, visual target to confront.

    After the movie the pastors presented the simple gospel message about the enslavement of sin in our lives--like the influence of these evil spirits, which are still pretty real to these villagers.  They tell about the one true God and his Son, Jesus Christ, who has power over all things, and brings freedom through His Truth and salvation through His sacrificial death and resurrection. 

     Following the brief sermon (compared to the too-long DVD) they made an 'altar-call' for people to come forward and declare Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.  The response by a group of 15-20 school aged boys was without hesitation. This was not just the case of some school-boy fad, but because of a dramatic tale of what happened to one of their peers, one of their own.  One who happened to be the grandson of the chief.  This amazing story will be told else where and was totally because of the care this boy received when his life was literally saved by the doctors at the Koutiala hospital.  It's our prayer that these boys (and many others who will follow in the days and weeks to come) are given the opportunity to develop their faith.  We have very good reason to believe this will happen.  Why? Because...

In an amazing story to be told else where, Soun is a village that had no Christians until the son of the village chief began to grow in his faith and become a Christian himself.  He subsequently revealed this decision to his village elders and co-residents.  His father, the chief, rejected this decision.  Then his father, the chief, died of old age illnesses.  The decision of 'who will assume the role of chief,' traditionally goes to (but not always) the son of the chief.  The opportunity for the Village of Soun to expand its Christian influence is very likely, even if the new-Christian son of the dead chief is not proclaimed as the new chief,  because of other developments that are literally too sensitive, even dangerous, to be put in (public forum) writing at this time.   Suffice it for now to simple say,  please pray for others in the village of Soun who are letting their growing interest and faith in Christ be known.  

I said, 'I came on this trip to join God where He was already at work' (I read Blackaby).  I have seldom felt closer to that opportunity, to be that close to Him, than I am right here and now.  God is so amazing (and intriguing, surprising and inspiring).  

Look for the rest of the story about the grandson of the chief to be told.  

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