Shortly after I arrived in Togo, I saw someone
wearing a t-shirt that said this:
I loved it!
It is so true.
Life here is not easy. This time of year temperatures get up into the
110s with lows in the 90s and rare AC. The
nearest grocery store is two hours away and has about three shelves. The internet is spotty and slow. I could go on and on…
BUT life here is also beautiful and there is a lot
to be thankful for.
Like getting new dresses made with fun African fabrics! (We live in a conservative Muslim environment
and women are not allowed to wear pants).
Grocery store runs make for fun road trips with
friends! (Clearly this is not us because
we would have piled coolers onto our roof.)
Sometimes I get to play tourist!
I am so thankful for my patients. This woman did not want to smile for the
camera, but you can see her million-dollar smile from a block away!
(Wound infections are incredibly common here. There are a lot of medicines we don’t have
and the normal antibiotic we use before surgery is one of them. I am currently experimenting with
alternative antibiotic combinations using medicines we do have but, unfortunately,
this woman developed a terrible wound infection after surgery. She had to come
to clinic every day for about 6 weeks to have her dressings changed. She and her husband always sat on a bench
together and smiled and waved at me when they saw me coming in the distance. How sweet!)
I am so thankful for Marie and Mahamed! A majority of my patients do not speak French
so they translate my very imperfect French into multiple local tribal languages. They also make gyn clinic a lot more
enjoyable!
I love running past these shipping containers! They carried donated medical equipment from
the US that allows our hospital to function.
They are such a great reminder of God’s provision.
My favorite part of the day is playing with the babies I delivered and watching their mom's take care of them!
Sarah Young reminds us, “When you focus on what you don’t have or on situations that displease you, your mind also becomes darkened. You take for granted life, salvation, sunshine, flowers, and countless other gifts from God.”
Beauty can be found every day!
