Market Day

Every Wednesday in Galmi is market day. Traders come from all over to sell their goods. Marc and I take turns going to market whenever we need something since it is not really a great place to take the kids. It is about a 15 minute walk from our house along a busy street and is jam-packed with people and goods. Not ideal for two curious and crazy children! I think we have both been twice now and it is quite an experience. We usually travel with some of the long term missionaries or local hospital staff to help negotiate our deals and to inform us about cultural etiquette. It has been a fun thing for us to do and a nice way for us to support the local economy. There are several little shops (probably not what you are picturing when I say "shop" but the best word I could think of at the moment) along the way that sell a few basic items such as tomato paste, powdered milk, canned mixed vegetables, bleach, matches, powdered drink mixes, and spaghetti and macaroni noodles.

This is an example of a shop you would see on the way into town. This one sells lots of different grains. We bought some rice from here a few weeks ago, but it had a bit of a funny taste (I was later told by someone it was a "weevil" taste). There is also a little shop on the compound run by one of the female missionaries. She brings some non-perishable items from Niamey to sell to short term staff while they stay in Galmi. We now buy rice there and it tastes more normal to us. :)

I bought some garlic from here during one market trip.

Dried mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, dried peppers.. any takers?

 Galmi is known for its onions. This entire truck is packed with them. Lots and lots of onions!

 Bon appetit!

Marc and Dean saw this man on one of their recent trips to market. He is a traditional healer of sorts and sells a potion that he claims inhibits scorpion toxin. He keeps lots of scorpions on hand to show people that he is "immune" to their sting.

 There is no shortage of dried locusts around here. I haven't found the perfect recipe for these yet.

Let's zoom in for a better look. That's not black pepper folks, just hundreds of flies. :)

You can read the Kubacz's blog post from today to see where we buy our meat from. It is relatively fly free when it arrives. :)

Marc's Birthday

Last Thursday we celebrated Marc's birthday. I imagine that ten years ago Marc would not have guessed that he would be spending his 31st birthday in Africa. He probably also did not imagine that he would be married (for almost 7 years!) or that he would be the proud daddy of two great kids. :) I am so thankful for Marc. He is my best friend, a great husband, and a superb dad. I am always glad to have a day once a year to remember this and to celebrate him!

Marc had taken the afternoon off from clinic and we decided it would be fun to take the kids to the pool for the first time. There is an above ground cement pool here that is about 4 ft deep and maybe 20 ft. wide. We woke the kids up early from their nap with the exciting news that we were heading to the pool! Eli had not even seen the pool yet and was thinking back to the last time we went to a pool at the Great Wolf Lodge and said, "But mommy the pool is too far away!" He couldn't believe that we were going to walk to it from our house. The water was a little chilly (but certainly refreshing), and we had a great afternoon.

Marc and I are both really starting to miss eating out. We would usually eat out every weekend back at home and are beginning to have cravings for certain things. Good pizza has been high on the list of things we miss. We bought three, 2 pound blocks of mozzarella (along with two much larger blocks of cheddar) when we arrived in the capital and I have been rationing our cheese supply ever since to stretch the full five months here. Marc had been asking for the past two weeks when we could next eat pizza. He was so excited when I told him we were having pizza for his birthday. It is amazing how much appreciation you have for something as simple as pizza when the supply is limited. :)

After dinner we had a few friends over for some brownies and ice cream. There are some missionary kids that sell ice cream here and we bought some for the festivities. It was nice to have that cold and creamy treat for the first time since we have been here. We have a recipe for some mango ice cream (that uses canned evaporated milk) that is supposed to be delicious and we plan on trying that out once we get into the peak of mango season. :)

While we were celebrating Marc's life here in Africa, we have some dear friends, the Browns, who are celebrating the life of their dad, Mark, in a different way back in Illinois. Please pray for our friends this week as their dad is getting closer to finishing his life race and going home to be with Jesus. Mark is a special man to many and we are thankful for the ways he has influenced our walk with Christ. We will miss him dearly! You can follow his caring bridge site HERE.

Simple Pleasures

This has been a good week in the Carrigan house. Marc is gaining some much needed confidence and satisfaction in his work here. Although the death and sickness will probably continue to overwhelm him for many months to come, I think he at least feels he is contributing more as a member of the team and is helping some of the people he sees. I found THIS article on CNN yesterday and thought it gave a good description of the food crisis this nation is currently in.Thank you for faithfully praying for Marc as he serves the Nigerians during our time here. A few people have asked us how they can help contribute to the work that is going on at Galmi Hospital. Here is the address if you would like to make a financial contribution to SIM Galmi Hospital. It feels wonderful to know that we are connecting you enough to people's lives here that you would want to become involved in such a way.

For tax deductible purposes, gifts for the hospital should be made out to SIM USA. The US Tax ID number is 22-1936391. Gifts can be earmarked to “Galmi Hospital, Project 84400” and sent to: 

SIM USA 
Receipting Department 
PO Box 7900 
Charlotte, NC 28241 

I am continuing to try new and fun things in the kitchen. If you were reading this blog before we departed for Africa then you are surely familiar with the fact that I love food, really good food, and love cooking it. Good food is such comfort to me. I tried out a few of my Memaw's family favorite recipes this past week and they have filled our tummies to the brim with delight.

What says comfort to a southern girl more than some chicken and dumplings???

I love watching Marc play with Eli and Hailey. They enjoy the wrestling time with him that I don't offer them during the day. Hailey has learned to play rough like the boys, and she loves to tackle Marc. She learns so much from just watching her brother. I keep reminding Eli that she is watching him all the time and that he needs to teach her how to do the RIGHT thing. It is a work in progress most days. :)

I should mention that you are likely to see more pictures of our kids in their undies than in actual clothes for the next few months. Temperatures are rising (the high was 102 yesterday) and they prefer sleeping like this for their naps. I somehow can never get them to put their clothes on again after they wake up. :)

Hailey is growing up so much! We thought that she would be the one to change the most while we were gone, and that is proving to be true. Her hair is getting long and she has many teeth coming in. She is becoming quite independent. She refuses any help with walking (though she walks SO slow and often gets distracted by rocks and steps to climb), using a spoon or fork, and drinking from a big cup without a lid. She loves annoying her brother by just invading his personal space and he squeals, "Mommy, Haywee is boddering me!"

Marc and I were cleaning up the kitchen and washing the dishes the other night while we thought Hailey was finishing her chocolate pudding at the table. We looked over and realized she was using it as body paint instead. She thought this was quite funny and so did Eli.

So, here we are today enjoying some of the simple pleasures of our life here in Niger... satisfaction of work, good comforting food, quality family time, two healthy and beautiful growing children, and the abundant grace God continues to lavish on us each and every day. Have a wonderful and blessed Sunday.

Malnutrition Unit

A post from Marc...

One of the most rewarding parts of the job while I have been taking care of pediatric patients has been working with children and staff in the CREN (Center for Rehabilitation and Nutrition Education).

The CREN is a very special unit behind Galmi hospital for malnourished children and their caregivers. Currently, there are about 10 - 12 children staying in the CREN, but at times they have as many as 60 children.

When a malnourished child between 1 and 5 years of age is seen in the clinic we encourage admission to the CREN for nutritional rehab and education. The child and their caretaker (usually the mother or grandmother) can stay for free and they are provided with free food and housing.

Each child is measured and weighed and their numbers are compared to a World Health Organization growth chart. 

Their target weight is plotted on the graph and their progress is tracked daily.

This little boy gained 2 1/2 pounds in two weeks during his stay at the CREN and was discharged to go home. When he left his weight was above his target weight goal.

The children are provided with a high calorie milk formula and Plumpy’nut - a peanut based paste that is used to treat severe malnutrition.

A young girl getting ready to tear into some Plumpy'nut.

In a garden near the CREN, Galmi staff grow the Moringa tree - an amazing plant that occurs naturally in many of the countries where malnutrition is most prevalent. 

The leaves and shoots are edible. They are packed with nutrients and contains gram for gram 7 times the vitamin C of oranges, 4 times the vitamin A of carrots, 4 times the calcium of milk, 3 times the potassium of bananas, and 2 times the protein of yogurt. A few times per week the children are fed meals with Moringa leaves.

I can say that one of the best parts of the job is seeing these children put on weight and watching their families learn how to provide more nutritious meals once they are discharged. Visiting the CREN each day has been a source of encouragement to me. I see children come into the hospital very sick, but some end up doing very well after a few weeks of education and weight gain.

Weekend Recap

This was quite an action packed weekend! We started it off by bidding farewell to our friends on Friday as they headed back to Wichita. Their presence was such an encouragement to us (I think particularly to Marc in the medical arena) and we were so glad they came so far to see us. There is actually a resident from Wichita who will be spending the month of March here with us so we will be looking forward to her arrival in just a few weeks. It is nice to have some familiar faces pop in periodically (though we are feeling quite at home here with all the other wonderful families).

On Saturday morning, we went on a camel ride. The original plan was just for Eli and Marc to go because I thought Hailey was too young... but then we changed our minds, said a quick prayer for the Lord's protection, and all mounted a camel! Hailey was not so sure about it at first. We were about 8 feet in the air and I think she was just a little scared. We sang a few songs together and she became at ease. Actually, by the end, the rocking motion of the camel had put her to sleep on my chest. :) Eli LOVED every minute of it and has talked about it most of the weekend.

This is our whole caravan leaving the missions compound.

On Saturday night a few of the single girls here planned the most wonderful Valentine's dinner for the married couples. Some cooked, some served, and some watched kids so that we could have a delicious and fun evening out of the house (and out of the kitchen for me!). It was such a treat. We had bread and salad, some delicious creamy chicken pasta with zucchini, and fondue for dessert. Jenny and Deb were the main organizers, and they also have blogs if you want to follow along with some more people who live here at Galmi.

Then, on Sunday, we headed out to the village to go to church. It is about a 15 minute walk and one of our favorite parts of the morning is getting to greet the local people all along the way. We are learning bits and pieces of Hausa each week and it is SO much better getting to talk to someone in a language they can actually understand. Our kids love the music at the African church. It is very lively and fun.

Here are the outfits we had made. I am still trying to figure out how to tie the head piece in a fashionable way like the other ladies at church. :)

Here is a full length view of our attire!

Hugs to you all back home!

A Different Point of View

Most days Marc and I are working in two very different worlds. I am home with two healthy children, a nice home, and plenty to eat. He is at the hospital amid the smells, flies, and very, very sick people. We then come together at tea time, siesta time, and again at dinner to sort through it all as a team. It is hard for me to even comprehend it, and Marc often has a hard time even putting words around much of it. However, I wanted to sit down with him and write a post of what he is seeing and doing here in Galmi. I know these pictures look different than what I have shown you thus far, but I think it is good to see things from a different point of view and this is where Marc's ministry is right now.

Marc is currently working this month (as well as last month) with mostly pediatric patients. On his call nights (which is about 1 in 4 at this point) he will see and admit any patient regardless of their age, but in the outpatient department he is only working with infants and children. I think it has been very sobering for him to see how fragile life is here and how little he can do sometimes to improve their situation medically. At this point it seems about one quarter of the patient's Marc admits to the hospital die. Some even die before they are able to be admitted.

I had Marc take some pictures of the patients he was currently taking care of a few days ago. I am just now getting a chance to sit down and add the pictures to the blog, so unfortunately some of these kids who were just hanging on when he took these pictures did not make it. I hope these pictures encourage you to pray faithfully for Marc and the patients here at the hospital. They both need your prayers!

This baby was in for a bad pneumonia. Marc did not think this little one would survive, but she made it. I think her overall health (I LOVE seeing a chunky baby here!) helped her and she was discharged a few days ago.

This child in the next two pictures was admitted for malnutrition and did not survive. He was 2 years and 2 months old. He was seen at the clinic a year ago and when he came back he was the same weight as he had been last year. It was not clear why he was so malnourished. TB or HIV were high on the list of possibilities.

It is hard for me to fathom what agony a mom must go through watching her child starve literally to death. I pray fervently for God's mercy to be on these people when I see these pictures. Their suffering is so great.

This little one is actually the exact same age as Eli. I think Eli is probably just over 30 lbs. This child weighs 15 lbs. and is still in the hospital hanging on. He is being treated for pneumonia, TB and malnutrition. He is one of Marc's favorite patients and he loves seeing him and his mom everyday at the hospital.

This was a two week old baby that weighed 5 pounds and came in having black stools and persistent vomiting. He made great progress and turned the corner a few days ago. Marc discharged him today and hopes to see him next week for a weight check. Pray that his mom's milk supply would improve since it decreased during his recent illness.

This little girl was admitted with severe gastroenteritis. She was a healthy weight and initially looked like she would do very well. However, she started to decline over the weekend and also did not survive.

I have looked at these pictures many times over the past few days, and I still have tears in my eyes when I look at these children again. Oh how precious these little ones are to God! Pray that Marc would continue to provide the physical and spiritual healing these families need.

On a lighter note, we have been extremely blessed to have some friends from our residency program in Wichita visiting this past week. Dr. Todd (the international fellowship director) and John (a former international medicine fellow) have been spending the week with Dean and Marc in the hospital and then enjoying fellowship with our families over meals in the evenings. 

Their wives packed a few requested items for us and some candy for the other missionary kids here. Eli was delighted when a box of CHEERIOS showed up on the kitchen table this morning. We ran out of the box we brought about a week ago and he has asked for them every morning. He ate two bowls full (and asked for a third!) and was so happy to pose for this picture by his box of Cheerios. A big thank you to these two families for showering us with gifts (and your encouragement!) this week.

Dianna took this picture of us at "Cinnamon Buns" which is a tradition during tea time each week at one of the missionary family's homes. Everyone gathers for cinnamon rolls and coffee/tea/juice. This is also when the "meat man" brings the day's beef slaughter by on the back of his motorcycle for us to buy. Quite fun! Eli looks forward to this day so much. I can't tell which he loves more: eating the cinnamon rolls or seeing all the other kids together to play. :) Have a great Wednesday (we are actually heading to bed here!). :)