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!