2011 Medical Team: The Chief

As the calendar turned over to 2011 I was getting prepared to set off for Senegal again. Our team was to depart for Dakar, Senegal in early February. The 2011 team had an almost brand new team from the previous year. Our new team now consisted of additional medical personnel. The mission trip also had three days appended to it, which allowed us to offer more medical clinic days and locations (Ndjemane village, Ngogobe village, and a prison clinic).

Our first stop was in our partner village of Ndjemane where we held two days of clinics. With the additional medical personnel serving in the clinics, we were able to see hundreds of patients each day. The clinics allowed us to treat physically and pray for a large portion of the people living in the village. While the 2011 Ndjemane medical clinics were incredible, they were not necessarily the highlight of the trip.

The Chief & The Village
Our return marked Forest Hill’s sixth visit to Ndjemane (over the span of five years). This visit was noticeably different from the previous trips. Many people in the village appeared to be changing. This change was especially visible in Ndjemane’s chief, Ghana Diouf.

During our previous trips Ghana Diouf was rarely seen. When team members were with Ghana, he was stoic, very formal, and somewhat aloof when interacting with the teams. In 2011 the chief’s demeanor was changing. He was around the medical clinic… a lot! Early in the clinics, doctors did a physical for him. After his physical, Ghana spent time hanging out in the waiting area. He was friendly and open with the team members. He spent time talking with Robbi Fischer and practiced English with Robbi. Ghana came to the naming ceremony and spent time enjoying the festivities.

This was not the same Ghana Diouf, Chief of Ndjemane, that we had experienced before. It was obvious that God was chipping away at Ghana’s heart and this change was becoming noticeable on the outside. Ghana is still a Muslim/Animist, but there appears to be a continued softening of his heart. Many of us continue to pray that God will continue to call Ghana into fellowship with Jesus and know him as his Lord and Savior.

God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:9

He called you to salvation when we told you the Good News; now you can share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. – 2 Thessalonians 2:14

A Little Help Goes A Long Way
I am leaving for Senegal in February, 2012 to be a part of a medical team that is providing medical care to the people of Ndjemane and other adjacent villages. Please be a part of my trip and help. There are a three main ways you can help:

1. Pray for the medical team and me. As we just read, God answers prayers and I believe he will answer our prayers about this team.
2. Share these stories. I pray that as I tell stories to raise funds for the medical clinic that people will also hear the Good News about the love that God has for a small village in Africa and how He also loves each one of us. It is a powerful and showering love that every person should have the opportunity to hear.
3. Most important to me is prayer and sharing these stories. However, if you would like to donate money to assist me with serving in Senegal. Check out the sidebar to the right to see how much I still need so I can cover all of my expenses in Senegal. (Here is the link to PayPal to donate to my trip.)

However you participate, thank you for being a part of the February 2012 Medical Team!

Robbi and Ghana Diouf Language Lessons

End-of-the-day Goofing Off