Day 2 in Koutiala

 This is a great picture of Sheri MacLean with one of her special oncology patients.  Sheri is a nurse practitioner who has learned how to do oncology procedures and manage chemotherapy all over this past year!  This is an emotionally draining field in a country where treatment of even basic things is difficult.  Tomorrow Sheri and I will visit a girl who has end-stage osteosarcoma.  Please pray that we can help get her pain under better control.

 This is the road running along the side of Brett and Sheri's home in Koutiala.  You can see where the road washes out from all of the rain.

 If you look closely in this pic you can see scars from lines cut into the skin around the belly button of this little boy.  This is traditional Muslim practice to try to get rid of a chronic illness.  He was ultimately diagnosed with leukemia.  The lines did not help, but the chemotherapy has been working very well.

 Social time at the hospital... weaving hair over breakfast!

 A group pic with the current oncology patients.

 Eating a traditional bean mixture Mali style (with my hands).

 Brett MacLean and I met with some of the sickle cell families today.  Brett is fine tuning his  protocols for treatment and prevention.

 This is a "homemade" incubator made out of wood with a little preemie inside.

It is late tonight, so I will finish adding my pictures tomorrow.  Hopefully everyone has been able to glimpse the great needs through these pictures, but also the ways in which God is working through the dedicated staff to bring joy in the midst of suffering.  I am definitely humbled by this experience.  Thanks for your prayers and for following along.