Dear Family and Friends,
This time of year fills our hearts with so much joy! The miracle of our Savior’s birth never loses it wonder, and we are profoundly grateful for all the many wonderful things God has done this past year!
“My soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!” Luke 1:46-47
There was rejoicing in heaven because three people accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior! Sami was in a bad motorbike accident about 20 miles from G2. His left leg was badly fractured, so his family took him to the government hospital for treatment as it was closer. As his leg was not getting better, his family decided to take him back home to be treated by a traditional healer. After several weeks, his leg became gangrenous. The family decided to bring him to Guinebor 2 Hospital where the only treatment that could be offered was an amputation. Sami did not follow any religion but his wife, Asha, was a Muslim. The prayer team and our three chaplains visited Sami, his wife and her sister regularly sharing the Gospel and praying with them. A few weeks ago, they accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior! Million, one of our chaplains, is discipling them.
BLESSINGS:
- God has been so good to us! He continues to bless us with friends to love, encourage, pray, and support us!
- Travel mercies to Chad, no medical issues and encouraging times during our travels to Chad.
- Thankful that work at Guinebor 2 Hospital continues to be a light in the darkness. The hospital started with 30 beds and has now grown to 70, from 20 staff members to 120. It is amazing that we have grown but more importantly, the Gospel is being shared daily with patients and visitors. Every Wednesday mornings, a team goes from bed to bed praying with each patient. The Jesus film is televised in the waiting areas. Praise the Lord, six people have accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior this year and others are still seeking!
- God has sent new partners to shoulder the work at G2. Our team is growing again as we will be welcoming two new families in January. Mailson and Johanna, from Brazil, are Family Practitioners. Roger and Ingrid, from England, accompanied by their two sons, Mark and Joel, are prosthetists and will be developing a new center for prosthetics and orthotics.
- Because of your gifts to G2, we were able to improve many departments in the hospital. Some of the biggest changes were in our Triage and Emergency Departments. Our triage now houses 2 triage stations, and our five bed Emergency Room has increased to 13 beds. These areas are spacious and comfortable for waiting patients!
- Ousman, our ultrasound technician, and Dia, one of our midwives, have completed a 12-month ultrasound course in Cameroon and will be returning to G2 as certified ultrasound technicians. Ousman will be our abdominal ultrasound technician and Dia our OB/GYN one.
- Five years ago, we purchased a new blood count machine. Our patient numbers have increased so the demand for laboratory tests has grown. Our old machine was having more issues keeping up with the increase in numbers necessitating an upgrade of our equipment. God provided the funding for a new one, from UK and USA, for which the lab team is so grateful! More tests can be done more efficiently!
- After only a year of use, our new solar system had already reached its maximum capacity. Once again, God has provided funding through the Hungarian Baptist Aid to increase our solar power. This will be an immense help for the comfort of the staff and patients and less dependence on generator powered electricity.
- In May, we were able to have a family get together with our children and their families. Heidi, Petter, Hudson (10), Sawyer (8) and Mae (5) continue to live in Kingscliff, Australia. Philippe, Brenna, and Oliver (2) live next to us in Hendersonville, NC, and are expecting their second child in May. Joel and Jenny live in Louisville, KY, and are expecting their first in March. We are looking forward to the arrival of the two grandsons!
- In July, we travelled to Waco, Texas, to visit Greg and Lily. We also got to meet our great-grandson, James Roy Decker, Hannah and Dane’s first child!
- October 17, we were able to celebrate Debbie’s father, Willi Gyger, 100th birthday! We are so grateful for the example that he has been serving the Lord, his spunkiness, and his passion for learning new things!
SUPPLICATIONS:
- Our believing staff, that they will grow in the Lord and those that do not know Christ as their Lord and Savior that they will come to know Him!
- Pray for wisdom for the work in Dougia and for partners to work amongst the Kotoko people.
- That the new believers will grow in their faith and be a true testimony to those around them.
- Bert and Debbie will be returning to Chad for our annual board meeting from January 13- February 14th. During our board meetings, we will be voting on our revised by-laws and constitution. Our prayer is that God’s name will be glorified in all our decisions!
- We continue to have urgent needs for personnel: general surgeon, OB/GYN, anesthesiologist, CRNA.
Note: If you would like to watch the video that was made in August about our work in Chad, you can go to: www.medicalmissions.tv – Guinebor II Hospital
We continue to covet your prayers for the work in Chad with its many challenges! Thanks for your continued partnership through encouragement, prayers, and support! We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
In Him,
Bert and Debbie Oubre. Psalms 19:14
