October 2020 Update

Newsletter 3, October 2020:

Greetings from Guinebor 2 Hospital (G2)!

Although the covid 19 pandemic has, mercifully, been less severe here in Chad than in many other countries, it continues to make its presence felt, primarily through the heightened economic pressure it has placed upon an already very poor country.

Here at the hospital, the prices of many of our consumable products have continued to rise, and their availability to decline, while the capacity of our patients to pay for the goods and services we provide them has reduced.

Keeping our pharmacy well stocked is becoming more and more of a challenge and, now that the generous COVID 19 relief grants we received from BMS, CEF, SIM-France, and through individual supporters via CHSC, have all finished, we’re facing acute financial challenges.

To make matters worse, the hospital recently – and in our opinion unjustly – lost a court case which had been running against us through different levels of the legal and appeals system for almost two years. This resulted in a substantial fine and the demand to pay it within 8 days.

We managed to pay the first half to keep the bailiffs from the door (the plaintiff is well connected and had access to the power to seize assets if we refused to pay), and have negotiated some delay on paying the remainder, which God has provided for through a generous individual donation. However, even paying that first half was a big hit for the hospital which functions on very tight margins at the best of times, without the means to save for such eventualities, and in a country without viable insurance protection.

The hospital management team has been wrestling with the tri-fold challenges of rising prices for drugs and consumable supplies, reduced numbers of patients (partly seasonal during these heavy rains, partly due to COVID 19 and its socio-economic impacts), and the fact that most patients would not be able to afford it if we increased the prices we charge them.

To prevent continual stress around paying for pharmacy and lab bills, we want to establish a “revolving drugs fund” whereby all revenue from pharmacy sales and lab tests is set aside specifically to pay for laboratory reagents and pharmacy bills (these amount to more than $15,000 / €13,500 / £12,000 each month).

In order to do this, we first need a cash injection to do a major re-stock of both our lab and pharmacy – the latter most urgently, as we’re starting to run out of many drugs including those desperately needed for malaria.

We also have pressing material needs, such as replacing the 16 solar batteries in our main building (we just managed to replace the 8 in our wards in August), which are almost dead, meaning that the lights go out soon after 5pm in our 24/7 pharmacy, and the fridges in the lab and pharmacy lose power, unless we run the generator at night and burn more fuel.

We know that times are difficult for everyone right now, but if there is any way that you can help us to meet these urgent needs then that would really help us to keep treating all the patients who come here.

Our international church in N’Djamena has been studying the book of Acts recently, and we are reminded that when progress is being made for God’s kingdom it often meets with opposition.

We’ve been blessed to see much progress this year at G2, but we are now also feeling the pressure of that opposition, through the court case, the increased security risk, and our financial challenges. We need God’s grace to persevere through it so that our labors for him will be sustained and continue to bear fruit.

The Team at G2:

G2 hospital has always attracted a mixture of long and short-term mission workers, in addition to our core team of Chadian staff.

We have recently been blessed with a real answer to prayer in the form of an obstetrician/gynecologist. Dr. Claudia Wahl was already serving in Chad through the German mission agency Christliche Fachkräfte International (CFI) and will now be working with the maternity department at G2 until the end of 2021.

Maternal and infant mortality remains one of Chad’s many big health challenges and so we are very glad to welcome her skills and her contribution to the team here at G2. May God bless all her efforts!

After many months of school closures, it’s been a blessing that the two international schools re-opened in late September. As well as being good news for all the G2 mission children, this has also freed up their parents to work more at the hospital.

In particular, Bizunesh and Genet, the wives of our two Ethiopian pastors, are now ministering alongside their husbands here at the hospital, which is a real boost to sharing the Gospel here, especially for our female patients in this very gender-orientated culture.

We’ve also experienced the potential of our new football/soccer field for use in outreach ministry to local boys, although, unfortunately, the combination of the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic and recently heightened security situation has meant that developing this exciting new ministry is on hold again for now.

When working in Chad, it seems that steps forward can often be followed by steps backward, which can be discouraging, but we will keep persevering.

Lives Transformed at G2 Hospital:

After the intensely dry hot season, the rains that start in June are very welcome indeed. The air cools and the landscape rapidly transforms from a barren desert into lush green grassland.

It does not take long however before much of the area around the hospital becomes flooded. Not only does this see some roads become impassable and others much more challenging, but the cases of malaria increase relentlessly through July, August, and September.

This affects every age group, but we see all too readily that it is often the children who are more severely affected. Amina* is one such child. [*Name changed to protect her identity.]

Amina* & her mother, after successful treatment for severe malaria. [*Name changed to protect her identity.]

Amina is 10 years old and was brought into the hospital at the beginning of September, having been comatose already for 3 days.

Her malaria test was positive, and she was admitted for treatment in the pediatric ward with daily injections and IV fluids. The malaria parasite destroyed her red blood cells and caused her to become anemic. Thus, she needed blood transfusions. And as she was unable to eat, we also started feeding her through a tube into the stomach.

Each day we saw a small amount of progress until finally after 7 days of being in hospital, she opened her eyes for the first time.

All of the staff who had been caring for her were delighted to see the amazing recovery that she made. The photo above was taken another 4 days later. She was still a little weak, but able to walk, and she replied with a smile when we asked if she was ready to go home.

See & Learn more about G2 Hospital:

BMS World Mission made an excellent short video about the work here at G2 hospital. If you haven’t seen it yet, then please watch the “Operation Chad” film. Watch it here.

We also now have a G2 facebook page!

Prayer Requests & Opportunities to Serve:

We are still in urgent need of a Surgeon. If you have these skills and are willing to serve, whether long or short term, then please do contact us at Guinebor2@gmail.com

Please pray for our financial situation. By the grace of God, we have kept the doors open and staff paid through the last 6 months, but bills and needs continue to mount without respite.

Pray for journey mercies for our staff coming into work and the children who live here going out to school each day. Three months of heavy rain has severely deteriorated our un-surfaced/dirt access road and made getting in and out of the hospital an endurance test for people and vehicles alike. Our ambulance was stuck in mud for two hours recently with vital oxygen bottles and vaccines in it.

Continue to pray for strength for Kalbassou, our General Director, who has also been our only surgeon for the last seven months, working almost ceaselessly.

Pray also for the safe return from the USA of our founder and surgeon, Dr. Bert Oubre, and his wife Debbie, due back in Chad later this month.

Please pray God’s protection over this hospital and this country, not only through the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, but also against the increased threat from Boko Haram, who have become much more active in closely neighbouring Nigeria and Cameroon, and are also present here in central Chad.

Keep praying for the work of our two Ethiopian pastors/chaplains and their wives, and for all those they are reaching here with the Gospel.

G2 Hospital is very grateful for all the volunteers, prayers and financial support we receive from all over the world, including from AIM, DWAM, Encompass World Partners, Humedica, CFI, CHSC, SIM-France, CEF, BMS World Mission, and individual private donors and churches. We could not keep doing what we do without your ongoing support.

May the Lord continue to bless you in all that you do!

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

July 2020 Update

Joel, Jenny, Debbie, Bert, Philippe, and Brenna

Dear Family and Partners,

Wow! What a year this has been so far! So many things happening around the world starting with fires and floods in Australia, China, Pakistan, volcanoes erupting, locust invasions, protests, riots, and of course the Coronavirus that has closed many countries to travel, caused economic disasters, loss of lives, anger, despair, loss of hope, isolation, increase in suicides, time of reflection, new ways of meeting and greeting friends.

There are too many negative consequences due to COVID 19 that we could talk about but… we know who holds this world and who holds our hands through all these various trials!

Our time in the States did not turn out how we had planned it either.

Bert was to have a total knee surgery in February, then plans for physical therapy for 2-3 months, celebrating with my Mom’s 90th birthday June 12th (which was canceled because my mother fell and broke her hip on the 9th of June), traveling to visit our partners and family updating them about our work, getting ready to go back to Chad the end of June.

Those were our plans, but things didn’t go as planned.

Bert had his total knee on February 17th, but then on April 23rd, Bert started to feel nauseated, with abdominal distention. So being a surgeon, he started assessing his abdomen and decided that we needed to go to urgent care for a possible bowel obstruction.

He had surgery the next day for a small bowel obstruction, was hospitalized for twelve days without visitors post-op. It was a difficult time for all and the recovery has been long and hard for Bert. He is slowly gaining back his strength.

At this time, Chad’s borders are still closed to incoming planes so we are still seeking the Lord’s direction for when we will be going back.

One of our fears was that Chad would have many cases of COVID, but the Lord has protected that country and there are less than 1000 cases. But this has affected the hospital’s income (decrease by 30%) as fewer patients came to the hospital because the bus taxis were not able to travel as usual making them have to use taxis that are too expensive for most of the population.

But God intervened and the hospital received several donations to help pay the staff salaries, buy supplies and we are glad to say that no staff had to be furloughed during this time. No staff member was diagnosed with COVID for which we praise the Lord!

Even in the midst of what we consider a disaster, God has used the hospital to take care of those who need medical help.

Meet Fatime

When Fatime was 1 yr old, she picked up a hot piece of coal and burned her hand.

Unfortunately, her parents took her to a traditional healer and she did not get the care that she needed. She arrived at the hospital a few weeks before we left with her hand totally deformed with all fingers contracted down like a boxing glove—a totally useless hand.

Bert talked to her parents and it was decided that he would do surgery on her little hand to release the contractures and try to free up her fingers to make her hand more useful. They were also told that it would take more surgeries and physical therapy. Fatime did well through the first surgery.

When we left, the hand was healing well, but she needed more skin grafts. The OR team, led by Kalbassou and Tyler, continued the care for this beautiful little girl. We are told that she is coming along well and she is healing. She will still need more specialized surgery when Bert gets back. We pray that this family will see the love that was shown to them and will want to know more about the true Messiah.

Meet Jenny

Other exciting news for our family, our youngest son, Joel finished LSU Medical School (no graduation ceremony because of COVID), is doing his preliminary year of a surgical residency in Johnson City, Tennessee, and was engaged on May 31st to Jenny Land, a travel nurse.

Joel and Jenny are getting married on October 10, 2020.

Thanks for your continued prayers and financial support. Without you as “our team” we couldn’t continue our ministry for the Lord in Chad!

In Him,

Bert and Debbie Oubre

Lamentations 3:22-24

The Role of Medical Missions From My Perspective

Bert & Joel Oubre operate
Bert and Joel Oubre, July 2016

Often lesser-informed people refer to medical missions as “social work.”

From my perspective, it is one of the most effective ways to reach people for Christ IF the spiritual work is intentionally focused on.

If only the medical aspect is focused on, it can be all-consuming.

Thus, there must be a somewhat detailed plan to try to share the Truth with every inpatient. Sharing with every outpatientis more difficult if the clinic is busy, but it should still be the goal.

When people have health needs, they’ll seek help– especially if they have pain or their medical problem is interfering with their daily routine .

Here, in Chad, this may mean going to a traditional healer where they may make incisions in their skin over the part of the body that hurts, or worse, burn the skin with a hot steel rod. Even babies are abused out of ignorance or under the control of the Evil One.

Sometimes patients even lose life or limb when an arm or leg with a presumed fracture is splinted so tightly that the circulation is compromised and the result is gangrene. Often this is when the patient is finally brought to us.

I’ve found patients will listen to the truth about Jesus when they have a poor prognosis or are terminal. Several here have put their trust in Jesus for salvation under such circumstances. There is a rich ministry among these sad cases.

Overall, the medical arena allows patients to see Jesus and His love and compassion alive in His disciples as they serve the patients and each other.

If a person is suffering, kindness and compassion along with efforts to help them is an International language well-understood by the recipient. These patients come from all corners of Chad and most tribes, and they seek us out.

Blessings,
Bert

Post Surgery Praise & Prayer Requests

PRAISE: 

I checked in for surgery at Lexington Medical Center in South Carolina on September 8th at 8 am, went to the Operating Room at 9:30, and was home eating pizzas at noon! I had excellent, friendly, and professional care.

A couple of days later, I started physical therapy and am focusing on getting back in physical condition so we can resume our service in Chad.

I praise the Lord for answered prayers and thank those who prayed. Also to Debbie for helping me through this, yet another medical issue.

And to Gail Ferguson for her “open house” policy in allowing us to stay with her as our out of Africa home again.

PRAYER REQUESTS:

Pray for Debbie’s father. He’s not doing well right now. Debbie has gone to Pennsylvania to visit him. Pray also for peace and safety for Debbie.

Pray for complete and quick healing of my knee so we can return to Chad in three weeks.

Blessings,
Bert