Pictures and Perspective

 My translator, Usman, holding one of our few healthy patients

 Katy, Marta, me and Lisa posing for the album cover of our upcoming record "Galmi, Maybe"

 Malnourished 2-month old

 An exceptionally large and ugly bug (not in my house, thankfully!)

 Short-termers, brought together by the promise of pancakes

 The obligatory "my picture with a cute African kid"

 Katy and Marta riding camels (I hear it is rather uncomfortable)

 Camel shadows (nice picture by Katy)

 Galmi is the "Onion Capitol of the World." What better reason could there be to make onion rings?

 Makes Katy and I look like we were travelling light.

 Shopping on "Market Day"

 Me, Usman, and Katy on our last day

 Note the multiple beds on the floor and beds with multiple patients and their mothers

Recent flooding has caused a lot of damage in Niger, and made this a terrible malaria season.  We were able to see some of the damage as we flew over.

I've been back in the US for almost 2 weeks, during which I have: worked a shift in a small town ER, tried to fill out my advance voting ballot, paid rent, shopped at Walmart, eaten at nearly all my favorite restaurants, seen a movie at the theater, ordered stuff from Amazon, and generally been living the "normal" comfortable life that I was born into.  Ask me how Niger was, and I will have to think for a moment before saying that I saw a lot of really sick kids.

  It is amazing how hard it is to see the whole picture clearly.  When I was in the hospital in Niger my thoughts were nearly consumed with sickness, death, and an overwhelming hatred for malaria.  I couldn't imagine that somewhere in the world were healthy children, likely to survive the week, though I knew that just weeks before I had seen such things with my own eyes.  Now that I am back "home," watching kids in costume ask neighbors for candy it seems surreal that there could be children who haven't had enough to eat any day of their lives, and are losing the battle to fight off a sickness that began with a common bug bite.

  Despite the overwhelming differences between life at a mission hospital in Africa, and life in the suburbs of America, it always surprises me that I am the same.  I don't suddenly become less selfish, or more grateful when I switch contexts, although I am enjoying my temporarily bug free existence!

  All that being said, I think that it's time for me to commit to something more permanent.  I've been accepted by a missions agency and have some possible locations in mind.  Please pray for me as I seek to be obedient (not my strong suit!) to God.  The Global Missions Health Conference is in a week and I am looking forward to seeing friends and hearing from really awesome people doing amazing things around the world, but I also hope that it will be an opportunity to clarify my next steps towards a particular location.

  My job is not to see the big picture clearly, but rather to follow the lead of God who does see everything clearly, who is gracious, abounding in kindness, all-wise, and loving.

 Thank you to all of you who have followed along this journey with me.  God has encouraged me and strengthened me through your prayers.