Hi there! We're sure the reason you're on this blog site is because you are interested, concerned, and/or curious about what this trip is all about. First, let's introduce ourselves.
This blog was originally started by Jolene, who did a short mission trip to India and Thailand at the beginning of 2012. If you're interested in reading about her adventures there, just check out the posts from January/February of that year. We are now going to use this same blog to post about our adventures together, as a couple, in the mission field.
We are Seventh-day Adventists, a newly married couple (we will celebrate our first year anniversary in Africa!) with a passion for ministry. Will is a physical therapist and I am a recently graduated dental hygienist.
Some friends of ours, Scott and Becki Gardner, recently moved to Moundou, Chad (pronounced "moon-doo"), to lead the Moundou Surgical Center Hospital. Scott is a surgeon and Becki is a registered nurse. We received a call from Becki several months ago, and she proceeded to, shall we say, beg us to come over to their center and help Becki set up a PT program there. She also said that they could use some dental work there as well. We prayed long and hard about it, for we weren't sure we could fit in a trip to Africa, what with my graduating, my sister's wedding this same summer, a trip to New York to see Will's family and the possibility of us moving. Adding in a trip to Africa seemed like a crazy idea, but we promised Becki we would pray about it. After a time of prayer, we decided to go ahead and plan a short trip over there in between our move and Will's first day of work. Since making that decision, multiple emails have been exchanged with the Gardner's and plans have been underway. God blessed us immensely with several donations and extremely supportive churches and friends. We felt God's leading all the way through.
So what exactly are we planning on doing over there? I used the word "planning" for a reason, because really, we could end up doing anything over there (read: change dressings, wound care, surgery assistants, cooking, you name it). But, what we are planning on doing over there is this: Will is going to use his expert PT skills to assist Becki in improving her physical therapy program, give Becki and the staff a crash course on PT techniques, bring supplies and assess what other supplies they may need. I (Jolene) will be doing dental cleanings and extractions and whatever other dental care and I can provide. The access to dental care is minimal, if not nonexistent, in most rural regions. Although I have no formal training in teeth extractions, I am the most qualified to do them in Moundou. I have picked the brain of a dentist friend of mine and have practiced techniques on a dentoform (fake mouth with teeth) and successfully extracted one of those plastic teeth completely by accident, but hey, I know my technique works, right? Either way, the people there won't care a bit about my qualifications and will just be most happy to have their dental concern(s) pulled out. I am ready for anything (famous last words).
We will be leaving for Africa this upcoming Monday (11th) and will be back in the US by September 3, not quite a month. This is Will's first mission trip and my fourth. Neither of us have been to Africa so we are both super excited to experience the culture and minister to the people there as best we can. If you're interested in reading more about Gardner's ministry in Africa, check out their blog at http://gardners2koza.wordpress.com/.
Now, to calm some nerves a bit, let me discuss a few concerning things that have been presented to us. Literally every single person who has talked with us recently has inevitably asked, "what about the Ebola outbreak in Africa?? Are you safe? " A valid question, to be sure. We have done our share of research and would like to let you know that, as of today, no cases of Ebola have been recorded in Chad. The countries that are suffering worst are west of us. Even with this information, we are still choosing to take extra precautions to protect ourselves. We are also taking medication to help protect us against malaria while we are there, and it is comforting to know that we are at a hospital where we can receive care quickly and from people we trust.
Thank you to all who have supported us with prayers and finances. We hope that you will be blessed by reading of our time there and we look forward to sharing our experiences with some of you in person. Until then, au revoir! Let the adventure begin!
This blog was originally started by Jolene, who did a short mission trip to India and Thailand at the beginning of 2012. If you're interested in reading about her adventures there, just check out the posts from January/February of that year. We are now going to use this same blog to post about our adventures together, as a couple, in the mission field.
We are Seventh-day Adventists, a newly married couple (we will celebrate our first year anniversary in Africa!) with a passion for ministry. Will is a physical therapist and I am a recently graduated dental hygienist.
Some friends of ours, Scott and Becki Gardner, recently moved to Moundou, Chad (pronounced "moon-doo"), to lead the Moundou Surgical Center Hospital. Scott is a surgeon and Becki is a registered nurse. We received a call from Becki several months ago, and she proceeded to, shall we say, beg us to come over to their center and help Becki set up a PT program there. She also said that they could use some dental work there as well. We prayed long and hard about it, for we weren't sure we could fit in a trip to Africa, what with my graduating, my sister's wedding this same summer, a trip to New York to see Will's family and the possibility of us moving. Adding in a trip to Africa seemed like a crazy idea, but we promised Becki we would pray about it. After a time of prayer, we decided to go ahead and plan a short trip over there in between our move and Will's first day of work. Since making that decision, multiple emails have been exchanged with the Gardner's and plans have been underway. God blessed us immensely with several donations and extremely supportive churches and friends. We felt God's leading all the way through.
So what exactly are we planning on doing over there? I used the word "planning" for a reason, because really, we could end up doing anything over there (read: change dressings, wound care, surgery assistants, cooking, you name it). But, what we are planning on doing over there is this: Will is going to use his expert PT skills to assist Becki in improving her physical therapy program, give Becki and the staff a crash course on PT techniques, bring supplies and assess what other supplies they may need. I (Jolene) will be doing dental cleanings and extractions and whatever other dental care and I can provide. The access to dental care is minimal, if not nonexistent, in most rural regions. Although I have no formal training in teeth extractions, I am the most qualified to do them in Moundou. I have picked the brain of a dentist friend of mine and have practiced techniques on a dentoform (fake mouth with teeth) and successfully extracted one of those plastic teeth completely by accident, but hey, I know my technique works, right? Either way, the people there won't care a bit about my qualifications and will just be most happy to have their dental concern(s) pulled out. I am ready for anything (famous last words).
We will be leaving for Africa this upcoming Monday (11th) and will be back in the US by September 3, not quite a month. This is Will's first mission trip and my fourth. Neither of us have been to Africa so we are both super excited to experience the culture and minister to the people there as best we can. If you're interested in reading more about Gardner's ministry in Africa, check out their blog at http://gardners2koza.wordpress.com/.
Now, to calm some nerves a bit, let me discuss a few concerning things that have been presented to us. Literally every single person who has talked with us recently has inevitably asked, "what about the Ebola outbreak in Africa?? Are you safe? " A valid question, to be sure. We have done our share of research and would like to let you know that, as of today, no cases of Ebola have been recorded in Chad. The countries that are suffering worst are west of us. Even with this information, we are still choosing to take extra precautions to protect ourselves. We are also taking medication to help protect us against malaria while we are there, and it is comforting to know that we are at a hospital where we can receive care quickly and from people we trust.
Thank you to all who have supported us with prayers and finances. We hope that you will be blessed by reading of our time there and we look forward to sharing our experiences with some of you in person. Until then, au revoir! Let the adventure begin!
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