Guinea: Day #6 – Compassion

We finally left the interior and headed back toward Conakry but before we got there we had 2 more stops to make.  The first was at the Compassion hospital in Mamou (or just outside) and the second was at the Wave Base.
The Compassion hospital is an independent inter-denominational hospital that has been supported by the C & MA here in Guinea.  It is not affiliated with Compassion International but shares a first name with it.
We met with their administrator there who is from Cote D’Ivoire and a passionate follower of Jesus.  The hospital sees about 70 patients daily and while they wait to see the doctors they get to watch the Jesus movie in Poular.  Many people have appreciated seeing the video and many questions have been asked and the gospel has been shared.
While we were there they were putting the finishing touches on a new ward for overnight patients.  When they do surgeries and need to observe people long-term they haven’t had the facilities to do that so they’ve built a new ward to house them and the nurses that will care for them.  It also has a small pharmacy as well.
They have plans to build more operating rooms and do more things there and the hospital is well constructed, well laid out and a very exciting place to be.
One of the dreams of the hospital is to build a muslim friendship centre where people who become followers of Jesus can stay.  Many times here when people convert to Christianity they are abandoned by their families, sometimes their wives and children are even taken from them so they won’t be ‘contaminated’ with Christianity.
It’s sad but when their entire support network is removed it leaves many people helpless and afraid.  Sometimes, it’s too much and they go back and recant their faith.  The hope is that this friendship centre will be a place of training as well to provide them with skills in carpentry, plumbing, etc. to help them get work and provide for themselves.
There are lots of cool things going on at the hospital and it was really neat to see it in operation.  No pun intended.
After that we went up to the Wave Base which is where Dan Ibsen’s new project will be.  The Wave Base will be the central hub where Dan and his wife Melodie will train and equip missions-oriented apprentices in becoming equipped for long term international work.
It’s a really cool project and way too much to write about here but I’ll have loads of information available to anyone who would like it.
We’re now back in Conakry, relaxing after a long few days and preparing for tomorrow when we’ll have to go to the island and rest and relax on the beach all day.  I know, tough.
Ha ha.

One Response to “Guinea: Day #6 – Compassion”

1. Hilda and Ted says:

   March 27, 2010 at 3:07 pm

   Hey James…finally got your link from Lindsey. Sounds like you are having a life changing experience. We said our sad farewells to Lindsey two days ago and now are in GA and it is cool….as in cold temp. here. See you soon.