Medical Mission International News Release - Mali
January 2008
Chuck (Charlie) at Dorcas CenterReality (submitted by Chuck (Charlie) Dufour)

   I was really shaken Thursday when a 20 year old girl was brought into the pharmacy where I was working. She was nothing but skin and bone. You could see that she had been an attractive girl, but now she was sick and could not hold any food down. Her head would listlessly flop from one side to the other as she sat in the chair. Abi (Gail) gave her an AIDS test, and it came back positive. We prayed over her before she left. It was one of the most heartbreaking moments I have ever experienced, because it all happened in front of me. You hear about the terrible AIDS problem in Africa, but you can't really appreciate it until you see the reality of it.

 
Little friendCHILD IN HOPE (submitted by Lindsey Peterson)
 
   Missions is the air I breathe. When I signed up to spend a month in Mali, Africa, I knew I was in for an adventure, butI never thought I would experience God like I did on that warm January day.
   The minute we pulled into the Dorcas Center I felt God's presence there. I had seen all the pictures and heard all the stories, but words could not describe the feeling of standing on ground that belonged to the children of Mali. As we began to walk around the compound, a few local children came to see what we were doing. There was one smaller girl, three years old, who looked very lost and alone. My heart went out to this child, but the team was moving on and I had to keep up. My mind was soon lost in listening to the description of what was to be built in this special place, when slowly, a little hand slipped into mine. I looked down to see two big brown eyes pearing up at me. My friend, the little girl who had looked so lost and alone was smiling up at me. Such precious hands, such a precious smile.
What will it take for us to see that the kingdom of God belongs to such as these?
Abi (Gail) caring for a childFace to Face (submitted by Abi (Gail) Dufour)
  

   Thursday, on the 4th day of the clinic, we were visited by a small boy. He came alone from the field where he works most of the day. He is six years old. His feet were swollen and painful with large cracks in his skin. As I cleansed his feet and medicated them, I thought of Jesus when Mary was cleansing His feet and how he must have felt the love Mary had for Him. I wondered if this child ever felt the touch of love before, ever has his feet rubbed before. As I applied his dressings and bandages, I realized I had come face to face with the first candidate for the Dorcas Center. He came alone from the fields where he will work the rest of his life. He returns to those same fields, until the doors of the Dorcas Center open. How many more children will I come face to face with, all candidates for the Center, walking back to their homes. Their only hope for change will be when the Dorcas Center opens its doors, offering education, a future, and the love of Jesus Christ.

Medical Mission International
Madeleine Allard, Director
medicalmission@hotmail.com
www.medicalmission.ca
223-327-4908 (Mali)
Gail and Charles Dufour 
Team leaders
Durham Evangelical Church, NH.