Recently, a young mom from Nalerigu brought her 18 month-old son for me to evaluate for surgery to fix his inguinal hernia. The child had been admitted several times with problems related to the hernia, so the mother was anxious for it to be fixed. I scheduled the child for surgery. As I talked with the mother, she seemed very familiar to me. I finally realized that she is the wife of one our friends in town, the painter “Boyz2Men.” Her father-in-law is a town elder and also one of our friends. I had even taken a photo with her and her (then) newborn baby boy in November 2014 after we had first arrived in Nalerigu.
I performed the hernia repair on the boy, but had a small complication which required him to remain hospitalized for an extra week. While he was hospitalized, William went to the hospital to read Bible stories to my patient’s mom and the mothers of patients nearby on the ward. She is a Christian and was helping William to clarify the stories in Mampruli for the other ladies listening in.
About a week after I discharged the child home, William and I went to their family house to greet them and check on the child. I praise God for the child’s full recovery. I also am thankful for another connection to people and families in Nalerigu.