A Day in the Life

     Shot at close range in the foot, a fifteen-year-old boy was brought to Bongolo Hospital for treatment. Already, the wound was two days’ old. Soon after, a middle-aged man with a bloodied jacket wrapped around his head stumbled into the hospital. While inebriated, the man had fallen and accidentally slit his own throat with his machete.  
     Later that day, a thirteen-year-old girl was the next patient, suffering from a tumor the size of a full-term baby. She was followed by a man who had injured his eye five days earlier and needed his cornea sutured or risk losing his eye.  
     For Dr. David Thompson and his staff, this was not an unusual day. The dedicated caregivers treat every patient with the dignity and compassion, from those in the maternity ward to the outpatient clinic. And all people who receive medical treatment also hear that Jesus loves them. With 110 “active” beds and continuous patient turnaround, David’s wife, Becki, says, “This is a clear picture of how many lives God enables us to touch with His love and forgiveness.”  
     Recently, construction began on the new HIV/AIDS Clinic. Doctor Mbongo, a Christian physician from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, will join the Bongolo staff this fall to help set it up and work in the clinic. “When the new clinic opens,” says Becki, “it will be the only functioning HIV/AIDS treatment center in all of southwest Gabon.”  
     “There is a tremendous amount of [government] money for treating AIDS/HIV patients,” says David. “The challenge is to know who to contact and how to qualify. Pray that God gives us the contacts we need in time to help the hundreds of patients in our area who are slowly fading from AIDS.”  
     Through the care and devotion of the Thompsons and their expertly trained staff, people are being reached with the message of hope in their darkest hours. Each year, the number of patients who place their trust in Jesus continues to grow. In 2005, 1,231 people made decisions to follow Christ. “During the past four weeks, more than 120 prayed to receive Jesus Christ,” says Becki. “This has to be the best job in the world!” 
     . . . he will not forget your work and the love you have shown himas you have helped his people . . . (Hebrews 6:10).

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