Adapted from reports by Renée Valach, who serves at Bongolo Hospital in Gabon, Central Africa. Through this Alliance ministry, thousands of people annually hear Jesus’ message of hope in their darkest hours, regardless of their religious background or ability to pay for treatment.
Earlier this spring, Gabon ran out of HIV medicines for the approximately 38,000 people living with HIV. If not taken, the medication is unlikely to work later, and patients will probably die slowly of infections. Our staff prayed about this one morning and then set aside most of the few bottles of the drug we had left for those with significant needs, such as pregnant women.
The waiting room was overflowing with anxious patients who had heard about the lack of medicines. We decided to divide our remaining stock and dispense it a week or two at a time. When a nurse went to the supply room to collect bottles or bags for the pills, he learned that eight boxes of HIV drugs had just arrived!
Pray for a steady supply of affordable medicines, especially as Bongolo has been blocked from ordering many standard ones—forcing us to order more expensive alternatives or go without them. Pray also for timely payments from the Gabonese health insurance system.
In May, five international workers will be leaving for one year, two years, or indefinitely— including all our nursing instructors. Bongolo relies on graduates from its nursing school to staff the hospital. After the current students graduate next month, the next class won’t finish until 2023 or later; several nurses will retire before then. Pray for another instructor—or ask God if He is calling you to this ministry! Our pediatrician is also one of those going on home assignment for a year, and another primary care physician is urgently needed. Please pray for God’s provision. Beyond that, ask Him to provide for the hospital’s infrastructure, including the much-needed electrical upgrade and a project manager to help coordinate this and other construction. (Could this be you?)
Sometimes it’s tempting to get discouraged when focusing on the needs, but what God has done is amazing. In 2018, 1,479 people committed their lives to Jesus at Bongolo, and about 40,000 people heard the gospel as part of their outpatient visits.