Prayer Letter

What can I say, the last couple of months have been a whirlwind of visitors and activity! We held our annual board meetings in early February, which went well. Many discussions were had and decisions made for the future running of the hospital. Managing a growing hospital is no mean feat and the management team, of which I'm a part, are now, rightly, being held even more accountable for actions taken and decisions made. Being part of a multinational management team is a joy but can be challenging at times as we try and navigate the thoughts and opinions within our team of six, who are made up of people from four different nationalities with five different first languages! We all get on really well though and it's a cohesive team who respect each other and who enjoy each other's company. We are currently having some leadership training (in French) online, carried out by a leadership trainer. This training provides a source of learning (obviously) but also a joint venture that unites us as we remember funny anecdotes from the last session or tease someone for only doing an activity because it was set as homework!

The work in the pharmacy stock room that I mentioned in my last letter is now completed and it looks much nicer as you can tell from the photo!

Cleopas and Valerie have continued to manage the pharmacy stock room together over the last few months. However, some processes are about to change as a result of the management team making the decision to change the IT software used in the pharmacy and cashier's office. They'll be up for the challenge though! As will I. In fact, I have to be up for the challenge as Cleopas is now on annual leave for two weeks and Valerie is having to cover the leave of another pharmacy colleague, meaning it's yours truly managing the pharmacy stock room alone for a couple of weeks. This coupled with the new IT system that was introduced today will likely prove hard work and tiring on top of my other tasks. However, time flies here just as much as in the UK so Cleopas will soon be back!

Talking of the new IT system, the decision was taking to change from the previous one to a different one, as the previous one was proving to not be fit-for-purpose for an ever-growing hospital. There were some glitches in it that couldn't be resolved, and it couldn't easily provide detailed stock movement and finance reports that are required for good hospital governance. The arrival of the new system has unsurprisingly meant extra work for both pharmacy and administration/finance staff, alongside the Chadian company responsible for the installation, to get all the programming done with the data for the hospital and also have all the relevant staff trained. The group photo shows last Saturday when some of the group were having training and the rest were working on the programming side of things.

Personally speaking, I am doing well despite tiredness and the heat cranking up to the 40s now during the day (praise God for the AC in the pharmacy stock room!). I had a weekend away at a guest house on another mission compound in February which was lovely. Once Cleopas is back from his annual leave, just before Easter, I am having just over a week off and am taking a break outside of the country with a good friend. It will be a chance to recharge a bit and also have a break from the heat.

As I alluded to earlier, working in a multinational team, be it the management team or the wider hospital staff team, can bring challenges but they pale into insignificance when I consider the benefits. Hearing different ways of doing things, different takes on world events, different thought processes is enriching and has shaped me, and continues to shape me, into a different person. The biggest thing I've learned is to listen well and to take on board ideas or processes that are different to how I'd naturally do things. It's certainly a lesson in humility as well as enabling growth as a person.

Praise and prayer points

Praise points:

Positive annual board meetings and the formal election of a multi-agency, multinational governance board

The joy of being part of the multinational management team

The leadership training we're receiving

Refurbished pharmacy stock room

The new IT software

Learning from those from other cultures

Time away from the hospital compound in February

Prayer points:

Ongoing grace and wisdom for the management team

Successful installation of the new IT system and a good working knowledge of it

Energy to carry out some extra tasks while Cleopas is away

A good break out of Chad over Easter

That the road will finally be tarred (still no further forward unfortunately)

Thank you for your ongoing interest in the work at G2 Hospital and for your faithful prayers, they are really felt and appreciated!

Blessings

Claire