My Adventure in Togo,Africa!

One week from today I will be embarking on a an amazing journey to Mango, Togo, Africa! It is amazing how your feelings go from excited to extremely nervous in a matter of weeks as a trip gets closer and closer. Now that it is a week away I am definitely nervous but mostly excited to see what God has in store for me while I serve in Mango.

The hospital I am going to is called the Hospital of Hope (http://hospitalofhopemango.org ) located in Mango, Togo. The hospital only opened in March and has seen many patients from all over the surrounding areas in just a few short months. I will hopefully be working in their little NICU and in Labor and Delivery. I expect I will be working with some adults depending on the need for that day. I am excited to share all the knowledge I have gained in the past two years working with those in Togo. 

Some fun facts about Hospital of Hope and Togo:

• On the first day they triaged 200 patients before lunch!
• 1,000 patients seen within the first 10 days of opening
• On June 2nd they saw their 5000th patient!
• People come from all over Togo, Ghana, Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and Niger. 
• A man made a 3 day journey to be there on opening day and traveled roughly 377 miles
• There are only two hospitals in Togo! One near the capital and one near the top in Mango
• Hospital of Hope will serve a population of 1.3 million in the surrounding areas 
• 10% of the population is infected with HIV
• 25,000 people expected to be treated in the hospital first year of operation
• It's a 8-12 hour drive from the capital/airport to the hospital 

"We view every patient as a field. From some we are picking out rocks, other we water, others we plant seed, and every once in a while, God allows us to harvest fruit." -Hospital of Hope Director Alain Niles

I leave on August 28th and come back on the 15th of September! I am planning on updating the blog with pictures while I'm there! Prayers and support while I'm gone for safe travel and a safe working are greatly appreciated.