2023: A BMS Year in Review

2023: A BMS Year in Review

Reflecting on the impact you made possible

From conflict in Israel-Gaza and earthquakes in Nepal and Afghanistan, to the extraordinary faith, hope and love shown by BMS World Mission partners and supporters, 2023 has been a year of great highs and lows. God has been faithful through it all, and the new year gives us an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the BMS community. This is our review of 2023.

Transformed Lives in Thailand

A young man in a pool preparing to be baptised
Your support for Helen and Wit means believers like Thew are thriving in their faith.

In 2023 we launched the Thailand Spring appeal and were completely blown away by your generous giving. Because of you, lives across South Thailand have been transformed. You’ve empowered people to pursue their dreams, much like Thew and Suree with their new food stall selling fried chicken and sticky rice. You’ve equipped individuals like Ajarn Arreat to answer the call God has on their lives – Ajarn is one of our newest BMS-supported workers, and she’s faithfully dedicated herself to helping run the church in the village of Ban Dara. Most importantly, you’ve partnered in helping people discover how deep God’s love for them truly is, restoring and healing them. When Helen and Wit Boondekhun first arrived in Thailand over five years ago, there were no churches or believers in the region. Thanks to you, there are now three blossoming churches in the surrounding area, and the church in Wang Daeng is in the process of building a new church site, as they’ve outgrown their current one!

A Season of Change in Chad

Kalbassou and a number of hospital staff are standing around discussing the results shown on the paperwork Kalbassou is holding

It’s been a season of change for the Guinebor II (G2) Hospital in Chad. We waved goodbye to the Shrubsole, Chilvers and Spears families, who are leaving the G2 in the capable hands of Chadian staff and BMS mission workers Claire Bedford and Kalbassou Doubassou. The hospital has also installed new solar panels to replace the dirty and expensive diesel generators that it relied on for electricity during power cuts. Your donations provided 25 per cent of the funds for the solar panels, and we are so grateful for your generosity. BMS mission workers and Chadian staff at G2 and Bardaï hospitals would not be able to care for the sick and share Christ’s love without your prayers and support.

Bringing abundant life in Uganda

Barbara loves her children and wants them grow up happy and healthy. But drought and companies that force farmers to sell at low prices mean that she can’t always afford to pay school fees for her children. Your support for Days of Plenty, the BMS Harvest Appeal for 2023, helped Barbara avoid exploitative middlemen by selling her crops through the co-operative Cek Cam. She also received seeds and agricultural training from BMS partners. Now she can afford to send her children to school and train other women on how to kick-start an abundant harvest. You can learn more about Barbara’s story by checking out the video above!

Women on the Frontline

A compilation image of women from across the world.

At the end of the year, you joined us in praying for COP28, the United Nation’s annual climate conference, hosted in the United Arab Emirates. Sahara told us about how Nepalese women are bearing the brunt of natural disasters and Susan in Uganda shared about how conflict over scarce water is causing domestic violence. You also faithfully prayed for our gender justice champions and joined in with 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. Your dedicated prayers help BMS partners come alongside women in faith and action as they both steward God’s beautiful creation, and boldly champion gender justice in their communities.

Hope amid Disaster

A crowd of people stand around a large lorry in the mountains of Nepal as it unloads relief aid for the village
A recent earthquake in Nepal has had a devastating effect in the districts of Jajarkot and West Rukum. Your support is bringing vital, long-term relief to people in desperate need there.

War broke out this autumn in Israel-Gaza, and in Armenia. It was tragic to watch these conflicts unfold on our TV screens, but your prayers and generous giving do make a difference. Our partners in the Middle East and Europe are deeply grateful for your prayers, and your support is helping displaced Armenians rebuild their lives. We would also like to thank you for how you gave so generously after earthquakes struck Türkiye and Syria, Afghanistan and Nepal. Your prayers and donations meant that communities received the food, shelter and mental health support that they need in the aftermath of disaster.

Thank You!

Thank you so much for the difference you’ve made in 2023. Without your generous giving, faithful prayers and dedicated volunteering, our work would not be possible. As 2024 begins, you can be sure that your support will help even more people across the world hear the good news about Jesus and experience fullness of life through Christ.

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Words by Chris Manktelow and Ed Axtell
BMS World Mission

Harnessing the sun

Harnessing the sun

The healing power of solar panels

In a country heavily reliant on fossil fuels, Guinebor II Hospital has recently upgraded its solar panel array thanks to your generous support. BMS World Mission’s Ed Axtell shares the significance of your impact.

“The first thing I did in the morning at the hospital was to listen for the sound of the generator. It was the first thing to tell me if a child had made it through the night” – BMS World Mission doctor, Tom Spears

I can’t remember the last time I truly appreciated power or electricity. Turning the lights on, turning on the heating or connecting to the internet. Even now, I’m sitting and writing this down on a computer, and I don’t give it a second thought. The phrase ‘flip a switch’ reinforces our ‘effortless’ relationship with power: we beckon, it comes running. That’s it. But that just isn’t the case across the world, especially in Chad.

Sun setting on N'Djamena in Chad over a sandy landscape with trees.
Your support is harnessing the sun's power to bring health and hope to Chad.

Located at the crossroads of north and central Africa, Chad is 189 out of 190 in the UN’s Human Development Index (their list of the world’s most fragile states). It’s a tough country to build your life in. Life expectancy is only 52.5 years and on average, children only receive 2.5 years of education. The most sobering figure is that one in nine children in Chad will die before their fifth birthday. N’Djamena, the capital of Chad, has really suffered from a lack of power. With its rapid growth and many people installing air-conditioning, it’s not uncommon for people to be without electricity for five to six hours a day. To combat this, the Government has moved to providing its citizens with diesel-fuelled generators – however this is far from a perfect solution. Besides the environmental impact of burning fossil fuels, there’s also the effects of noise pollution and the respiratory problems this can cause. In a country that, on average, has 264 days of sunlight a year, attention has moved to solar power. And it’s your incredible support that’s making this green revolution possible at Guinebor II Hospital (G2).

G2 has always relied on a combination of diesel generators and its small existing array of lead acid solar panels, however even this system has its issues. The solar system only had 12KW of charge and the invertors it used were intensely complex, meaning that no-one based in Chad could fix them if needed. When someone required oxygen, a small diesel generator would have to be brought round to power the concentrator, as the solar didn’t have enough charge to power them. Imagine being admitted to hospital and receiving the treatment in a stifling hot room pumped full of diesel fumes! Drugs and medication were going out of date due to the storage fridges overheating, surgeries were having to be powered by generators, babies were being delivered by torchlight and there were no fans on the wards. This might seem like a small issue in comparison, but when the temperature can hit 45 degrees, fans are a must. BMS mission workers Mel and Tom Spears describe the challenge presented by most patients choosing to sleep outside because of the heat: mosquito nets aren’t easily installed or available outside, significantly increasing the risk of malaria for the patients.

Three men praying in front of a blue curtain on a hospital ward
BMS doctor Tom Spears knows only too well the negative impact the heat can have on the patients.

The recent overhaul on G2’s solar has meant a massive transformation for the hospital – and it’s possible thanks to you. The recent project, part-funded by BMS supporters, has enabled G2’s solar capacity to increase threefold, allowing the hospital to significantly reduce its dependence on diesel generators. The whole project was also completed alongside a Chadian electrician, allowing local staff to take ownership of the project and be equipped with the knowledge and skills to repair and maintain the solar array.

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With all these improvements, it’s empowered G2 to continue to be an example for hospitals across Chad. New wards being built can now have fans pre-installed, which drastically increases patient comfort and quality of care – especially as some patients were discharging themselves early from the hospital due to the heat! Beyond comfort, it also enables the staff to be able to have greater infection control on the wards. Now, two oxygen concentrators can be run in the same ward purely off solar power. There’s no need for generators in the wards anymore, which is an incredible step forward. On top of all of this, the pharmacy now has air conditioning too (installed on BMS Pharmacist Claire Bedford’s birthday!) This has allowed G2 to significantly reduce the amount of medication being thrown out, saving money but also making sure those that need life-saving medication can get access to it, straight away.

Two pharmacists standing in front of shelves of medical supplies
Life-saving medication can be kept for longer with air-conditioning now installed in the pharmacy.

Throughout all of this, God’s timing has been so evident. As with many large infrastructure projects, the work experienced delays from the beginning, but during this time, lithium batteries became an option for the solar system, which can last six times longer than the lead acid batteries they replaced. Beyond that, the same day the new panels were installed, the oil refinery in Chad closed for maintenance. With diesel practically unobtainable across the country, without the new panels, G2 would have had to pause surgery for six weeks. God’s timing for the project meant solar power kicked in at just the right time, doubtlessly saving many lives.

Thanks to these advances and your, support G2 can continue to stand on the frontline of healthcare, supporting and empowering those that need it the most. A flick of a switch, something we take for granted — but such a weighty and treasured decision in Chad.

Thank you!

Thank you for your ongoing support for BMS work in Chad!

BMS supporters provided a crucial 25 per cent of the funds needed for the solar project in Chad, and we’re so grateful. For the latest about work at G2, stay tuned for an upcoming webstory sharing more about changes to the BMS team in Chad and how you can continue to save lives at this desert hospital. Make sure you never miss a webstory by signing up to our weekly email update today.

Words by Ed Axtell
Content Creator Apprentice, BMS World Mission

Diary of a BMS Surgeon

The diary of a BMS surgeon

The incredible work you support in Chad

Praying for this

Being a surgeon has never been your standard 9 to 5 job. But when your responsibilities also include heading up a hospital’s management team and bearing witness to Christ in a Muslim-majority country, things get particularly busy! Welcome to the diary of a BMS World Mission surgeon.

Kalbassou Doubassou, BMS worker, advanced nurse-surgeon and Director of Guinebor II Hospital (G2) opens his May prayer letter with the word: “Thankful”. “Isaiah says that those who trust in God renew their strength,” Kalbassou adds. “The eagle, the lion and the cubs tire, but those who trust in him do not tire.” When you’ve had a month as busy as the one Kalbassou has just had, it’s clearer than ever whose strength you need to rely on to get by.

A Cameroonian man dressed in scrubs stands in front of some hospital buildings in Chad,
Kalbassou juggles his responsibilities as lead surgeon and Head of Guinebor II Hospital in Chad.

Kalbassou often starts his days by performing surgery – whether it’s an operation that he’s got planned in, or the emergency surgeries that he’s woken up to perform at all hours of the night. In one month alone, G2 can receive over 570 patients in its emergency department. Every mother who has a safe delivery via C-section, or patient who has surgery to fix a broken limb experiences nothing short of a miracle considering the tough circumstances that so many live in in Chad. Without the hospital, they might turn to traditional healers or risk buying medicines from unregulated street vendors, many of whom can unintentionally make their patients catastrophically ill.

Two members of medical staff in Chad chat and smile as they examine a patient.

Kalbassou’s work is carried out against a tide of challenges that come from working in Chad. May is a notoriously hot month, the peak of Chad’s scorching dry season. Temperatures inside buildings can reach up to 40 degrees, a difficult climate for anyone to work in, let alone perform life-saving surgery. Then, there’s the political instability the country has experienced in recent months. A recent newsletter from G2 Hospital shared that the country has fallen even further down the UN’s Human Development Index (a global measure of average national health, wealth and education), now ranking at 190 out of 191 countries, trailed only by war-torn South Sudan. And along with all of this, there are basic problems of accessing enough hardware and medicine for the hospital, such as getting hold of screws to fix fractured limbs.

In the midst of all this, how does Kalbassou get the strength to keep going, and to keep bringing hope? Well, even after suffering from the flu and experiencing a period of personal struggle, Kalbassou rejoices in the fact that “the Good Shepherd is always in control”. There are huge encouragements even in hardship. Two little girls, Halimé and Khadija, suffered a terrible accident when a wall fell on them as they were playing, but fortunately Kalbassou was there to help. “They received treatment and today a relationship has been created between the two families and me because of the good results,” Kalbassou writes. A situation that could have driven two families apart through despair and blame has instead united a community. And Kalbassou is determined to do more.

Recently, he treated a man who had been suffering persecution from his family owing to his decision to become a Christian. “Even those who were not happy with the salvation of their family members give good testimony about the hospital,” Kalbassou explains. “The older brother of our brother in Christ, who had persecuted him so much, thanked me for taking care of his brother and his cousin’s wife.”

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Kalbassou and a Chadian team carry out surgery at Guinebor II Hospital in Chad.
Thank you for supporting Kalbassou to carry out life-saving surgery in Chad.

It’s clear that Kalbassou sees his role as being about much more than fixing broken bones, administering anaesthetic and completing paperwork. It’s about equipping G2 Hospital to bring hope in every shape and form to those suffering. To round off Kalbassou’s busy month, he shares a story about those he and his wife support when the ward lights go off and the staff go home. “My wife and I went to a church 45 kilometres from N’Djamena where we visited a blind brother in Christ who needs a home and we committed ourselves to helping him and his elderly mother,” Kalbassou shares.

A group of staff members gather outside the gates of Guinebor II Hospital in Chad.
G2 Hospital is known as being a Christian hospital. Thank you for enabling it to be a shining light.

It’s been a busy May, but Kalbassou is praising God for everything he’s doing and teaching him. The Chadian Minister of Health has granted more land to be given to the hospital for its use. Kalbassou has passed an online orthopaedic training course. And, as a Cameroonian living in Chad, he’s learning new ways of working interculturally, too.

“In the professional context it is good to listen,” Kalbassou explains, “even if you think that the reasoning is not correct, in order to better know how to deal with the problems of your patient population.” Since taking a listening, conciliatory approach, Kalbassou has noticed there’s been less violence and anger in the way some patients respond to bad news. “Even when someone is angry about a situation,” he explains, “my intervention in a spirit of conciliation puts the person concerned in a good mood.”

Could you support healthcare in Chad?

BMS’ workers in Chad urgently need your support to continue this vital work. Could you help? G2 is looking for a number of medical professionals, including a surgeon, to join its busy team. Find out more about serving in Chad here. Or if you could give financially and pray, stay tuned for an opportunity to bring life-saving healthcare to northern Chad, coming very soon. Sign up for our weekly email update to be the first to hear how you can make a difference.

Kalbassou’s work doesn’t end as this month comes to a close – he’ll need to find new reserves of energy to do it all again in June! Fortunately, Kalbassou knows exactly where his strength comes from: “The Lord is gracious,” he says, “to those who hope in him.”

Words by Hannah Watson.

Your Harvest legacy

Your Harvest legacy

The gifts you gave are still bearing fruit

Do you ever wonder what happens when BMS World Mission appeals wind down for another year? In this week’s story, you get to find out. We take you back over five previous much-loved Harvest appeals, and learn how your generosity is still bearing fruit in the lives you touched, even years into the future. From Nepal to Afghanistan and Thailand to Chad, here’s the difference you made.

2015: My Father’s House

In 2015, we shared with you the story of Ramu, a man who was paralysed in a terrible truck accident. Like countless others in Nepal, this hardworking father was told that his life was over when the accident shattered his spine. But, thanks to the incredible work of BMS occupational therapist Megan Barker, and your generous support, Ramu has gone on to live a full life that’s been characterised by hope, enabling his young family to flourish alongside him.

A Nepali family stand in front of their home.
Your support helped give Diyu and her family hope in the face of tragedy.
Picture of Alan & Megan Barker
Megan and her husband Alan work to make sure vulnerable families in Nepal get the support they need.

In 2022, Megan Barker was able to revisit Ramu’s family and share with us an encouraging update. The My Father’s House feature video was narrated by Ramu’s daughter Diya, who was then ten years old. Seven years on, Ramu’s children are still doing well at school and the family has saved enough money to buy a scooter, improving their ability to travel. They’ve also invested money in developing their home a lot more since the appeal was filmed, including creating better access to the property. “Ramu and his wife are both fit and well, and are very smiley,” says Megan. “The family are doing well.”

2017: Wonderfully Made

Back in 2017, we introduced you to Adventure Man, Captain Kindness and Mr Determined – aka Tada, Natalie and Phil from Hope Home, a BMS-supported home for children with disabilities in Thailand. Phil is settled with his foster family, and we chatted to mission worker Judy Cook to get an update on how Natalie and Tada are doing.

A Thai girl sat on a climbing frame
Thank you for supporting Natalie through our Wonderfully Made appeal in 2017!

“Natalie is continuing to do well at her special school and loves learning there. Her foster family is amazing and love her dearly, as do we all at Hope Home. On the days when Natalie comes to Hope Home, she loves to come and read to the children as they receive their physiotherapy treatment. She’s so caring!

“Tada is as active, inquisitive and fun-loving as ever. He loves to sing all songs, but especially children’s worship songs and his choice of DVD to watch is Bible stories – his favourite is Elijah! He is now able to slot into a lot more official therapy support at a regional centre, so his speech and general behaviours and development are slowly improving.”

2018: Life’s First Cry

The heartbreak of women in Afghanistan losing their babies to preventable illnesses moved many of you in 2018. The Life’s First Cry feature video took us through the snow-covered mountains of Afghanistan’s central highlands and into the homes of women like Andisha (pictured), who lost her first 11 babies to ill health. A year and a half after filming, we went back to visit Andisha, her husband Mohammed, her daughter Roya and the son she gave birth to after receiving safe birthing classes through your support. Roya, “who is kind of naughty!” explains Andisha, was just about to start school, and Navid, “who is very calm”, was just a toddler. As with any other kids, they were both enjoying playing with their toys and having fun.

A photo of a mother in Afghanistan with her daughter and son

Since helping Andisha’s family in 2018, you’ve also played a part in transforming her community through your ongoing support of BMS work in Afghanistan, bringing sanitary latrines, literacy skills and nutrition courses to her village. So much has changed in Afghanistan since our visit to Andisha’s family, but we know that one thing certainly hasn’t: the commitment and care that BMS supporters feel for the people of this beautiful but often troubled nation. You’ll have another chance to support BMS work in Afghanistan this Christmas, so make sure you’re subscribed to the BMS weekly email update so you don’t miss out.

2020: Operation: Chad

At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, you showed incredible support for the amazing staff members at Guinebor II Hospital (G2) in Chad. Now that Covid-19 is less of a threat in Chad, the staff have been able to focus their energies on other crucial medical issues facing the community: namely, malaria and malnutrition.

A man and a woman in scrubs and masks
Brian and Jackie Chilvers have pioneered malnutrition and nursing work at G2 since joining Team Chad in 2021.
A man conducting surgery in Chad.
At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, you raised over £300,000 for G2 Hospital in Chad.

“The biggest health concern that our neighbours expressed was worry about malaria… some of the things we heard were really heartbreaking, about how many children people have lost,” says Jackie Chilvers, who has joined the G2 team, along with her husband Brain, since Operation: Chad premiered. Fortunately, they’ve been able to help pioneer an education programme to help people understand how to prevent malaria and where medical support for those who contract it is available – whether that be at G2 or through pre-established government programmes. Jackie’s also come alongside BMS worker Mel Spears to set up a malnutrition clinic, to help dangerously ill children get back on track, and enable families to get the right help for their children.

2021: I Will Stand

Last year’s Harvest appeal marked a first for BMS, using animation to tell the stories of courageous Christians whose faces we couldn’t share. Though we couldn’t show their photos, we knew that God had counted every hair on their heads and was using their witness in powerful ways to spread his amazing gospel. You stood with believers like Z as she reached out to communities in North Africa who were yet to hear the good news of Jesus. And we’re so pleased to report that Z is still standing strong a year later, able to continue her ministry thanks to your giving and prayers.

A woman typing on a keyboard.
Z is committed to boldly sharing her faith, despite the risks.
An illustration of a woman sat a desk.
Z's daughters loved seeing their mum's story come to life.

“She said that she was well, is enjoying her role and is passionate about why she is doing it,” explains BMS Overseas Team Leader Sarah Mhamdi, who visited Z earlier this year. “She’s seeking ways to reach more people and to be able to answer more of their questions and help people grow in their faith. Please continue to pray for her own birth family that they will come to share her faith. She continues to be thankful for our prayers and support.” Supporters weren’t the only ones who enjoyed the colourful illustrations used to capture Z’s testimony. Z’s own little girls loved seeing their mum come to life through animation, and felt very proud that she had shared her story!

You’ve done such amazing things by supporting BMS Harvest appeals in the past – why not continue your streak by supporting Good Land, our Harvest appeal for 2022? Over the years, you’ve helped communities in desperate need all over the world, and this year you can help the people of Ghusel, Nepal, transform their village. They dream of good-quality education for their children, of clean water that’s accessible to the whole community, of training to help make sure their livestock stay healthy. Will you help their dreams become reality? Give now to help transform the village of Ghusel today!

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Words by Hannah Watson, Editor of Engage magazine and Laura Durrant.

Operation: Chad – one year on, revisited

Operation: Chad – one year on, revisited

You’re bringing hope to people with a deadly ‘orphan’ disease

I'm praying for this

After hearing from public health worker Mel Spears in Operation: Chad, one year on, we’re talking to her husband Tom about revelatory diagnoses, lives saved, and what being in Chad has taught them both.

Pulling back the curtain on ‘goldminer’s syndrome’

Leishmaniasis. If you’ve heard of it, it may well be because you picked up Issue 50 of Engage magazine. If you haven’t, know that the amazing discovery of new treatments for this rare ‘orphan’ illness is one of our favourite stories from 2021. “I can add something to that story as well,” says Tom Spears, with a smile. He’s catching us up on all that’s been happening at Guinebor II (G2) hospital in Chad since the filming of last year’s Harvest appeal, Operation: Chad. And the next chapter in the incredible leishmaniasis story is just one of the ways that your support of medical work in Chad has made a difference this year.

Dr Tom Spears examining patients at Guinebor 2 Hospital, N’Djamena, Chad 2020
Tom worked as a GP before moving to Chad in early 2020.

We left the leishmaniasis story with Andrea and Mark Hotchkin, BMS World Mission surgeons in the north of Chad. They had just discovered new ways to test, diagnose and treat leishmaniasis, with no idea that news of their work would make it to the Chadian Government, resulting in a proposed treatment roll-out across all affected areas in Chad. And it’s just another example of God in his wisdom drawing strands of BMS work together that Tom and his colleagues found themselves examining leishmaniasis patients at G2.

“The doctors I was with told me this was ‘goldminer’s syndrome’,” says Tom. “They’d been taught that this was a complication of toxic chemicals used in mining.” Though Tom had never seen leishmaniasis before, the collection of symptoms, as well as new tests now available because of Andrea and Mark’s work, told him they were looking at a parasitic disease. A quick phone call to Mark confirmed all they needed to know.

“The three doctors who were there now recognise leishmaniasis,” says Tom. “And they’ve all gone on to an area of Chad where it’s much more prevalent than in N’Djamena.” Leishmaniasis may sadly be here to stay, spread by the species of sandfly that transmits it, but doctors in Chad are now better armed. Thanks to your support, medics at G2 are diagnosing, testing and treating an illness that without medical intervention sees a near 100 per cent fatality rate in anyone without natural immunity.

Leishmaniasis: the facts
  • Leishmaniasis has been categorised as an ‘orphan illness’ – a disease restricted to the poorest parts of the world,  and considered not financially lucrative to create up-to-date medications for.
  • Visceral leishmaniasis (one form the disease can take) kills around 20 to 40,000 people in the world every year.
  • Like malaria, it’s a parasitic disease, transmitted by a particular species of sandfly.
  • Eight in ten people will be naturally inoculated against the disease, but visceral leishmaniasis attacks the internal organs of the 20 per cent who aren’t.
  • Sufferers become anaemic, feverish and eventually immunodeficient. Without treatment, the disease will almost certainly prove fatal.

When training saves lives

Tom sent his three colleagues off with the promise that they could get in touch if they encountered leishmaniasis and needed extra tests. But it’s hard to see a cohort of doctors, just trained up, leaving G2. This past year has taught the team to turn what could be a frustration into a blessing. The fact that Chadian doctors rotate around the country means these health workers can take everything they’ve learned at G2 with them, wherever they’re sent. Tom recalls reading back of over the notes of a patient who had been left in the hands of a colleague he’d been training. “He’d done just a great job of treating him,” says Tom. “And I was seeing in front of me a patient who was dramatically better… it was really cool to think that he might not have been able to do that had he seen this patient a year ago.”

Kalbassou and Tom examining patients at Guinebor II hospital in Chad.
Watching Hospital Director Kalbassou on ward rounds has been a great learning opportunity for staff.

A year of reflection

While God might have planned for the Spears to end up in Chad, it had never been a country much on Mel and Tom’s radar. One year on – how has their sense of calling to Chad been sharpened? “One of the big things that I feel differently about now is that there [was lots] I felt frustrated by when we first arrived,” says Tom. “I don’t necessarily feel less frustrated now, but I have a lot more empathy for the complexity of the situation. It’s easy to come into a situation and see things that need to change and to criticise them, but with a bit more time, and perspective, you start understanding some of the reasons behind why things can’t change easily.” Mel and Tom’s heart for Chad is big enough to embrace the things that take time, that require prayer, and that are not straightforward. They’ve switched up a task-oriented culture for a relational one, and are building the connections that pave the way for change.

A patient is wheeled towards the operating theatre at Guinebor II hospital.
Staff at Guinebor II hospital are praying for another surgeon to join the team.

Looking back on how much has happened at G2 in the space of a year, it’s really exciting to think about how much scope there is for continued growth. But the team can only continue with your support and prayers. They’re praying for a surgeon to join Hospital Director Kalbassou Doubassou, and for enough capacity to make the heavy workload more sustainable at the hospital. They’re also praying that more manpower on the team would create time for training and learning. As they pray, why not pray along with them? Sign up to receive prayer letters from the Chad team, so that you’re always up to date with the latest from Mel, Tom and their colleagues at the hospital.

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What you achieved

You raised an amazing £301,823 for Operation: Chad back in 2020, whether that was through coming together with your church family to hold a wonderful harvest service, or because you gave generously as an individual, inspired by the amazing healthcare work happening at G2. We’re so thankful for you all. If you missed the appeal, it’s not too late to give. Learn more about Operation: Chad right here.

Words by Hannah Watson
Editor of Engage, the BMS World Mission magazine

Operation: Chad – one year on

Operation: Chad – one year on

What’s been happening at G2?

This is Operation: Chad, one year on. We’re taking you on a tour of some of the exciting new projects you’ve made possible at Guinebor II hospital

You wouldn’t have realised it from watching the Operation: Chad feature film, but BMS World Mission workers Mel and Tom Spears had really only just set foot on Chadian soil when we visited them in February 2020 with film cameras in tow! We were there to shoot our Harvest appeal, excited to tell their stories, and to see how their skills and experience would contribute to the vibrant life of Guinebor II (G2) hospital. And it wasn’t hard to do – it seemed to us as though Mel and Tom, along with their colleagues Bethan and Gareth Shrubsole, had all been there much longer, despite having only arrived in January 2020. Tom, who had worked as a General Practitioner in the UK, was already being called from patient to patient and treating people with conditions ranging from diabetes to cerebral malaria. And Mel was already imagining the shape her important work in public health might take, beginning with the community health of the villages that had grown up on the doorstep of G2.

The Spears family, pictured in Chad against a leafy backdrop.
Mel and Tom Spears moved to Chad in January 2020.

Knowing how much they had been able to do in the space of a few short weeks back then made us even more excited to check in with them. From new training sessions to a successful malnutrition treatment programme, we heard from Mel and Tom how the hopes and plans they shared with us have become a reality, one year on.

Cultural shifts

Mel’s plans for her work at G2 began by speaking to Achta. You may well recognise Achta from the Operation: Chad film – she’s the practitioner in charge of early years vaccinations. Achta’s experience of Chadian culture and the hospital’s current practices, coupled with Mel’s background in public health nutrition, proved the perfect breeding ground for new ideas. “I started seeing how malnutrition was being managed and finding out from Achta what she’d like to see change,” explains Mel. Together, they carried out a survey exploring infant feeding practices. It confirmed that many new mothers were being handed down a potentially dangerous practice of giving their babies too much water along with formula and breast milk. Sadly, the practice often stems from the fact that formula milk is expensive for so many Chadian families, and so parents add more water than is safe to make it go further.

Achta, a practitioner at Guinebor II hospital in Chad
Achta is part of the wonderful hospital team featured in Operation: Chad.

If babies continue to be given water, they lose the ability to regulate the amount of water in their cells, becoming almost comatose, Tom explains. They’ll soon recover if the practice is stopped – but if not, it will sadly prove fatal. “There’s a massive need for real investment in kind of a cultural shift, and how to change behaviour around that,” adds Mel. Extra training for the hospital’s midwives has already been proposed, so they can send mothers off with good advice from day one. And if children do start to grow up malnourished, with a lack of proper nutrients in their diet, Mel and Achta have been tackling that too.

Tackling malnutrition

Tom tells me that almost 30 per cent of children under the age of five in Chad are underweight, the seventh highest score in the world. So little Moussa’s case sadly wasn’t unusual. He arrived at the hospital clearly malnourished. His swollen limbs and diarrhoea displayed all the signs of the vicious cycle that is created by malnutrition: a nutrient-poor diet which leaves a child susceptible to infections that could become life-threatening. Luckily, after training put in place by Mel, medical staff can use a test to diagnose malnutrition that is as simple as measuring the circumference of the child’s upper arm.

Achta's clinic at Guinebor II hospital in Chad.
Peanut paste created as part of a public health programme at Guinebor II hospital, Chad.
A newborn baby at Guinebor II hospital in Chad.

Moussa improved slowly as he received a nutrient-rich peanut supplement for malnutrition, and treatment for his infections. His swelling reduced and Mel and Achta were delighted when his weight began to increase again. Moussa’s family befriended others, sharing meals together on the hospital grounds. And they also became part of the community programme, with its weekly check-ups. “Achta recently sent me a photo of Moussa and his rounded face was unrecognisable,” says Mel.

Achta laughing with a mother at the clinic, Guinebor II.
Children showing signs of malnutrition are now referred to Achta.

The difference the team are already making means you can’t help but feel excited for the future at G2. The team are looking forward to welcoming BMS nurse Jackie Chilvers, who will be giving additional support on the maternity wards. And having a team come alongside her has encouraged Achta too. She’s felt happier, more valued and more motivated, no longer tackling such massive needs alone. And with plans to take good public health practices into the community in 2022, we can’t wait to see what Mel and Achta do next.

You raised an amazing £301,823 for Operation: Chad, whether that was as church families coming together in wonderful harvest services, or as generous individuals, inspired by the healthcare you had received and wanting to give back. We’re so thankful for you all. If you missed the appeal, it’s not too late to give. Learn more about Operation: Chad right here.

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Words by Hannah Watson
Editor of Engage, the BMS World Mission magazine

You saved their lives

Operation: Chad

You saved their lives

The rattle of metal wheels as a patient is gently pushed into the operating theatre. The moment of silent anticipation before a newborn baby cries out for the first time. The earnest words of prayer said before a difficult surgery. These are the sounds of Guinebor II (G2) hospital. These are the stories you helped to tell.

This isn’t the end of the story for G2 hospital.

Our amazing BMS World Mission supporters have raised an incredible £283,000 by featuring our Operation: Chad appeal in church services across the UK. And there’s still time to raise even more! You can hold an Operation: Chad service all year round, and if you want some accessible and copyright-free resources for your online service, then look no further. From video sermons to a quiz to our stunning feature video, we’ve got everything you’ll need for your service.

Mohammed Ibrahim Hassaballah

It’s been five years since Mohammed’s son began to show the symptoms of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Five years of going to hospital after hospital to try and get the help he so desperately needed. Every time they thought he’d been given some transformative treatment or lifechanging intervention, it was only a matter of time before he deteriorated again – before Mohammed was back desperately trying to find the best way to help his son.

Then the unimaginable happened one morning in 2019. “My son fell ill. It was as if his body was dead,” said Mohammed. “His throat was blocked, and he couldn’t move, eat, drink, breathe, nothing.” That was when Mohammed made the decision that saved his son’s life: he brought him to Guinebor II.

Mohammed’s son was able to get the treatment that would save his life… but it didn’t stop there. He’s had regular physiotherapy and music therapy sessions since he first came to Guinebor II. He smiles as he strums the guitar in his music therapy session, a far cry from the lifeless boy who first arrived in his father’s arms.

“It’s thanks to this hospital my boy is still alive,” says Mohammed. “I give thanks to God and the doctors here.”

Mohammed helps his son with muscle-building physiotherapy.
Mohammed helps his son with muscle-building physiotherapy.

Rakié Akaye

Rakié recently gave birth to a healthy baby boy.

“I came to the hospital on the back of a motorbike. We arrived here at 6 am… my labour lasted 16 hours. It was really painful, and I was scared because it’s the first time I’ve given birth. But I trusted the midwives.

“I’m so happy, and I’m just asking God to keep my baby safe. Guinebor II hospital is just really good. I had a really good welcome and I was well looked after.

“My hopes are that God will look after my son. I really hope that when he’s old enough he’ll be able to go to school.”

Operation: Chad, Rakié Akaye
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How you helped Rakié

Chad has the fifth highest infant mortality rate in the world. But your generous gifts to Operation: Chad have been used to support the amazing team of midwives at G2, meaning they can bring even more healthy babies into the world.

Mahamat Aboss Abdel Karim

Operation: Chad, Mahamat Aboss Abdel Karim
Mahamat travelled for four days to reach Guinebor II hospital.

Age: 30 years old

At Guinebor II for: Hepatitis and a ruptured liver

Journey: Four days

How you helped him: Many people in Chad still turn to traditional medicines when they’re ill which often don’t work and sometimes cause further damage. By coming to G2, Mahamat was able to get the right treatment he needs to help him fully recover.

In his own words: “Thank you – I’m feeling much better now. I’m going to tell other people that G2 is a good hospital.”

Al-Fadil Abalallah

Operation: Chad Al-Fadil Abalallah

It was raining the day Al-Fadil’s life changed forever. His van skidded on the already treacherous roads and flipped over, knocking him unconscious for over an hour. When he woke up, he was severely injured, with a broken arm and leg. But that was just the beginning of the problems he would face.

Al-Fadil travelled thousands of miles from his native Sudan to try and find the right treatment. Nobody could help him, not even during the five months spent with traditional healers who bound his arm and leg tightly. Many doctors told him his leg would have to be amputated. But one day Al-Fadil spoke to his boss who, thankfully, could speak from experience…

“My boss told me he’d had an accident too,” Al-Fadil explains. “When he came to Guinebor II, he recovered really quickly and that’s why he told me to come here.” When Al-Fadil finally came to G2, everything changed. He was able to receive the proper care he needed to heal and to save his leg, without any complications. “The doctors here are really looking after me,” says Al-Fadil. “I think that by the grace of God, everything is going to be ok.”

Words by Laura Durrant.

Top Stories of 2020

You've done amazing things this year:

Top Stories of 2020

Well. It’s been a year. While we’ve all faced serious challenges in 2020, we don’t want to overlook all the incredible work God has done. Check out the top BMS World Mission stories of 2020 to see how God has been at work across the world this year – and how he’s used you to make a difference!

1. Pictures from the frontline: An oasis of healing

God’s light is shining in the Chadian desert thanks to the BMS-supported Guinebor II hospital, and we’ve so loved sharing stories of its staff and patients with you this year. Take a look behind the scenes of our Operation: Chad appeal and meet the people whose lives you’ve transformed.

Take a look behind the scenes

2. Surviving lockdown: tips from Afghanistan

Our workers in Afghanistan are no strangers to lockdowns, which is why we turned to them when the UK went into lockdown earlier this year. It’s humbling to remember that this is the norm for many people in Afghanistan, so as you enjoy checking out their tips, please continue to pray for people living in this fragile nation.

Read the story

3. The accidental pastor

Pastor Humberto holds up the keys he was handed to an empty church. He is wearing a blue t-shirt. Behind him is the green door of the church, and the blue and white painted wall.

Everyone loves a love story! And we loved sharing the story of how Pastor Humberto’s life was transformed through looking after the keys to the church in his village – and how it saved his marriage.

What happens next?

All these stories are just the smallest example of the impact your giving has had around the globe in 2020. Thank you so much for your faithful support of BMS work during this challenging year! If you want to continue to change lives in 2021, and in years to come, why not sign up to give to BMS regularly as a 24:7 Partner? Find out more right here.

Make more stories like these possible Sign up to become a 24:7 Partner!

4. Sahel surgeons: The most dramatic day

A man and a woman outside a hut in the desert.

Have you met Andrea and Mark Hotchkin? Because they are amazing. Seriously. Earlier this year, they were thrown into action when 23 injured fighters arrived at their hospital in northern Chad without warning. Stitching up bullet wounds, mending fractures, and donating units of their own blood – no task is too small for these medical heroes!

Meet the Hotchkins

5. Picking up glass: the human stories behind the Beirut blast

Hot food is handed out to people who have lost their homes due the blast in Beirut

Hearts broke across the world after the tragic explosion that rocked Beirut in August. Thank you to all the amazing BMS supporters who gave to the BMS Beirut appeal to help with the immediate relief effort. Take a look at this story to hear from the resilient people affected by the blast – and how they’re beginning to rebuild.

Read the story
Even more powerful stories from 2020

Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for BMS this year! Share this story with your friends and family, so they can see the amazing things you’ve achieved!

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Words by Laura Durrant.

BMS Coronavirus world response

BMS Coronavirus world response

You are playing a key role in the global response to the Covid-19 Coronavirus through your support of BMS World Mission. 

Supporting this

Coronavirus has changed the world – and every one of us has been affected. Yet, while the pandemic threatened to disrupt our local and international bonds, you have been standing with your brothers and sisters across the globe and saving lives.  

You have been at the heart of the global Baptist Coronavirus response through your support of the BMS Coronavirus appeal. As of November 2020, you have helped more than 36,000 people, in 24 countries, across four continents. You have so far donated more than £288,000 to help thousands of the world’s most vulnerable people survive this pandemic.  

And, with your support, BMS will continue to respond for as long as help is needed. 

The impact of your gifts has been experienced by people in countries across the globe, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Chad, Colombia, Greece, Mozambique, Nepal, Peru, South Sudan and Yemen. You have kept hospitals running, fed the hungry, counselled the fearful, prayed with the isolated, healed the sick and helped to stop the spread. 

Coronavirus global response: you helped more than 36,000 people

The Coronavirus pandemic has impacted every single one of us, and many of our global neighbours do not have access to the health and social care systems we are blessed with here in the UK. You have chosen to make a difference to tens of thousands of these people through your generous giving. Thank you for sacrificially choosing to help others when things in your own life may have felt uncertain. 

BMS is continuing to accept financial gifts to support the global Christian Covid-19 Coronavirus response. Visit the BMS Coronavirus appeal page if you would like support this critical work. 

Most of our mission workers and partners remain in their countries of service, following social distancing measures and continuing to bring hope and help in the communities to which they are called. We are so thankful for your ongoing support for all of our team and our work across the globe. 

Image of a cross stopping dominoes falling and text 'You can help. Visit the BMS appeal now. Coronavirus appeal.'
Go to the appeal

Our local response

BMS UK staff continue to work from home wherever possible. Our commitment to churches and supporters remains as great as ever, so you will continue to enjoy resources, hear updates and receive news about your part in God’s work around the world.

If you need to get in touch with us, you can give us a call, drop us an email, or write to us using these contact details. We want to do everything possible to support you and your church family at this time.

BMS workers on home assignment are following Government guidelines and continuing to share stories of their work with UK churches through virtual speaking engagements. BMS Speakers are also available for virtual visits. If you would like a mission worker or BMS Speaker to ‘visit’ your church, please contact Meg by emailing mchester@bmsworldmission.org  on phoning 01235 517631.

BMS Coronavirus response

This is what we have achieved, together: 

  • Kept hospitals running in Nepal by providing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for staff and contributing to hospital running costs 
  • Provided emergency food parcels for vulnerable families in Sri Lanka 
  • Provided food and hygiene parcels to people with little to no daily income in Nepal 
  • Enabled the BMS-supported Guinebor II hospital to continue saving lives in Chad, safely 
  • Counselled frontline workers, Coronavirus patients and affected families in Afghanistan, as well as providing PPE. Averting suicides and spreading positive key messages across the country 
  • Helped slow the spread in Mozambique by providing soap and handwashing guidance to thousands of children and teachers 
  • Provided food parcels and basic PPE to at-risk families in Albania 
  • Supported the provision of medical care in Yemen
  • Enabled pastors to continue supporting their communities (which had been impacted by Covid-19 and Cyclone Idai) through the provision of phone credit in Mozambique 
  • Improved food security in northern Uganda through the provision of seeds
  • Set up a Covid-19 hospital in northern Chad, providing the initial equipment and medicines needed 
  • Provided food parcels and soap to vulnerable families in Bangladesh 
  • Delivered food parcels and basic hygiene items to struggling families in Tunisia
  • Supported preschool education in Mozambique by supplying workbooks for children and support for teachers 
  • Provided food parcels for vulnerable families in Peru 
  • Distributed more than 28,000 meals to people struggling to find work in India 
  • Provided food and basic hygiene items for struggling families in western Uganda 
  • Provided face masks and food parcels for health centres in Mozambique 
  • Helped provide food and hygiene supplies for those struggling in Lebanon 
  • Provided face masks for refugees living in Lesvos, Greece 
  • Provided food supplies for struggling refugees in Turkey 
  • Provided small grants and training for people to re-start and strengthen businesses in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru 
  • Provided food and medical support for vulnerable families through churches in Palestine 
  • Provided food and raised awareness of Coronavirus in Nigeria 
  • Provided food parcels in South Sudan 
  • And more! 
Outside a Chadian hospital.
Your support is enabling crucial temperature screening at a BMS-supported hospital in Chad.

Thank you for your continued support

The actions of faithful Christians like you are even more important in times like these, as we seek to do more to fight the threat to life, health and wellbeing posed by the Coronavirus pandemic. We ask that you continue to pray for the world as it responds to Covid-19. Here are some prayer points to guide your prayers, which you can download and share with your church family. Please feel free to download the prayer points PDF and email or message it to your fellowship or small group. 

  • Pray for the response to the virus around the world. Pray that God will enable the work of our partners to continue where possible, and that our workers who are actively fighting the virus will remain healthy.
  • Pray for our mission workers and UK staff. Pray for those who have travelled back to the UK, that they are able to continue their crucial work remotely.
  • Pray for people spending time in quarantine or self-isolation. Pray that they might receive the support they need, and that they might stay safe. Praise God for the commitment of those in voluntary isolation, that they will play a real part in slowing the spread of the virus.
  • Pray for governments and world leaders globally. Pray that the Lord will bless them with wisdom and that they will make proactive decisions that will benefit their countries, and the global community.
  • Pray that God will slow the spread of the virus. Pray in the name of Jesus that those who are ill will be healed and pray that God will bless the work of the people and organisations who are working on a treatment. Please pray especially for the medical workers around the world who are risking their own health to treat the most vulnerable. Pray that they will stay healthy and that their work will be fruitful.
Support the global Coronavirus response
Download the prayer points

Prayer resources

In addition to the prayer resources available below, we have a wide range of video updates from our workers and other resources to help your church engage with the global response to Coronavirus.

Visit our online church resources page to download these copyright free for your recorded or live online service.

Take me to the online church resources page

Answers from God

Answers from God

Praying for this

Lives are restored, fellowships flourish, abundant life flows. This is what happens when we speak to God. This is what happens when we pray together.

Mission is powered by prayer. That’s why we encourage you to pray with us, asking God to move mountains overseas and at home. And your prayers have been working in powerful and wonderful ways. Here are just a few stories about how God has been faithful. Thank you for praying.

1. Anointed and far from disappointed

On the road to Macchu Picchu, in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, lies a small village called Pisac. BMS-supported Pastor Amilcar is planting a church against a backdrop of the majestic Andes mountains, where local Baptist pastors feel that many don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus.

A photo of Pastor Amilcar with an arrow to the mountains of Pisac.
Pastor Amilcar heads up BMS-planted church "El Puente" in Cusco. Now he's gone from the city of Cusco to the mountains to plant a church in the village of Pisac.

Remember when we asked you to pray for Pastor Amilcar? He had also been praying, for a new leader for this new church plant. But as his fellowship was so new, he wasn’t sure any of them felt confident enough to take on a leadership role.

In December, an answer to prayer emerged as a dedicated member, Joseph, expressed an interest in studying God’s Word and becoming a church leader. “The life of a pastor can be really lonely sometimes,” says Pastor Amilcar. “But now I have a partner.” Praise God!

2. Unforgotten in the floods

After floods destroyed homes, crops and livelihoods across Bangladesh last year, we asked you to pray with us for a swift recovery, that food supplies would reach those with the most need. Thanks to your prayers and support, BMS partner Bangladesh Baptist Church Sangha (BBCS) was able to supply food parcels in Sreemongal, Manikgonj and Shiragonj and in the Hill Tract area, where mudslides devastated lives. “When we arrived, people said nobody had come to help them,” says John Karmakar, Assistant General Secretary of BBCS. “But BMS quickly sent aid.”

“Most days feel like an answer to prayer!``

We also asked you to pray for BMS workers Louise and Peter Lynch, who work with BBCS and went out to help during the recovery efforts. “The distribution of help and the delight of recipients was very moving,” says Louise. “Most days feel like an answer to prayer!”

A map of Bangladesh highlighting Dhaka and the Hill Tracts area.

Louise and Peter Lynch singing a worship song in Bangla

3. French Connexion

We know that many faithful members of the BMS family in the UK have prayed for more young people in France to be transformed by Jesus’ love since we asked you to remember them. And we’re delighted to report that that is what is happening. French Christian youth camp “Connexion” took off in October with 460 people in attendance! Action Team France, a group of four young people on a BMS gap year, were amongst the volunteers.

Four young people in fancy dress with cakes behind them.
Team France: Hamish Rice, Jennie Lockett, Ruth McCormick and Bridget Turner

The event was all about seeing young people engage with God. “People were surprised to see that we chose to spend our gap year serving God in France, when we could have just gone travelling,” says Hamish. “They were excited to see young mission workers.” The team also led last year’s Christmas service, at the church in Gif-sur-Yvette, where BMS worker Christine Kling is minister. Over a hundred people attended, filling the building to capacity. What an incredible answer to prayer!

4. Bringing the world into churches

We wanted UK churches to hear what their prayer and financial support was achieving directly from the people who were doing the work. But getting visas to visit the UK is not always easy. Sometimes we even doubted whether our workers from Uganda (Benon Kayanja and Genesis Acaye) and Mozambique worker (Carlos Tique Jone) would be allowed to visit churches in this country. So, we prayed. And we asked you to pray.

Three BMS mission workers looking at the camera and smiling.
Three incredible BMS mission workers: Carlos Tique Jone from Mozambique, Benon Kayanja from Uganda and Genesis Acaye, also from Uganda.

We waited months, weeks, without permission for all of our African friends to enter the UK. And then, in God’s time, the visas were granted, and Benon, Carlos and Genesis set off to visit churches across the UK, telling people about the amazing impact they are having through BMS work overseas. “Without you BMS wouldn’t be able to do this work,” says Genesis, who helps farmers get the most from their crops in Uganda. “Really, you are doing the work.” Genesis loves to thank BMS supporters. And we want to join the churches our overseas workers visited in thanking them!

“Thank you so much for bringing Carlos to Park Baptist Church,” says Elizabeth, the BMS representative from Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. “He was an inspiration.”

5. The magnificent six

We’ve been asking you to pray for more people to serve in Chad for years, and now, we’re so happy to give you the praise report of six wonderful workers for Guinebor II, a BMS-supported hospital in Chad. Six wonderful people, all serving as long-term BMS workers in this marginalised and under-evangelised country.

With the existing G2 team, they’ll deliver healthcare to 19,000 people a year. Please continue to pray as we urgently need a second surgeon for this busy hospital.

The magnificent six are:
1. Bethan Shrubsole – developmental music therapist
2. Gareth Shrubsole – G2 hospital manager
3. Mel Spears – health specialist
4. Tom Spears – GP
5. Brian Chilvers – nurse
6. Jackie Chilvers – nurse

Three photos of three mission worker couples
Another answer to prayer is actually six answers - six mission workers for Guinebor II mission hospital in Chad.

With the existing G2 team, they’ll deliver healthcare to 19,000 people a year. Please continue to pray as we urgently need a second surgeon for this busy hospital.

Prayer warriors unite!

Want to see even more prayers answered? Join us!
We are so excited to invite you to the annual BMS Day of Prayer on Sunday 9 February. Join us as we pray for BMS projects, partners and mission workers across the world. Whatever your style of prayer, whether using Bible reflections, sung worship, using creative prayer spaces, individually or in a group, we’d love you to join us.

You can find all the BMS Day of Prayer resources you need. Let us know what you’re praying for on Twitter and Facebook. We would find it so encouraging. We’re so grateful for everyone who prays for our work and we know God will do incredible things thanks to you.

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Words by Melanie Webb.

Serving in the Sahel

Serving in the Sahel

The wonderful Claire Bedford serves as a pharmacist at Guinebor II (G2) hospital in Chad. We caught up with her recently to hear stories of answered prayer, a girl cured of a tumour and God’s provision in one of Africa’s poorest nations!

How have things changed since you first started working at G2 hospital?

It’s amazing that it’s nearly four years ago that I went out to Chad in January of 2016. The hospital itself has changed a lot in four years. We’ve done a lot of building work to improve the infrastructure. We’ve also hired a lot more Chadian staff – we’ve gone from 65 to around 85 staff now, over and above what we had when I first arrived!

Head and shoulders photo of Claire Bedford

That’s so great to hear! Could you tell me a bit more about all the building work that’s been going on?

Thanks to a very generous legacy left to BMS we were able to build a new surgery centre, which opened for use in May 2018. That’s been really beneficial to the hospital as we now have three operating theatres whereas before we only had one, so that means that we can do simultaneous operations. It’s happened in the past that a patient was just about to have their operation start and someone knocked on the door saying that somebody else needed an emergency caesarean section. Fortunately, they hadn’t started the surgery yet, so they were able to switch them over and deliver the baby. It was worrying that that could happen in the middle of a surgery, so it’s really good that we’ve been able to expand how many theatres we’ve got.

You could make a difference just like this.

Claire and her colleagues are able to serve their local community in Chad so much better because one generous person left a gift to BMS in their will. By leaving a legacy to BMS in your will, you can help us change lives in years to come. Click here to find out more.

A group of people in scrubs sit in a room in a hospital.
Claire and her team are able to serve their community so much better thanks to one generous donation.

Following on from that, we converted the old operating theatre into an emergency room and converted the old emergency room into an office for our administrator. After that, we still had some of the legacy money left, so we were able to expand the pharmacy stock room and our lab. All of this has been made possible because of one very generous legacy to BMS. We’re all so grateful, and we really appreciate the generosity of this one donation.

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You’ve obviously got lots of patients coming into the hospital. Can you tell me any stories of people who’ve come to G2?

We recently admitted a little girl called Achta, she is just six months old and she had a massive tumour on the back of her arm. It turned out that she was born with it and it was just the size of a peanut then, but when she arrived at the hospital, it was huge and weighed about as much as she did. The operation took place in the new surgery centre that was funded by the legacy money and the tumour was successfully removed. Her mum is very happy because now Achta is going to be able to have a normal life. It’s really great to see.

Four photos showing the removal of a large tumour from a Chadian baby.
Thanks to Claire's team at Guinebor II, Achta will be able to live a normal life after having her tumour removed.

The area you’re working in in Chad is made up of a Muslim majority community. How is it for you living as a Christian there? How do you live out your faith?

The area we’re working in is about 90 per cent Muslim, but people know that G2 is a Christian hospital. There’s a massive Bible verse outside the front gate. It’s Psalm 23: 1, “The Lord is my shepherd.” I just try to treat my staff, colleagues and patients with compassion and love. I always pray when we go round on Wednesday mornings, I have a standard prayer that I pray in French and part of that prayer is always that they will feel the love of Jesus.

You’ve been talking a lot in your prayer letters about answered prayers. Could you share some with us?

Anyone who’s been following my prayer letters for a while will know that I have been asking for prayer for more long-term mission workers at G2 hospital – and I’m really excited to say that those prayers have been answered! In 2020, there are going to be three groups of people coming out to G2 hospital in Chad.

In January, we’ll be welcoming Mel and Tom Spears with their two daughters, Maisie and Rosa. Tom is a GP and Mel has got a public health background. Tom will hopefully hit the ground running and begin training some of our Chadian doctors.

The second family that are coming in January are Bethan and Gareth Shrubsole, with their three children, Sam, Jonah and Eva. Gareth will be taking on some of the project management, administration and finance responsibilities at the hospital and Bethan is hoping to use her music therapy skills at G2 and possibly at another project in N’Djamena as well.

Then, in September of 2020, Brian and Jackie Chilvers will be coming to Chad. They’re both nurses, so we’re looking forward to them coming out and joining our nursing team. We’re all really excited that these guys are on board and on their way to Chad!

What would you say to the people in the UK who have been praying for you and giving financially?

I would say a massive thank you. I couldn’t do what I do in Chad and at G2 hospital without the financial support and the prayers of people back in the UK, that’s for sure. It’s a very simple word and it doesn’t cost me anything to say but it is meant from all my heart, I’m really grateful.

Support Claire Bedford as a 24:7 Partner! Click here

Want to support these new families serving with BMS?

The Chilvers, Shrubsoles and the Spears families are all looking for church partners to pray for them and support their ministry – you could help them! Click here to find out more about church partners today!

Brian and Jackie Chilvers will be moving to Chad in September 2020.
Bethan and Gareth Shrubsole travel to Chad in January with their children, Sam, Jonah and Eva.
Mel and Tom Spears will travel to Chad in January with their daughters, Maisie and Rosa.

Please keep Claire, her colleagues and the work of Guinebor II hospital in your prayers.

  • Pray for the Chilvers, Shrubsoles and Spears families as they go through French language school before going out to Chad. Please pray for them during this transition period, and that they’ll get on well when they arrive.
  • Pray for ongoing stamina and strength for the Senior Management team and the Chadian staff at the hospital.
  • Pray for the future development of Guinebor II hospital. Please pray for additional human and financial resources for the ongoing work and the development of G2, so that it can continue to serve the local community.

Words and interview by Laura Durrant.

The sick baby, the pharmacist and the hospital that needs you

The sick baby, the pharmacist

and the hospital that needs you

Claire Bedford is an extraordinary pharmacist, but she’s not superhuman. She could do with some extra help at work, as could her colleagues. This is where you come in.

Claire didn’t have to go into work. It was her day off and it had been a hard week, just as every week is at Guinebor II Hospital near Chad’s capital. But BMS World Mission worker Claire wanted to go in as a courtesy to the facial surgeon holding a clinic. And God clearly wanted her there too.

One of the first patients to arrive was three-month-old Ache*. Her parents had travelled for a day on terrible roads to attend the clinic at the BMS-supported hospital, and they were desperate for help.

Precious little Ache had a huge growth covering her left eye, preventing it from opening, and it was spreading down her cheek. The surgeon knew immediately what was needed to treat the growth – a mass of small blood vessels known as a haemangioma – only the hospital didn’t have the drug in stock.

Ache’s father hurried into nearby N’Djamena to find a supply, but when he returned to Guinebor II there was a problem: the tablets were too large for a baby.

A three-month-old baby with a growth over her left eye is held by one of her parents.
Ache was unable to see out of her left eye when she was brought to Guinebor II.

Everyone turned to Claire for help. She calculated what the baby needed according to her weight, and used a pill cutter she’d sourced in the UK to chop the tablets to the required dose. Ache and her parents went home with the medication and instructions on what to do with it, and Claire stayed on to help more people.

We tell you this story because it demonstrates how your support allows Claire to show God’s love to patients at Guinebor II. But you should also know that only a few days before, Claire was not in the pharmacy, or on a ward supporting sick people, she was deciding what to do with a pit latrine blocked with bottles and nappies. She was the one making the decision because there was no-one else to do so.

And that’s not the only way pharmacist Claire is called to help with the running of the hospital. She recently had to negotiate the cost of tiling the hospital’s new emergency room, while at other times she’s taken on a HR role.

Her colleagues pitch in too, taking on administration work to ensure the hospital can continue taking in patients like Ache, and those from the Muslim-majority community that surrounds it.

Claire Bedford, a pharmacist in Chad, holds two babies while on a hospital ward
Join BMS pharmacist Claire Bedford at Guinebor II Hospital in Chad and you'll be part of beautiful and inspiring work.

But here’s the thing – you can help make things better.

We have a host of important positions available right now at Guinebor II Hospital. We just need the right people to apply.
“The patients aren’t being neglected,” says Claire. “But we could do so much more if the job vacancies were filled.”

Could you help Claire? Check out these vacancies at Guinebor II

General Manager: this critical role needs to be filled so that Claire and her colleagues can have the weight of administration, finance, and building and project management work taken off their shoulders. The right candidate needs to have managed a small to medium sized organisation. If that’s you, get in touch.

Surgeons and doctors: Guinebor II currently sees 14,000 outpatients a year, has 2,000 inpatients, carries out 1,300 operations, and delivers 1,800 babies. The team urgently needs more surgeons and doctors to cope with the demand for healthcare both now, and into the future. If you think you can help, find out more today.

Nurses: we’re looking for nurses who are well qualified and can train others. Find out more now.

Ophthalmologist: you’ve probably got access to an ophthalmologist at your local hospital, but there isn’t one at Guinebor II. If you’re an ophthalmologist and feeling called to serve God overseas, we want to hear from you.

Family GP: the doctor who takes on this role will be providing life-changing care for those most in need. If that’s what you’re passionate about, we want to hear from you.

Obstetrics/gynaecology doctor: there is no reliable gynaecology service for women in the community that Guinebor II serves. We want to change that by filling this position.

Midwives and community health specialists: Chad has one of the worst maternal and child mortality rates in the world. Help change this by working at the maternal health centre we opened in 2015. Find out more about this role today.

Endoscopist: waiting for an endoscopy can be frustrating, but at least most of us can get one. In Chad, you need to go private, which means you need money. If you’re an endoscopist, we really want to hear from you.

Paediatrician: if you’re a paediatrician, then please consider the infants, children and young people you could help at Guinebor II. Find out what to do next here.

You may not be qualified for any of the roles we’ve told you about today, but it’s quite possible you know someone who is. Tell them to find out more. Tell them about Claire. And tell them about Ache – for she was brought back to the hospital recently and Claire got to see her again. She is getting better, and we hope she’ll have full vision soon!

“Her parents were overjoyed,” says Claire. “You could just tell in their faces how happy they were. The father couldn’t stop saying ‘shukran’ (thank you). With my limited Arabic I couldn’t really converse with them, apart from replying ‘afwan’ (you’re welcome).

“It was a humbling experience to know that such a simple treatment was making such a huge difference to this young girl’s life.”

A baby with a growth over her left eye just about manages to see out of it
Ache can begin to see out of her eye thanks to the help of BMS pharmacist Claire Bedford.

Claire and the team at Guinebor II are desperate for more people to come and join them. If you have any of the skills we are looking for, we would to love to hear from you! You could make a huge difference to patients like baby Ache.

* Name changed to protect identity

Three survival stories from a hospital filled with Jesus’ love

Life on a children's ward:

three survival stories from a hospital filled with Jesus' love

Supporting this

Three children in danger. You helped them all at a hospital in Chad.

A girl fighting malaria. A boy hurt in a camel fall. Another with a snake bite. Step onto the children’s ward at Guinebor II, a hospital near Chad’s capital that is supported by BMS World Mission.

Two female nurses stand next to a male nurse on the children's ward of a hospital
Patients on the children's ward at Guinebor II Hospital receive the very best healthcare from a wonderful team of medical professionals.

The girl with malaria

Mariam* was bitten by a mosquito and fell sick. The mosquito was carrying malaria, a disease that brings on a fever, headache, vomiting, and severe sweating, and kills a child aged under five every two minutes. Three-year-old Mariam needed to be rushed to hospital, but she wasn’t, because street medicine sellers and the local health centre are often chosen over hospitals by poor families in Chad. Whatever treatment Mariam was given didn’t work. And so she was finally taken to Guinebor II, where Christians in a Muslim-majority community pray for their patients and provide the best healthcare for miles.

Mariam was given the drugs her body needed to fight malaria. The drugs worked, and Mariam survived. You helped make this happen by supporting BMS pharmacist Claire Bedford, who dispensed the drugs that saved Mariam’s life. Claire regularly goes on ward rounds, advising doctors and nurses on the medicine needed to treat patients and bringing her trademark friendly smile to people who are often scared and hurting.

“The infant and child mortality rate in Chad is shockingly high,” says Claire. “So it’s of vital importance that we have a facility where we can provide high-quality, affordable healthcare for the precious children of this country.”

If you support BMS, you’re helping to make that care possible.

What’s a working day in a Chadian hospital pharmacy like? Let Claire Bedford explain

The nomad boy who fell from a camel

Hassan* and his nomadic family travel on camels, using the traditional mode of nomad transport to carry their belongings from place to place. One day, seven-year-old Hassan came off his camel, hurting himself quite badly.

After days of abdominal pain and finding blood in his urine, he was taken to Guinebor II, where the doctors and nurses got to work, taking x-rays and running an ultrasound scan. The tests showed Hassan hadn’t suffered any major damage, but he remained barely alert to doctors and family, and just slept and slept. The team at Guinebor II catheterised and monitored him, and gave him antibiotics. Gradually, he began to pick up.

And then one day, as Claire was doing her ward round, he sat up and smiled. After a little more observation, Hassan’s urine began to flow clear again, and his catheter was removed. Hassan was better and free to return to the only life he knows.

Seeing children get better and go home is such a joy. Thank you so much to everyone in the UK who supports Guinebor II.

Men and woman wait in a shaded area outside a hospital in Chad
The waiting area at Guinebor II is often packed with people waiting for the brilliant care the Christian doctors there provide.

The boy bitten by a snake

Imagine this: you’re ten, it’s night-time, and you feel your skin punctured by fangs. You look down and see that creature that makes so many of us shudder with fear: a snake. For Saleh* that fear was justified. A snake had bitten him and now the clock was now ticking. He needed a dose of anti-venom to counter the snake’s poison and save him from the risk of paralysis or even death. Saleh was rushed into Guinebor II where he was given an anti-snake bite injection and painkillers. The treatment worked and the threat to Saleh’s life passed.

“Seeing children like Saleh get better and go home is such a joy,” says Claire. “Thank you so much to everyone in the UK who supports Guinebor II in prayer and by financial giving. Both are so important and make it possible for us to help.”

You’ll probably never meet the three children you’ve just read about. And you won’t meet the ones being cared for today on Guinebor II’s children’s ward. But thanks to your giving, Claire Bedford can dispense the medicine these young children need to get well. We think that care is worth celebrating. Please share this story to encourage others to support our work in Chad.

Inspired to give? Click here
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Help our surgeons save lives in Chad

In the north of Chad is a beautiful, isolated and dangerous place called Bardaï. It’s where BMS surgeons Andrea and Mark Hotchkin provide life-transforming healthcare at the district hospital. By giving to our Bardaï appeal, you can help keep them there.

* Names changed to protect identities

People are meeting Jesus in hospital

People are meeting Jesus in hospital

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Hospital patients become Christians in a Muslim-majority community. Thousands receive prayer and pastoral care. And the healing that only Jesus can provide is experienced by people for the first time. All of this happens at a BMS World Mission supported hospital in Chad, where the gospel is being spread in traditional and innovative ways.

Waiting rooms can often be the most terrifying place in a hospital. Anxiety thrives among the rigid rows of chairs. And sadly, for many, so does loneliness.

The waiting area at Guinebor II Hospital near Chad’s capital may appear different to those most of us are familiar with – there are benches, not chairs, and the space is open to the elements on three sides. But we’re all familiar with the feelings that people experience there.

BMS-supported chaplain Pastor Djibrine knows them well too. He sits with patients, talking to them as they wait to be seen by a doctor or nurse.

The Bibles available for people to read provide scope for discussion, as do the Christian films shown on the solar-powered television in the corner.

Pastor Djibrine also makes bedside visits, praying with people, comforting them, and answering questions about Jesus. And while some patients ask to keep the Bibles they find at the end of their beds, others receive Scripture through micro SD cards for use in their mobile phones.

People in the waiting area at Guinebor II Hospital.

The cards contain 35 Bible stories in four languages, and Pastor Djibrine gives them to people interested in the gospel. Your gifts pay for these cards, just as they do for the Bibles. And lives are being transformed.

Pastor Djibrine (right) talks to a man at a BMS-supported hospital in Chad.
Pastor Djibrine (right) shares tea and conversation outside a BMS-supported hospital in Chad.

Abdelhaziz* was at the hospital receiving treatment for cancer. While he was there, Pastor Djibrine spent time with him, chatting and explaining his faith. Through these conversations, Abdelhaziz met Jesus and decided to follow him. When he was well enough to go home, Pastor Djibrine gave Abdelhaziz an SD card and put him in touch with believers in his home town. Having gone into the hospital unwell and far from Christ, Abdelhaziz left with his faith placed in Jesus, and part of a new community.

Another person who wanted to know about Jesus was Hassan*, a young Muslim man studying religion at the University of N’Djamena. Not only did he leave the hospital with his own Bible, he also asked Pastor Djibrine for a copy for his friend. The Holy Spirit at work outside the hospital’s walls.

Healthcare excellence and God's love – BMS worker Kat on the work at Guinebor II Hospital

Look what you've achieved in 12 months:

• Over 5,000 patients at Guinebor II Hospital were touched by the love of God through prayer, conversation, and home visits – work that continues today.

• An average of 35 people a month were given a Bible or CD with narrated biblical stories.

• One hundred people received micro SD cards containing Bible stories.

• Almost 3,500 people watched a Christian film in the hospital’s waiting room, and the films are still being shown regularly.

Through your giving, you’re helping people who are sick and frightened find healing, comfort and strength in Christ. People are getting to read the Bible, hear its truth in their own language, and receive prayer from Pastor Djibrine. And some people, such as Abdelhaziz, have decided to follow Jesus for themselves and have been welcomed into a community of believers.

Thanks to your support, Guinebor II Hospital has become a shining beacon of hope in Jesus, and we think that’s amazing.

Want to help us do more? Give today
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* Names changed