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Dear Family and Friends,
Greetings from Banso Baptist Hospital. As the work of the hospital continues, the needs at times seem overwhelming. Yet it’s helpful to consider that The Lord Jesus was never daunted by the masses, but dealt with each individual who came across His path with candor and compassion. We have recently been challenged with the care of a 16 year old boy named Fabrice. He is from a nearby village where he had been climbing a tree located on the family farm. While trying to prune some branches back to allow sunlight to reach the corn (the staple crop in our region), Fabrice fell from the tree – breaking his back. He was transported to the hospital by means of a ‘motorcycle taxi.’ We had to wonder whether this mode of transportation added further insult to his injury. On arrival, he was completely paralyzed in both lower extremities.
The admitting doctor had initially done X-rays of Fabrice’s cervical and lumbar spines – which looked normal. On checking a thoracic spine film, it was evident that our patient had suffered a fracture involving a mid-thoracic vertebra. Lacking the ability to further image the patient’s spine (or cord) and completely devoid of neurosurgical capability, our Physical Therapy department recommended immobilization on a narrow metal bed (known as a Stryker Frame) along with a trial of traction. Unfortunately, to no one’s surprise, our patient fared no better. His devastating neurologic deficits persisted. Having been in the hospital for nearly 2 months, Fabrice is now getting ready for discharge, with plans to provide him with a wheelchair for home use.
On a temporal physical level, Fabrice’s medical predicament is utterly tragic: a young adolescent, once healthy and vigorous, now paralyzed in both legs. 
Yet Fabrice’s mother has stated that her son, previously resistant to the things of God, has now softened. When initially asked what is necessary for one to be right with The Lord, Fabrice’s somewhat glib answer was along the lines of to “do good things.” He now understands that the basis for one’s justification is only through what The Lord Jesus has already accomplished when He shed His blood for us at Calvary.
Fabrice has been told that the disability caused by his fall is one for which we have no cure. He is not expected to walk again. Yet, his main ‘sickness’ – that of sin – is one for which God Himself offers a singular remedy. Our hope is that this young boy, in acknowledgment of his spiritual need, might relinquish his life to The Great Physician.