Leaving thoughts....

what i'm packing with me....

Its been over 7 months, and my time in Africa is coming to a close. During these months I have walked through many different seasons, each with its own lesson, prepping me for the next step in this incredible journey. I felt like at the end of my time here I would have found a lot of answers to some of the questions I had come here determined to get answered. To some yes, I have, to most.. my experiences here have caused those questions to lead to more and more questions, some i'm realizing maybe can't be answered anytime soon. Questions on what to do with poverty, how do i feel about it, and what is my role in it? How do I walk away from it when there is SO much to be done, a disturbing haunting lack of basic healthcare that kills hundreds everyday?.. what are the needs around me in the states that i could get excited about participating in? God has placed certain passions on my heart; medicine, children, & health, they continue to have a strong presence in pushing me along in life, the joy of finding a way to bring all those together, of serving God with the gifts hes given me. Mercy Ships has played a significant part in confirming thats what I need to continue in. Two principles strengthened here.. i believe to whom much has been given, much is expected (God owns everything we have) & if it is within your power to do good unto someone..make the EFFORT to do it with the BEST of your ability...and do it with JOY.

Observations:
Ghana & Liberia are filled with amazing people...but esp. in Liberia, coming out of 14 years of a disturbing, bloody war I find it a very IRONIC country... on one hand i've come close to many men/boys that wouldn't hesitate to rob/harm me and their people in broad daylight, who carry scorns of hatred and evil pride from there ex-rebel days, and an EXTREME corruptness that continues to distrupt the nation from its much needed healing
.... but yet the majority has this UNFATHOMABLE resilency from the HORRIBLE acts that were uncontrollably violated by.. they carry FORGIVNESS- accepting these people back into their communities, HOPE- for their nation to be restored, LOVE- for perfect strangers..an amazing hospitality and deep care for me/us that touched me in a profound way...going the extra mile time and time again..when they owed me nothing (reminds me of what Jesus has done for us) They would give you their last plate of rice for the week with persistence and a smile. GENEROUS beyond their means..TRUSTING God to provide for their needs. BRAVERY- woman, who endure beatings as a common marital practice, many times forced to have children for a man's selfish pride, and the will to get up everyday in survival mode.. no savings, no food cupboard for back up, no jobs to be occupied. PASSIONATE- bibical passages flowing from them naturally like their reciting their ABC's

.... I have been surprised to find that some of the most amazing, beautiful people i've come across in life so far..are found down the dirt road..into the mud/stick homes of that old wrinkley woman who gets up at 5am to sweep her front yard made of dirt and feed her 10 children... As having many of them as patients I have gotten to interact with them on a intimate level. I think the most profound thing I've been reminded here because of them has been how SIMPLE life should be. How complicated i make it. They have nothing, but they trust God for everything....THEY know the meaning, the DEPTH of grace. They don't thrive upon merit or pleasures...they live on God's provision and find geniune thanksgiving in every detail of their life. When they sing, its the most beautiful sound in the world...because its faith from their very core, its unhindered. The funny thing, it isn't much of what they've said outloud..its just they way they live. Living in this crazy environment both on & off the ship here has revealed to me how incredibly selfish i am. How i am just as guilty of participating in our own culture's obession with consumerism and selfish ambitions. a constant glory seeker... feeling very ugly, there was a season where i completely hit the wall on knowing what to do with all i was seeing, what could i possibly do.. realizing..i can't save the world, i don't have the slightest wisdom or strength to help them, to stop the vicious cycle, to heal a nation, or even to change myself.. when i came across this passage:

" Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread." Proverbs 30:8

That is my prayer as i go home. That I would continue to try not to live my life on my own strength..but depend on God DAILY to continue to lead me and mold me into the beautiful creation he as designed me to be.. to TRUST in His GOODNESS, and daily provision for whatever it is we need. To let my light be stronger than darkness.

Children - The children here have touched me deeply as well. I find a refreshment that children are, at the core, the same even across the ocean. They continue to be a display of our basic human needs... love, affection, pure joy. And as little 5 year old Daniel puckers his burnt lips/face up at me and giggles as i clean his wounds.. i can't help but think of how beautifully resilient God made them. And just like the old woman,.. I find a unique sense of a genuine, simple, and loving attitude that cuts to the core of me, and hope to be more like one day.

"freely you have recieved, freely give" Matthew 10:8

"for you were called to freedom brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word... You shall love your neighbor as yourself"

My time with Mercy Ships has been a dream fulfilled, but also an added log on the fire for what I believe God is asking us all to do..step up to the plate.. go deeper into the game.. WHEREVER we are, there is much to be done..with God's strength, joy and wisdom. Hes the coach.. and WE are a significant part of his team.

"whereever" is relevant for me b/c i'm not sure where to go from here long. Will spend the following 6 weeks after leaving here at the end of May, traveling all around Europe with good friends..after that.. I feel like God's given me a complete peace about taking a season to be near home and good friends and family.. get to those weddings, birthdays, and holidays i've been missing.. moving to Chicago hopefully in August and trying to get a travel nursing job at a Children's Hospital. I am sad to leave the amazing community and events of everday life with Mercy Ships, but excited and ready to enter this next season, process everything i've seen, and let God show me the next path to pursue. Look forward to seeing many of you in July and hearing all that has been happening in your lives :)

P.S. only 2 more days before the Africa Mercy Ship joins us and the moving begins! (8 years of waiting for completion finally over!!!) President of Liberia will be with us the day before I leave, May 29th to celebrate!!!

You know your in Africa when..

You know you're in Africa when....

you carry machettes to work like briefcases

when you play name that random cooked animal.. from your soup bowl!

when you can can buy anything from toilet paper to sewing machines right off people's heads, out your car window

when you cab buy underwear/bras from a street wheelborrow

when you can fit 30 people in ONE van...animals welcome

garbage cans? whats that?

when you go to a resturant #1 they ran out of 1/2 the items on the menu
# 2 they go buy the ingredients off the street AFTER you order

when chewing on sticks is like chewing gum

when a total stranger will go WAY (1hr+) out of their way to help you get to your destination safely

when your new name becomes "white woman!!" or "Obruni"

men tell you about their city wife AND their country wife with pride, 5 children is considered "small small" amount

when yelling/arguing is a common form of talking

when you can buy a bushel of mangos for 20 cents

when they climb up their front yard coconut tree to give you a complimentary drink

when your friends and ask for your number before they even know your name...and once they know your name...they NEVER forget it!

Victorya Faith - my last patient

Victorya Faith was not only my last patient, but also the very last patient to be discharged onboard the Anastasis, before the new Africa Mercy arrives in 9 days! Victorya came to us as "baby girl" at 9 days old. She was born with a gigantic Teratome on her buttock (kind of like a huge tissue filled cyst; could possibly be from twins gone wrong in utero); it weighed 1/3 of her weight and was as big as her torso!

Her mom, Grace, took her to a doctor up country when she was 3 days old but they told her to wait until she was 7 months old and then bring her back.. Her mom went with her motherly instinct and took a chance on a rumor she heard about a hospital ship in Monrovia. She traveled 7 hrs and was found outside the port walls by a crew member, who had compassion on her and brought her to our Medical coordinator for assistance. In 7 months it would be too late for "baby girl"said Dr. Tertius, so she was admitted and fit onto the surgical schedule right away.

The first time I unwrapped her from her cloth lappa, I have to admit I was taken back by how BIG and deformed it looked and overwhelmed by just how tiny she was! The smallest baby to have MAJOR surgery I've taken care of so far. Through her stay I kept getting assigned to her and we became very close. I was excited to come down one morning at the start of my shift and see that because she had survived and was doing well, her mother had decided it safe to name her... the woman who found them at the port walls was asked to name her and fittingly so she is now called Victorya Grace :) She is a fighter! During her time here she developed an infection causing wound breakdown, but with constant wound care with honey, algae, and lots of prayers... she is doing great and should be completely healed within the next 2 weeks. God is good.

Bong Mines

Saturday afternoon, took our Land Rovers to the train station and pulled em' onto a flat bed, strapped em' down and took off to see the interior of this beautiful, lush country.

Rode on top of the Land Rovers to get an even better view as we passed from the busy city, into the quiet bush... that is until the fresh air turned more into eye-burning diesel fumes toot tooting towards our faces!! ouch.

Passed everything from deforestation (mostly because trees used by locals to make charcoal to sell in the city...what our train was used to carry besides us)... to lush tropical forest!

Pulled up about 2 1/2 hrs later to a train platform in a village that used to be pretty hopping and VERY nice back in the 1960's...

In 1990 with the start of the civil war, the area was bombed and the Bong Mine which was used to obtain Iron Ore, was shut down and left over the past 17 years to rust and be stripped... sold piece by piece by robbers for a good profit.

Nearby is an old rock quarry which a Mercy Shipper discovered and makes for a great swimming hole, rock jumping, picnic kind of Saturday!

The train man decided we needed to leave earlier than usual, which was perfect because we got back for a special Super Saturday Game and Barbeque event out on the dock :)

HOME SWEET HOME.... for another 2 1/2 weeks

Screening Day!

The long anticipated Screening Day! Hundreds start lining up outside the city's old stadium at midnight to get a spot in line to be seen by one of our Mercy Ship physicians for the chance for a free surgery and a new hope :)

Screening day was much shorter than we antipated ... meaning we believe we may have finally made a sizable dent in helping with some of their surgical medical needs. Despite, all appointments were filled from this coming July-November (end of Liberia outreach), except a few orthopedic OR spots which will easily be filled by people randomly showing up at our dock door throughout the next few weeks.

One of the most interesting and most enjoyable days of my life... I'll let the pictures speak for themselves :)

*India UN woman used to help guard one of the first large public gatherings since the war ended

*After waiting in a line outside the stadium, each potential patient was escorted into the stadium to wait again...and assessed by a physician

Health History and Vitals taken before seeing the MDs

Meet my heros :) Dr. Teritus, Gary, Tony, and Andreas

If good canidate for surgery, consent obtained by fingerprints as the majority cannot read or write...

Blood work taken....

... and the magic ticket given!

Sadly, not all are operitable for a various reasons...

A prayer team is standing by to pray with them before they leave if desired and to walk out with them.

Hard, but amazing day. The staff anxiously looks forward to see our future patients again onboard our new ship!

* My favorite moment of the day was when I was in charge of entertianing some of the kids waiting to be seen... asked them to come paint with me and some were shy as their burn contractureds arms made it difficult for them to move the paint brush back and forth, many kept from school because of it... with a little encouragement got them to do a bit of painting .. but the best part was thinking of all our similiar kids we've taken care of on the ward the past 2 outreaches, just smiled to myself knowing that they were gonna be fine in just a short amount of time.

Cheesemanburg!

... breaking through the crowded lanes of rusty taxis, past the city limits UN check points, into the lush tropical greens surrounding both sides of the Rover, rocking back and forth down a system of bumpy dirt roads that doesn't belong to any map except one you make your own napkin... you will find a series of little villages making up "Cheesemanburg". Recently destroyed by war, you will find a surprising enchanting landscape of beautifully new, smooth mud houses, intricately patterned palm weaves and sticks to make up the roofs & windows, children playing in the rain all the way home in their crisp school uniforms, and adults doing their various laborious tasks with a natural ease.

I came here today with my friend & old roommate Jen, who is in charge of Community Health education. Todays task is to aid her in doing a basic village health assessment of 2 of these villagettes, to see and ask what exactly their needs are before directing & empowering their elected village health leaders in the coming months. Before anything of that can start, we must fulfill tradition and gather on the porch of the village's chief to introduce ourselves and meet the elderly gang of the neighborhood ;) I try to get the giddy smile off my face that reflects my thoughts of "am i dreaming?" and correct my posture into its most culturally respective manner, NO crossing legs i keep telling myself! As I look around I'm surrounded by the highly respected of the community, their wrinkley faces full of mystery and just as many questions about us, as i have for them myself. They as usual, quickly show us the same respect and treat us graceously with their finest possessions. Once again, a simple, universal smile is enough to break the ice and began to get acquianted.

After introductions and small elementary chatter, we stand to our feet to walk around to see the make up of the village... they take us on a narrow path down to their source of drinking, bathing, laundry water... a leafy, bug, filled riverbed they say never goes dry here. They do not boil the water or even comprehend adding chlorine tablets before drinking it. It physically PAINS my stomach just standing their looking at it!

Up the path a little way is a middle aged woman up to her waist (inside a 4 x4ft mud hole) in red palm oil she is creating as she stomps with her barefeet on the wet palm nut fibers...a cooking staple in Liberia.

Up another path into the "town square" again I gaze in awe at their houses they have created with mud, sticks, & the lucky ones, tin... each have helped their neighbor (somehow related family) to make a home. I learn they are a self sustaining community..only having to buy fish & salt from the outside to survive. Almost every other tree we pass, they offer us fruit of some kind, most i have never tried before.. i was jealous of them a bit...living in something like a garden of Eden,

... but then i am reminded why there is another Mercy Ships vehicle off the road a bit in the distance, working on teaching their members how to dig their own wells and latrines..

.

disease turning into death lingers among this lush garden and giggly children as well. After more tours of chickens in homes and old men with YOUNG wives cooking their lunches, babies taking naps right on their dirt floors... i get a chance to talk with some of the village members one on one! With the help of our health village trainees, we work through a list of 20 basic health questions... " What do you do with your garbage..burn it or throw it in the bush?" , Do you wash your hands before you eat or after poo poo?, Where do you go to the bathroom?, What do you think is your families biggest health concern?, How many of your family member have had diarrhea or malaria in the past month?" They answer and i try to keep a neutral face, wondering if they even know the answer i am looking, hoping for? At the end I thank them, ask a few of my own backpile of curious questions, turn down marriage proposals, and quickly move on!

Next week I've been invited back to help teach about Malaria..Africa's biggest killer (greater than AIDS) I am excited to have a shot at developing these teaching skills for the first time :)

I had a blast. I really think if i had to live in Africa, Cheesmanburg is where i'd set my rocking chair... Once again, beautiful people, who may not be intelligent in some things like their water system...but know the inspiring simplicity you can't find in a textbook. There is much to learn from one another.

(3 elected village health trainees working with M.S.)

Day out with "Doctors Without Borders"

Today got an opportunity that I've been really geeked about for along time!!!, a chance to follow around a Norwegian physician named Kari, from "Doctors Without Borders" , also known as Medecins Sans Frontieres. I met Kari randomly one day a few weeks ago in an ER and she agreed to let me shadow her.

This organization I've investigated and googled many times over the past several years; i HIGHLY respect the work they do and have been even more impressed seeing it more up close and personal since being around them in Liberia! They are one of the MAIN reasons health care has been able to continue post civil war, they have decided to extend their contract until 2008, the longest time their relief organization has ever remained in a country because Liberia is still very much in a state of RELIEF and only starting on the edge of their own development and getting back on their own two feet.

Overwhelmed by the lines and lines of woman and children waiting to see the doctors on this Monday morning, the workers seem to remain calm and in complete control. After a tour of one of the small clinics they run, i get to sit in with a Children's Physician Assistant to see what the main health complaints are of Liberian children and how they are treated.

After many cases of malaria, some hernias, malnutrition and some productive coughs we move on across town to Liberia's only Pediatric hospital... what originally had 60 beds has been extended to accommodate over 250 patients, 2 to a bed! Being a Peds nurse myself I was really curious to see how it was run. Got a tour by the big mama head nurse, Sue, who informed me that each nurse has up to 30 patients each....5 at a time is the legal limit where i worked in Texas, remind me to NEVER complain!!! They had an ICU mostly filled with severely malnourished children- a STUDENT nurse calmly bagging a post respiratory arrest baby, a TB chest unit, neonatal babies unit, and several general medical wards, even happy to see a playground and playroom. Most of the "Doctors Without Borders" workers are not here to do all the work for the Liberians, but to serve alongside them, teaching them proper techniques to give the best care possible to their people!

Its funny what can make a person"high", ... I've never needed drugs or alcohol to make me feel giddy & alive... give me a moment to be part of something bigger, the healing human body & spirit, and I'm utterly drunk on life! I don't know if I'll ever be called to work for them, but it was a real honor to get this opportunity. Next goal.. stalk UNICEF headquarters in town to see if i can do the same with them ;) Trying to learn/understand/observe how they undertake such a big task?

The beautiful thing is..God didn't wire any two of us the exact same :)

What is your individualities high?... i'd really love to hear

* exploring FuN in the SUn *

just a few random photos from the past week; bicycling, taxiing, floating around Monrovia...

CECE BEACH

A TYPICAL CAR WASH STATION!

T

MARKETPLACE

Golden Beach Resturant