Sweet Moments

There are so many sweet moments and precious memories from my time in Africa. I wanted to share a quick video that captures a small bit of the story I shared in January about my patient who we called "Mama". She recovered well after her surgery. Since she lived so far away from the ship, she spent several weeks at the Hope Center until her wound completely healed. I always enjoyed visiting with Mama at the Hope Center and getting hugs when I passed by her on the dock at the outpatients tent.

Enjoy this video by Josh Callow a videographer aboard the Africa Mercy. http://youtu.be/0dcM3jN56Do

Looking Back

As this season comes to a close, I enjoy looking back to reflect on all that has happened. In one week from today I will drive away from the ship not knowing if I will ever return. I will say goodbye to patients who will remain in the hospital for several more weeks, goodbye to the amazing dayworkers who have helped me to communicate with my patients and farewell to friends and coworkers who will continue on with the work.

It is amazing to think back on the many patients who have come aboard the Africa Mercy for surgery. Although my unit focuses on the same type of maxilla-facial surgeries throughout the entire field service in a country, the other wards change depending on the surgeon specialty from orthopedics, to VVF (Vesicovanginal Fistula Repair), to plastics. When I first arrived there were many children in casts, soon to be replaced by a room full of chattering ladies, and now many burn patients are here for plastics surgery.

As I prepare to leave in a few days I am reminded that things constantly change. This has been a consistent part of my experience here on the Africa Mercy with crew members and patients arriving and leaving every week. It is strange to no longer hear the female voices chattering or see the ladies walking together down the long corridor while singing. Many of their stories touched my life even in the few times that I floated to work on “B” Ward aka the VVF ladies (November-February).

 

The ladies enjoying some spontaneous singing!

 

 Although these ladies did not have the outwardly visible defects such as my patients, they still experienced rejection from people including their own families and husbands. These women’s stories are all similar with marrying in their teens or early twenties. Usually during their first pregnancy they had a long, complicated delivery which lasted several days. During the difficult birthing process these ladies developed a fistula so that they began to constantly leak urine. The saddest part of the story is that they gave birth to a stillborn child. So many of these ladies lost the dream of ever being able to have children, and many were rejected by their husbands and kicked out of the house. Some of these ladies lived for 5, 10, 15, even 25+ years suffering from the constant leaking of urine.



The ladies enjoying some sunshine during Deck 7 time.

 

It was beautiful to watch these ladies build community with one another as they shared the same room together with 20 women who shared the same story. Unfortunately I cannot report that the surgeries were successful for all of the women, but thankfully some of the ladies went home dry with a new opportunity to be accepted by their community and family. All of them left knowing that they were not alone in this experience.

Before the ladies went home, they would have a dress ceremony to honor the women. They received a new dress and everyone celebrated with singing and dancing on the wards. It is a beautiful sound to hear so many African voices harmonizing and singing together!

The ladies in their new dresses getting ready for the dress ceremony

Lots of dancing and singing during the dress ceremonies!

 

Although these ladies have gone home, new patients are arriving for the hope of a new opportunity. Currently the plastics surgeons are repairing burn contractures for patients who did not receive adequate medical care after being burned.

It really is amazing the work that is done here on the ship.

 

Nana was a very special lady who
always made me smile!

Flexibility and Creativity

Two ingredients for success on the Africa Mercy are flexibility and creativity. Flexibility is probably obvious when one realizes they will be sharing a cabin with 5 other people. By the way it hasn’t been that bad or maybe I’ve just lucked out with some awesome roommates!

It is impressive how many resources are available to care for patients here in the hospital. We receive multiple shipping containers throughout the field service to keep the hospital supplies stocked. So when there is a delay in the arrival of a container the supplies can become very scarce and rationing begins.

Recently we have been running low on various supplies while awaiting the next container which has increased my gratitude and appreciation for how many resources we do have here.

One item that we have completely run out of is Pediasure/Ensure for tubefeeds! This becomes a problem with the many maxo-facial patients who require tube feeds for the first seven days after surgery! This is when flexibility and creativity become very important.

We are now making our own tubefeeds!! Who would’ve ever thought! Now during my shift I use the blender to whip up some yummy tubefeeds consisting of milk, peanut butter, sugar, fiber, and multivitamins! I never thought making my own tubefeeds would be part of my nursing job description.

Making some yummy tubefeeds!

 

So what happens when all you have is crunchy peanut butter? It is really time to get creative because the crunchy kind clogs the tubing. So thanks to my creative coworker and resourceful charge nurse Deb, she collected a strainer to strain out the chunks after blending the tubefeeds! She also found some chocolate protein shakes for the patients on full liquid diets!

Thanks Deb for finding us some more supplies!

 

One other area of flexibility is after work hours. Since everyone lives in the same place that we work we try to be courteous of people’s time off from work. So what happens when you run out of medicines for patients after hours? Well I walk down to pharmacy and to retrieve the needed medicines from pharmacy!

 

Midnight Pharmacy Run

 

So here aboard the Africa Mercy we do a little bit of everything which keeps the job interesting with problem solving, flexibility, and creativity.

Public Transport and Fast Food

To really experience and appreciate the culture one has to leave the ship and spend time in the country. This past weekend I embarked on quite the adventure of traveling upcountry to Dalaba located about 300km (186 miles) from the port in the mountains. Good thing I didn’t count on google maps for the time estimate of travel to be 3 hours and 45 minutes! Turns out the estimate does not account for many factors when taking public transport.

So here is what I learned from my travels this weekend about public transport in Africa:

1. Patience is key when making a long trek! Who knew we would spend 13.5 hours on the way there and about 10.5 hours on the way back! Good thing we planned to travel all day to get to Dalaba.

2. The taxis don’t leave until every seat is sold. Waiting, waiting, waiting…. That’s right we had the bright idea of leaving the ship at 6:30 to get to the market at 7am. The only problem is no one else decided to arrive to the market until after 10am to go to Dalaba. We waited over four hours even before getting on the road.

Anna and I "patiently" waiting for the taxi to leave!

 

3. The back of the station wagon taxi is not a good place for tall travelers and people prone to car sickness. You cannot sit up straight or stretch your legs out while facing forward. You also feel every twist and curve of the road in the back, especially when the driver constantly swerves to both sides of the road while trying to avoid the many potholes.

4. Important Lesson: do not dehydrate yourselves for fear of not finding a bathroom. First it is a terrible idea to be dehydrated especially when traveling all day in the heat. Second the car makes many stops where one can find a public squatty potty behind the local mosque or town center. If all else fails, you can always walk up to a random person’s house along the way and ask to use their outdoor facilities as we did with the help of one of the ladies in our taxi.

5. A typical station wagon by our standards would fit seven with two people in the front, three in the middle, and two in the back. We had 12 people in the taxi on the way back! Thankfully the middle seat is much more comfortable even with four people wide rather than being in the back. Two men shared the passenger seat and three women sat in the back while holding one baby and a toddler!

Don't forget about all the luggage that has to be strapped down on top of the taxi!

 

6. The people in your taxi become your community. Everyone offered us whatever food they bought along the way. Each of the women also took turns holding the baby including myself. No carseats here, which makes it easier for changing diapers in momma’s lap and keeping the baby content and well fed!

7. Remember patience is key! You make many, many stops along. We stopped over 11 times on the way to Dalaba during our 9 hour car ride. The driver made a personal stop, we dropped one passenger off along the way, then picked up another soon after. We made two stops for prayer, two checkpoint stops, and four stops to add water to the radiator to keep the car from overheating! Don’t forget about the meal stops!

8. As for food, this trip provided a whole new meaning of fast food. Nothing is better than after many hours of traveling in the hot car with no air conditioning than for someone to pass by selling cold water and drinks when stuck in traffic. Window service also includes the opportunity to purchase tissues, extra cellphone minutes, food, and even clothes!

Any place we stopped had small food stands along the road! Interesting their idea of fast food is much healthier here with many people buying fresh fruits along the way.

African Fast Food

 

9. Don’t forget that you don’t have anyway to keep your meat cold; instead you just strap a live chicken on the back of the roof so that the it stays alive until you arrive back home! We even saw a goat riding on the top of a taxi in between the luggage!

10. Just when you think your trip is going to be more successful coming home, alas problems happen that you can’t predict such as the car breaking down. So an hour outside of the port in Conakry our car pulled over due to an engine failure. Everyone sat along the road for an hour waiting for who knows what to happen. After waiting an hour we grabbed our backpacks and took another taxi home to the ship!

During my travels I counted my blessings of how grateful I am for roads back home with minimal potholes, having my own car with air conditioning in the summer, and not squishing as many people as possible into a vehicle. It seems though that traveling here is always an adventure because you never know what to expect!

Risky Business

After hearing so many words of caution over the years, it can be a bit unsettling to go against these revered words of advice. For example I’ve always avoided semi-trucks as much as possible. Now my walking path through the port has me weaving in and out of 18 wheelers driving past and occasionally backing up only a few inches in front of me.

The view from the Africa Mercy looking out towards the city,
 you have to walk through the multitude of 18-wheelers to get into the city.

By the way it turns out that a great place to nap and escape from the hot sun is to string a hammock underneath the semi-truck! Who knew?

I am used to nicely paved sidewalks in order to avoid cars. In Conakry there are few sidewalks. So I follow behind the lead of the Guineans in front of me who walk on the road as cars narrowly pass. I have realized that the idea of personal space or lack of it also carries over into driving a car. I’ve found they drive a lot closer than I’d personally like.

When crossing the street it feels like a game of leap frog trying not to get hit! You better not step out in front of a car because they will not be stopping for you! So I’ve thrown out the idea of crosswalks and cars yielding for pedestrians!

Leap frog anyone?

Buckle up or Ticket? Being a nurse I definitely know the value of seatbelts, but there are many times when there are no seatbelts to be found in the local taxis. So you don’t even have the option to buckle up, especially when the driver swerves crazily in and around other cars.

When in Africa how many people can fit into a taxi? The answer is “Always one more!” Don't forget, you can always stand on the back or top of the car too!

Why not catch a ride on top of the taxi next time?!?

Motrobikes are found all around the city. Helmets? No way. Children? Most definitely. It is common to see a whole family with mom, dad, child, and a baby on the bike. I watched one time as a father placed his 10 month old in front of him on the bike. Thankfully she grabbed a hold of the bike, but still a baby on a bike!

I definitely respect and see the reason for caution at times. Maybe we go a little overboard and become too protective in the States. Instead here in Guinea almost anything goes. So next time you think you see a crazy driver just imagine what it would be like if everyone drove like that at the same time with everyone swerving in and out of lanes.  It becomes risky business!

These things have started to become a little more normal in daily life, but at times I have to think that I would never do this back home! I guess this is part of life while living on a boat while docked at a port in Africa!

Hope for Healing

In January, a little boy and his uncle arrived on the dock hoping that Mercy Ships could repair the damage to his face. At six years of age he has already been rejected and shunned by many who believe he has an evil spirit, yet he still has a smile and playful spirit like any other child.  Mamadou* quickly won the hearts of all of the nurses and hospital staff, including my own. Here is his story about a ravaging infection called Noma.

 

Most of you have never heard about this horrifying flesh eating bacteria because it is not a problem in the western world. Here in Africa where some of the poorest people in the world live it is a real fear and problem. There are many reasons this bacteria flourishes in impoverished areas including a lack of nutrition which decreases the immune system. These children often live near livestock and trashpiles while playing in refuse and dirt with no access to clean, running water.

 

The story is similar with each of our Noma patients that at a young age they fell and scraped their face while playing outside. The skin became infected and parents watched in horror as their child’s face “melted away.” This particular necrotizing bacteria targets the facial tissues of the lips, mouth, cheeks, and nose particularly in children. It can be treated with antibiotics within the first 48 hours; but if it passes this initial period there is nothing that can be done except wait to see how much damage the infection causes. Because it usually affects those living in the poorest conditions, they do not always have access to healthcare or the knowledge of the critical window for these children to receive antibiotics. Without treatment 90% of children die from Noma.

 

So Mamadou’s story begins around the age of 2 when he fell and scraped the left side of his face. Soon Noma ate away part of his lips and cheek on the left side. Unfortunately soon after this event Mamadou’s father died. When his mother remarried, the step-father believed Mamadou was cursed and caused his father’s death. Thus his step-father did not want him.

 

Thankfully Mamdou’s uncle saved his life and has been caring for him these past couple of years. His uncle brought him to the ship hoping that Mercy Ships could transform Mamdou’s face so he wouldn’t continue to face the rejection he has experienced from people including his own family. Mamadou is currently in the middle of multiple surgeries as it is a long process to recreate lips and cheeks with moving skin grafts around from different places.  So far things are going well, and Mamadou is currently at the Hope Center awaiting another surgery at the end of March.

 

Although Mamadou came to receive surgery to restore his face, I hope that he receives something more. Love is what we hope to show to all of our patients. It is God’s love that has motivated so many people to come volunteer and even pay their own expenses or raise funds in order to be here. So in a life where this boy has been rejected by so many, he entered a different world on this hospital ship. There are many nurses who lovingly care for Mamadou while blowing bubbles, chasing him on the deck, pulling him in a wagon, or just kindly holding him. I hope that the love he has experienced here will transform his life. I pray that it would undue all the shame and rejection he has experienced. Even more than that, as I hope and desire for all of our patients that eventually it will allow them to know and understand the love of Jesus.

 

Mamadou’s story represents those of so many of our patients. I have found so much joy in caring for Mamadou and other patients as I witness the transformation process of bringing hope in healing. With Mamadou only being six years old, the rest of his story is left to be written.

*Name has been changed for this story  


Here are some pictures taken by Mercy Ships photographers: 

Mamadou's face slowly being transformed

Playing on deck 7 with a crewmember's child

Piggyback ride while I work

 

 

Watch Out: Mamadou will run you over

Bubble time

 

Mamadou's precious smile

Joy in Thankfulness

In a western world where we are driven by entitlement, ingratitude flourishes. When we finally receive the thing which we believe we deserve, it does not always bring us the joy that we anticipated. Why might this be? I believe it is because we do not always receive things with an attitude of thanksgiving.

What is so different here in Guinea, in a place where many people make less than a couple of dollars a day? People don’t hold on to the few possessions they have quite so tightly, and entitlement doesn’t seem quite as prolific as back home. I am amazed with watching how people willing share from the little bit they have.

How does this affect my experience as a nurse caring for people in Guinea? More often than not, I have been overwhelmed by the humble attitudes of thankfulness and appreciation from my patients and families. You may argue that they are receiving free medical care and surgery, so who wouldn’t be appreciative. There is still something so unique and different in this work environment, when many times a day I hear the words thank you. As you look into their faces you see the genuineness of their words in their smiles and gestures.

I cannot fully describe the expression of their appreciation, but I think part of the reason is patients don’t come to the ship feeling entitled to surgery. Thus they are so grateful and thankful for the opportunity that we provide. One recent example from this past week is a patient’s father who came to visit during the evening shift.  As the father entered the ward and saw his daughter, he immediately grabbed my hand and told me over and over again “Merci, Merci Beaucoup” during his entire visit.

I am discovering the joy that comes from a thankful heart. Maybe this is why on the outside it may appear that people in Guinea do not have much, but when you look closer there is still joy in their lives!

Do you find yourself feeling entitled and not really being satisfied after you received what you thought you deserved? Maybe we can learn from the people here in Guinea who have so little, but find joy in receiving things out of thankfulness rather than entitlement.  

This is Mama from the January post "Giving Back."
She expresses her appreciation everytime I see her whether
at the Hope Center or while on the dock for an outpatients appointment.

 

A Mother Never Stops Loving

The patients that I care for have fascinating stories, as does every person we meet, if we would only slow down to listen. I still remember the first day Sory entered the ward, his face was completely hidden by a cloth with only one eye peering out. Over time I witnessed an amazing transformation not only with the physical removal of the tumor but watching Sory enteract with others with his face now uncovered! I would like to share this story written by Joanne Thibault, a writer aboard the Africa Mercy.

 



Peering through the world while hiding away underneath,
this is exactly how I remember meeting Sory for the first time
when he walked onto the ward to be admitted for surgery.



 

"A Mother Never Stops Loving"

A distressing number of children in West Africa suffer from horribly large and life- threatening facial tumors. There are no maxillofacial surgeons in the region with the training or experience to remove these growths. That is why Mercy Ships is so important. This global humanitarian organization brings hope and healing through its hospital ship, specializing in a number of life-changing surgeries, including benign tumor removals.

This year, Mercy Ships is providing free medical care to the people of Guinea. The Africa Mercy hospital ship is docked in the Port of Conakry. Each weekday scores of Guineans with conditions that Mercy Ships medical volunteers can treat arrive to be admitted into the 78- bed, state-of-the-art hospital.

Sory, a frightened, cowering seventeen-year-old boy with a large benign facial tumor, waited for what no one had ever thought was possible . . . a surgery that would remove the growth. Sory shrouded himself completely, leaving only a small gap for one eye to continually survey his surroundings.

His mother, Saran, sat close to him, holding his left hand firmly to her knee. Her gesture – so quiet, yet so enormously significant in a superstitious culture – indicated clearly that she would never stop loving him. As Sory’s tumor had grown and ballooned its way out of his mouth, his mother had drawn closer to her son. If he was to live a nightmare, then she would live that nightmare too. That is what a mother does for her children.

Before Sory’s tumor started growing from his cheekbone, he and his farming family lived a happy, simple life. Sory’s father and older brother gave him the oxen to care for and work with when he was nine years old. Sory had a special gift with the oxen, naming them Keoulan and Lonni. He expertly guided them through their many farm chores. Sory’s mother also worked the farm field, keeping a proud eye on her younger son as he coaxed steady effort out of Keoulan and Lonni. Saran liked to watch Sory play football, thinking to herself what a fine young man he was becoming.

When Sory complained about the lump that was growing, Saran was immediately worried. “Sory was always such a happy and healthy boy. I knew that something must be very wrong for him to say something.” Over the next two years, Sory experienced regular dizzy spells, but no pain, as the tumor continued to push its way forward. He could no longer hide the now gaping distortion in his face. Saran’s eyes fill with deep sorrow as she recounts how her son’s once promising life crumbled. “I learned quickly how cruel people can be. No one in our small village ever had a condition like this before, so they believed that Sory was cursed. People were so frightened of Sory that they would yell and throw sticks at him. Saran and her husband Balla made a painful decision to keep Sory hidden at home or on the farm field. Saran recalls how her heart shattered as she saw the deep confusion and agony in her son’s eyes. “The more he was consumed by pain and fear, the more love I needed to pour into him,” she explained.

While Saran prayed continually for her son, she started to feel her own crushing despair. Sory’s struggles with eating and his difficulty breathing were all signs that more growth in his tumor would surely bring an end to his life. Saran never let Sory see her sorrow or fear. Instead, as Sory recalls, “My mother gave me hope. I cried so many times because I could not attend celebrations or play outside, and she would always comfort me. We would pray together, and she would tell me over and
over how there would be healing for me.”

Sory believes his mother’s steadfast love, support and encouragement bought him the precious time he needed until the healing they prayed for arrived. Saran recalls that day with great emotion. “The tumor had taken over Sory’s entire life. He could only swallow a little meat broth, and he was desperately weak. He lost all consciousness of the world around him. Then, when I felt he was close to his last breath, my husband’s brother, Moussa, called us. He said, ‘Balla, bring Sory to Conakry right away. There is a ship here that does operations.’ Within two weeks Sory was admitted into the Mercy Ships hospital.”

During the hours that Sory was in surgery, Saran found herself seized by a flood of memories. She explains, “I recalled every moment of pain Sory had suffered – especially the rejection, the insults and the whispers that it would be better if he died. And now, my boy was being healed. God heard our prayers, and He gave Sory his life back.”

According to Sory, God heard the infinite faithfulness of his mother. “God knows my mother never gave up on me. God knows that when no one else could love me, she loved me. God knows that when no one else would eat with me, she ate with me. God knows that my mother would have given her own life for me to be healed. God knows it, and I know it too.”

Following two months of recovery, there are only a few reminders of the voracious tumor that threatened to consume Sory’s young life. The smile he shares with his mother reveals some missing upper teeth. While his nose is a bit askew, every day his facial features take on more of their original contours. Sory’s most important thoughts these days center on returning to the farm and the future he wants to fill with friends, a wife and some grandchildren for his mother.

Before making their way home to Northern Guinea, a very special moment occurred between Sory and his mother. A few days earlier Sory confided to a Mercy Ships volunteer that if he could give his mother anything in the world it would be a dress as beautiful as she was. Jillian, the volunteer, found a lovely dress at the Guinean Women’s Co-operative for Sory to give to his mother. Sory’s eyes danced with delight as he gently put the dress in his mother’s lap. Saran gazed up at her son’s face – the face she had never stopped loving – and her heart was once again whole. She hugged Sory, murmuring softly, “Thank you, God, for the miracle of my son’s continuing life and love.”

Written by Joanne Thibault
Edited by Nancy Predaina
Photos by Debra Bell, Michelle Murrey

 

Sory’s mother, Saran, stays constantly at her son’s side.

 

 

Saran and Sory so happy after the removal of his large tumor.
His smile is so beautiful to me, especially after witnessing the transformation. 

I enjoyed visiting with Sory and Saran at the Hope Center!
They eagerly greet me with excited, appreciative smiles!

Africa Mercy on 60 Minutes

As a young girl I remember sitting on the couch beside my parents watching various interviews and stories on the news program 60 minutes. So it is exciting that 60 minutes aired a story tonight about Mercy Ships which is where I am currently volunteering.

I wanted to share the link to the news clip so that you can watch the story and see the patients who I care for aboard this floating hospital ship:
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50141230n

I hope this gives you a better idea of what life is like here on the Africa Mercy. I am so thankful for the opportunity to serve and care for these patients. Working primarily with Maxo-Facial patients, I get to witness these life changing miracles of tumors removed and patients' faces restored! It is truly incredible to see the difference we make in our patients' lives.

Life and Death

Every culture and every person share this in common: Life and Death. I was reminded of this reality as I visited the Hope Center last week. This is where many of our patients stay while they are still requiring frequent follow-up care with our outpatient team. Mercy Ships renovated one wing of the local hospital here in Conakry to create the Hope Center.

I love walking into the Hope Center and finding patients sitting around on the benches braiding each other’s hair, playing games, and talking. The patients are always excited with wide smiles, eager to greet whoever comes to visit. As I have now been here three months many of the patients at the Hope Center are people who I have cared for aboard the hospital ship.  

There are also several babies at the Hope Center who are currently participating in our infant feeding program. The goal is to help these cleft lip babies gain weight so that they can have surgery. Due to the difficulty feeding related to the cleft lip many of these babies are tiny. Last week I met a new baby who just arrived. She was precious and so tiny with being only three weeks old.

While I was admiring the newborn baby girl, I felt a tap on my shoulder by another mother who was motioning for me to stand. I wasn’t quite sure what was happening at first, but everyone around me had risen to their feet. Then I realized as I spotted the shroud covered stretcher passing along the nearby corridor from the other wings of the hospital: here as I hold this newborn baby death passes by.

I wonder in a way if death is more a part of life and accepted here in Africa. In the states we close all the doors and have people leave the hallways when a patient dies. Here everyone stands in respect to honor the grieving family as they walk past.

Death is always sad because there is a desire in each of our hearts for life. Although death remains a part of live, I’m so thankful for the hope of life, eternal life.

Cuddling with the little three week old baby!

 

Yaya is always ready to play and take photos if you give him a camera!

Group photo with some of the patients and caregivers
(photo taken by Yaya as seen in previous picture)

 

The Amazing Race in Conakry!

What: The Amazing Race in Conakry, Guinea? Well, it might not exactly be the actual TV show, but in January Mercy Ships created our own version of the game. I signed up with Emily and Michelle while our friend Melina joined us for part of the adventures before she had to fly back home that day! Our team Fast and Furious turned out to not be so fast, but we furiously made our way through the streets and market!

Team Fast and Furious:
Emily F, Melina, Michelle, and Me

Fifteen teams set out to complete 10 different challenges scattered around the city of Conakry! We completed our first challenge quickly by starting a fire with matches and sticks we found along the street, but it went downhill from there. We followed the directions of a local and started running through the streets to our next destination. Turns out we were really lost for at least twenty to thirty minutes with none of the locals knowing the location when we would ask for directions!

After running around in circles, we finally found the location where we had to drink two large cupfuls of a nasty drink mixture filled with sardines, tuna, garlic, hot sauce, and many other terrible things!! By the time we got to our 4th challenge we had to wait in line behind several other teams.  During this challenge we had to shine three people's shoes and have them pay us 500 GNF! (7000 GNF = $1 US dollar.)

Melina shinning a military officer's boots.

We headed to the water for our next challenge of rowing out to a particular point in a very old fishing boat where any slight movement nearly tipped over the boat. Our team did well until we had to turn around and row back. With the wind and current working against us, we lost our balance and the boat dumped us out into the water! With the boat now filled with water, we started swimming back while pulling the boat! Thankfully we had on lifevests; so the swimming wouldn’t have been that bad, except this particular area of the beach is extremely dirty with medical waste dumped into the water from the local hospital. Also it is a public toilet for many people, YUCK!! By the time we could stand in the water, our legs started sinking in muck which went up past our knees! 

We fell out of a fishing boat similiar to these.
This is a beach closeby where we dumped out of the boat!

 

Our starting point at this local restuarant.
I've been told the toilets dump straight into the water!

Our taxi driver didn't want us getting back into the car, but as we started to walk away he decided to drive us to the market for our next mission of finding the man in a yellow hat! People pointed us in all different directions making it frustrating because you had no idea who to listen to! Turns out they were probably all right at one point because the man in the yellow hat continually walked around the market making it more difficult to find him. We were close to giving up at this point because we felt a bit uncomfortable running through the market soaking wet.

These socks used to be bright white.
Just an idea how dirty we were!

Thankfully we didn't give up because things started to go a lot quicker after this point. At our next destination we had to catch two chickens and put them in a box. We were one of the fastest teams with finishing in less than 2 minutes!! Our success during this challenge was a much needed team morale booster!!



One of the challenges required us to walk out to the lighthouse, and
draw a team self portrait for eight minutes!

The eighth challenge was to make a paste with plantains, potatoes and cassava in an authentic African cooking dish, and then eat it with our hands. After finishing we raced to the local supermarket where inside the store we created a two minute song/rap about our experiences during the race! We finished the last challenge by scoring three goals against some African children in a game of soccer.

Michelle making paste!

At the final destination we finished 13^th out of 15 teams! Our team is now known as the boat sinkers, because no other team was able to complete the rowing challenge after us!! Although the race didn’t go quite as we had hoped, it was a unique way to see the city and to discover some new places! All in all it was a fun experience and time spent with friends! Now I have a new appreciation for the contestants on the real show!

We may not be clean or looking our best,
but WE FINISHED!!

 

Saying Goodbye

Usually “a coming and a going” describes the changes happening in my own life, but I have found this is also a part of the transient life on the Africa Mercy as people constantly arrive and depart. It is amazing how many volunteers come to serve in numerous ways for various amounts of time, whether just a couple of weeks, months, or 20+ years while raising a family. Within just the last year there has been over 1,500 different people working and serving on the ship. That is a lot of coming and going!

I didn’t realize how hard it would be to constantly say goodbye! The past three weekends I have stood out on the dock and waved as friends drove off in the Land Rovers headed for the airport. It is strange to think that out of the eight of us who arrived on the same day only three of us remain here on the ship. I have now said goodbye to five of the ladies who I bonded with during the initial arrival along with many other friends too!

As friends travel to the airport, the Land Rovers will soon return with new arrivals who will fill the empty rooms and bunks. What an amazing opportunity to be able to meet so many people from all around the world. In any given week there are 33-36 different nationalities aboard the ship. Looking around the ship I am blessed to see the unity of so many cultures, countries, and people who all come to volunteer and serve aboard the Africa Mercy.

 

November 17th Arrival Group:
Emily (#2), Robyn, Melina, Emily (#3), Bethany, Me, Karin, and Michelle
(I didn't pick to be Emily #1, but we received the number based
on the order that everyone met the Emilys)

With my Swedish friend Karin at the
Brussels Airport which is where we all met!

Monday Fun-day!

Yesterday, a fellow nurse deemed the day “Monday Fun-day.” So all of us D ward nurses and dayworkers wore colorful scrub tops to brighten the ward. Around 10 am the Hospital Chaplaincy team filled the ward with music and patients started clapping, singing and dancing around. I joined in the dancing with my six year old patient tied on my back (African style) while singing African worship songs.

Shift Change with patients and all the nurses and dayworkers wearing fun scrubs!

Although it was a typical day with getting patients ready for surgery and caring for others post-operatively, it was also a very special day. We celebrated as one of our patients walked off the ship after being in the hospital these last five months. He, like many of our patients, has not had an easy life and has suffered for many years. Many of our patients are ridiculed and shunned because others believe they are cursed or have an evil spirit for things related to birth-defects, infections, or tumors.  

The thing about this young guy that inspires me is his perseverance. He had many complications related to his spinal surgery which confined him to lying on his stomach for many weeks to months. He is now on a long road to recovery and rehabilitation with regaining his strength, mobility, and fine motor skills after being bed bound for so many months. Even in the midst of all the challenges he faces, he still has a genuine smile that has touched so many people. It reminds me of the verse about our Christian life: “Let us run with endurance the race set before us.” (Hebrews 12:2)

 

After celebrating his departure, we ended the shift with singing “God’s love never fails, it never gives, it never runs out on me.” How amazing to be on this ship where at handover (shift change) we always start with prayer and sometimes singing! It places the focus on what we are doing here on the Africa Mercy which is to display the love of Jesus to our patients.  

 

Out on the deck a couple of weeks before his depature!

Kindia

I've realized that it has been a little while since I posted. I am excited to share some photos from a recent weekend off the ship. Several friends and I traveled to Kindia for two nights which is about a four hour drive from the ship with traffic. It was an amazing weekend enjoying the beauty of Guinea's countryside, walking through local villages, and visiting the market in Kindia. As always, I loved the opportunity to experience the day to day lives of people who represent many of the patients we see on the ship.

 

Here are a few pictures to tell the story of our adventures in Kindia:

 

"Le Voile de Mariee" translated the Bride's Veil Waterfall

We enjoyed the cool shade from the trees and the loud
roar of the falls on our first day in Kindia.

 

The Bamboo "forest" nearby the waterfalls!

 

We've been friends ever since we all arrived on the ship the same day!

Saturday morning hike around the base of Mount Gangan.

 

A local woman about her daily activities

 

 

African homes: I like the pink accent door!

Balancing Act: What talent! They start at an early age.

A perspective on life

 

Cascade de Killsi where we enjoyed a refreshing swim!

 

 

Some boys that crossed over the river to come say hello.

 

 

The Agricultural Center where Mercy Ships partners in a Food for Life
program by training several local farmers in organic farming techniques.