a coming and a going...: 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.