Napkins or Toilet Paper?...That is the Question.

My favorite part about getting burgers at a local african place last night...

In the middle of our table is a large bag of tissue...to use for napkins....or so we were led to believe. In the middle of the meal, my friend got up to use the restroom; which, by the way was through the middle of the kitchen where they are grilling the burgers (yum). He disappears into the cooking area only to come out a minute later. Our waiter comes to our table, picks up the tissue and proceeds to hand it to my friend who goes back through the kitchen into the bathroom. Ah...guess he has to go #2 we decide amongst ourselves...he can't hide that now. Our waiter then proceeds to take a pretty kleenex box off another table and put it on ours.

So..moral of the story...bring your own hand sanitizer and napkins. That...or next time we go there and see the bag of tissue instead of a pretty kleenex box...we know where it's been!

We all agreed that no matter how long you have been in africa and get used to its crazy quirks...there will always be things that that just make you go...hmmmmmmmmmmmmm. :)

Miracle On The Ward!

It is kind of ironic that I am doing a Beth Moore Bible study about Believing God. The first few chapters were about modern day miracles and how many people have lost belief that God is still active and doing miracles. Many people do not believe that God still does them so they do not even ask for his hand.

I do not know for sure why God doesn't heal everyone and just some. But, I believe He is sovereign and sees the bigger picture. I believe either way - healed of not- God has a plan in it and uses that specific situation for a greater purpose either in the person's life or others around them. I would rather pray for healing and err on the side of belief even if God does not choose to heal than to err on the side of unbelief and miss something GREAT God wants to do.

That being said...let me bring you to a sick little ICU baby on the ward at 1220am, April 7, 2010. Obre came to us to be on the feeding program to gain weight for a cleft lip surgery. He had been fine on the ward the day before and started going down hill quickly so he came to the ICU and put on a CPAP to help him breath. Around 11pm the anesthetist and surgeon came as he started to get even more sick and not getting enough oxygen. They spent an hour trying to work on the baby.

At about midnight they decided they only thing left to do was to intubate little Obre. One of the nurses working (Jenny Daras) described what happened next like this:
"I was at the counter drawing up medications to intubate the baby and I heard it get quiet for a minute so I looked and saw Dr. Gary (max fax surgeon) with his hand on the baby praying." He wanted to pray for God's intervention first before human intervention was done. She thought to herself, "that's nice and a good idea", anc continued to draw up her meds. Next, she looked over and saw they had taken the CPAP off of Obre, and the oxygen saturation had gone from 50-60% to 100%! Respiration and heart rate also came down to about normal. "I would not not have believed it if I had not seen it with my own eyes," she said.

Another friend of mine working, Natalie, was also there and telling some people about it the next day. She was telling them how serious it was by saying there are only 2 reasons you decide not to intubate someone. Either you decide to let them die, or try to wait a little longer to see if there is anything else you can do. This does not just happen where a baby cannot breath even with CPAP and within a minute has normal vital signs and hardly any oxygen. The anesthatist kept telling me last night how amazing it was! What an awesome testimony to that mamma and the translators who also got to experience it. The baby was completely fine the rest of the night with normal vital signs!

"Your ways, Oh God, are holy. What god is so great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the nations." Psalm 77:13-15

This isn't the first miracle we have seen here and it won't be the last! Praise the Lord! May this be a lesson to all of us to put our trust and strength in God and not ourselves! God wants to intervene...but do we take the time to ask? When you feel prompted to pray for someone-no matter when it is or where that person is- I hope you do not pass up that opportunity. God just may be waiting for a chance to reveal him awesome power!

Fun With The Cuz At The Hospitality Center

We have tried something new the last two years of having a place off ship where patients can stay if they live a long ways away. Many times patients cannot afford to travel back and forth for follow up appointments or while waiting for their surgery. Instead of taking up valuable hospital bed space, they can stay here and get free housing, meals, and even some education. It is always fun to go over and hang out with new patients, or ones we have treated on the wards. While my cousin was here, I took her and her friend over to hang out for a bit. It is always such a good time! Fransoise (the woman on the left) was a patient I knew from Benin. She has been through so much...7 jaw surgeries. Since her jaw was once again infected this time, we had to take out the plate (fake jaw) that we had put in last time. She was pretty devestated, but God saved more of her jaw than we thought so that was a huge praise. The night she got out of surgery I went to check on her and sit with her a bit cause I knew how discouraged she'd be. The nurses were not letting her eat because she had vomitted after surgery. She was almost in tears telling me how hungry she was...so I got her a can of ensure and assured her nurse I would stay with her and take full resposiblity and clean up duty if she couldn't tolerate it. She ended up being ok and so grateful for my advocacy and friendship. It made me think of the verse in Matt. 25:40...'whatever you have done for the least of these, you have done for me.' It reminded me again how we can be Jesus even in the little things.

Blessing was a patient from Nigeria who had a tumor removed and hung out at the hospitality center until her follow up appt. She spoke English since she is from Nigeria, which is always enjoyable:) Monique (the one in the blue), just had surgery for a cleft palate. She ended up with an ear infection, and a couple other complications, but is now donig great. She is a ball of energy.

My cousin Dani, another volunteer from her organization (Emily), and I had a great time playing, dancing, and runnin around with kids.

Farouk (left) teaching Fransoise and I a dance. I have it on video- pretty hilarious. Farouk is also AMAZING! He has had SO many jaw surgeries, and like Fransois, also had an infections (MRSA) and needed his plate removed this time...and we could not replace it becuase of the infection. I would think that would be SO devastating...yet I NEVER saw him without a smile on his face and laughter on his tongue. Even at the hospitality center he was always smiling, helping others, and playing with the other kids. I think we all could learn a lesson or two from him!Spontaneous worship/dance outside...that will never get old!!!

Farouk helping one of the little guys with crutches play ball with us.

Tangled Emotions

Do you ever have really hard moments in life where part of you wants to ball your eyes out and be consumed with emotion and the other part of you wants to ignore every bit of it and try to pretend life is normal? That is kind of the emotional battle I have had today.

Anicette was one of the babies EVERYONE loved...she came to the ship last year to be on a feeding program to gain weight for a cleft lip surgery. She was so cute and chubby when we left.

A couple weeks ago mom brought her to the ship here in Togo. Anicette was unrecognizable. She made it to 14 months, but now skin and bones -literally. She was incredibelly malnurished. It took her a VERY long time to gain weight last year and her lab work has always been not quite right, but she was doing SO well when we left her just months ago as the ship sailed away from Benin.

This morning I was not working when I heard "emergency medical team to A ward" paged overhead. As usual, I said a prayer for whomever the call was for...deep down hoping is was not Anicette.

A few hours later, I was devestated to hear that baby Anicette had gone to be with Jesus. My friend Ali did CPR, but to no avail. Her weak, frail, malnurished body could not hang on any longer. I cannot even imagine the pain Anicette's mom is dealing with. She has poured SO much time, energy, and emotion into getting her little girl well...and now she has to travel back without her precious little baby.

I learned today that Ani's mom had already lost a baby before Ani because it was not eating well...and I also learned that she is 4 months pregnant as we speak. I wish I could celebrate with her in that, but instead I know that she is terrified.

Her husband was coming tonight to the ship from Benin to pick them up and carry them back to Benin. All I can do is pray for overwhelming peace for the family. I know mom was blaming herself at one point, which breaks my heart- knowing she has done everything in her power and sacrificed so much for Anicette.

To think of the pain and grief Ani's mom has is already almost too much to bear in this broken place. And to know she has to go back and face a village that has ridiculed her and Anicette for being 'posessed' because of the deformities along with other insults...I just can't wrap my mind around it. Isn't it bad enough to lose a child, let alone not have your friends sympathize with you, but instead blame you? It is at this point that a part of me wants to wail right alongside Ani's mom and scream at the injustices of this world and the other part of me just doesn't want to think about it and pretend that life is ok because the grief is too much to bear. I just have to find somewhere in between to place my thoughts.

So please, as you read this...pray for Anicette's parents as they grieve, for a healthy baby that Ani's mom is carrying now, and for the village to be accepting of them as they return.

I will leave you with a few pictures of the beautiful, plump, happy Ani from when we left Benin.

Anicette and her wonderful mamma last year in Benin.



"Though He brings grief, he will show compassion. So great is His unfailling love. For He does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men." Lamentations 3:32-33

Come Dance With Me

It was about 11am one day last week and I was charge nurse on the max fax ward. It was not super busy so we decided to have a spontaneous dance party on the ward...one of my favorite things. The translators play guitar and drums, the Africans sing and dance, and the yovos (us white folk) do our best to dance and sing as well. It is always a joyful occasion.

One of the operating room nurses peeks in to give me a report on one of the patients. I invite her in for a dance...kind of pulling her in. As were doing what looks to us like a modifeid version of the chicken dance with our arms flapping she proceeded to tell me how the operation was going for this particular patient. This seemed perfectly normal and I did not think much about it at the time. Afterwards, as I thought about what just happened we both had a good laugh. In how many hospitals do you get a post-op report while dancing rediculously with the OR nurse and the other patients in the middle of the room. I told her that we were going to tell Dr. Gary, the surgeon, that he had to make "dancing" rounds in the morning!

Best told by Ali...

Many of you know about and some have even met one of my closest friends on the ship...Ali Chandra. I am pretty sure she is world renown for her amazing gift at blogging.

I am going to let her tell the story of one of our current patients. He has been here for awhile on the infant feeding program to gain enough weight to get his cleft lip repaired. Today was finally the day...here is just a small peek at the joy we get to experience on a daily basis told by Ali...

Enyo Gangi

WARNING...after reading this and other blogs by her, you may become addicted...she is just that good :)

History In The Making

I'm not going to lie...it is kind of exciting to be here in Togo during the presidential elections this year. This will be a turning point for democracy in this country one way or the other. We are hoping and truly praying for God to protect this country and it's people through the elections as well as bring the right man to power in a fair and peaceful way.

So far we have been "quarantined" to the ship since Thursday evening. The elections took place Friday and seemed to have gone peacefully. We will probably have to stay safely ship bound through the weekend. We are not sure when the election results will be official, but could be as early as tonight - Sat., March 6. That is when the trouble will come if there is any. The opposition party (UFC) seems to be promising violence if the current president wins.

Here is an interesting article about the history of the 2 main parties. It really is 2 dynasties, whose history goes way back, that are more or less running against each other.

Here is another article about the latest in the elections. It seems like it is long from over. As of Friday and into today it seems that both main parties are claiming victory...so makes for a sicky situation.

My cousin Dani who is staying and working in town decided to stay for the elections unlike many of her fellow volunteers who fled to Ghana for the elections. I spoke to her tonight and she is doing well...spending most of the day at home on her roof armed with her radio, camera, and cell phone awaiting results.

So for now we continue to await the results and what future lies ahead for Togo as we hang out on the ship. I enjoyed a lovely Saturday morning making delicious Napalese food with the gurkhas, a birthday picnic on deck 8, and last night we had a ceilidh/barn dance on the dock. We usually find something exciting to do when 400+ crew are confined to a ship. I'm enjoying and making the most of my weekend off relaxing on ship:) Hope to get out sometime this week to see my cousin again.