Lovely Ladies

It’s about 4am, patients are sleeping, just finished a movie, about to empty a foley catheter bag, eating too much junk food trying to stay awake. Yep, bring on the night shifts.

I’m not sure if this is a good time to explain what I’ve been up to. Not sure if it will come out coherently (so glad for spell-check). But I’ll give it a go anyway.

I’ve been working in A Ward, recently nick-named (in love;) the “ward down under.” It’s the ward where we have the VVF patients. The ladies who have developed a fistula after difficult child birth and now constantly leak urine. We have the job of making sure their catheters are emptied, pelvic floor exercises are done, drinking plenty of water, pain is under control, pericare done to ward off infection, etc. Hence, the “ward down under.” Nurses have a weird sense of humor.

But I guess you need to find humor wherever you can get it when you hear of these tragic stories that brought these women here.

Imagine yourself married at the age of 13 or 14 and soon after find yourself expecting a child. You’re in a remote area; no health clinics, no prenatal care, no facilities to go to when your time comes, no running water for that matter. You get to the moment of giving birth; you may have an experienced lady or midwife to help, or you might not. You expect to give birth within the same day and start to wonder what’s going on when day 3 and 4 roll by and still no baby, the pain unbearable, your body exhausted and dehydrated. Finally a baby does come but you don’t hear it’s cry, it never comes. Sadly, the tragedy doesn’t end there. A few days later you notice that your clothes are wet and smell of urine. You find you have no control and try to hide the wetness and smell from others but it’s a futile battle. Your family begins to notice and don’t want you to live in the same house because they are afraid of your “sickness.” You have to find a shelter or build one on your own to live in. You fade from the community because you are ashamed of your smell. Years go by and this loneliness becomes a way of life.

I’ve heard stories of girls wanting to take their lives because they couldn’t live with the hopelessness of their situation any longer. Desperate to have this condition end one way or another. They hear that a ship is coming with people who may be able to help them. They step onto this ship that seems to transport them to a different world with air conditioning, electricity, flushing toilets, white people… They may be terrified of this unknown world but bravely swallow their fear in hopes that this work that is to be done will allow them to be healed of this heartbreak.

Often times they come quiet and withdrawn. But when they come to a Ward that has other patients with the same condition and start to socialize again they slowly emerge from their shell.
I can’t explain to you the soul transformation that I’m witnessing in these patients. After having successful surgery they find that they are dry. Most times when I ask them how they are, they reply with “praise God.”

I had such joy when I came into work tonight and saw a particular withdrawn patient sitting with a few other ladies singing praises to the Lord testifying to His faithfulness and love. Saying that He will never leave us in our despair. Wow. My heart was full as I joined in the singing. I feel honored to have the privilege to care for these ladies.

[The Lord will] bestow on them a crown of beauty
Instead of ashes,
The oil of gladness
Instead of mourning,
And a garment of praise
Instead of despair.
Is 61:3

Headed for the mountains

A group of us travelled 6 hours north last weekend on a quest to climb a mountain and visit some Liberians in ministry. Of course we took a ton of pictures, here are some of them..


We found a coffee shop owned by a Lebanese man about half way there. This random coffee shop in the middle of nowhere... but they had a bathroom:)

No, we didn't see any wild African animals. The extent of wild game was piglets and goats and chickens...oh, my. Our destination was Ganta, in Nimba county...
The friends of friends that we were visiting is the director, and his wife, of this Christian University that is being built. This school is going to be a beautiful asset to the village. They will offer students the ability to receive their 4-year degree in a variety of areas. They already have prospective students but are now waiting for government approval and money.From Ganta it is another 2-3 hour drive to the mountains... depending on road conditions. It's rainy season and this road was just washed out and impassable the week before. The only road connecting the villages.It was a good thing we had a 4x4 land rover and a very capable driver. If it wasn't for Lourens' driving we wouldn't have made it further. We didn't only make it but was able to tow some unfortunate taxis from the gooey mud.There's an old mining camp that was probably a great success before the war, at the foot of the mountains and we found these HUGE trucks. There was at least 6-8 huge pieces of machinery sitting here abandoned and rotting away. War makes a waste of everything.
We didn't hike as much as hoped for, not even close. But I'm grateful for the little bit that we did. Just enough to keep me wanting more.

Ahh, so beautiful...

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;

let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

Let us come before him with thanksgiving

and extol him with music and song.

For the Lord is the great God,

the great Kind above all gods.

In his hand are the depths of the earth,

and the mountain peaks belong to him.

Come, let us bow down in worship,

let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.

psalm 95:1-6

We're not in Kansas anymore...

Life in Africa is very different than home in the States. Partly because of culture and mainly because of poverty. I love the friendliness of the people here and the way they share life with each other. I think we could learn a lesson from them in that area of our lives.

I know that some of you are wondering what specific things are different here. So I've thought of a few...

Somethings that we see in Africa but not at home...

*women carrying large plastic tubs filled with goods on their heads while having a baby tided to their backs. Some of the tubs I've seen are filled with water... and they seem to keep their balance.

*while walking down the road little children running up to us to touch our hand, waving at us yelling "bye, bye"

*people selling random things in the middle lane of the road. Things like crackers, baggies of juice, steering wheel covers, sun glasses, screw drivers...

*Bathing children along side their huts in the open air.

*A herd of cattle with long pointy horns, coming down the dirt road.

*Buying material at the Market and then walking to the local tailor to get something made. The tailor being in a dark cinder block hut crowded with 4-5 sewing machines being run with a generator or using a an old fashion foot paddle machine.

*people coming up to you saying "I want to be your friend"

*getting gas from glass jars at the "gas stations"

*calling any yellow painted car a taxis (beater cars from the 80's) and seeing at least 4 people piled in the back seat. Waiting for 30 mins at least for a semi-empty taxi.

*Response to "how are you today" being "praise God"

*torrential rain pour, ALL day long.

*women on the side of the road cooking meat on a small iron cook stove.

*people caring loads of charcoal wrapped in leaves to their homes for the cook fire

*main mode of transportation being walking or taking a taxi or a motorbike - hopping on the back and holding on for dear life with your eyes closed, wearing a helmet or not.

*hospital with electricity only part of the day while the generator is running, no electricity at night. No running water. Barely any medications in the pharmacy. Only 1 doctor for every 30,000 people. Only 1 dentist in the WHOLE country.

Just to name a few. There are many more but you would have to come and visit for yourself.

Tenegar

I was able to visit an off-ship ministry of Mercy Ship's one day. In a village called "Tenegar" Mercy Ships is building a medical clinic. This is one project that the Liberia's President, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, requested help from Mercy Ships.

Liberia's civil war had practically destroyed it's infrastructure and left the country in ruins. Now it's estimated that there is one doctor for every 32,000 people. There is no community health programs and no access to even basic first aid. In a place where the leading causes of death (Malaria, Cholera, diarrhea, and childbirth/pregnancy complications) are due to lack of water sanitation, education, and resources, this health clinic gives new hope to the people of that community.

Mercy Ships is also doing an agriculture project here. Liberia has great soil for crops and holds great potential. The main crop here is plantains and cassava (a type of root) but they could get more yield from the land and plant a variety of vegetables. That's what the people of Mercy Ships are teaching. The team comes everyday to farm and teaches the locals by example. All of the workings of a successful plantation.

They have also built a well in this area. A well is important for clean water and preventing water-born illness.