Visiting with friends

Last Thursday 2 nurse friends and I visited one of our former patients. Joanna has a way of telling her story; and although what happened was harmful, she turns it into praising God. She had fallen onto her cook fire that was in the dark, communal hallway outside of her family's one room apartment. She received burns to almost the entire right side of her body, contracting her hand in the flexed position, unable to use it. She had come to mercy ships last year to receive surgery to release that scar and also to graft the ulcers on her right leg. After around three failed skin grafts it was decided that she had poor circulation in her legs. But as she tells this story, every other sentence is giving praise to God for bring her through this. She tells of how at one point she had struggled with Him, asking Him "why" after the skin grafts failed. But she talks of how Job never cursed God but kept believing Him and he was blessed by Him in receiving double of what he lost. She's believing that too. Today all of her wounds are healed except for a quarter sized area on her ankle, which is almost healed. She's a beautiful woman.
We had a lovely time with her and her family. She had cooked the traditional Liberian meal of "foo-foo" with "slippery soup." Foo-foo in one bowl and the soup in the other. We all sat down around the small table, washed our hands, and everyone dug in! Grabbing a pinch of the foo-foo and dipping it into the soup. Don't chew, just gulp it down! The foo-foo is a root that is grown here (called cassava); it's ground-up and boiled. It has this sticky no taste quality to it, kinda reminds me of very thick mashed potatoes (the instant kind). The soup is the cassava leaves chopped into small bits with oil, pepper (she didn't put too much;), and fish with the fish eggs still intact.
We had a great time!

We then met up with one of our translators, Emmanuel, as we were driving down the narrow dirt road through the small village. He works as a registered nurse at this private clinic when he's not going to class or working on the Ship. He took time to show us around the clinic that currently has an Egyptian doctor, a couple of physician assistants and some nurses. It's always a busy day here. They have a range of services; emergency, vaccinations, labor/delivery, IV treatment, administering medication, and small surgeries on the weekends. Like every place here, the patient needs to first buy the medication/supplies before being seen and treated.

It's good to know that there are places like this that are scattered around the area.

In all, a good day! I love getting off the ship and spending time with Liberian friends. And it just happened to be Liberia's Thanksgiving Day. What better way to celebrate.