Seke! (Hello in Temne)

     I have passed my 3 week mark with Mercy Ships, can you believe it?!  It is flying past, and I am already getting sad about having to say good-bye to Sierra Leone in 3 months.  But lets skip that subject and talk about my latest African adventures this past week! 

     We are slowly dwindling our patient numbers as we prepare for a our new plastics patients to come in next week.  Most of our large hernia/hydrocele wounds have been stitched up this week for hopefully the last time!  We have an amazing general surgeon here who is doing an amazing job of healing these men and getting them home.  Unfortunately he leaves on Monday, so we need URGENT prayers that these last few patients will heal quickly, and no one will return with complications!  We will not have a general surgeon for 2 weeks, so our Max Fax surgeon or Plastic surgeon would have to step up to the plate.  Please pray for quick healing and no problems!!

    


just a picture of everyday life!



As badly as I want to get these men home, they have become very dear to my heart, especially 2 of them.  They have been here since I first arrived, and were my first patients.  I have seen their pain and their joy, and I have seen how they have learned to depend on the Lord and on prayer for their comfort.  It is such an incredible process to watch.  A few days ago I had a very moving day at work, and it started with my dear friend, we will call him Lonny.  He was very concerned about being in the hospital because his wife and children had no access to money without him and he had no way to get money for them.  A few days before this was the first time he had seen his wife in 5 weeks.  He came into the hospital with wound complications, and hadn't talked to or seen his wife because her phone had recently been disconnected.  I asked him if I could pray for him and his family, and we sat and prayed for his families safety for a while.  Afterward, he said, "last time a women prayed for me because I hadn't heard from my wife, she got a ride to the ship the next day and I finally got to see her!  So I know that prayer works, and God will take care of my family because of this prayer."  It is so amazing to see how God has been showing himself to these men who have been hospitalized for months!

     That same evening we played some worship music at change of shift, and our last little plastics girl, I will call her Annie, sat on my lap while we sang.  Annie is a 5 year old girl who was badly burnt in a kitchen fire, and her final wounds are almost healed.  She is the worlds best snuggler, and I absolutely love holding a tiny little miracle in my arms as I worship Christ :)

   These adorable characters are some of patients who really touched my heart.  The little girl on the left is Annie, always full of smiles!  The man in the middle just went home 2 days ago!  He had bad foot wounds left over from the war.  He had a lot of skin grafting and wound care, and was finally able to leave the ship, but still returns daily for wound care.  He is a very sweet man who lost his wife and children during the war, and is still dealing with physical injuries and handicaps, but he is just spilling over with joy, and you can't help but smile when you are around him!  It is amazing to see, despite horrible circumstances, how much joy a person can have if they choose to!  The little boy on the far right is my little buddy who I played countless hours of tag with before he went home!

       If you recall in my last blog, I was going to attend my friend Frances' church on Sunday, which I did!  It was pouring rain but 2 friends and I made our way to the tiny church.  It turned out to be an amazing experience!  African church is so upbeat and energetic!  At the beginning of the service, they have a time for testimonies, where people can go up front and share share how they have experienced God's blessings.  Frances went up front and shared the story of how we met him, and how excited he was to see us at church and how much of a blessing we were to him!  The entire church came up to greet us and talk with us at the end of the service- they were a very welcoming, devoted, and family-like fellowship.  I look forward to going back! 

     One of the common threads I have seen in Sierra Leone churches is their terrible PA systems!  They already sing and talk loud enough, I don't know why they even need one!  Word of advice for anyone going to an African church: take ear plugs!

Hiking Sugarloaf!

     My latest adventure this week was a trip to Sugarloaf mountain.  5 other friends and I decided to take a day and hike the mountain!  We heard from several others who had hiked it before that it was "primitive"..to say the least.  I was thinking, "heck, I hike through the Quetico every year, it certainly can't be that bad!"  When we got there, we were simply guessing, based on some sketchy directions given to us by a friend, as to where the trail was.  Although we didn't find the correct trail on our first hike.. (or more like our first 4 hikes..) we did have an enjoyable time brush-crushing in a beautiful green jungle!  We hiked a few different trails for about 2 hours before we decided to to back-track and start from square one!  By the time we were all beaten raw by the jungle bushes, and dripping sweat from the humidity, we found the correct trail!  The hike was absolutely gorgeous, but it was very tough!  We were basically climbing up a huge pile of rocks that had a layer of vaseline on all of them, just to add to the challenge!  By the time we reached the summit (or what I call the summit at least--makes me feel less defeated that we didn't actually get to the top!) a rain cloud came pouring over the backside of the mountain and drenched us!  The rain was so refreshing, but it did add to the slippery rocks, and we decided it was too dangerous to go on.  Besides, we had a great view set before us already!  I felt like I was in the TV show lost as we were hiking through the jungle with a warm rain pouring down on us!  When we finally got back to the Land Rover, everyone was bleeding from somewhere, and we looked like we had been out for weeks!  I would share a picture of my legs and how cut up they are from the underbrush and rocks, but I think I will spare you the pain!  Lets just put it this way-- I convinced one of my day workers that I was attacked by a shark!

The hiking crew!  From left, Michael from Ghana, James from US, Jes from UK, Rachel from US, Julie from Canada, and me!

     It has been such an amazing past few weeks, and the rain clouds are finally starting to break up and each day there is more and more sunshine!  I'm excited for dry season, but at the same time, I' afraid the heat is going to be too intense!

   

Prayer requests this week:

 - For our general surgery patients- that they will be all stitched up and healed up before our Surgeon leaves on Monday!

-  We have a load of new nurses coming in next week, so pray for rapid acclimation and comfort!

-  For little Annie, that her wounds will finish healing and she will be able to go home!  (she is currently on bedrest to help heal her wounds more quickly..which you can imagine how easy that is for a 5 year old!)

-  For my friend Lonny, that his family will be safe, healthy, and have full bellies while he is still in the hopsital!

 Love and miss you all!  Send e-mails and snail mail!  I love updates from home :)

-Danelley (as the African's call me!)