Last but not least

Today, the last patient left the hospital. It was sad to see Josee leave, but amazing to say goodbye, knowing the transformation that had occurred in this 18-year old girl over the past several months. Josee came to the ship about 3 months ago for surgery on her foot. She had a deformity of her toes that required her to wear special shoes. She had surgery, went home, and then came back due to an infection in her foot.

Me & Josee

But, I think there was a bigger purpose for her coming back that didn't involve antibiotics, daily soaks, or dressing changes on her foot....instead, it was her for her heart. From the time Josee came to the ship until now, she has been eager to get close to God, read the Bible, and learn all that she could. It was great being able to talk to Josee about the Bible and about her own life...it was great that she spoke English and French because we were able to talk together about her struggles...

Some of my favorite shifts were the evening shifts when I got to spend with Josee and read the Bible together with her...we would take turns reading (in French mind you) and she would listen patiently as I stumbled through the French words....I felt like a 5-year old child learning to read, but she loved it. Then, she would take a turn reading for a bit and we would go back and forth and talk about the verses. My favorite was tucking Josee in to bed...I would ask, "Josee, can I pray for you?"...every time I asked this question, her eyes would light up, a big smile would come across her face, and she would hold my hands and wait for me to pray.

Josee gives the best hugs!

One night, I felt led to read this verse to Josee: "But he (God) said to me: 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me...for when I am weak, then I am strong" (from 2 Corinthians 12)...As I read those verses to Josee, her eyes started tearing up...I knew that she was tired of being in the hospital and wanting to go home...many times, the patients around her would get discharged after only a few days in the hospital and she would get discouraged that she still had a way to go before she could leave...the infection was just taking a long time to heal...But, that night, God spoke to her that he would be sufficient for her and help her to be strong in her weaknesses. We decided to copy down the verse in French and put it up on a big paper over her bed so that she would have a constant reminder that God's grace would be sufficient.

Josee really made the hospital a different place. She was so full of joy and energy...she really lit up the wards..everyone who met her just fell in love with her...she was hard not to love!

So, after three months of living on the Africa Mercy, getting to know the nurses, and getting comfortable with the environment and people, Josee decided that she was coming with us to South Africa...she didn't want to leave...she wanted to sail along with us! She had really changed! So, when Josee was the very last patient to leave today, it felt like I was saying goodbye to a fellow crew member...she wasn't just someone who I had taken care of for a few days...she wasn't just a patient...she was a friend and she had found a special place in my heart! I don't know if I'll ever see her again on this earth, but I know that we'll see each other in heaven...a much better place than the hospital!