Meeting my family in Togo

Well, this last week was a really good one. I had the opportunity to head up north to Basaar to meet some relatives that I had never met before. It turns out that I have family in Togo...kind of funny, I know. My dad's cousin married a Togolese woman, so even though their family lives in the states, her brothers are still here in Togo. So, last friday, I headed up to a town called Basaar to meet her brother Seidou.

I asked my Togolese friend Raphael to come along since I had never been there before and didn't really want to travel alone. He also speaks French, which was an added bonus for traveling since my French is still lacking. We got to the bus station around 4:30 in the afternoon and then did something I've become accustomed to in Africa...we waited....and waited...and finally left around 8pm when the bus was full. But because we left so late, we didn't actually get there until about 2:30am.

Seidou, me, and Rafael

Raphael and I shuffled out of the bus with all the half-asleep passengers (including us) and called Seidou. He sent his nephew to come pick us up on the motor bike...he found us pretty easily...I guess I stand out among all the Africans...I never really have figured out why though :)

It's a little awkward meeting family for the first time...I mean, you know you're related, so that relieves a bit of awkwardness, but it's always a little odd meeting people who are somehow related to you, yet from a different culture....and even though they spoke some English, they were definitely more comfortable with French, so it was all an interesting combination. Seidou and his wife were so sweet and hospitable to us, though. Even at 3am, they came out and chatted with us for a bit and then showed us to our rooms. I was really excited to see that I had a queen size bed all to myself (our beds on the ship are tiny bunk beds)...that was a special treat! And they even had a flushing toilet and running water in the shower...not hot, but hey, it was much better than a bucket bath. I really hadn't been sure what to expect (especially since we're in Africa), so I was very pleasantly surprised by the nice accomodations.

Saturday, we had some fun get-to-know-you time with the help of my friend and translator, Raphael. It was fun eating the African food and the traditional meals and drinks. I even got to drink the traditional Choko-chok drink that apparently brought  Andy and Anna (my dad's cousins back home) together. I had never heard the story before, but Seidou told us tha Anna used to sell the drink and Andy would come to buy it quite frequently. After awhile, they got to know each other better as he would come to buy the drink, then became good friends, got married, and the rest is history. I think I may have expressed a little too much excitement about the drink the first day because the second day, we drank it 5 times (good thing it was the non-alcoholic version!)...they seem to have it everywhere all over town...it's really sweet and most of the time you drink it out of a wooden bowl.

Drinking some choko-chok

In the afternoon, we visited the market since it was the big market day. We definitely have a big market in Lome, which I have visited lots of times, but the one thing that really struck me that I had never seen before was the animal section of the market. There are people who have their goats and chickens on ropes out on display for someone to buy and cook for dinner...and then you see others walking home holding a live chicken in their hands or leading their new goat home...little do they know that they're being led to the slaughter...kind of sad, I know...but hey, it's Africa...it's normal to eat goats here.

After our visit to the market, we headed to a mountain with hopes of hiking up....but, only a little ways into the "hike," we were greeted by a man who told us we needed special permission to go on the mountain (I think it's because there is a place where people do Voodoo on the mountain) but that he'd be happy to go with us the next day. So, we arranged a time and headed back to the house.

View on our mini hike

That night, we watched the Ghana vs. USA game of the world cup...let me just tell you, it's hard to root for your own country when you're surrounded by Africans in Africa who want the African team to win...I was a little sad that the US lost, but hey, at least we made it as far as we did.

The next day, we had quite a little adventure climbing up the mountain. We were hoping to see monkeys since there are apparently quite a few there if you come at the right time (according to our guide who lived right next to the mountain), but we only saw one monkey at a house at the base of the mountain. The hike was pretty steep, very green, and quite interesting since there was no actual path. We were pretty much bush-wacking half the time and every now would find a faint trace of what may once have been a path. Every now and then, Napo, our guide would point to a plant and say "Don't touch that one, it's bad!' I knew better than to get anywhere near it! We made it to the top of the mountain and had a great view of the humble mountain town of Basaar.

We made it to the top!

(the view is overlooking Basaar)

Our tour guide was disappointed that we hadn't found monkeys (but not as disappointed as I was!), but he was adamant that if we tried again the next day and left a little earlier, we would find lots of monkeys on the mountain...so even though I was leaving to head north to Dapaong the next day, we worked it out so that I'd still have time to catch a zemidjan (the motor taxis) to the next town to meet up with the bus heading north from the hospital.

Unfortunately, though, we came back the next day, climbed the mountain again (it wasn't any easier the second time...still very steep!) and found...no monkeys! I wasn't too disappointed though, because we spotted one that had escaped from the trees that was roaming around at a house at the base of the mountain.

Afterwards, we visited Napo's friend, who had two monkeys he'd caught on the mountain. I had fun putting them on my shoulders and feeding them bananas. It may not have been the smartest idea ever to play with monkeys in Africa when I haven't had any rabies shots, but hey, you've gotta take risks sometimes right? :) Thankfully, I didn't get bit...I don't think there were even any attempted bites...the monkeys were a lot of fun and the family was very entertained watching me and my cousin attempt to get them in a good position for a picture...I think we succeeded though!

This little guy looked confused...guess

he'd never seen a white person before :)

Later that day, we heard singing and music (including lots of drums) from the house and I asked what was going on...turned out, there was a soccer game at the local stadium...just a high school match, but my cousin was happy to take me...I love that they don't even need tv to advertise what's going on in town...you can hear it from your own backyard! (although I do have to say that most of them have tvs...don't know what they'd do without them during the world cup!)

The soccer game was a lot of fun to watch....I mostly just liked being at the stadium and seeing all the people getting excited for their teams..kind of reminded me of high school football games back in the states...although I will say I've never seen a bunch of goats run across the field during a football game back home :) Gotta love Africa!

After the soccer game, we went back to the house to watch more soccer...another world cup game! Soccer has definitely become a new interest for me since I've been in Africa...partly because I started playing with some friends here on the ship..we usually play mondays and wednesdays..not to mention, my BSF (best ship friend) LOVES soccer...so her passion has rubbed off on me a little...I have to say, it was nice to be able to watch the game with Seidou and his family and not have to worry about finding all the right words to say in French since I no longer had Rafael there to translate for me.

     Practicing my African momma skills with my 

cousin's baby

      

Monday, I said my goodbyes and headed out for Dapaong....off to the next adventure!

Weekend in Benin

Well, last weekend, I finally made it to Cotonou, Benin! The trip got off to a bit of a rough start...We had a big group of people and things were a bit rushed as we left the ship...and in the chaos of everything, I lost my yellow fever card :( So, that wasn't too great since I sort of need it to get into South Africa in September..but thankfully, I was able to contact the health department to have another one sent.

We spent our first night in a place called Grand Popo. There was a full moon and we all just went out on the beach and sat next to the ocean...it was really peaceful and so beautiful! It was nice to just be able to have a quiet night and a time of fellowship with good friends!

Grand Popo during the day

Hanging out on the beach at night

        

The next day, we headed off to a place called Bab's Dock, which was a popular mercy shippers' getaway last year when the ship was in Benin. In order to get to the dock, you have to take a boat ride through the lagoon, which felt a little bit like Disneyland, especially when we were passing under the archway of trees. Once we reached the dock, we were greeted by the owners, a french couple who know Mercy Ships well because of all the visitors from the ship last year.

Getting into the boat to head to the dock

Do you see the resemblance to Disneyland?

   

The nice thing about the lagoon is that the water is only about knee-deep all around. So, after a nice lunch and some time relaxing under the umbrellas, we went out in the kayaks and then played volleyball in the water (the net is just above the lagoon). After taking in the sunshine for a few hours, I headed back out on the boat with a few of the girls from our group who were also heading to Cotonou.

 

    

I had made plans to meet up with an African friend who is from Benin and wanted to give me a good tour of Cotonou. While I was waiting, I went for a swim with the girls at the hotel and then watched the sunset over the port. It was really beautiful and for a minute, just being in the big city with lots of nice buildings around (there's not too many of those in Togo), I almost felt like I was back in America. Sometimes, you just need a little taste of home!

My friend showed up a little later and we had a nice motorcycle ride around the city. I was a little nervous about riding around Cotonou on a motorcycle at first, especially since there's a ton of traffic and there seem to be quite a few accidents there, but my friend made sure to be safe for me, so I was appreciative of that! My favorite part of the "tour" was driving into the dock where the ship was last year and seeing all the fisherman's boats and big ships around. I had seen pictures of the port from friends who were on the ship last year, so it was kind of surreal to finally be there myself. The port was beautiful with all the lights reflecting off the water. But, unfortunately, I didn't get any photos since I didn't have my camera with me. 

The next day, I met up with my African friend again and we got to visit the artisan market and then spent the rest of the day at "Obama Beach." I am always so amused by  the obsession Africans have with Obama. They sell  Obama bags and even boxers in the market and if you look at the right places, you can even find "Obama biscuits." I think it's quite amusing.

Obama beach was nice, but definitely not like the beaches in the states. The current is so much stronger here in West Africa. Thankfully, I was still able to swim at this beach, although I wasn't out too long since I was so worn out from swimming against the current. After hanging out and relaxing on the beach for awhile, we came across  some girls from France who were playing soccer on the beach. So, my friend and I went over to meet them and then joined in their game. They were all really sweet girls and after playing soccer, we all ended up hanging out for a couple more hours. I really enjoyed listening to everyone speak French and realizing how much I actually understood!

After our time at the beach, we headed over for some genuine African food (the kind you eat with your hands!) and called it a day! We headed back to Togo the following morning feeling energized again after three really amazing days in Benin!

Love in any language

There's an old song that talks about "love in any language" and how people can understand and communicate love no matter where we are in the world. Being in Togo has been a very different experience for me in comparison with the familiar culture and language of all the places I've traveled to in Latin America over the last few years. It's always been easy for me in places like Mexico and the Dominican Republic, where I was familiar with the culture and able to speak the language. But, I think that the language barrier in Togo has been good for me in a lot of ways. It has taught me to "listen" in other ways outside of just hearing a person's words...watching their facial expressions, tone of voice, and body langauge. And it has also taught me how to communicate in creative ways when I don't speak the language.

So far, I wouldn't say I have learned a ton of French, but I've learned enough to communicate the important things I need to know when I'm traveling or taking care of patients..the phrases I use on the ward probably wouldn't be very useful anywhere else...ie: swallow your medicine, did you poop today (I even know how to say that one in the local dialect!), are you having pain, etc :)

But, I am learning that whether I'm in the wards or out and about in town, the most important thing people listen to isn't our words, but our actions and what we communicate to them by the way we live.

Tonight, I went to a place where I didn't hear much French or Ewe (the local dialect). We went to a place where there wasn't a whole lot of speaking at all....I went with a group from the ship to visit a local deaf school. It was fun to sit with the kids, help them with their crafts, play soccer with the little boys (I was wearing a skirt too...which is always interesting!) and just practicing the language of love. It really doesn't take a lot...just a little hug, a high five (or even better, learning their secret handshake!), or even just a smile...showing the kids that we love them and care about them...

It's easy to go through our busy lives and forget the simple things...but those are the things that really say the most....I know I am one of those people that always has a lot to say...but I am reminded that the most important thing I really need to communicate is love...because after all God is love and that's the reason I'm here...to show others that there is a God who loves us so much that he gave up everything...even His own son to be with us...it didn't take Jesus a lot of words to communicate love...he stretched out his arms and died...and I can stretch out my arms and embrace those who are hurting and in need...no words are necessary...just a little love.

My home in Africa

So I realize that I told several of  you that I'd post pictures of my home in Africa...and that was several months ago! It's hard to believe that the Africa Mercy has already been my home for over four months! So, I just wanted to show a few pictures so you can see a little more of what the ship looks like inside...

Here's me next to the ship on our dock..as you can see, the ship is pretty big!

Deck 7 has a beautiful view of the beach!

And Deck 7 is also where we take the patients to get some sunshine

and fresh air every afternoon

One of my favorite places on the ship:

The Starbucks Cafe

The sitting area in the cafe (Deck 5)

Midships (the hangout area on Deck 6)

The Internet Cafe (also on deck 6)

"Town Square"

To give you an idea of how it fits together, the two people in the back are standing

in front of our "ship shop" (where we can buy toiletries, snacks, and baking supplies,etc.)

The stools to the right are directly in front of starbucks..

If you take the stairs up to the right, you end up at the internet cafe

If you take the stairs to the left, you end up at all the couches and chairs in midships

Up on Deck 8, there's a couple of lounge chairs for people

who want to get some sun

The dining room (this is the area we line up for our food)

And now...pictures of my new room...I just moved from a 6-berth to a 4-berth!

My roommates' bunk area is at the front of the room

(it's pretty empty now b/c they left for summer break)

This is the view when you first come in the room

(The picture above is behind the first curtain)

My little section of the room...gotta

love the bunk beds :)

Our lovely little bathroom...this is where we take our 2 minute "ship showers"

(well, most of the time anyway...there's not actually a timer)

                   

                     The living room

Our view isn't amazing but I'm glad to

finally have a window!

I love the way the ship looks at night!

Back to Ghana

This weekend, I had the opportunity to head back to Ghana! But this time, I was not with a van full of 'yovos'...actually I was the only yovo! I went up north to a town called Hoe with Victoria and Bright Gabla, two friends who work with me as translators on the ward.

The drive up north was uneventful (for once!) and I absolutely fell in love with their little village up in the mountains! It was so beautiful and peaceful..very few cars passing by on the dirt road that ran down the middle of the village. It was a nice change of pace from the fast, busy culture of Lome.

Victoria standing in the kitchen..notice the goats

are warming themselves by the fire :)

This weekend was a great opportunity to get away, relax, and experience 'real African culture.' I enjoyed making 'fufu' (a popular African food) with Bright and Victoria's mom, walking down the paths through the village with random goats and chickens roaming around, and meeting all the 'brothers' and 'aunties' that Bright wanted to introduce me to. This was especially funny to me because very few of them were actually related..they just all call each other that...at first, when he made the introductions, I would say 'Oh, that's your auntie' to which he responded 'Yes, of course.' Then I asked 'But is she really your auntie' to which he responded 'Well, we're not related by blood, but that's what we call each other...By the end of all the visits to all the different people in the town, I would jokingly look at Bright and say 'Let me guess...she's your auntie?' and he would just laugh and tell me I was right....I just love the culture in Africa and the way everyone is family!

Pounding the fufu

The final product...best fufu I've had yet!

(I can't take credit though..I barely did anything)

One of the highlights of this weekend was going to church with the Gablas. On sunday morning, I started to unpack my church clothes and Victoria looked at me and said 'I don't think you'll need those'...'What do you mean,' I asked. 'Well, mom has a surprise for you today,' Victoria exclaimed with childlike excitement. She was so excited for me to open the 'surprise.' A few minutes later, their mom came in and laid out a beautiful pink African skirt and top that they had made for me! I was so touched by their generosity and thoughtfulness in having an entire African outfit made for me! It is actually very common in the African culture to make an outfit for a friend who is visiting, so when Bright and Victoria found out I was going to come with them to their village, they called their mom so she could have the tailor make something for me!

My pink African outfit (with Victoria)

Church was absolutely amazing! I'm sad to say that I didn't bring my camera with me because I would've loved to show you pictures of the amazing choir all decked out in their black and white robes, accompanied by their matching caps. They looked like college graduates with their tassles dangling from their caps. The music was amazing and the choir sounded amazing! I am always so blown away by how beautiful and loud African voices sound! I just love watching them sing their hearts out to the Lord!

The church service wouldn't have been complete if there wasn't some dancing to go along with the music! I just love dancing in church! There are occasionally conga lines and what we like to call 'the chicken move', which involves a lot of movement of the arms and shoulders, making a person look very similar to a chicken. It's always a little bit amusing doing it but the Africans just love seeing 'yovos' doing their moves! I can't help but laugh every time I dance 'African style.' The whole church was full of joy as the songs were sung and men, women, and children all danced before the Lord....such a beautiful picture of what I think it will be like in heaven...sheer unashamed worship and rejoicing!

Sunday afternoon, we visited the 'village chief' who somehow, ironically were also related to Bright and Victoria :) It was interesting to see the accomodations for the village chief and to get to know him and his wife a bit. Thankfully, the chief spoke some English, which was nice for me, since I speak very little Ewe (I'm working on my French first, then maybe I'll move to local dialects!)

Victoria & I with the "chief" and his wife

After our visit to the chief's house, we had to head back to the ship (Lome is about a 4 hour ride from Hoe). I was sad to say goodbye to the Gabla family, but was warmly invited to come back again...hopefully I will get to visit one more time before we sail in August!

The Gabla Family

What lies beneath the surface

There's one story in particular that has really touched my heart in the last few weeks...it's about a little girl who came to the ship all the way from Cameroon...this is Aissa's story:

Aissa was abandoned by both of her parents as a child. She grew up with her grandmother and at the age of 6, developed a disease called NOMA. Her disease resulted in degeneration of the tissue in her face. She was very malnourished and there was a huge portion of flesh missing in the side of her right cheek. At the tender age of six, Aissa had lost not only her parents, but she had also lost the gift of being seen as 'normal.' Because of the circumstances she found herself in, she became an outcast in her society.

But, Aissa's story doesn't end that way. Aissa found help at a local hospital in Cameroon and improved significantly after receiving treatment. But even with the best treatment they could give her at the hospital, she still needed surgery to remove a portion of her cheek and replace it with a skin flap. So, a non-profit organization called Willing and Able funded Aissa's plane ticket to Togo so that she would be able to get her surgery.

A few weeks ago, I had my first encounter with Aissa. I didn't know anything about Aissa's story. The first thing I was told about Aissa was that she had lots of behavioral problems and frequent tantrums. As I listened to the nurse's report during handover, I prepared myself for the worst and prayed for patience, expecting to have a really challenging day with this little girl.

But when I went over to Aissa's bedside to meet her, I didn't see the stubborn, rebellious child I had expected. Instead, there, beneath the bandages and guarded expressions, I saw a fragile little spirit. It was apparent that she had become hardened by the ridicule she had received for her condition, but the little sweetheart inside was still shining through. I know it was only the grace of God that I could see the true Aissa that first day.

The day passed with its share of challenges. Aissa was very hesitant to have any medicine placed in her feeding tube due to the nausea she had been feeling for the past few days. I slowly pushed each medicine through, waiting for Aissa's nod of approval. The entire process took nearly half an hour. But, I knew that somehow I had connected with Aissa and won over some of her trust. I tried to show her in every way possible that I loved her. And, somehow, that message seemed to get across to her.

A few hours into the shift, Aissa's uncle helped her with her bath and accidentally got her dressing wet. The dressing was covering her skin graft on her thigh, which had just been operated on a few days before. I started to take off the layers of gauze and waited for Alanie, our wound care nurse to come to assess the wound. Alanie walked in the room and watched as I finished removing the gauze. She looked at me, then looked at Aissa. 'Wow, Becca! She really trusts you!' she said. And then it hit me, 'She really does trust me.' It hadn't even dawned on me up until that point that this behavior was out of the ordinary for a little girl who refused her medicine and threw frequent tantrums. She really should've been squirming and fighting. That would be expected behavior for a six year old 'uncompliant' child who was having a bandage changed. But, she didn't fight. She barely even moved. Instead, she sat perfectly still as I worked away and obediently kept her hands off the wound. As I realized the breakthrough I'd just experienced, I silently thanked God for his favor and finished up the dressing change.

Looking back on that situation, I see an ironic representation of something that was happening below the surface. No one could see Aissa's wound until all the layers of gauze were taken off. It was obvious that there was a source of pain, but it was all covered up. At the same time, she had deeper wounds that were not just physical. There were emotional wounds from the ridicule, abandonment, and neglect she had experienced. But, as the layers of her anger and bitterness were peeled away through the love she received from the staff, the hurting little heart beneath it all could finally be seen.

Aissa looking in the mirror to see her new face

In the last few weeks that Aissa has been on the ward, she has completely transformed into a different little girl. She is playful, social, and has become our favorite little helper. She even occasionally picks up the babies on the ward (there are lots of siblings of patients on the ward) and plays 'mama,' hugging them and giving them kisses. I love seeing Aissa's nurturing little spirit. She loves to climb on me like a little monkey and gives lots of hugs. Some days, Aissa's fireball spirit and endless energy wears me out, but I can't help but smile and love her for every minute of it. Every time she comes up and wraps her little arms around me, my heart is filled with gratitude to God for the miracle He's done in our little Aissa. She's had a long journey, not just from Cameroon. She came from a place in her life that was dark and gloomy to a place where she can experience and give love...it's children like her that remind me that this ministry is not just about physical healing...it's about a deeper healing and tranformation that only God can do. It has been amazing to be a part of Aissa's journey. I know that she will go home changed. She will have a new face, but more importantly, she'll have a new heart.

'Mamma Aissa'

Our little helper

Kisses from Aissa

Aissa's new face is healing up nicely

The smiles behind the stories

Well, I know sometimes it's hard to imagine the stories I tell when there are no pictures to go along with them. But, unfortunately I don't always have pictures of the patients since only our ship photographers are allowed to take photos of us with the patients. Thankfully, though, we got a lot of good shots over the last couple of weeks...Here are some of the cute kiddos I have enjoyed taking care of in the last few weeks:

Me & Maurius, my little cuddle bug

Isn't he a cutie pie!

My friend Tricia and  I with Gloria

                                        Me & Lovelace

I had the opportunity to go to the hospitality center this past week, which is where the patients go after they are discharged  if they are not from the port city and need to stay closeby for dressing changes or follow-up appointments. It was great having a little reunion with some of the patients I have been able to take care of in the hospital and seeing them all happy and pain free!

Reunion with Bobo!

Me & my candy-cane princess (Mako)

Check out their new straight legs!