Sunsets & salsa

Sometimes the little joys in life are the things that keep us going...the times when God gives us a little piece of heaven and reminds us of his beauty and love for us...lately, two of those joys have been sunsets & salsa. We have had some really amazing sunsets and a group of my friends make a habit of watching the sunset from Deck 8 a few evenings a week. I have named it "The Sunset Club" and while I made fun of them for it initially, now I am always grateful when I head up there and find that my friends are already there enjoying God's beautiful creation. We have also started having worship nights where a few of us play guitar and sing worship songs at dusk. There have been some incredible moments of God's presence in the middle of it all.

View of the sunset from Deck 8



Another thing that has brought me so much joy has been salsa...no, not the kind you put on your taco...salsa dancing. I have always loved dancing and learned salsa when I was in college. So, when I found out that there were salsa lessons here in Sierra Leone,  I was ecstatic about the whole thing and made sure to recruit as many friends as I could. Salsa has been going strong now for about a month and a half and it has been such a fun activity for everyone. I love watching my friends get excited about it and seeing them improve with all their dance moves. It seems like such a random thing to do in West Africa, but there's a small part of me that wants to believe that God thought of me when it all came together...after all, He does know our hearts and all our desires...even the little things that don't seem to matter to anyone else.

A few friends practicing their salsa steps



One thing that dancing has shown me over the years is that I often like to take the lead. It works out alright when my friends are learning and need a bit of guidance.  But, once they start getting the hang of things, the guys don't want to be led around...they want to lead...and rightly so. And I can't help but think that life is a bit like dancing. So many times, I try to tell God what I want to do next or which move I want to make when He has a better plan. It's so easy to get caught up in what we want or we anticipate until we find ourselves taking steps that He never intended for us...and when there is resistance and pulling in opposite directions, it will inevitably lead to disaster and the beautiful dance is lost.

But the opposite is true as well...when we stop trying to control what He's doing in our lives and let Him lead, the result is always something exciting and so much more amazing than what we could've ever come up with on our own. Who knew that God could use something like salsa dancing to teach me all of that...I guess some of our best lessons are learned through life's simple pleasures.

Purpose in the pain

Well, the last couple weeks have been a bit of a transition on the ward. Our plastic surgeon headed home a couple weeks ago, so surgeries for A ward ended (general and maxillo-facial surgeries in the other wards have continued). As a result, most of the patient care that we have been a lot of pain management and dressing changes. This has allowed us to have a lot more time with patients (especially in the evenings after the dressing changes are done). But, at the same time, when you have a ward full of children, you have to provide some good entertainment to keep them from bouncing off the walls.

Last weekend, we had an art contest to see who could draw the best ship. There were quite a few entries and we had some nice pictures at the end to decorate the walls on the ward. In the end, we decided to draw a number with a correlating picture for the winner instead of voting on the best picture (we didn't want to cause any tears from the little guys).

Among other things, we have kept the kids entertained with lots of games, crafts, coloring, movies, and songs. One of my favorite parts of the day is tucking the boys into bed (there are 5 in a row who are between the ages of 5 and 10). Their new favorite song is "Here I am to worship." We sing it together almost every night and then they give me kisses and I make them all lay down and close their eyes to sing them the "goodnight song." It is one of those sweet moments that makes all the hard, frustrating parts of the job so worth it.

There have definitely been a lot of ups and downs over the past couple weeks. Some of the kids despise their dressing changes and just scream through the whole thing. This past week, one of the little boys intentionally peed on me and tried to bite me because he was mad he had to get his dressing change. A lot of the kids also hate their hand exercises, which are very important for regaining full movement in their hands (which were previously contracted from burn injuries). Several of them have thrown tantrums and we have had to really talk to those kids quite a bit about the whole reason we're doing this...we have come across quite a few behavior problems and have had to guide some of the parents in appropriate discipline (sometimes they just threaten to beat the kids which only makes things worse). But, with time and a lot of patience, things are starting to improve and the kids are beginning to understand the reason for why we're doing what we do. We have been able to build up a lot more trust with them as well. It's encouraging to see all the improvement that we've had, even though it has been a slow and painful process. It's interesting that we've been studying patience in our Beth Moore Bible study this past week...I guess God knew that I would need an extra dose of that.

It's interesting when I think about all we've been teaching the kids and what God is teaching me through it. We ask the kids to do painful things like stretching little fingers that don't want to be stretched or taking off bandages that need to be changed. We give them medicine, but we know it is somewhat painful. But, because it's for their good, we tell them they need to do it and ask them to trust us. The same is true with God. So many times, He stretches us and asks us to do things that are painful and unpleasant. We often throw our tantrums and ask God why he is making us do something we don't want to do...all the while, not understanding that it is for our own good. But, as we learn to trust Him as our loving Father, we realize that He allows us to go through uncomfortable circumstances to perfect us and make us more like Him. And in the end, the pain is worth it.

"For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."

 Hebrews 12:11

Miracles still happen

Every now and then something amazing happens on the ship...and each time I have the privilege of witnessing these little miracles, I am so blessed. A few weeks ago, we admitted a two-year old girl named Josephine who had inhaled a stone. Her family had been to one clinic after another and even went to the government hospital. They were told by the specialist that she needed a pediatric anesthetist in order to perform the surgery to remove the stone. But, if she didn't get the operation soon, she would die.

In desperation, her parents went to the ministry of health seeking any help they could find. At the same time that they were at the Ministry of Health, Ann Gloag, a member of Mercy Ships'  International board, was there as well. And through God's providential timing, the family connected with Ann and she was able to arrange for Josephine to come to the ship for medical attention.

Josephine before surgery
 

However, the type of surgery that Josephine needed was not the type of surgery that we usually perform on the ship. In the OR, the surgeons all came together and tested every idea they could possibly think of. But, after spending five hours in surgery with no success, they decided they had to stop before irritating her lungs too much and causing further complications.

Josephine came back to the ICU on a ventilator, needing very close attention and care. I was the charge nurse on shift, so I came down to get report with the ICU nurse from Dr. Gary Parker (our head surgeon) and the anesthesia team when Josephine got out of surgery late that night. I have to admit that there is a part of me that tends to feel a bit inadequate when it comes to being "in charge" of the ICU. I am not personally an ICU nurse, but there is only one charge nurse at night to cover all the wards, so that means I am left with the responsibility of the ICU.

Around 2am, I walked down to the ICU to see how Melissa (the ICU nurse) was doing and to check on Josephine. Right after I got there, Josephine started acting restless. She was squirming back and forth, despite the sedation meds that she was receiving through her IV. Her breathing started to become labored and she was sucking in for breath. "Something is wrong," I told the nurse. "She looks like one of our RSV babies back home." Although she was an ICU nurse, she didn't normally work with pediatrics, so we combined my pediatric knowledge with her ICU experience to try to troubleshoot the problem. Right then, Corina, a Pediatric ICU nurse came through the door in her pajamas. "I just woke up thinking about the ICU and thought I'd come check on you guys," she said. Within a few minutes of her arrival, Josephine's became more labored and then her heart rate dropped extremely low...too low to pump enough blood for her little body. The girls started compressions while I ran to the phone to page the anesthesiologists. Thankfully, they were roommates and the two of them came down immediately. They had even slept in their scrubs in case we had an emergency.

Corina had pulled out the breathing tube when Josephine had started to crash because it had become clogged (which was why Josephine was showing such labored breathing). They were manually bagging her when the anesthetists arrived. We got everything ready to put in a new tube and Michelle (one of the anesthetists) re-intubated her successfully. But, Josephine wasn't out of the woods yet. She still had a stone in her lung and would continue to go downhill until it was removed. As I was rushing around to get supplies for the anesthestists, I saw Josephine's parents in the other room, on their knees, crying out to God for their little girl. My heart was breaking for them. One of our staff had informed me that their five-year-old son just died a few months ago and Josephine was all they had left. Surely God wouldn't take her too. We had to do everything we could to save this little girl's life!

Thankfully, Josephine settled not long after her new breathing tube was placed and the rest of the night she did well. But, time was running out and no one wanted to face the reality of what would happen if we couldn't remove the stone. The surgeons were aware of her fragile condition and voiced their concern. What we really needed was a cardio-thoracic surgeon. The problem was, how would we get one before time ran out?

So, finally, Ann Gloag called a friend who works as a professor in Nairobi and explained that she needed a pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon immediately. She was looking for someone who could fly in as soon as possible. The professor recommended Dr. James Munene, head of cardiac surgery at Nairobi’s Kenyatta National Hospital.

Ann called Dr. Munene to explain the situation and requested that he come to Sierra Leone. It was the middle of the night and he was a bit reluctant, as he had never even heard of Mercy Ships before the call. But, after some persistence, Dr. Munene agreed and told his wife that he would be flying to Sierra Leone in the morning.

Dr. James flew to Freetown the next morning and not long after was performing surgery with Dr. Gary to remove the stone. The surgery went well and the stone was removed without any problems. A few hours later, Josephine was sitting up in bed, eating and drinking and doing great.

I visited Josephine the day after her surgery and was pleasantly surprised to see her awake and alert, playing in her bed. She was a very different child than the fragile little girl I had seen a few nights before who had fought for her precious little life. Her parents were sitting there with her, as her uncle played guitar music for everyone to enjoy. They were all in good spirits and celebrating the life of their little girl.

Josephine with her parents in the ward



It is so apparent that God's hand has been in all of this and it has been amazing to see his perfect timing through it all. It was no coincidence that Ann was there the day Josephine's parents came looking for help and it was no coincidence that Corina woke up in the middle of the night and came to the ICU at just the right time. We were not the only ones looking after little Josephine. God was watching over her life and in the midst of some scary circumstances, He showed all of us that we can still believe Him for little miracles.

Saying goodbye to the ship



Youth ministry

Well, one of the great ministries that I have been blessed to be a part of this year is working with the youth group onboard the Africa Mercy. The youth are kids of the long-term crew who attend the academy we have on the ship. This semester, we had nearly twenty kids in Junior High or High School in the youth group. Every tuesday night, we met with the kids in our youth room to have fun with a variety of activities, including games, testimonies, music, and sharing time. Over the last few months, we've been reading through a book called Bruchko. It is a true story about a teenage boy who feels called to work in South America. He packs up and moves there without any formal training or missions organization and sees God do amazing things through his obedience. It was a very inspirational book and it was great to read it with the kids and discuss it together.

Outside of Tuesday night youth group, we've had fun with movie nights and beach trips with the kids. We also served together at a local youth center called "Don Bosco" and offered that ministry every other Saturday to encourage the youth to connect with the locals in Freetown. Many of the kids who live at the youth center had problems at home or came in from the streets, so it was great to see our youth connecting and being positive role models to them.

       Attempting to stay hidden during a game of "sardines"

One of our beach days with some of the older youth



It's crazy to think that the semester is already over and it's now "summer break." Many of the kids are leaving this week to go home with their families for a much needed vacation. Other families are ending their term with Mercy Ships and won't be returning. While it is sad to see them go, I am so thankful for the opportunity to be their youth leader and get to know them this year. It has been great to build relationships with them and to see them grow over the past few months. I know that God has big things in store for each one of them and I'm excited to see all the ways that He chooses to use them. 

A few of the youth leaders decided to dress up and bring ice cream to the kids' cabins for

a study break during finals week...they were all pleasantly surprised :)

Youth group starts back up in the fall, but for now we're all having "summer break" and most of the kids will be home on vacation. Until then, I guess I'll have to be a grown-up (after all, isn't that why being a youth leader is so much fun...you kind of get to be a kid again)!

Tamba and the land of A ward

Well, I've been spending an awful lot of time in A ward lately...sometimes I feel like I live here! But I have to say, it's been a lot of fun having quite a few "long-term" patients that I've been able to get to know well! We transitioned into plastics over the last week, but we still have a few remaining ortho patients. So, it has been great to watch their progress. One patient in particular has stolen my heart and made work even more enjoyable for me...it's a little boy named Tamba.

Tamba prior to surgery



Tamba came to the hospital from up north at the end of March. He had to have a series of ponsetti casting for his clubbed feet. His feet were completely turned around and he couldn't stand without assistance. After weeks and weeks of watching other patients go to surgery, his feet were finally in the right position to have his own surgery. On May 5th, he underwent the first of two surgeries. The surgery went well, but the recovery was pretty rough the first day. Before Tamba went to his second surgery, he told me, "Bioncé, you have to be there for my surgery." I promised I would try and I was thankful that it worked out for me to observe his second surgery, where Dr. Frank performed bilateral supra-malleoloar osteotomies." It was very interesting to watch and Tamba was happy to hear that I was in the room when he had his surgery.

Tamba with his "Bioncé" and another friend

Tamba has had his ups and downs during his time here at the hospital. There have been some sad days...like the day that all of the patients on his side of the ward were discharged home except for him....and the day that his IV infiltrated and I had to start a new one on him (I'm really glad I got it on the first try because I didn't know if he'd forgive me if I didn't!)...but there have been a lot of happy days too...in fact, there are few times that I ever see Tamba without a smile on his face. He is such a joyful kid and has really come out of his shell since the first day on the ship.


Tamba has a strong faith in God and has really inspired me in our little times of prayer together. There have been many nights that Tamba reminds me "It's bedtime, Bioncé. Let's pray." A few nights ago, he decided to initiate a time of prayer and singing among the ortho kids and their caregivers (the nurses joined in as well of course!) It was great to listen to the kids pray and sing to God. It brought joy to my heart and a smile to my face. One of the kids who is Muslim listened to us singing and said "You white people like Jesus a lot." It was pretty funny, but I was thankful that even if he doesn't believe, he is starting to understand what we believe and why we're here.

Today, Tamba was discharged from the hospital to the "Hope Center" where long-term patients can go if they still need follow-up, but live too far away to make the frequent trips for their appointments. Thankfully, the Hope Center is just a short walk from the ship. I promised Tamba that I would stop by and see him after he moved over to his new temporary home. It was great to find him sitting with the other ortho boys listening to a story that one of our day volunteers was reading. I have a feeling that he'll do well over there.

Tamba and his friend John (another one of our ortho patients)

While it's sad to see some of my favorite patients leave the ship, I'm grateful that many of them are still close enough to visit. And as I reflect on these first few months of the outreach, I see how God has been so good to bless me with such close relationships with so many patients. I hope that I have blessed them as much as they have blessed me and I look forward to developing close relationships with many more patients in the months ahead!

A new identity

Since my first trip to Africa, I've been doing my best to embrace African culture. When we arrived in Sierra Leone, I determined that I would do my best to fit into the culture here. I've been learning a bit of Krio, trying out some of the local foods, traveling the way a lot of the locals travel (poda-poda buses), and doing what I can to learn the culture. So, when one of our translators offered to braid my hair with extensions, I thought it would be another great way to become a bit more African.


So, after seven hours with Edwina, a lot of great conversations, a stiff neck and a few mosquito bites, I had a new look (and somewhere near 150 braids).The patients loved the braids and told me "Now you are African!" All the patients and translators starting calling me "Bioncé" because apparently they all think I look like an actress from Ghana who has a similar personality and face. (I personally don't see the resemblance, but all of them do). They had called me "Biance" before, but once I braided my hair, it really caught on and very few patients still called me by my real name. I was very amused by the whole thing and got used to answering to "Bioncé." One day, I was walking through the market and a random person I didn't know shouted "Bioncé!" as I passed by. So I guess there must be some sort of resemblance with the actress, even though I have a hard time seeing it.


Throughout my travels, I have earned a few different African nicknames here and there, but I think this one is my favorite yet.

Me & one of our ortho kids at the Hope Center

I'd really love to keep this cute & cuddly baby



It's the little things that count

It's been said that you don't realize what you have until it's gone...Over the past couple weeks, we've been reminded of those little conveniences that we have on the ship that we often take for granted...because for a brief time, those things were taken away from us. We have had issues with power outages, air conditioning issues, and most recently lack of water. There were some issues with our usual water sources coming in to the ship at the same time that our water consumption was at a record high...the result: water restrictions.


We were all informed on Friday that the water supply was low and that we should only take showers "if absolutely necessary" (that one was left for interpretation) followed by the water to the cabin showers being completely shut off on Saturday. Thankfully, a Sierra Leonian friend of mine who works in the ward picked up a couple bags full of drinking water packets for me (it was actually the result of a miscommunication we had, but it worked out quite well in the end). My roommates laughed when they saw all the water packets I came home with, but in the end they were all thankful because we got creative and poured it in the tea kettle and managed to still have make-shift showers. It kind of just felt like we were camping.
 A friend of mine recently shared with me about the water and electricity issues she's had living in a local apartment complex in Sierra Leone. She is from Europe, but has become familiar with Africa, as she has been working here for several years now. She shared that at one point, she and her roommates had to carry water up their stairs in buckets because the water lines broke. When that issue was fixed, they had power outages, with the electricity only working for a few hours each day. Hearing her share about those challenges with such a positive attitude reminded me that I have so much to be thankful for. Most days, I have air conditioning, clean water, and even wireless internet. That is much more than most people in Africa have.


The water crisis on the ship is almost over and lots of clean water has already been loaded. We can take real showers again (but only the standard 2-minute "ship showers of course!) and they will be filling the pool again soon. The paper plates and plastic cutlery have been put away and we can eat off of real dishes now. The crew galley is open again for all the people who want to bake and cook. Things are pretty much back to normal here on the ship. But, I think something has changed inside of many of us. We certainly have a new view of water, but we also realize that it's the little things in life that make a difference. And for those things, we are grateful.