It feels like it's been a while since I've written. I worked evenings on Monday, Tues, Wed. Tuesday I had just a few patients that were on an isolation ward. One of them is 17 and has MRSA. I don't think MRSA is as common here as in the states. My two patients seemed very bored, so we tried to teach the lady to crochet (which is hard when I really don't know how to crochet myself) and I made a friendship bracelet (like the kind we used to make in 6th grade) with the boy. This was probably not the best choice of crafts for a 17 year old boy but he knew how to do it and I was at a loss for what else to do. I feel like I am not very good with communicating with the patients sometimes . I don't know if it is a language or cultural barrier or what. Other people are good at it though, so maybe it will just take time. Crew members can "adopt a patient". Basically, a crew member will pick a patient and come spend time with them and talk to them etc. Later that night, the crew member that "adopted" him (a 20 something Scottish boy) came and put an isolation gown and gloves on, and went into his room and chatted with him for quit a while. He then went and got his bible and came back and chatted with him some more. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall and see how it's done. I don't know where I would begin with talking about the bible with someone. What passage would I go to etc.
Yesterday, Thursday, I went to Victorious Refugee Camp and Battery Factory. It is an orphanage with 30 children ages 1-17. A 7 year old girl fell backwards and hurt her arm. A few of us nurses brought her back to the house and I was asking her to stand and flex both arms so we could see if it looked broken or dislocated. While we were doing this I had to stop one of the house moms because she had both hands on the child's arm and she looked like she was trying to put it back into place. I guess you do this in Liberia where healthcare is not the best. Mercy Ships has rules about not just taking people from the community on the ship to help them because it would end up happening all the time. The way Mercy Ships works, is they do screenings and then they schedule surgeries. Ines (a German woman from the ship who goes to this orphanage twice a week) called Island Pediatric Hospital which is free to see if they had any orthopaedic doctor there and they don't. She then called the Mercy Ship crew doctor for advice. We ended up taking her to the ship to xray the arm, and indeed it was broken. Now they are trying to decide whether to try to squeeze her into the surgical schedule here next week when the new ortho docs arrive or take her to JFK Hospital where there is one orthopaedic surgeon for the whole country. Apparently at JFK they are somewhat crooked and would charge too much money if they see white people with the patient. It really made me feel fortunate that I live in a country that will take care of a broken arm even if you don't have insurance, etc. A lot of what we see on the ship that is orthopaedic are broken bones from years ago that were never fixed and now they are here so we can fix them. We where thinking, wouldn't it be nice to actually fix this girls arm properly now, so she doesn't end up like a lot of these other people. I am just praying they can do the surgery here.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
New Zealand
I have met 2 woman on separate occasions that are from New Zealand. As most of you know I really really really want to go there some day. Right before I decided on this trip to the Mercy Ship, I was looking into a month long habitat for humanity trip there. But it was really expensive and didn't leave much time to travel. Some years ago I applied for a travel nurse position there but found out it was a minimum requirement of a year and at the time I felt that was too long. Now I'm realizing it was probably the right amount of time. One of the nurses went there on vacation for 6 weeks and stayed for 4 years! Anyways, the two Kiwi's I met said you need a minimum of 6 weeks to visit there if you want to see everything. I was always told in the US that 2 weeks would be good--a week for each island. I think americans look at vacation in terms of a week or two and the rest of the world think nothing of taking month long "holidays". I'm beginning to realize life is really short. There is so much I want to do. I will make it to New Zealand some day--I feel almost called to go there, not necessarily for mission type work, but to enjoy it's beauty and recreation.
Tuesday mornings at 7:45 are the mandatory crew meetings where they update everyone on happenings on the ship, safety issues, and announce arrivals and departures of crew. We had a speaker today. It was Glenn Murray. I think I mentioned him before. He travels around the world sharing his faith. He is not a pastor but he has met with monks and Buddhist priests, etc. He goes to Korea at least twice a year, etc, etc. Anyway, he talked about how Christians tend to think people are either nonbelievers or believers. I am going to paraphrase him so I'm not sure if I will get his concept quite right. He says for some people believing in Jesus takes a lot of time. When Peter was out on the water in his fishing boat, he came in near to the shore to hear this Jesus speak, and heal people. He didn't come thinking here is the Christ the one who God sent to die on the cross for my sins so that I could have eternal life in heaven. He came thinking, let me check this Jesus guy out and see what He is up to. (Now I don't know if we should be speaking for Peter and what he was thinking but you get the point). It was an interesting concept. We need to be open about our faith and be available for God to use us, but we need to let the Holy Spirit do His job in the persons heart we are trying to reach.
Tuesday mornings at 7:45 are the mandatory crew meetings where they update everyone on happenings on the ship, safety issues, and announce arrivals and departures of crew. We had a speaker today. It was Glenn Murray. I think I mentioned him before. He travels around the world sharing his faith. He is not a pastor but he has met with monks and Buddhist priests, etc. He goes to Korea at least twice a year, etc, etc. Anyway, he talked about how Christians tend to think people are either nonbelievers or believers. I am going to paraphrase him so I'm not sure if I will get his concept quite right. He says for some people believing in Jesus takes a lot of time. When Peter was out on the water in his fishing boat, he came in near to the shore to hear this Jesus speak, and heal people. He didn't come thinking here is the Christ the one who God sent to die on the cross for my sins so that I could have eternal life in heaven. He came thinking, let me check this Jesus guy out and see what He is up to. (Now I don't know if we should be speaking for Peter and what he was thinking but you get the point). It was an interesting concept. We need to be open about our faith and be available for God to use us, but we need to let the Holy Spirit do His job in the persons heart we are trying to reach.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Back to work
I am back to work after a long weekend off. I am on the 2-10pm shift. I am on C ward by myself-- me and only 3 patients. The charge nurse comes in and checks on me from time to time. The other wards seem busy. My ward is quite. We are watching a DVD on Genesis.
Yesterday, Sunday, I went to church in the morning with 4 other girls. In the afternoon I went to a King and Queen event at a christian school. One of the orphans from God's Children's Home was nominated for King. He didn't end up winning but the event was well worth skipping the beach for. I have never seen anything like it. There were 3 little girls, and 2 little boys who were nominated. They announced their names one by one, and they strutted themselves up to the front, catwalk style. It was hilarious. They then sat in front of the stifling hot auditorium. There were cardboard boxes in front of each child. The DJ started playing dance music and the crowd went up and put money in the boxes. This went on for 15 minutes. They then tallied up each childs winnings. The children then came back to their spot in front, dressed in something else for round two. Same thing went on for another 15 minutes. The children came out a third time totally decked out in nice clothes. This round was 20 minutes. Children and adults alike went dancing up to the front and dropped money into the cardboard boxes. Carl and Inese (they are the one's working on building the new orphanage) were their along with me, Tammy, and Becky. Carl kept giving the children from the orphanage money to bring up to the front so they were racing back and forth to get money from him. With all the time in between counting money etc, and the event starting late, we were there for 4 hours! Things run on African time around here. This event was a fund raiser for the school. They ended up raising 31,000+ Liberian dollars which I was told is around 500 US dollars. The boy from the orphanage didn't win king but he got a semester free tuition. The winners got a year free tuition. The poor king and queen looked so tired by the end of this. They just stood their on these chairs looking bewildered while the adults but their crowns on.
Later last night, karoeke was going on in the lecture room. It was so much fun to watch. I did not sing because singing is not one of my God given talents. Katy from the UK was up their singing "wait a minute Mr. Postman" in an american accent, and all of a sudden she belts out "I'm american!" It was hilarious because she did such a good job of imitating one.
Well that's all for now because it is visiting hours and I am going to visit with my one patient who doesn't have any visitors.
Yesterday, Sunday, I went to church in the morning with 4 other girls. In the afternoon I went to a King and Queen event at a christian school. One of the orphans from God's Children's Home was nominated for King. He didn't end up winning but the event was well worth skipping the beach for. I have never seen anything like it. There were 3 little girls, and 2 little boys who were nominated. They announced their names one by one, and they strutted themselves up to the front, catwalk style. It was hilarious. They then sat in front of the stifling hot auditorium. There were cardboard boxes in front of each child. The DJ started playing dance music and the crowd went up and put money in the boxes. This went on for 15 minutes. They then tallied up each childs winnings. The children then came back to their spot in front, dressed in something else for round two. Same thing went on for another 15 minutes. The children came out a third time totally decked out in nice clothes. This round was 20 minutes. Children and adults alike went dancing up to the front and dropped money into the cardboard boxes. Carl and Inese (they are the one's working on building the new orphanage) were their along with me, Tammy, and Becky. Carl kept giving the children from the orphanage money to bring up to the front so they were racing back and forth to get money from him. With all the time in between counting money etc, and the event starting late, we were there for 4 hours! Things run on African time around here. This event was a fund raiser for the school. They ended up raising 31,000+ Liberian dollars which I was told is around 500 US dollars. The boy from the orphanage didn't win king but he got a semester free tuition. The winners got a year free tuition. The poor king and queen looked so tired by the end of this. They just stood their on these chairs looking bewildered while the adults but their crowns on.
Later last night, karoeke was going on in the lecture room. It was so much fun to watch. I did not sing because singing is not one of my God given talents. Katy from the UK was up their singing "wait a minute Mr. Postman" in an american accent, and all of a sudden she belts out "I'm american!" It was hilarious because she did such a good job of imitating one.
Well that's all for now because it is visiting hours and I am going to visit with my one patient who doesn't have any visitors.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
This is the life!!!
Yesterday, I went to God's Children's Home Construction project. It is the construction project that is affiliated with the orphanage I mentioned from one of my first days here. A couple that met on the Mercy Ship some years ago are heading the project. Carl is from Holland and his wife Inese is from South Africa (she speaks some dutch because in South Africa they speak alt dutch, plus his English is really good). There are 5 two bedroom houses being built that will make up the orphanage. Carl and his wife live in one of the houses that is almost finished. They have been living their for 3 months. They plan to live their until the project is finished. Carl built a well himself so they have running water. They also have a generator so they use electricity on occasion.
Some Liberian women that Inese had been mentoring gave her two pigs as a gift. So we were working on the foundation for the pig pen. I started out digging trenches but I had a hard time with that. We soon moved on to the concrete making process. This was great. I felt somewhat useful. I shoveled rocks into buckets, and got water from the well. They had a small cement mixer that ran by generator. We took a coffee/juice break and a lunch break. We stopped at 1pm for the day. I LOVED this kind of work.
Carl says he loves living outside in the country type area. They have a few gardens. They are growing some onions and sweet peppers, and even some pumpkins. I think my brother John and Dorothy would love it there. It reminded me of them for some reason. You can even go to the beach after a hard days work. I don't think it is very safe however. They have had multiple problems with theft. One time about $900 dollars worth of steal wire got stolen during the night. Another time, while it was raining at night, and Carl couldn't hear anything over the rain on the tin roof, a generator was stolen. He said they were able to retrieve it because the wheel barrel left tracks in the mud, so they followed the tracks the next day and got the generator back. The boys got out of jail in the end because they had an uncle who was an official of sorts. Another time, he said he heard the thieves and ran out after them and chased them away. I think it would be very hard to live under these conditions. I think I would have a tendency to feel like, I don't have to be here, I am helping you people and this is how I get treated! But that is the absolute wrong attitude. They feel that God has called them here and they feel that they will be protected as well, I suppose. Carl was telling us that they got their puppy as a gift. Someone suggested they name him security, which they did. That way if thieves come they can yell "security".
I then came back and went to the beach. Traffic was so bad because of a market we passed that we only stayed an hour--there was no sun anyways. Back at the ship, I watched another documentary on Liberia. It was sad. This country has around an 85% unemployment rate (when the documentary was made a few years ago), which explains why there are sooo many people all over the streets in the middle of the day.
Last night was really great. The ship had a Ceilidh dance on the dock. Ceilidh is Scottish dancing. It is similar to square dancing, or folk dancing. Two of the Scottish crew members led everyone, and taught us how to do the dances. It was so much fun. One of the guys played a few songs on his bagpipes.
Some Liberian women that Inese had been mentoring gave her two pigs as a gift. So we were working on the foundation for the pig pen. I started out digging trenches but I had a hard time with that. We soon moved on to the concrete making process. This was great. I felt somewhat useful. I shoveled rocks into buckets, and got water from the well. They had a small cement mixer that ran by generator. We took a coffee/juice break and a lunch break. We stopped at 1pm for the day. I LOVED this kind of work.
Carl says he loves living outside in the country type area. They have a few gardens. They are growing some onions and sweet peppers, and even some pumpkins. I think my brother John and Dorothy would love it there. It reminded me of them for some reason. You can even go to the beach after a hard days work. I don't think it is very safe however. They have had multiple problems with theft. One time about $900 dollars worth of steal wire got stolen during the night. Another time, while it was raining at night, and Carl couldn't hear anything over the rain on the tin roof, a generator was stolen. He said they were able to retrieve it because the wheel barrel left tracks in the mud, so they followed the tracks the next day and got the generator back. The boys got out of jail in the end because they had an uncle who was an official of sorts. Another time, he said he heard the thieves and ran out after them and chased them away. I think it would be very hard to live under these conditions. I think I would have a tendency to feel like, I don't have to be here, I am helping you people and this is how I get treated! But that is the absolute wrong attitude. They feel that God has called them here and they feel that they will be protected as well, I suppose. Carl was telling us that they got their puppy as a gift. Someone suggested they name him security, which they did. That way if thieves come they can yell "security".
I then came back and went to the beach. Traffic was so bad because of a market we passed that we only stayed an hour--there was no sun anyways. Back at the ship, I watched another documentary on Liberia. It was sad. This country has around an 85% unemployment rate (when the documentary was made a few years ago), which explains why there are sooo many people all over the streets in the middle of the day.
Last night was really great. The ship had a Ceilidh dance on the dock. Ceilidh is Scottish dancing. It is similar to square dancing, or folk dancing. Two of the Scottish crew members led everyone, and taught us how to do the dances. It was so much fun. One of the guys played a few songs on his bagpipes.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Lazy days off...
Yesterday, Friday, I went into town with Tammy from Canada and her supervisor from Arizona. We went to Brussels Airlines office to get Tammy's stay here extended so she could stay another month. Her supervisor has been here awhile. She informed us that the Nepal security men that guard the gangway (the way on and off the ship) know Kung-Fu. It is comforting to know that they aren't just little Nepalese men, they have skills!
I then went to the beach with 2 girls from the states, and 1 girl from Canada. We made a wrong turn near the beach and went down a road where there was new houses being put up. These were very nice, big cement block houses. They were similar to the new construction I have seen in the Florida Keys. Monrovia puzzles me. So much of the area I have seen is, well, "trashtastic" to use my sisters terminology. Other areas look like they are going to be beautiful. I would love to see what this place looks like in 10 years. From the little I have seen, this country has potential to be beautiful. It has palm trees, beautiful waterways, beaches, and lush green areas. However, there are so many poor people, poor healthcare, and destruction as a result of about 14 years of war.
Last night, I went with 4 others to a Lebanese restuarant called the Beirut restuarant. My bunkmate, Jenny from Sweden is leaving Sunday so it was a goodbye dinner for her. I am very sad that she will be leaving. Afterwards Jenny, Tammy, and I went for a walk on the ships dock. It had just rained and there was lighting far off in the sky. We couldn't stop laughing because whisps of our hair was standing straight up from the electricity, I quess.
I then went to the beach with 2 girls from the states, and 1 girl from Canada. We made a wrong turn near the beach and went down a road where there was new houses being put up. These were very nice, big cement block houses. They were similar to the new construction I have seen in the Florida Keys. Monrovia puzzles me. So much of the area I have seen is, well, "trashtastic" to use my sisters terminology. Other areas look like they are going to be beautiful. I would love to see what this place looks like in 10 years. From the little I have seen, this country has potential to be beautiful. It has palm trees, beautiful waterways, beaches, and lush green areas. However, there are so many poor people, poor healthcare, and destruction as a result of about 14 years of war.
Last night, I went with 4 others to a Lebanese restuarant called the Beirut restuarant. My bunkmate, Jenny from Sweden is leaving Sunday so it was a goodbye dinner for her. I am very sad that she will be leaving. Afterwards Jenny, Tammy, and I went for a walk on the ships dock. It had just rained and there was lighting far off in the sky. We couldn't stop laughing because whisps of our hair was standing straight up from the electricity, I quess.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
the blind receive sight, and the lame walk
Every other week the ship has a firedrill. Everyone on the ship has to go out on the dock and be accounted for. If you are a night shift worker you get a sign for your door excusing you from having to go out because it is smack in the middle of the day when you are sleeping. This was a very good drill. I now know that if there is a real fire on the ship the alarms and announcements will definitely wake me up in the middle of my sleep. Actually, I didn't mind being woken up because I just finished by 3rd night shift. I was working for six days in a row, and now I am off for 4 days!!
I really liked working the night shift. It was much less busy. When I came on shift last night, all the patients were watching a soccer game between Manchester and Chelsea England. A few crew members had come to watch with the patients as well. Everyone was riled up.
I was reminded last night of the verse in Matthew 11:5 "the blind receive sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them." Last night I had three patients, ages 8, 11, and 12 who are here for cataract surgery. The 11year old girl could only really see colors and had to be led around by her mother. I am so excited for her that she can have this surgery to restore her vision. It saddens me, however, because I am sure there are many more children in Liberia with this problem that aren't getting help. Many patients have leg wounds from old gunshot wounds or poor healing ulcers. Others have had broken bones that healed incorrectly. Through surgery and physical therapy they are being helped to walk again. "...the poor have the gospel preached to them."--Dennis (one of our translators) was telling the patients the gospel last night before bed, and he was singing with them, and praying with them. I am seeing wholistic care at this hospital. We use modern technology (not quit as modern as at home) and medicine to treat these patients, but we also pray for these patients to heal. One of the patients was praying the other night that God work through the medicine to help him heal.
On another note, my thoughts about Europeans was somewhat incorrect. They are not all tall and skinny just because of good genetics, good eating habits, and smoking lots of cigarettes. They actually work out really hard!!! I went to an aerobics class on Monday led by the crew Doctors wife. They are from Germany (Wolfgang and Andrea). Andrea is the nicest woman, but does she mean business! I have not sweated that much in a long time. Then Wednesday I went to aerobics again and this time it was a British video. My calfs were so sore from Mondays workout that I had a hard time keeping up with the "star jumps" (jumping jacks in american English). I laughed a few times at the British humor in the video, but I think the humor was actually corny, because the brits in the room weren't laughing with me. I think it was the accent and facial expressions that made it funny to me. I probably won't be able to make it to an aerobics class for another week or two which is ok because I need some recovery time.
I have been here for 2 weeks now. Things are good. I am learning so much and am thankful for this experience.
I really liked working the night shift. It was much less busy. When I came on shift last night, all the patients were watching a soccer game between Manchester and Chelsea England. A few crew members had come to watch with the patients as well. Everyone was riled up.
I was reminded last night of the verse in Matthew 11:5 "the blind receive sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them." Last night I had three patients, ages 8, 11, and 12 who are here for cataract surgery. The 11year old girl could only really see colors and had to be led around by her mother. I am so excited for her that she can have this surgery to restore her vision. It saddens me, however, because I am sure there are many more children in Liberia with this problem that aren't getting help. Many patients have leg wounds from old gunshot wounds or poor healing ulcers. Others have had broken bones that healed incorrectly. Through surgery and physical therapy they are being helped to walk again. "...the poor have the gospel preached to them."--Dennis (one of our translators) was telling the patients the gospel last night before bed, and he was singing with them, and praying with them. I am seeing wholistic care at this hospital. We use modern technology (not quit as modern as at home) and medicine to treat these patients, but we also pray for these patients to heal. One of the patients was praying the other night that God work through the medicine to help him heal.
On another note, my thoughts about Europeans was somewhat incorrect. They are not all tall and skinny just because of good genetics, good eating habits, and smoking lots of cigarettes. They actually work out really hard!!! I went to an aerobics class on Monday led by the crew Doctors wife. They are from Germany (Wolfgang and Andrea). Andrea is the nicest woman, but does she mean business! I have not sweated that much in a long time. Then Wednesday I went to aerobics again and this time it was a British video. My calfs were so sore from Mondays workout that I had a hard time keeping up with the "star jumps" (jumping jacks in american English). I laughed a few times at the British humor in the video, but I think the humor was actually corny, because the brits in the room weren't laughing with me. I think it was the accent and facial expressions that made it funny to me. I probably won't be able to make it to an aerobics class for another week or two which is ok because I need some recovery time.
I have been here for 2 weeks now. Things are good. I am learning so much and am thankful for this experience.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Night shift
This is my first overnight shift here. Angelica and Luz, my favorite Friday night nurses back home would be very proud of me because it is almost 2am and I am almost done with my charting. I have 9 patients, but it is manageable because the paperwork is not extreme.
The patient that usually prays for everyone before going to bed was discharged home yesterday. I overheard the patients discussing that someone should take over the praying for him. A 35year old lady started singing a song, then she prayed for the ward, the nurses, etc. It was really nice.
Unfortunately, the patient bathrooms here have a large step up to get into them. I have a 65year old woman who had her femur (the thigh bone) fixed. She had been walking on it for 12 years with it broken. It is not easy to get her up into the bathroom, but she does it! She walks pretty fast with her walker (they call walkers "frames" here). I am amazed at how these patients get around with their crutches. They are very strong people!
I was told it is perfectly acceptable to raid the kitchen during the night for cereal, etc. So I took my turn up to deck 5 to the cafeteria and grabbed some frosted flakes and more coffee. Night shift is from 9:30 to 7:00am. I think I am going to like this shift. Bye for now...
The patient that usually prays for everyone before going to bed was discharged home yesterday. I overheard the patients discussing that someone should take over the praying for him. A 35year old lady started singing a song, then she prayed for the ward, the nurses, etc. It was really nice.
Unfortunately, the patient bathrooms here have a large step up to get into them. I have a 65year old woman who had her femur (the thigh bone) fixed. She had been walking on it for 12 years with it broken. It is not easy to get her up into the bathroom, but she does it! She walks pretty fast with her walker (they call walkers "frames" here). I am amazed at how these patients get around with their crutches. They are very strong people!
I was told it is perfectly acceptable to raid the kitchen during the night for cereal, etc. So I took my turn up to deck 5 to the cafeteria and grabbed some frosted flakes and more coffee. Night shift is from 9:30 to 7:00am. I think I am going to like this shift. Bye for now...
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Top Gun...continued...
Yes you guessed it, Top Gun was playing on the big screen here last night. It was almost 11 o'clock when I realized however so I watched just two minutes of the last fight scene... "Talk to me Goose"..."Maverick's re-engaging sir"...and then went to bed.
Very cloudy Sunday
Hi everyone! I just read all of your comments and they were funny, inspiring, encouraging, etc. Thanks for thinking of me! It has been a busy few days. I think I am going to really like working here once I get the hang of it. Work on Friday PM went very well as they gave me all adults. Things at this hospital are interesting. At home it is very common for the orthopaedic doctors to order xrays after surgery to make sure things are aligned. To do them can be a challenge here. Most of the patients can get up on crutches but 2 couldn't. The cart doesn't fit through the door of the xray room so we had to but these people on a stretcher type thing and carry them in. (We found men to carry them back to bed because we decided it wasn't worth hurting our backs). Saturday I did a 12hr shift. Everyday at about 2:30 we get all the patients that are allowed out of bed and bring them up to the 7th deck of the ship so that they can be outside looking at the water. A lady who had surgery on her left arm was very afraid up there. She made me move her chair away from the balcony rail and sit with her and hold her hand. I don't think she had ever been that high before. One of the nurses was explaining to me that a lot of things here are foreign to these people. In the patient bathrooms they actually have pictures of how to use the toilets because in some areas I think they are used to using squatty potties.
There are 4 wards and an ICU on the ship. There are about 20 beds on each ward, split by a wall with 10 beds on each side. We only have about 2 and a half wards open at the moment. We mix all the men, women, and children together. Today I had a bunch of 19-30year olds all on crutches. It was funny to watch them carry their toothbrushes in their mouths and hobble on over to the bathroom to get washed up. Their is a boy about 13 years old who is the comic relief on the ward. He is trying to learn Dutch from all the Dutch nurses. He wants me to take him to Chicago in my suitcase. I told him since he is only 36kg that yes I can pack him.
We took most of the patients into B ward this morning and they had a church service. It was AMAZING! They sang, and then 3 of the patients gave their stories. It was so good to hear their side of the experience on Mercy Ships. They are so thankful to God and they give Him the glory for being able to come here and get help. One of the men that shared his story was my patient the night before. Every night before bed, and every morning when he wakes up, he reads a passage from his bible loud enough for the rest of the ward to hear. Then he prays for those going to surgery and those that came back from surgery. He prays for the patients, the nurses, wisdom for the doctors, families at home, and continued healing for all the wounds. It is really touching because he prayed for the 3 nurses by name. They all make it a point to learn our names.
I was feeling like I had a pretty good day until it was time to hand off to the next shift, and then I felt like I didn't have things together. I left feeling pretty bad. Difficult to explain, but I need to not be so hard on myself. So after a handful of chocolate and a quick walk outside, everything was fine again. I should take the patient's advice "Don't let the devil put negative thoughts in your head!" During the sermon this morning the pastor (who is from some island off the coast of Denmark) talked about how following God can be a sacrifice--leaving home, family, etc. But all we have to do is be willing. He said often we feel that we don't have the capabilities to do certain jobs or tasks in life, but all God wants is a willing heart. If we are willing to do or go where God wants, He will equipe us to do the job He wants us to do to further his kingdom. I am so fortunate to be able to hear all of these great sermons, but my issue is I have to learn to believe that God means these things for me as much as He does for others. I tend to forget to lean on Him when times get stressful. Instead I freak out a little (inside of course as we all know I am good at internalizing things). This is something I am going to try to work on while I am here. I am not superwoman and I need to accept and ask for help when needed.
P.S. I must pay special recognition to Mr. Wayne Thomsen for his debut to the computer world. I was very impressed he used a computer for the 1st time to leave me a comment on my blog. Congratulations to you sir. (Don't quit your day job, you tile much better than you type).
P.P.S. One of the orthopaedic doctors that was here for the past two weeks has spinal stenosis like my dad. He said when he goes home one of his partners is going to do surgery on him. But he flew all the way here from the states to do surgery on these people. So Dad you should come out here because you would love walking the dock and exploring the ship and hanging with the Dutch folk. There are many Dutch on here and they almost allowed me into their click because apparently I look like I come from Holland. One of my Dutch roommates and another nurse said a few people were wondering if maybe I was Dutch or had parents from Holland. There is something in my face they say.
There are 4 wards and an ICU on the ship. There are about 20 beds on each ward, split by a wall with 10 beds on each side. We only have about 2 and a half wards open at the moment. We mix all the men, women, and children together. Today I had a bunch of 19-30year olds all on crutches. It was funny to watch them carry their toothbrushes in their mouths and hobble on over to the bathroom to get washed up. Their is a boy about 13 years old who is the comic relief on the ward. He is trying to learn Dutch from all the Dutch nurses. He wants me to take him to Chicago in my suitcase. I told him since he is only 36kg that yes I can pack him.
We took most of the patients into B ward this morning and they had a church service. It was AMAZING! They sang, and then 3 of the patients gave their stories. It was so good to hear their side of the experience on Mercy Ships. They are so thankful to God and they give Him the glory for being able to come here and get help. One of the men that shared his story was my patient the night before. Every night before bed, and every morning when he wakes up, he reads a passage from his bible loud enough for the rest of the ward to hear. Then he prays for those going to surgery and those that came back from surgery. He prays for the patients, the nurses, wisdom for the doctors, families at home, and continued healing for all the wounds. It is really touching because he prayed for the 3 nurses by name. They all make it a point to learn our names.
I was feeling like I had a pretty good day until it was time to hand off to the next shift, and then I felt like I didn't have things together. I left feeling pretty bad. Difficult to explain, but I need to not be so hard on myself. So after a handful of chocolate and a quick walk outside, everything was fine again. I should take the patient's advice "Don't let the devil put negative thoughts in your head!" During the sermon this morning the pastor (who is from some island off the coast of Denmark) talked about how following God can be a sacrifice--leaving home, family, etc. But all we have to do is be willing. He said often we feel that we don't have the capabilities to do certain jobs or tasks in life, but all God wants is a willing heart. If we are willing to do or go where God wants, He will equipe us to do the job He wants us to do to further his kingdom. I am so fortunate to be able to hear all of these great sermons, but my issue is I have to learn to believe that God means these things for me as much as He does for others. I tend to forget to lean on Him when times get stressful. Instead I freak out a little (inside of course as we all know I am good at internalizing things). This is something I am going to try to work on while I am here. I am not superwoman and I need to accept and ask for help when needed.
P.S. I must pay special recognition to Mr. Wayne Thomsen for his debut to the computer world. I was very impressed he used a computer for the 1st time to leave me a comment on my blog. Congratulations to you sir. (Don't quit your day job, you tile much better than you type).
P.P.S. One of the orthopaedic doctors that was here for the past two weeks has spinal stenosis like my dad. He said when he goes home one of his partners is going to do surgery on him. But he flew all the way here from the states to do surgery on these people. So Dad you should come out here because you would love walking the dock and exploring the ship and hanging with the Dutch folk. There are many Dutch on here and they almost allowed me into their click because apparently I look like I come from Holland. One of my Dutch roommates and another nurse said a few people were wondering if maybe I was Dutch or had parents from Holland. There is something in my face they say.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Top Gun
Unfortunately I am one of those people who has good intentions to read my bible, but don't read it nearly as frequently as I should. Since I had the day off though, I went out on the dock to read from the bible book "My Time With God" that Amy gave me. A Norwegian nurse named Esther came and sat next to me and after chatting a bit, she said "ok no more talking I need to do my quite time"(for those of you who don't know a lot of Christians refer to quite time as time they spend with God, reading the bible praying etc.) So after about 20mins, she invited me on a walk to a store with her and another Norwegian girl named Christine. Turns out Christine's parents were missionaries and she lived in Madagascar for about 7years growing up. Esther is here for I think 5 months maybe? But she also was in Thailand after the tsunami for 2 months with YWAM and was in Ecuador for 2 months while she was in nursing school. I am amazed when I meet people and hear what they've done.
Thursday nights are the group service (like a church service) in the international lounge. We had an amazing speaker from England named Phil. He spoke on how many say salvation is free for everyone, but being a follower of Jesus can be a big sacrifice. He talked about how people in history have had to watch their families suffer and die because they were unwilling to deny Christ. He talked about when he and his wife first came on Mercy Ships he felt like it was a big sacrifice, but for him, it really isn't. We have beds, air conditioning, and frapaccinos. He went on to say how it was difficult for Jesus as well. Jesus, who paid the ultimate sacrifice--who died on the cross for our sins so that we could have eternal life with God. The pastor spoke on Matthew 26:39 "...Jesus fell to the ground and prayed,"My Father, if it is possible, do not give me this cup of suffering. But do what you want, not what I want." WOULD YOU BELIEVE THAT THAT WAS THE EXACT PASSAGE I READ ON THE DOCK THAT DAY!! Me who neglects to read my bible like I should happens upon the exact passage. But that is God for me. I have never been one of those persons who "hears God speak" or anything, but He tends to give me those little signs like here I am, I see you, I care about you, etc. It is amazing how God cares about each and every individual in ways that are personal to us. I am in aww.
Now if you are not familiar with Top Gun--my favorite movie as a teenager--this might be lost on you. Thursday evening after dinner was volleyball. I was up near the net, and someone turned on some music during our last game, and it was "Danger Zone"(highway to the danger zone) by Kenny Logins, which is a Top Gun anthem of sorts. And although it is not the song that plays during the volleyball game in the movie, it still cracked me up because there I am playing volleyball in a reddish type dirt that looked like sand, on a UN military base next to the ship, with the sun setting in the backround. The only thing missing was the topless navy guys.
One week down and I have learned so much already and I have barely started working. I am working PM shift today and 12 hour days over the weekend, so keep me in your prayers. Hope all is well at home. I think about all of you often! Love you!
Thursday nights are the group service (like a church service) in the international lounge. We had an amazing speaker from England named Phil. He spoke on how many say salvation is free for everyone, but being a follower of Jesus can be a big sacrifice. He talked about how people in history have had to watch their families suffer and die because they were unwilling to deny Christ. He talked about when he and his wife first came on Mercy Ships he felt like it was a big sacrifice, but for him, it really isn't. We have beds, air conditioning, and frapaccinos. He went on to say how it was difficult for Jesus as well. Jesus, who paid the ultimate sacrifice--who died on the cross for our sins so that we could have eternal life with God. The pastor spoke on Matthew 26:39 "...Jesus fell to the ground and prayed,"My Father, if it is possible, do not give me this cup of suffering. But do what you want, not what I want." WOULD YOU BELIEVE THAT THAT WAS THE EXACT PASSAGE I READ ON THE DOCK THAT DAY!! Me who neglects to read my bible like I should happens upon the exact passage. But that is God for me. I have never been one of those persons who "hears God speak" or anything, but He tends to give me those little signs like here I am, I see you, I care about you, etc. It is amazing how God cares about each and every individual in ways that are personal to us. I am in aww.
Now if you are not familiar with Top Gun--my favorite movie as a teenager--this might be lost on you. Thursday evening after dinner was volleyball. I was up near the net, and someone turned on some music during our last game, and it was "Danger Zone"(highway to the danger zone) by Kenny Logins, which is a Top Gun anthem of sorts. And although it is not the song that plays during the volleyball game in the movie, it still cracked me up because there I am playing volleyball in a reddish type dirt that looked like sand, on a UN military base next to the ship, with the sun setting in the backround. The only thing missing was the topless navy guys.
One week down and I have learned so much already and I have barely started working. I am working PM shift today and 12 hour days over the weekend, so keep me in your prayers. Hope all is well at home. I think about all of you often! Love you!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
It's raining today
I was supposed to work this morning, but got cancelled which is a good thing, because I had a hard time sleeping. I got up for breakfast, then took a nap. Last night they had aerobics for 45 minutes in the international lounge. It was Billy Blanks Tae Boe on the big screen! It was very very difficult. I think I worked off the nestle crunch bar I ate that day. Not much going on today, but I just remembered some things to share from the other days...
On Saturday night they showed a film on the war in Liberia. Boy was I ignorant. I really knew nothing about the war at all or that it was very recent. I believe it was going on until 2003. It is still not stable here they say. But it is much better. There are UN vehicles everywhere. I have not talked with liberians on a person level as of yet because I haven't worked much, but I hear that they do share there stories of how the war has affected their lives.
On Tuesday I had a 4 year old boy that I was sending to surgery for a lesion on his eyelid. His left eyelid was almost shut, and the underlying tissue was all red and terrible looking. The doctors made their rounds in the morning and I was supposed to send him off, and then they cancelled the surgery because they wanted to clear up infection first. As soon as the doctors walked away, the mom started crying and the little boy just lay there with this sad look on his face watching her. She was devasted because she thought she was coming here to fix her son's eye, and now we were sending her home. I almost cried too because I felt sooo bad for her. I have a four year old nephew, and I can't imagine seeing him in that condition. We have translators and disciplers from liberia on the ward at all times, and one of the disciplers started encouraging her and quoting scripture and telling her that this is just the beginning and God has a plan and he will take care of them, etc. I was blown away at how God just spoke through this discipler. I had to send the little boy home on eye ointment and oral antibiotics and that was a challenge. The pharmacy had coated tablets that were kind of hard to crush, or liquid. The liquid had to be refridgerated and be refilled in 10 days. The little boy lived far and they only had access to a small cooler type thing so it was not practicle to trust it would stay refridgerated or that the mom could make it back in 10 days. We had to go the route of tablets, so I taught the mom how to peel off the coating and break it up.(the pharmacist assured me that is was ok to break up this antibiotic.) It is the little things you have to think about. I would not have thought about them not having a refridgerator. He is scheduled to come back for follow up at the end of June.
On Saturday night they showed a film on the war in Liberia. Boy was I ignorant. I really knew nothing about the war at all or that it was very recent. I believe it was going on until 2003. It is still not stable here they say. But it is much better. There are UN vehicles everywhere. I have not talked with liberians on a person level as of yet because I haven't worked much, but I hear that they do share there stories of how the war has affected their lives.
On Tuesday I had a 4 year old boy that I was sending to surgery for a lesion on his eyelid. His left eyelid was almost shut, and the underlying tissue was all red and terrible looking. The doctors made their rounds in the morning and I was supposed to send him off, and then they cancelled the surgery because they wanted to clear up infection first. As soon as the doctors walked away, the mom started crying and the little boy just lay there with this sad look on his face watching her. She was devasted because she thought she was coming here to fix her son's eye, and now we were sending her home. I almost cried too because I felt sooo bad for her. I have a four year old nephew, and I can't imagine seeing him in that condition. We have translators and disciplers from liberia on the ward at all times, and one of the disciplers started encouraging her and quoting scripture and telling her that this is just the beginning and God has a plan and he will take care of them, etc. I was blown away at how God just spoke through this discipler. I had to send the little boy home on eye ointment and oral antibiotics and that was a challenge. The pharmacy had coated tablets that were kind of hard to crush, or liquid. The liquid had to be refridgerated and be refilled in 10 days. The little boy lived far and they only had access to a small cooler type thing so it was not practicle to trust it would stay refridgerated or that the mom could make it back in 10 days. We had to go the route of tablets, so I taught the mom how to peel off the coating and break it up.(the pharmacist assured me that is was ok to break up this antibiotic.) It is the little things you have to think about. I would not have thought about them not having a refridgerator. He is scheduled to come back for follow up at the end of June.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
God is good, even in the little things
Thank you for the comments, I just read them and they were encouraging and funny. To answer jin sheen's question, I have not been taking pictures because they don't allow them in the ward, and they didn't allow them at the orphanage. Unfortunately the battery died on the camera I borrowed from my sister. The converter they sell here has a border on it that doesn't allow me to plug in the square box plug that the camera came with. I went to the IT department and they showed me how to plug it into the computer to charge (I think you all know I don't know what I am doing with computers and cameras etc). Anyway, the camera won't charge using the computer. There was a girl that goes to Wheaton college in Illinois sitting near me so I asked her if she knew anything about it, and she said she had a canon as well and she has to plug hers in, it doesn't work using the computer either. So just when I thought I was out of luck, a man behind us said he has a canon and went and got his charger so I could charge the battery. So thank you God for coming through on the little things. I will tell you however, I don't know how often I will find someone who will help me recharge so pictures may not be pleantiful. Plus I don't know how to get them onto the computer anyway.
To answer Matt's question there are probably just as many guys as girls but most of the nurses and people I have met are girls. I did stop at the security office for something today and met the head of security whose name was Lars.
Last night Tammy who works in housekeeping invited me with her and 4 others to go for ice cream. We went in a Mercy Ships vehicle to an Italian restuarant called Monaliza (yes it was spelled with a z). We had really good gelato and some pizza that tasted typical american. They insisted on paying for us even though it was one of the girls birthday. The four people we were with were from Ghana, and one of the guys was telling us that when he first got here his roomate who was white invited him out to dinner. He said when the check came, he noticed multiple people paying and he didn't unsterstand why. Then he realized that they were waiting for him to pay so he finally put his money in. He said he was angry and thought, that is the last time I go out to eat with these white people. See, in the Ghana culture whoever invites you out to eat pays. Now that he knows in a lot of other cultures this isn't the case, he can laugh it off. It's funny though, in the states when pay our own way we call it going dutch. In Sweden they call it going German.
To answer Heidi G.'s question, the food is ok. Some is really good, like the lamb, and hummus. The rice etc. I might get sick of soon. I will never go hungry however because they always have bread and NUTELLA!!! I think everyone knows what nutella is, but in case you don't, it is a chocolate hazelnut spread that is popular in Europe.
I also just found out I don't have to work tomorrow. They canceled me because we were overstaffed for the day. It's funny, I have only worked one shift alone so far. I was scheduled for 7 in a row though, so now it will only be six. So thats fine, I will just go with the flow.
Tonight I have a meeting about tropical diseases. That may be interesting. Thanks again for all the support and for praying for me. Sorry these are so long, I think I get carried away a little. I hope it's not boring.
To answer Matt's question there are probably just as many guys as girls but most of the nurses and people I have met are girls. I did stop at the security office for something today and met the head of security whose name was Lars.
Last night Tammy who works in housekeeping invited me with her and 4 others to go for ice cream. We went in a Mercy Ships vehicle to an Italian restuarant called Monaliza (yes it was spelled with a z). We had really good gelato and some pizza that tasted typical american. They insisted on paying for us even though it was one of the girls birthday. The four people we were with were from Ghana, and one of the guys was telling us that when he first got here his roomate who was white invited him out to dinner. He said when the check came, he noticed multiple people paying and he didn't unsterstand why. Then he realized that they were waiting for him to pay so he finally put his money in. He said he was angry and thought, that is the last time I go out to eat with these white people. See, in the Ghana culture whoever invites you out to eat pays. Now that he knows in a lot of other cultures this isn't the case, he can laugh it off. It's funny though, in the states when pay our own way we call it going dutch. In Sweden they call it going German.
To answer Heidi G.'s question, the food is ok. Some is really good, like the lamb, and hummus. The rice etc. I might get sick of soon. I will never go hungry however because they always have bread and NUTELLA!!! I think everyone knows what nutella is, but in case you don't, it is a chocolate hazelnut spread that is popular in Europe.
I also just found out I don't have to work tomorrow. They canceled me because we were overstaffed for the day. It's funny, I have only worked one shift alone so far. I was scheduled for 7 in a row though, so now it will only be six. So thats fine, I will just go with the flow.
Tonight I have a meeting about tropical diseases. That may be interesting. Thanks again for all the support and for praying for me. Sorry these are so long, I think I get carried away a little. I hope it's not boring.
still adjusting...
I met a nurse from England that jokingly said, oh I always wanted to go to Chicago and to see if I could run into George Clooney. I was very confused by this as I didn't get the connection of George Clooney to Chicago. She quickly filled me in that it had to do with the TV show ER. Which explains why the other day when I told somebody I was from the Chicago area, they said oh Cook County? I had to clarify that yes I live in Cook County, but I am not a nurse at the very famous Cook County Hospital.
Yesterday was my 1st day off of orientation, and it was pretty hard for me. It was busy, but even others said it was busy, so I am hopefull that it doesn't get much busier than that. It is the unfamiliarity of taking care of pediatric patients, combined with extensive dressing changes on wounds. I am learning some interesting new things. One of the patients has staph growing in her wound so she is on antibiotics, but we are also changing her dressings and soaking her wounds with 1/3 vinegar and 2/3rds saline for 10minutes because vinegar helps kill staph. I've never done that before. The other day, when changing a little girls dressing, the nurse spread honey over the open areas. Bacteria like to eat honey, so by putting honey on the wound, the bacteria will come to the surface. How cool is that! After work I walked out on the dock for 10 minutes to cool off (in the extreme heat and humidity) and decided I need to quit freaking out, calm down and accept help when it is offered to me. One of the nurses at lunch told me she just does the best she can. Pray for me that I do the best I can, and that I don't make mistakes that can harm anyone. Well, I gotta go check on my laundry, I will add more later today...
Yesterday was my 1st day off of orientation, and it was pretty hard for me. It was busy, but even others said it was busy, so I am hopefull that it doesn't get much busier than that. It is the unfamiliarity of taking care of pediatric patients, combined with extensive dressing changes on wounds. I am learning some interesting new things. One of the patients has staph growing in her wound so she is on antibiotics, but we are also changing her dressings and soaking her wounds with 1/3 vinegar and 2/3rds saline for 10minutes because vinegar helps kill staph. I've never done that before. The other day, when changing a little girls dressing, the nurse spread honey over the open areas. Bacteria like to eat honey, so by putting honey on the wound, the bacteria will come to the surface. How cool is that! After work I walked out on the dock for 10 minutes to cool off (in the extreme heat and humidity) and decided I need to quit freaking out, calm down and accept help when it is offered to me. One of the nurses at lunch told me she just does the best she can. Pray for me that I do the best I can, and that I don't make mistakes that can harm anyone. Well, I gotta go check on my laundry, I will add more later today...
Monday, May 12, 2008
Monday night orientation...
Every Monday night is general ship orientation and safety meetings. There are always more and more people coming on board each week as well as people leaving. As I am typing this the Hollanders are speaking dutch to my right, and there is German being spoken behind me. Sunday I went to a church with a group of us from the ship. We were invited by one of the Liberian workers on the ship. They sat us in the 1st two rows. I was front and center, just even with the large picture of Jesus with his arms spread wide, with the caption "Come unto me". The message was about the Holy Spirit (it was pentecost holiday weekend here). It was good to see that message and think about the verse "Come unto me, all you that are weak and heavy laden..." Not that I am weak and heavy laden, but if I become so, I know who to call upon. This church was very lively with dancing and clapping hands. Something I have seen before, but am uncomfortable with. I figured being front and center I could either dance with them and look stupid, or not dance and look stupid. I chose to dance a little, and I think that was the right decision because I blended in. Not that anyone would have noticed anyways, they were busy worshipping God. It was kind of liberating I must admit, with the drum beat the way it was. They offered us drinks afterwards. It was a non-alcohol malt made by Guiness!! It tasted...well...not so good. But it was worth a taste.
We then went to the beach. There were a lot of other people from the ship there. It felt great, the water was really warm, and I wore plenty of sunblock.
Last night I watched the last half of Die Hard. I had actually never saw any of the Die Hard movies, so it was kind a fun. They showed it on a really big wall in a room just outside my cabin. It was a lot of fun. Let me clarify however, it was not shown by Mercy Ships, it was shown by some crew.
I really do appreciate what Mercy Ships stands for, they are a really unique organization. Today I had my second day of orientation on the day shift. It was a busy day. We had 3 major dressing changes on wounds. One of these was so interesting, but it would take a page to explain so I will skip it. I actually drew blood on a patient today for typhoid, and it came back postive. Thank you Lord for immunizations (I was immunized for that). It is a fairly busy ward, but I think things will be good, because everyone is helpful. Tomorrow is my 1st shift by myself so pray for me! Thank you.
I'm going to say bye for now, because I was just invited to play cards with Jenny from Sweden, Jodi from Michigan, and Tammy from Canada.
We then went to the beach. There were a lot of other people from the ship there. It felt great, the water was really warm, and I wore plenty of sunblock.
Last night I watched the last half of Die Hard. I had actually never saw any of the Die Hard movies, so it was kind a fun. They showed it on a really big wall in a room just outside my cabin. It was a lot of fun. Let me clarify however, it was not shown by Mercy Ships, it was shown by some crew.
I really do appreciate what Mercy Ships stands for, they are a really unique organization. Today I had my second day of orientation on the day shift. It was a busy day. We had 3 major dressing changes on wounds. One of these was so interesting, but it would take a page to explain so I will skip it. I actually drew blood on a patient today for typhoid, and it came back postive. Thank you Lord for immunizations (I was immunized for that). It is a fairly busy ward, but I think things will be good, because everyone is helpful. Tomorrow is my 1st shift by myself so pray for me! Thank you.
I'm going to say bye for now, because I was just invited to play cards with Jenny from Sweden, Jodi from Michigan, and Tammy from Canada.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
It will take time to adjust
Last evening was my 1st shift on the ward for orientation. I was sooo scared that I sat in the common area on the ship, looking out the window, contemplating what I was doing here. What if it wasn't God calling me here, and I just came because I wanted to. I felt very unsettled. Then I reallized I was just freaking out and not having faith. God helps me through work at
home, why would it be any different here. He wants his people here well taken care of, so why wouldn't He help me? I went down on the ward, and the 1st person I saw walking down the hallway, was a boy about 14 years old. He had the biggest smile on his face despite the large bandage rapped around his head and his swollen right eye lid and puffy right side of his face. Apparently he had a facial tumor or disfigurement that was now fixed. He was walking around, mirror in hand, checking himself out from time to time, and just smiling! He was filled with so much joy that I thanked God right there for allowing me to be a part of something that can bring this much joy to another human being. I have such respect for the doctors and nurses that work here and do such great things for these people.
Ashley from Canada oriented me. We got report from Laura from the UK and Wilma from Holland. Our patients consisted of 4 children under the age of 2 with either cleft palate, or cleft lip repairs, a 34 year old with surgery on her neck, and a 50 year old man who had a large bony mass removed from his chin area. I fed him 3 times through his NG tube with ensure that was over a year expired. They take what they can get I guess when it comes to supplies. I recognize most of the medications, but we have to be careful because some of them are in other languages. They use a lot of Tylenol here which is labled Paracetamol.
All of the moms stay with the babies, which is good because they feed and change them, which is helpful. This was my 1st time taking care of babies and it was a bit scary. Ashley said sometimes she feels like all she does is make babies cry. We are either taking their vital signs, or shoving medicine in their mouths, and they look at us like GET AWAY you mean ladies!
Today I went to an orphanage. I think it was called God's Children's Home. It was in walking distance. Our leader was a girl from South Africa. She had a lesson planned for the kids which taught about different countries and there cultures and how we are all different, but all the same inside. We sang with the kids, had a lesson, then went out and played with them. I twirled the jump rope almost the whole time (I will admit I did jump a little as well). The girl from South Africa and her husband are working on a project to build a village type setting orphanage where there will be different huts to separate the orphans in groups of about 10 with separate "parents", so it will be more like a family situation.
On the walk home I walked with Becky a nurse from Boston in her 40's, and a German nurse. Becky said "wow that was hard for me". In my head, I was thinking yah it was, I am sooo hot that I'm dripping sweat, I feel filthy, and I am thirsty and can't decide whether or not to drink out of my water bottle that several of the kids were playing with like a toy... Then Becky starts talking about wether or not they get enough to eat, and I felt very shameful. Here I am, concerned with my own comforts and her heart goes straight to the kids. I think God has a lot to teach me while I am here. It is a little wierd to be able to go back to an airconditioned boat after being in the poor/hot area. I think it is what keeps people adding months or years to there time here. There is definetely a comfort and security on the boat. Although, Jenny my bunk mate noticied a very small leak in our ceiling this morning...(no worries she notified someone). Hope all is well with everyone back home.
Please continue to pray for me! It means the world to me that people are praying for me for things I wouldn't even think of. I think about you all as well and am praying for you. (I actually have a little extra time for contemplation than I do at home). Bye for now.
home, why would it be any different here. He wants his people here well taken care of, so why wouldn't He help me? I went down on the ward, and the 1st person I saw walking down the hallway, was a boy about 14 years old. He had the biggest smile on his face despite the large bandage rapped around his head and his swollen right eye lid and puffy right side of his face. Apparently he had a facial tumor or disfigurement that was now fixed. He was walking around, mirror in hand, checking himself out from time to time, and just smiling! He was filled with so much joy that I thanked God right there for allowing me to be a part of something that can bring this much joy to another human being. I have such respect for the doctors and nurses that work here and do such great things for these people.
Ashley from Canada oriented me. We got report from Laura from the UK and Wilma from Holland. Our patients consisted of 4 children under the age of 2 with either cleft palate, or cleft lip repairs, a 34 year old with surgery on her neck, and a 50 year old man who had a large bony mass removed from his chin area. I fed him 3 times through his NG tube with ensure that was over a year expired. They take what they can get I guess when it comes to supplies. I recognize most of the medications, but we have to be careful because some of them are in other languages. They use a lot of Tylenol here which is labled Paracetamol.
All of the moms stay with the babies, which is good because they feed and change them, which is helpful. This was my 1st time taking care of babies and it was a bit scary. Ashley said sometimes she feels like all she does is make babies cry. We are either taking their vital signs, or shoving medicine in their mouths, and they look at us like GET AWAY you mean ladies!
Today I went to an orphanage. I think it was called God's Children's Home. It was in walking distance. Our leader was a girl from South Africa. She had a lesson planned for the kids which taught about different countries and there cultures and how we are all different, but all the same inside. We sang with the kids, had a lesson, then went out and played with them. I twirled the jump rope almost the whole time (I will admit I did jump a little as well). The girl from South Africa and her husband are working on a project to build a village type setting orphanage where there will be different huts to separate the orphans in groups of about 10 with separate "parents", so it will be more like a family situation.
On the walk home I walked with Becky a nurse from Boston in her 40's, and a German nurse. Becky said "wow that was hard for me". In my head, I was thinking yah it was, I am sooo hot that I'm dripping sweat, I feel filthy, and I am thirsty and can't decide whether or not to drink out of my water bottle that several of the kids were playing with like a toy... Then Becky starts talking about wether or not they get enough to eat, and I felt very shameful. Here I am, concerned with my own comforts and her heart goes straight to the kids. I think God has a lot to teach me while I am here. It is a little wierd to be able to go back to an airconditioned boat after being in the poor/hot area. I think it is what keeps people adding months or years to there time here. There is definetely a comfort and security on the boat. Although, Jenny my bunk mate noticied a very small leak in our ceiling this morning...(no worries she notified someone). Hope all is well with everyone back home.
Please continue to pray for me! It means the world to me that people are praying for me for things I wouldn't even think of. I think about you all as well and am praying for you. (I actually have a little extra time for contemplation than I do at home). Bye for now.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
I'm here!
Well, I have finally arrived. I'm having a little trouble typing this because although it is a Dell keyboard, it is European I believe, because I keep hitting the wrong key for shift, return, etc. Plus the computer is slow and I had a hard time getting on to the internet so I may not blog all the time. We shall see.
When I arrived last night, they fed the four of us that arrived together, took our picture for our name tag, and showed us to our rooms. I am sharing a room with 5 other girls. There are 3 bunk beds and I get one of the top ones. Yeah for me!! I'm getting the dormlife I never had since I commuted to college. I have only met two of my roommates so far. After I unpacked (I definetaly think I brought too much), Jenny, an OR nurse from Sweden came in and invited me for tea. She looks just like my aunt Bonnie. We chatted for a short time. She is here for 3 weeks to work with the ortho team. Went to bed by 10pm. It was an interesting morning. we have 3 separate curtains that cover the sections in our room to let the others know you are sleeping. The girls were so quiet and effeciant when they were leaving the room. For me, last night, just taking a shower was an ordeal because I kept forgetting to bring things into the bathroom. I need to get organized and get a routine down.
At 10am I met with the ward supervisor for a brief orientation of the ward. I am definetaly nervous to say the least about working here. Pray for me that I learn quickly and that it is not as hard as it looks. All the paperwork etc. is different so it will just take getting used to.
I have at least 2 meetings tonight to attend, one of which will be a ship tour. I feel like I am wandering aimlessly because I don't know what to do till my 6pm meeting. A nightshift worker is sleeping in the room so I don't want to go back to get my paperwork because my loud unorganized self would probably wake her up. I will get a system down soon. Tomorrow I have orientation on the PM shift.
Well bye for now. Hope all is well at home.
When I arrived last night, they fed the four of us that arrived together, took our picture for our name tag, and showed us to our rooms. I am sharing a room with 5 other girls. There are 3 bunk beds and I get one of the top ones. Yeah for me!! I'm getting the dormlife I never had since I commuted to college. I have only met two of my roommates so far. After I unpacked (I definetaly think I brought too much), Jenny, an OR nurse from Sweden came in and invited me for tea. She looks just like my aunt Bonnie. We chatted for a short time. She is here for 3 weeks to work with the ortho team. Went to bed by 10pm. It was an interesting morning. we have 3 separate curtains that cover the sections in our room to let the others know you are sleeping. The girls were so quiet and effeciant when they were leaving the room. For me, last night, just taking a shower was an ordeal because I kept forgetting to bring things into the bathroom. I need to get organized and get a routine down.
At 10am I met with the ward supervisor for a brief orientation of the ward. I am definetaly nervous to say the least about working here. Pray for me that I learn quickly and that it is not as hard as it looks. All the paperwork etc. is different so it will just take getting used to.
I have at least 2 meetings tonight to attend, one of which will be a ship tour. I feel like I am wandering aimlessly because I don't know what to do till my 6pm meeting. A nightshift worker is sleeping in the room so I don't want to go back to get my paperwork because my loud unorganized self would probably wake her up. I will get a system down soon. Tomorrow I have orientation on the PM shift.
Well bye for now. Hope all is well at home.
Monday, May 5, 2008
I'm Leaving for Africa!
Greetings friends and family. I have created this blog to keep you up to date while I am on the Africa Mercy Ship that is docked on the west coast of Liberia. My friend Chris suggested I keep a blog and I think it is a great idea because I am not very computer savvy and it will help me tremendously to give out this web address to keep people up to date instead of emailing everyone. If I had to email all of you, your likely not to hear from me much.
I feel so blessed to be going on this trip. I am volunteering on the Africa Mercy as a ward nurse for 8 weeks. At first I thought that was a long time. Now after researching it a bit I wish I was going for longer.
I feel God has prepared me for his trip by providing 2 other opportunities as stepping stones. The first was in 2005 when I went to Sri Lanka post Tsunami with an organization called Word Made Flesh. We worked with Habitat for Humanity. It was my first experience with a third world country, squatty potties, and flying roaches. But this was one of my favorite trips in my entire life thanks to all that served with me. Our house was full of laughter 24-7. I was blessed by the testimonies and the Christian walk of those in the household in which I lived for just over 2 weeks.
In 2007 I went to Kenya with my cousin Heidi's bible study group. Again it was a mission trip, however I don't feel like I did a third of what was done for me. The Kenyan people were so hospitable it puts us American's to shame. On two different occasions our shoes got full of mud and they washed them for us! Would we even think to do this for visitors? I was amazed at the joy, and the love for God these people had despite their circumstances. They taught me so much. I guess where I am going with this, is that from my experience going on a mission trip, especially a short one ends up seeming to be more of a blessing to me than me being a blessing to others. I have had so many people say things like "you're so good", "you're an angel", etc. I almost feel bad because although I want this to be about those I'm helping , I know it is going to be about me learning more nursing skills, meeting staff from all over the world, and being touched by people/patients we are serving.
I feel blessed beyond belief to be able to go on this ship. I know God used Sri Lanka and Kenya as stepping stones to prepare me.
At first when I added the expense of taking off of work for 2 months with the expense of going on the ship I was a little concerned. But I knew that God would provide if He wanted me to go. I decided not to ask for financial support this time because I had already done that in 2005. But God surprised me with many donations from family, friends, and coworkers. I have been brought to tears with people's generosity and thoughtfulness. I also got several thoughtful gifts, such as: things to keep me occupied on my very long flights, snacks (no worries chocolate candy will be smuggled in if need be), crayons for the kids over there, laundry detergent, etc. All a surprise. Thank You So Much!! I feel so loved and blessed and I haven't even left yet. But that is my Jesus...Through my faults, my sins, my insecurities, he makes my paths straight, leads me in the way I should go and blesses me even though I don't deserve it.
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