Last 48 Hours
It’s is 11:30p.m. in Lome. I should be resting but as usual 11:30pm is the time my mind starts to think at its best. I tried to take a nap today but was unable to, and I woke up late for our morning staff meeting too. I don’t have an alarm clock and I need to get one. I remember distinctely while I was packing at home to pack my alarm clock. It went through my mind many many many times. Ugh. Many times. I am probably going to go into town tomorrow and purchase one. Since I am currently not very sleepy, I will begin to write of the days events. I might write a combo of days since it’s beginning to all melt into one. Yes, indeed, that is exactly what I will begin to do.
Yesterday my shift was from 8am to 1am. There were a lot of things to do but also a lot of items to catch up on. The morning began by joining one of the ortho doctors and ortho team down in out patient. They were offering the first Ponseti treatment in Togo. This is a procedure that is available to children that have developing muscle and bones to stop the curvature of crooked feet, or clubbed feet. This is a procedure that is widely practiced in the Western world, it’s brand new to Togo. I was blessed to witness the first casting and to take photographs during the medical procedure. In a few short weeks, eventhough uncomfortable for the child, there will be a significant difference in the limbs of these children. I can not wait to see the transforming process in the weeks to come. I pray for the care givers of these children that they will have strength, wisdom, and peace during this time. This was my definite highlight of the day, and for the folks in the ortho dept too.
The hours of the rest of the afternoon and night were spent editing photographs from the previous screenings and events that had taken place around MS. Please continue to pray for our Communications team. We are an amazing creative group. Mostly all women with multy creative capabilities. I am in awe to watch the team use those natural abilities when we are operating at it’s finest. We have many stories to cover and many photo opps to take, but my prayer is that we still always put the compassion of Christ first. That we would take the soul of the patient and one another into consideration always. I have found that when we seek the truth, by the Spirit of God leading us, we will always have the story. Afterall, Christ was the greatest story teller, marketing team, public relations unit, human resource office, hospital, and out of the box doer one could ever be.
I saw our writer Joy shine tonight as she played games with the children admitted into the ward. She is a woman with many giftings and a might call of God in her life. She can write, take & edit photos, sing, and love. Love is key. There is no greater gift. I have seen her put away every other agenda and just be a comforting love to the children of Togo, over and over again. She help put a calm over one child in particular by enabling him to feel so special. She recorded his voice singing, and replayed it for him. He found instant stardom, and learned how to press the replay button a repeat amount of times.
Our first patients were admitted today. We had a half dozen ortho and max fax patients come in. I had met most of them at the first screening we had at the handball stadium last week. They remembered me and went from the formal ‘bon jour’ followed by a traditional handshake, to a big smile and a strong hand slap embrace with a firm up and down pull. That’s the friendship shake in Africa. Two people clap their hands into a hand shaked and squeeze tight. Ahhh, I am so glad that they didn’t see me as an obtrusive photographer, but as someone who came along side them to share their story of pain to pleasure. There is nothing like a warm greeting. It can transform me from being a stranger in a strange land to a promised sign that yes indeed there is a purpose to being here. Because I must admit there were times that I thought this trip would be pointless and I wouldn’t be of use on the ship. But the faces of these patients are the reward.
As of now, the patients have done all their pre-op processes and are quietly laying in their beds, until tomorrow, when our brilliant surgeons will do some life altering work in the OR. I can not wait to see the reactions of the patients when they are out of recovery.
Tonight, I end this blog with a prayer. A prayer for everyone aboard the Africa Mercy. May we know without a shadow of a doubt the Savior Christ. May we sense the Holy Spirit in each cabin, ward, station, office, and heart tonight. May God our Creator use us in a recreative transforming power tonight and tomorrow. I pray for a safe journey for the patients arriving tomorrow. Restful sleep for the medical team. Joy for everyone aboard. Guidance. Wisdom. Forgiveness. Strength.
Yesterday my shift was from 8am to 1am. There were a lot of things to do but also a lot of items to catch up on. The morning began by joining one of the ortho doctors and ortho team down in out patient. They were offering the first Ponseti treatment in Togo. This is a procedure that is available to children that have developing muscle and bones to stop the curvature of crooked feet, or clubbed feet. This is a procedure that is widely practiced in the Western world, it’s brand new to Togo. I was blessed to witness the first casting and to take photographs during the medical procedure. In a few short weeks, eventhough uncomfortable for the child, there will be a significant difference in the limbs of these children. I can not wait to see the transforming process in the weeks to come. I pray for the care givers of these children that they will have strength, wisdom, and peace during this time. This was my definite highlight of the day, and for the folks in the ortho dept too.
The hours of the rest of the afternoon and night were spent editing photographs from the previous screenings and events that had taken place around MS. Please continue to pray for our Communications team. We are an amazing creative group. Mostly all women with multy creative capabilities. I am in awe to watch the team use those natural abilities when we are operating at it’s finest. We have many stories to cover and many photo opps to take, but my prayer is that we still always put the compassion of Christ first. That we would take the soul of the patient and one another into consideration always. I have found that when we seek the truth, by the Spirit of God leading us, we will always have the story. Afterall, Christ was the greatest story teller, marketing team, public relations unit, human resource office, hospital, and out of the box doer one could ever be.
I saw our writer Joy shine tonight as she played games with the children admitted into the ward. She is a woman with many giftings and a might call of God in her life. She can write, take & edit photos, sing, and love. Love is key. There is no greater gift. I have seen her put away every other agenda and just be a comforting love to the children of Togo, over and over again. She help put a calm over one child in particular by enabling him to feel so special. She recorded his voice singing, and replayed it for him. He found instant stardom, and learned how to press the replay button a repeat amount of times.
Our first patients were admitted today. We had a half dozen ortho and max fax patients come in. I had met most of them at the first screening we had at the handball stadium last week. They remembered me and went from the formal ‘bon jour’ followed by a traditional handshake, to a big smile and a strong hand slap embrace with a firm up and down pull. That’s the friendship shake in Africa. Two people clap their hands into a hand shaked and squeeze tight. Ahhh, I am so glad that they didn’t see me as an obtrusive photographer, but as someone who came along side them to share their story of pain to pleasure. There is nothing like a warm greeting. It can transform me from being a stranger in a strange land to a promised sign that yes indeed there is a purpose to being here. Because I must admit there were times that I thought this trip would be pointless and I wouldn’t be of use on the ship. But the faces of these patients are the reward.
As of now, the patients have done all their pre-op processes and are quietly laying in their beds, until tomorrow, when our brilliant surgeons will do some life altering work in the OR. I can not wait to see the reactions of the patients when they are out of recovery.
Tonight, I end this blog with a prayer. A prayer for everyone aboard the Africa Mercy. May we know without a shadow of a doubt the Savior Christ. May we sense the Holy Spirit in each cabin, ward, station, office, and heart tonight. May God our Creator use us in a recreative transforming power tonight and tomorrow. I pray for a safe journey for the patients arriving tomorrow. Restful sleep for the medical team. Joy for everyone aboard. Guidance. Wisdom. Forgiveness. Strength.
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