Amy's Adventures in Africa... and around the world!

Amazing Day in Prison

2010-07-27T17:58:00.000-07:00

What an amazing day we had in the prison! And as exhausted as I am, I just had to let you guys know about it. It's a special day when you can say you had an amazing day in prison! :) In addition to the 5 day clinic in a favela and the construction team at the leper colony, today we took a small group into a mens' prison. I actually wasn't even supposed to go with the group because Sharon was going to take them but yesterday she decided that it would be better for her to stay at clinic and for me to take the team. So I took the team, 9 Americans and 4 Brazilians, and we set up a medical clinic in the middle of the prison, complete with general medicine, pharmacy, dentistry and ophthalmology. I had visited a couple of prisons during my time in Rio but this was the first time I had ever done a medical clinic in one! And it's nothing like you would imagine... the men were so nice and the way they thanked us and talked to us, you would never think that we were inside of a prison! God worked everything out in a perfect way. Camila, a Brazilian that I worked with in South Africa, just happens to be a pharmacist and came to Rio this week to help us in clinic... since we needed our American pharmacists at the other clinic, Camila came with us and filled the prescriptions. What a blessing she was! And then God provided interpreters as well. We were limited in the number of people we could take in and I was planning on being the interpreter for both Kevin & Raja, our doctor and nurse. We got there and there were so many patients... but there were also 2 guys that spoke decent English and wanted to help. So I put them to work and let them help interpret so I could see patients as well. They were great... so great in fact that Raja had no idea that her interpreter was one of the inmates until the end of the day when she asked if Anderson could come back on Thursday and help us. We told her that he would be there because he couldn't leave! All day she had thought he was one of the church helpers! She even tried to get him to come upstairs and eat lunch with us! :)

It was a busy day! Our small group treated 128 patients and there were 30 people who gave their lives to Christ. One of those was my patient, Rodrigo. He sat down and began to tell me of all his problems. The health situation for these inmates is really tough and they have little access to medical care. As Rodrigo began telling me of his symptoms, I became convinced that he had HIV that had probably progressed to AIDS. He's been in prison for 4 years and his health is only getting worse. After talking with him for a few minutes I asked if he was a Christian. He told me that although he went to church when he was younger, he later stopped going and went down the wrong path. He shared that he was trying to get close to God but it was so hard because he had committed so many sins. I began to tell Him about God's love for him, even after everything he had done and how God would change his life, but that he was the one that had to make that first step and invite Jesus to take control of his life. Rodrigo prayed with me a few minutes later and asked Jesus Christ to forgive his sins, save him and change his life! I told him that he was a new man in Christ and that his new story started today. I am so thankful that even when I don't have the medicine to cure people of their sickness, I can share with them about the Great Healer who can heal the body and soul!

Thank you for all your prayers for us this week!! Continue to pray for us, for strength, endurance and boldness and that God would be glorified through each of us. Tomorrow we are all back at the church clinic and then on Thursday the small group will return to the prison. God has already done great things but there is still more yet to be done!!

Leaving yet again... for Brasil!!

2010-07-20T18:29:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am already leaving again! :) It's been a crazy last few months, but God keeps giving me all these opportunities and leading me to them. I so appreciate your continued prayers and encouragement during this time! It's only by God's strength that I've been able to travel between continents and time zones, minister in the different capacities He's provided and continue working at the hospital during my time at home! After working the last 3 days and finishing packing today, I am leaving tomorrow to fly to Brasil again– this time to Rio! I am going with Sharon and a team of volunteers to minister in one of the favelas in Rio. It is a big team (over 40 people) and we are going to be doing a lot of different things in the week. A construction team will be doing some work at the leprosy hospital (some of you many remember me talking about it when we first visited there in 2008.) And we will be having a medical team in a church all week and in addition to this Sharon will be taking a small group to do a medical clinic in a local prison.

I'm really excited about the week for a number of reasons. First, because God has opened up some doors for some really neat ministry opportunities. I was able to visit the church with Sharon in March and they are really excited about us coming and working with us. And to have the opportunity to not only serve the people in the favelas but also people with leprosy as well as prisoners... these people need to see and hear about God's love! Second, although I have been to Rio a few times since I left in 2008, this will be my first time being back with a medical team and I can't tell you how excited I am! God has given me some amazing experiences in a lot of places, but Rio will always hold a special place in my heart and I love being able to treat and share with the people of the favelas. I am so thankful for yet another opportunity to do this!

Please pray for us this next week. The team is flying down on Wednesday and Thursday night and we will start work at the leprosy hospital on Friday. The medical clinic will be Monday through Friday, the 26th-30th. Please pray for safe travels, for health and for preparation for each team member. A few people have already had to drop out due to health problems or family with health issues so please say a special prayer for those that were planning on going but are unable to. Pray for God's protection around the whole team, for unity and that each of us would have an open, flexible heart, ready to be used however God wants to use us. Pray that all the details and logistics work out. Pray for the church members and the interpreters that will be working with us. Pray for the people we will come in contact with and for opportunities to share Christ.

I will be staying in Brasil for another week after the team leaves to see friends and for my Brazilian brother's wedding. Please keep praying for me, that God would continue to give me strength, health and endurance with all this traveling. Pray that He will continue to use me for His glory wherever I am. This has been a crazy last few months but God has been so faithful in equipping me with everything I need in order to do what He calls me to do. Pray for me as I continue to seek Him for the present and the future and let Him lead me on this exciting journey. I love you guys and appreciate you so much!!!

Back from the Amazon

2010-07-12T09:58:00.000-07:00

What an awesome week we had in the Amazon!!! Thank you guys so much for your prayers!! We definitely saw God at work, both in the lives of the Brazilians and the Americans! It was an exhausting 7 days and we roughed it a little... we did have air condition at night and for afternoon naps but they turned it off every morning at 6 am. When someone asked the captain why, he said it was to wake us up to make sure we don't miss breakfast. :) It was tight quarters and there were 4 bathrooms for 32 people and only 2 showers actually had enough water pressure to take a shower. But the team was awesome and definitely had such a great, flexible attitude!

We got on the boat Sunday night and didn't get to the first village until the next afternoon... 13 hours by boat to get there! We visited 3 different communities and held the medical clinic, VBS with the kids, and church services at night. It was an amazing week of ministering with a group of people who had such a heart for the Lord. In addition to the Americans and Brazilians on the boat, there was a Bolivian doctor who moved with her family to Brasil 2 years earlier as a missionary and an Argentino who is a missionary with his wife to the Amazon. God has called people from all over the world to share His love and salvation to the people of the Amazon region and it was so great to be a part of this amazing team.

We arrived back in the US on Saturday and although it was great to take a hot shower, I think all of the team misses the Amazon. On Friday as we talked of all the awesome things we had seen during the team, I reminded them that this wasn't the end and that just as God had proven faithful during this week, He will continue to be faithful as He leads each one of us. Pray for the continued ministry in the Amazon and that God would continue to grow and use each of the Americans that went on the trip. As for me, my next journey is only 10 days away (Yes, my life is crazy but God keeps opening up all these opportunities!!!). I leave on the 22nd to go back to Brasil, to Rio, with a medical team. Continue to pray for me, that God will continue to strengthen me, to lead me and to use me for His glory as He takes me around the world. Pray for continued direction and that He would guide each step I take. Once again, thank you all so much for your prayers and for continuing with me on all these journeys!! Love you guys!!

The "Peace" Medicine

2010-07-12T06:03:00.000-07:00

Raimunda is a woman that came into clinic one day and started telling me of her heart palpitations when she was upset or stressed. In Rio, I saw many patients like her and since we couldn't do further tests on her heart or even prescribe anti-anxiety meds, I shared with her my “calmante” verse (calming or peace verse) - Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, present your request to God. And the peace of God that passes all understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.” I asked her if she was a Christian and she said wasn't yet but she had been going to church. So I began to share the gospel with her and told her of God's love for her and how we are separated from God because of our sin. I told of how God sent His Son, Jesus to die on the cross for us so we could have a relationship with Him. Many times we talk of how Jesus is the bridge but someone told me before my trip that people in the Amazon have no concept of a bridge but they understand about a boat. So as we are sitting their with a view of the huge Amazon river I talked about how our separation from God is like this huge river and many people think they can “swim over to God” by their own works or by being a good person. But no matter how good we are, we can never make it the whole way because the distance is too great. But Jesus is like a boat that takes us to God but we have to make that decision to trust Him and to get in the boat. After talking to her for a while, she said she wasn't ready to make that decision today. I shared with her how it wasn't by chance that she came to see me and shared her complaints, how it wasn't by chance that I began to share with her, that I really believe that God had a plan for her and that's why she came to see me. And I told her that the promise of peace, the only “medicine” I had for her problem, was only for those who are in Christ Jesus, that she could only experience that once she “got in the boat” with Jesus. I prayed for her and asked her to think about what I had shared with her. I ask you to pray for Raimunda and others like her who heard the gospel this week. Pray that God would continue to work in the hearts of the people we came in contact with. Pray that God would lead the Brazilian missionaries and pastors that continue to work in the Amazon region. May Raimunda and many others come to know the peace that comes only through Jesus Christ!

Medical Clinics in the Amazon

2010-07-12T05:54:00.000-07:00

One of the interesting things about being a nurse practitioner on the mission field is that you never what kind of “clinic” you're gonna be in. This week was the first time I'd ever seen patients on a boat. One day I was in a clinic, but the second two days I saw patients on the boat. At one point I felt the boat start moving and I was told we were moving offshore for a few minutes because of a thunderstorm... but I just kept seeing patients. One afternoon they brought a man who had been bitten by a piranha. They just rowed him right up to the back of the boat in a canoe. Janette, the Bolivian doctor who worked was with us, sutured him up and cauterized it with a match and gauze (Yes, this is tropical medicine!). One of my patients thanked me so much and told me that next time I come back he will bring me a fish and some bananas! :) I loved the week!!

The health care in the Amazon region is definitely lacking. Some communities have government health clinics but they often are lacking basic medicines. And other communities don't even have any basic healthcare professionals. They were so grateful for the help that we could give them. One man kept talking about how they lived “at the ends of the earth” and not many people come all the way out to help them. It took us 13 hours by boat from Manaus to get to the area where the 3 communities were. But it was important to show these people that we had not forgotten them and more importantly that God had not forgotten them!

The Amazon

2010-07-02T21:51:00.000-07:00

My next adventure is here! I'm headed to the Amazon tomorrow and just wanted to write and ask for your prayers. I am helping to lead a medical team from Brentwood Baptist Church. We are flying into Manaus and then spending the week on a boat. We will be working with a local Brazilian church, traveling down the Amazon River and stopping at villages along the way to offer medical care. I have never done a medical clinic on a boat before and am really excited about this opportunity!

I won't be able to send out emails or write on my blog while I'm there because there's no internet access on the boat (but we do have air condition!) but will tell you all about it when I get back. Please do keep us in your prayers this week, July 2-10. I will be driving up to Nashville tomorrow (Saturday) morning to meet up with the team. Our team will fly to Brasil Saturday night. Please pray for safe travel, for me as I drive to Tenn and for us as we fly. Pray for health, protection and unity of the team starting tomorrow. Pray that everything would go well with our flights, luggage and meeting up with the people in Manaus. Pray for Roger and me to have wisdom and guidance as we lead the team. Pray that God would work in and through each of the team members during the week. Pray for us as we minister, that God would give us the knowledge as we care for the sick and the opportunities and words to share of God's love and salvation. I know that God wants to do awesome things this next week, both in our lives and in the life of every person we come in contact with. As always, thank you for your prayers!

Just wanted to share a verse with you that I heard during Bible Study this week – Joshua 3:4-5 “Then you will know which way to go since you have never been this way before... Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” Especially in the past few years God has shown His faithfulness in leading me, as He has taken me down many paths that I have never been down before. And here I am again, both in this trip and in other things in my life, going a way I have never gone before. But God promises me, as He does to you, that He will be with me and will lead me in the unknown. And not only that but He promises to do amazing things! Wherever you are and whatever is your “way you have never been before”, know that God is with you and that He wants to do amazing things among you! Love you guys and appreciate all your continued prayers and encouragement!

Back from South Africa

2010-06-24T14:06:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm finally writing to let you know I'm back from South Africa. I've actually been back almost a week, but with having to jump right back into working combined with jet lag and being sick I'm just now getting the chance. I want to thank you for all of your prayers during my time in Johannesburg. What an awesome experience it was and one where I really saw God at work! I spent almost 3 weeks with a group of 200 Brazilians whose goal and passion was to see God glorified and be a part of what He was doing in South Africa. And it was amazing!

I wish you all could have been there, to experience the excitement of being in Johannesburg during the World Cup, to see how many opportunities we had and how receptive people were to this group of Brazilians, and to watch South Africans worship God with such simplicity and sincerity. I can't share everything with you, but some of the highlights were – 1. Telling a South African woman at the hospital we visited that we came all the way from Brasil (and the US) not to go to a World Cup game but to visit her and tell her how much God loves her. 2. Interpreting a sermon from Portuguese into English both Sundays at 2 small and passionate African churches 3. Sharing my testimony at a church about how God has a plan for each of us and wants to continue to use us, how 8 years ago I didn't speak any Portuguese and now here I was in South Africa with a group of Brazilians translating a sermon back into English that a Brazilian pastor was preaching! 4. Laughing and hanging out with the group of crazy, fun Brazilians that love God and missions. And getting to share my story and encourage many of them that were on their first mission trip. 5. Praying and seeing God open up doors and opportunities for us to minister – in schools, in a nursing home, in a hospital, in a clinic. 6. Getting to share the Message of Hope, Love and Peace with people in a country that is still suffering from a history of hatred, bitterness and forgiveness and watching God bring unity to a nation that desperately needs to be united. 7. Watching the Brasil soccer game on a big screen in the church sanctuary crowded with 200 Brazilians and 50 South Africans and getting caught up in all the excitement!

Continue to pray for South Africa, that God would grow the seeds that were planted and the lives that were changed this past month. Pray for the leadership group that is staying until the end of next month, for the Brazilian full-time missionaries and the churches in Johannesburg. And pray that God would continue to work in the lives of each Brazilian volunteer and that God would continue to lead them and use them for His glory! I started getting excited about God using Brazilians on the mission field while I was living in Brasil but after these past few weeks I now truly believe that God is going to use Brazilians to change the world!

My next adventure is only a week away! Next Saturday, July 3, I will be going to the Brazilian Amazon for a week! I was invited to go with a medical team from Brentwood Baptist Church because they needed a nurse practitioner and someone to help lead the team because Sharon is taking a medical team to Haiti (Please pray for her this next week as she and the team will be in Haiti and also for Stephen (Sharon & Ray's son) who is in Haiti until the end of July working with teams from Brentwood). God is doing a lot all over the world and it is so amazing the doors he keeps opening up. I will send out more details about the Amazon before I leave but pray for me and the team as we prepare. Please pray especially for my health and strength... although I love it and wouldn't have it any other way, it is hard with all the traveling and having to work part-time and do everything I need to do. The spiritual warfare was so strong when I was in South Africa and especially after I got sick I was thinking how Satan definitely doesn't like all that I'm doing... I need your prayers more now than ever as I continue to go where God leads and take advantage of every opportunity He gives me. Thank you once again for your continued prayers and encouragement!!! May God continue to bless each of you and give you opportunities to share His love and salvation wherever He leads you! Love you guys!

Last Night in South Africa

2010-06-17T11:15:00.000-07:00

It's my last night here in South Africa. I can't believe it's already over! I am feeling better although I still was not well enough to go out today. There's a possibility that I may be able to go out for part of the day tomorrow. It was not in my plans to get sick (but I guess it never is) but I've been praying that God would be glorified even during my sickness. Thank you for all your prayers and please continue to pray for my health. Pray that I would feel ok during my 16 hour flight tomorrow night. Pray especially that my cough would not be bad on the flight. And please continue to pray for the work here and for the Brazilian team. Love you guys and appreciate you so much!!!

Freezing in South Africa

2010-06-16T07:54:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy past few days as different groups have gone to churches, schools, clinics, communities, etc... Thanks for your prayers about the clinic... we were able to go there yesterday and gave some presentations on dental care and HIV. HIV is a serious and growing problem here in South Africa and there is a still a lack of education in so much of the population.

Yesterday was Brasil's first game and some of the group went to outside the stadium and talked to people and handed out tracts. We all piled into the church to watch the game on the big screen with some visitors from the community. It was a victorious night, first because Brasil won the game and second because people gave their lives to Christ during the invitation at the end of the game. Praise God for the lives He is changing as the result of us being here!

It's freezing here – literally!! You don't think of cold when you think of Africa but it is the middle of winner here in Johannesburg and this week has been really cold. Last night it was in the 20's and the buildings don't have heating. These poor Brazilians that have never left the tropics don't know what to do but it's been miserably cold even for me.

It has been somewhat of a discouraging past few days for me because my cold and cough has only gotten worse. I had to stay at the camp today and call the doctor to come see me because I was feeling worse, couldn't stop coughing and had a fever. Praise God for Dr. Lance who examined me and gave me antibiotics and cold medicine without charging me anything. It's been hard because of the cold and having to interpret and I knew today I had to stop. Pray for quick healing with the antibiotic. Pray that my cough stops and I'm able to sleep and rest. And pray for wisdom to know whether I should stay in tomorrow or if it's ok to go out. I leave on Friday night so I only have 2 days left. I want to make the best of the rest of my time here but I also don't want to get worse, so pray I'll know what to do.

Thank you again for all your prayers! I will try to post something tomorrow night but if I don't get to, pray for these last few days of ministry. Most of the Brazilians leave on Sunday or Tuesday so they still have a few more days here. Pray for their continued health and safety. Pray that God would grow the seeds that were planted and continue to work in the hearts of people we have come in contact with. Pray for my flight home, that I will feel ok and be able to rest. Thank you guys so much! Love you!!

A Great Weekend!!!

2010-06-13T13:59:00.000-07:00

Things are going great here in Johannesburg! Thanks for all your prayers! I wish you all could be here with me! Yesterday was an awesome day, probably the best so far. In the morning I went with a group to the boarding house that I talked about in one of my older posts. We visited with people for a while then had a little program with them – a personal trainer did stretching exercises, a dentist taught them about how to care for their teeth, and we also had a time of music. I was the interpreter and was even able to share with them a Bible verse and encourage them to look to Jesus for joy and peace. It was such a blessed time!!

In the afternoon I went with another group to a hospital (a door that God opened this week!!). We went through the first few floors and visited the patients. A couple of the Brazilians dressed up like clowns and they even gave me a funny hat and clown nose to wear... it's amazing how just seeing us made people smile. And then we talked to them for a few minutes and prayed with each patient. You should have seen this one woman's face when I told her we came all the way from Brasil to visit her and not to go to the World Cup games! When we asked if another patient had any prayer requests, she wanted us to pray that God would change her life. And the nurses loved us! One asked for a present from Brasil and we gave her one of the salvation bracelets and I explained to her the meaning of the colors. And then all of them wanted one so I shared with them as well. We prayed with the nurses and I was able to share with them that I was also a nurse and I know what a hard job it is and what a great ministry it is. I don't have the words to describe how great the visit was to both places or how much I felt God using me. Hopefully I will get to go back to the hospital but it's just amazing how we gave hope to patients that were there and made friends with the nurses which will hopefully help keep the door open. Thank you for all your prayers!

This morning we divided up in different churches and I went to a small church with a pastor from Rio. The church was in the favela/slums, a part of Joburg I really hadn't been in yet. It's a squatter camp and there are 20,000 people living there... and it really was just shacks made of aluminum, worse than most of the favelas. I've noticed at the other squatter camps we've driven by and this one as well that there are 2 port-a-pottys (however you spell it) at each camp... I guess the government puts them there... they just look so out of place there. haha The church was made of aluminum as well and was very simple... they didn't have power until halfway through the service. They were so hospitable, joyful and so receptive to us. It was wonderful to be with them and God blessed Edson as he shared and me as I interpreted. God was in that church with us! This is Pastor Edson's first mission trip and he was nervous since it was his first time to preach through an interpreter... but it all went great! We talked on the bus about this trip, missions and I was able to encourage him and share some of my other experiences. It's been amazing to see God at work in these 200 Brazilian volunteers... I really do believe God is going to great things with each member of this group, even after this trip is over!

Continue to pray for our health and safety, for strength and discernment. Pray for open doors and for the leadership as they have so many decisions to make every day regarding logistics. Pray that God would bring people into our paths and that we are able to know what to say and how to help them. Pray especially for the Brazilians that know some English, that God would give them the words and the confidence to speak and that people would understand their English. Pray that I would have wisdom to know when I need to be an interpreter and when I need to talk to people on my own. I can't thank you enough for your prayers!! You are a part of God's work here in South Africa!!

P.S. I just found out that I'll be going tomorrow to one of the neighborhoods to talk to the director of a clinic about the possibility of us visiting. Pray for us, that God would grant us favor in their eyes and that the door would be opened.

The World Cup has begun!!!

2010-06-11T12:04:00.000-07:00

The 2010 World Cup has finally begun!!! Today was the opening ceremony and first game. How exciting it is to be in the city where it is being held even if we don't get to go to any games. Everyone here in Johannesburg is so excited, all dressed in South Africa's colors and making lots of noise! It is definitely an exciting time!!!
Today was also our first day of real ministry. We finished the training yesterday and had a special service last night with some of the South African pastors where they commissioned us to go out and serve. It was a wonderful time together, praying for Africa and the world. We are divided in different areas and there are 3 different communities we are serving in. Today my group went to Troyville, which is in downtown Jburg. We set up a big screen in the sanctuary and invited the community to come watch the Opening Ceremony and South Africa game with us this afternoon. During the time we had games, arts and music for the kids. The kids are precious! I love that you can make friends with kids no matter what country you are in! :)
Continue to pray for us. I can't believe it's gone by so fast but I leave one week from today. The next week is gonna be intense. Continue to pray for our safety and health. Will you please pray for me, especially for my throat. I am still sick and felt worse today, so just pray for healing and that I am able to talk and feel good. It got colder the last few days (freezing temps at night with no heater), so I think it's affected everyone's health. So please continue to pray for our health. Continue to pray that God would direct us, open doors and be glorified in all we say and do. May South Africa be forever changed in 2010, not because of the World Cup but because of what God will do in this country!

Thanks for all the prayers!!!

2010-06-08T13:56:00.000-07:00

Thank you for your continued prayers for us! The other half of the group arrived on Sunday and have done their city/safari tours that we did last week. Yesterday and today my group got to visit 2 of the areas we will be working in the next week. We went to prayer walk and to get to know the areas but already saw God at work. God is working through us, touching lives and opening doors. Today we went to Pastor Diego's church – he is a Brazilian missionary that has been here in Johannesburg for 8 years and is a pastor of a local Portuguese church. The church is located in an area of town that has had a long history of racial/ethnic hatred and even killings. We walked through the community praying for God's salvation, peace and restoration of this community. 70 Brazilians walking through the streets called a lot of attention... people would jump up and down and yell as we passed by... they love soccer and love Brazilians... this opened up doors for us to talk to people and tell them why we were here and about the church. There is a boarding house a couple of blocks from the church that has 63 older adults living there. We were invited inside, able to greet and visit with the residents and even had a mini worship service with them. It was awesome but only after returning to the church did we discover that Pastor Diego has been trying to connect with this place for years but has been unable to because of the situation here in South Africa. God used our group to open up a door and gave us an opportunity to share His message of peace, hope and salvation!

Continue to pray for our group here – for our health, safety, strength, endurance and boldness. The spiritual warfare is real and strong here in this country and we have felt it so strong. We are praying more than ever and know God is going to do great things this next week. Pray specifically for the health of each of us. People are getting sick every day. The last few days it seems like every few hours someone gets sick. And I even had a sore throat and fever yesterday morning and praise God that I am feeling better today, but our health is something I ask you to really pray about.

Tomorrow and Thursday we are doing training with the whole group and then Friday we will divide up and go to our different ministry areas. Continue to pray for us as we prepare and plan. Pray for the English training we will be doing with everyone. Pray for the leadership as they divide the groups and handle all the logistics. It's a lot of work and they are doing a great job! The group that I'm here with is amazing and I've enjoying so much getting to know them and serving with them! Thank you for your continued prayers! Love you guys!

A Wonderful Sunday

2010-06-06T12:38:00.001-07:00

What a wonderful Sunday it was here in South Africa! And I know it was all because of prayers – those of you that are praying across the ocean and all of us praying here. Most of the group went to a larger church, but a few of us went to some smaller churches. At 10pm last night I found out that I would be leaving at 630 this morning and would be interpreting for the preacher. I was so exhausted and didn't get many hours of sleep so I was a little worried this morning. But our God gave me the strength and energy I needed. The service was amazing!! It was a small, simple church full of the presence of God. I think it is the most amazing church service that I have ever participated in! I cannot even describe to you how amazing it was! The people worshiped God with such sincerity and with all their heart. I was a little anxious about interpreting, but it went so well. I ended up sharing a few minutes with the church in English about my story, missions & God's plan for each of them. And then I interpreted as Junior preached (A seminary student that found out last night he would be preaching and was scared to death!). God's hand and His Spirit flowed through both of us as we shared. It was God – that's the only way I know how to describe it! And as I shared with the church, it is amazing to think... 10 years ago I didn't know 1 word of Portuguese and now here I am in South Africa translating from Portuguese into English with a group of Brazilian missionaries!! It was so wonderful to see the South Africans not just excited about the World Cup, but praying and expecting God to do great things during this next month. South Africa is a country that has a history full of hatred, bitterness and sadness. It is a country that God wants to transform, to bring unity through His love and grace. And we were able to see a little glimpse of how God is working here in this country. The South Africans are working alongside us to reach out to their country and to the world. What an awesome partnership!

This morning I read Isaiah 42:16 “I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.” We are walking blindly, not knowing what to expect or how God is going to use us, but He is guiding us and is with us every step of the way! And in a country that is full of such darkness, we are the Light and He will use us for His glory!

Thank you for all your prayers and I ask that you please continue to pray for us. The oppression and spiritual warfare is so strong here. We need your prayers – for health, for safety, for rest, for peace. For all the places we will go and all the people we will come in contact with. That above all, God's Name would be glorified!

Quick Update from South Africa

2010-06-04T13:00:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Well, we really don't have internet yet and I'm not sure if we will (pray that we'll be able to get it), but they were able to work something out for a few minutes for us tonight. So I wanted to let you guys know that everything is going well. I met up with the group yesterday here at the camp and we've had a couple of days of rest, training, and fun. The group is awesome and I can't tell you how awesome it is to be with Brazilians on a mission trip! It's been amazing to hear everyone's stories and how God brought them here. And we're all excited to see what God has in store these next few weeks! The rest of the team will arrive on Sunday and we will finish training and start the work after they arrive. Today we got to experience a little of South Africa at a rhino and lion safari. I got to play with baby lions and hold a hug snake... don't worry I have pictures to prove it! :)

I ask that you continue to pray for us and our team. I can't stress how much we need your prayers! Please pray especially for our leadership and for all the logistics that have to be worked out for 200 people. I am very impressed because it has been very organized and am praying that God continue to give wisdom, strength and everything they need. Please pray for strength and endurance and for health for the whole team. I was woken up early this morning because someone was sick with a high fever and have been able to use my medical skills. I am thankful that I am able to use the gifts God has given me, but I prefer that no one gets sick. :) Pray for rest and for preparation these next few days. Pray for our safety. And pray for the people that we will encounter and for opportunities to be the Light in this dark world. God has us all here as a part of His plan and I know He's going to do awesome things!!!

Ok, I have to go and I'm having trouble thinking in English (I've just spoken Portuguese for the past few days!). Pray also for my language, for Portuguese and also for the English training I will be helping with as well as interpreting. Thank you guys so much once again for all your prayers and support!! Keep praying even if it takes me a while to post again.

Pictures!!!

2010-06-03T02:29:00.000-07:00

My first friend in South Africa

Roberto and Edna Carmona and Ana Khalipa, our host Brazilian missionaries

Safely here

2010-06-03T01:31:00.000-07:00

I'm in Africa!!! Thanks for all your prayers for my trip! The 16 hour flight wasn't bad at all and I was able to sleep for 9 hours (thanks to Tylenol PM). I was most worried about meeting up with the group, but when I walked out of customs, there was someone with a sign with my name on it. PTL! The group of Brazilians arrived earlier in the day and went to the camp where we are staying. Since it was already dark when I arrived, I stayed the night and the missionaries' house. Pastor Carlos and Edna Carmona are Brazilian missionaries here in Johannesburg and are our hosts for this trip. They are so nice! And they have an adorable 1 year old daughter, Ana Khalipa, a South African that they adopted at 4 months. She was my first friend here in South Africa! :) Please pray for this couple during the next month, as they are coordinating over 200 volunteers. I know what it's like to work with volunteers and can only imagine the stress they are under with so many volunteers for such an extended period of time. Pray for health, strength, wisdom and for God's special blessing on their family during this time.

After a good night's sleep even with the 6 hour time difference, I feel rested and ready to start the new day. I can feel your prayers, I really can and am so excited about this opportunity that God has given me here in South Africa. I will be going to the camp to meet up with the group today. The next few days will be mostly spent in training and preparation. The other half of the group will arrive on Sunday. Continue to pray for all of us during this time. I will post updates as I can but I think the internet at the camp is limited. So don't worry about me if you don't hear anything for a while (although you can pray for internet access:) ) and keep praying! Love you guys so much and thanks again!!

Leaving on a jet plane

2010-06-01T08:59:00.000-07:00

In just a few hours I will be getting on the plane for South Africa. After this busy week of working, packing and getting everything done I am now ready. I'm going to South Africa today!!! I don't know what these next few weeks will be like but I know that God has gone ahead of me and will go with me. I appreciate your continued prayers for me and for our team during this time. I plan on updating my blog while I'm there so y'all can know what's going on (hopefully the internet connection will allow that).

Please pray for my flight - 16 hours nonstop from Atlanta to Johannesburg. Pray that I am able to rest and sleep on the plane (Because I had to work the past 2 days, I haven't had a lot of time to rest up). Pray that I would have a peaceful and restful heart. Pray for the Brazilians that will be traveling over the next few days, for all the details and logistics and that I won't have any problems meeting up with the group at the airport.

Thank you once again for all your continued prayers and support! I love you guys so much and am so excited that you get to go on this next journey with me!

Next Stop... South Africa!!!

2010-05-20T19:08:00.000-07:00

The next adventure is here... I'm going to South Africa in 12 days!! Just wanted to let you guys know about my trip and ask for your prayers. As many of you know, the 2010 World Cup will take place in Johannesburg this June & July. I am so excited about this unique opportunity that God has given me – I will be spending 3 weeks in South Africa doing outreach and evangelism with a group of 200 Brazilians volunteer missionaries!!

My Brazilian sister, Luciana and her husband, Marcos are leading this team and when I was in Rio in March, they invited me to go with them. I told them that of course I wanted to go but I needed to pray about it to see if it's what God wanted me to do. So I began to pray about this opportunity and as I began to feel a peace about going, I started praying for a confirmation of a cheap ticket... because I would be traveling separate from the Brasil group, I had to buy my own ticket and tickets were over $2000. God answered my prayer above and beyond... I was able to get a ticket with Delta Sky Miles! I only paid $70 for my ticket!! Less than 3 months before the World Cup and I was able to get a sky miles ticket! Anyone that has tried to get frequent flier tickets knows that this is a miracle!! God has prepared everything – the finances, my flexible work schedule, even my English & Portuguese language ability! Praise God for His direction, confirmation and provision!

On June 1, I will be flying to Johannesburg, South Africa to meet up with 200 Brazilians. We will spend 20 days reaching out to the South African people as well as tourists from around the world to share with them about God's love. I don't know what God has in store for us in South Africa or how He wishes to use me over there, but I have no doubt that He has not only called me to go but has prepared the way before me! And I'm so excited about the chance to be a part of a Brazilian mission team!

Here are some things you can pray for: 1. Please pray for me in these next couple of weeks as I prepare for this trip. Pray that God would prepare my heart and provide me with everything I need physically and spiritually to be used by Him. Pray that I would continue to focus on Him and wouldn't get stressed with everything I need to get done between now and June 1. 2. Pray for the Brazilian volunteers as they prepare - for peace, spiritual preparation and for health. 3. Pray for Marcos and Luciana and the other leaders – for last minute preparations and the details to fall into place. 4. Pray for the hearts of the people we will encounter, that God would begin to work in their hearts even now.

Once again I want to thank each of you for your prayers! Thank you for embarking on yet another journey with me. I am so excited to see how God is going to work and feel blessed to be a part of it. And I am so thankful for your continued prayers and encouragement! I'll write more before I leave with more details... thank you once again!!! May each of you continue to seek God and walk with Him on the journey He has for you, wherever that may lead!

“You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness, O God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas... those living far away fear your wonders; where morning dawns and evening fades you call forth songs of joy.” Psalm 65:5,8

Home Sweet Home

2010-02-05T14:50:00.000-08:00

There's no place like home... my own bed, a hot shower, chick-fil-a and the fireplace. :) After a long 2 day journey I finally made it back to Atlanta. We started out yesterday at 8 am and didn't leave Haiti until 6 pm. We spent 4 hours in the American Embassy waiting on the final documents on the kids and then another 4 hours on a bus at the airport waiting on our plane to arrive and get through all the documentation. And this was all with 6 kids! We were thankful to at least be in an air-conditioned bus and to receive some water and snacks from the US Army guys. Then there was the 4 hour flight to Miami. The kids did awesome the whole day and all slept almost the whole flight. Thanks for all your prayers!
The best part of the day was seeing the kids unite with their parents in the Miami airport! What a happy ending!! Seriously, after 10 days of so much hopelessness and suffering, this was amazing! I cannot describe the happiness and emotions in that room. I was thinking while I was at the orphanage about how as Christians we are all adopted into God's family and what a wonderful thing that is! Many of the kids that I encountered will get a second chance and a new life with a family. But many of the others will never leave Haiti (as well as many who are suffering around the world). But anyone can receive that Second Chance, that New Life, that Hope that God offers to the world through Jesus Christ! I praise God for these kids getting adopted but even more for the adoption into His family that He offers to anyone who will receive.
It is good to be home but I'm already missing my precious kids in Haiti. We did receive word the night before I left that the visas came through for the kids being adopted to Argentina and Maki's mom is coming to get her and Sophie on Sunday! It made it easier leaving knowing she will get to leave soon. I have lots of pictures of her and the other kids that I hope to upload to facebook soon but just wanted to share 2 pictures with you now... the first is of me with Maki & Sophie and the second is me with some of the kids (and an adopting couple) with our pilot at the Port-au-Prince airport.
Once again, thank you SO MUCH for all your prayers and support in this journey. The only way I can keep doing what I'm doing is because of your continued prayers. I know that so many were praying for me down there... I definitely felt your prayers!! I know that many of you would have liked to go to Haiti to help, but let me tell you, you were there with me, through every day, loving on each child, treating each patient! May God bless each one of you! And thank you again!! I'll keep y'all updated on my future, but for now I'm going back to work part-time at Kennestone Hospital and will continue to pray about what's next. Only God knows when my next journey will be! :)

Flying home

2010-02-03T16:06:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to let y'all know my schedule and ask for your prayers in our travels. We are leaving the orphanage tomorrow morning and flying out of Haiti on a private plane with either 4 or 8 kids (depending on which ones get visas... pray that they would come through) and flying into Miami. Pray that everything goes well with the travel and that all the kids do ok on the plane (One of the reasons I'm going with them is to help Barbara take care of the kids). Pray for no problems in immigration. And pray that I find a comfortable place to sleep in the Miami airport and am able to get on the early flight Friday morning (Someone is donating me a buddy pass). God has been so faithful during this whole experience and I appreciate you all so much!! Thanks so much for your continued prayers and support on this final journey of my trip. May He be glorified!!

Last Day in Haiti

2010-02-03T11:11:00.000-08:00

So I think this is my last full day in Haiti. What's funny about all these adventures is that God keeps taking me to new levels of trusting in Him and not worrying about knowing everything. I usually don't plan trips in 1 day or go somewhere not knowing how long I will stay. Cherie, the woman that coordinated me getting down here told me when I was in Florida that she had pegged me for a spontaneous, fly by the seat of your pants kind of person... I told her that I was actually a type A who likes plans but that has been forced to trust God on all these adventures. :)
I will admit that I am looking forward to getting good sleep in a bed that is not shared with a baby, taking a hot shower and going back to daily life that is not so hard. But as much as I'm exhausted and totally physically and emotionally, this experience will forever stay with me... The precious faces of these kids that just scream to be loved, their smiles when you play with them or just talk to them. These people that are dedicated to make a difference in the world and give kids a second chance. The citywide destruction and tent cities every few blocks. The medical problems and the look of fear and hopeless on so many faces. And the assurance of knowing a God who is loving and wants to give Hope to the hurting.
Like I said, I think I'm leaving tomorrow... I will post when I know my definite plans but the plan is for me to leave with Barbara and some more kids that have been cleared to go to the States. Again, thank you for all your prayers. Continue to pray for my endurance and health (I don't feel so great today but I think it's more exhaustion). Pray for the adoption process for the kids and that Barbara would get the visas and all the papers for them. And continue to pray for the people of Haiti. Love you guys and appreciate you so much!!

Another day of precious kids

2010-02-01T14:31:00.000-08:00

These babies are precious, they really are. They are hard work and I still don't sleep well at night, but you can't hep but love them. Maki woke up at 6 am laughing and playing... I tried to tell her that it was too early to play, but I guess an 8 month old can't understand that! :) She doesn't let me sleep much and requires a lot of attention, but you can't help but love her. Her laugh and smile is amazing... I wish you all could meet her.
Barbara, the lady in charge of the orphanage got back today and it working hard trying to get some more kids out. It's difficult and becomes even more difficult when other people try to take kids out of the country without proper documentation. There are a lot of kids that were already in the adoption process pre-earthquake. She's hoping to get some more kids ready to leave this week. Also, the dads that are here from Argentina had more meetings today and are trying to be able to take their kids home as well. Please pray that these kids would be able to get to their new homes soon, that the process would be smooth and quick. Being here at the orphanage is better than being on the streets, but it's still far from ideal.
I spent most of the afternoon organizing their pharmacy. People brought in more supplies and donations (we have tons of stuff now). And who better to organize it than me, especially after I spent years doing this in Brasil (Jen & Sharon, I missed y'all... wish you could have been here to help me!)
I still don't have any definite plans because it depends on when there are planes and seats, but I'm probably leaving later this week. Please pray for my last few days - for health and endurance and that I would do my best at whatever tasks God gives me. Thanks guys so much for all the prayers! You've been a part of this ministry in Haiti!

A tour of the city

2010-01-31T12:31:00.000-08:00

This afternoon a Haitian pastor took a few of us around the city to show us the damage... it is overwhelming. As we passed building after building that was crushed, knowing that countless lives were taken, you can't help but be overwhelmed and saddened. The downtown area with the President's Palace and the government buildings was hit the hardest. We stopped at the Palace... I had seen pictures on TV but it is definitely not the same as being there in person. All around it are tent cities, where people are now living. There are tent cities all over the city - thousands, millions living in handmade or camping tents. People aren't sleeping in the houses even if they aren't destroyed, because of a combination of fear and the government telling them it's not safe. We even saw tents set up in the middle of the road. The pastor took us to where he is staying with 40 other people, to an area in front of his friend's house - they sleep outside, cook outside, live outside. I don't even have the words to fully describe all that I've seen or the stories I've heard.
How do you not just cry all the time being here? Because I know the God of hope and I know that He is the only answer to this city and to the world. He is the God that will give hope to the people of Haiti, to these people whose lives have been destroyed even if they survived. Keep praying for Haitians, for peace and hope and that they would turn to the Giver of life and hope.

Loving on Kids

2010-01-30T17:25:00.000-08:00

Another day of loving on kids... that's what I did most of the morning. I felt a lot better today cause I actually got sleep last night (Thank you for all your prayers... God gave me rest!) Maki, who is still my roommate and for the last few times has become my bedmate, actually slept through the night. She is so adorable, especially now that she is feeling better. And before you ask, no I'm not bringing her home - her and Sophie, my other favorite are being adopted to Argentina, maybe even as early as next week. So I'll just love on them until I leave. I sat outside for a couple of hours with 2 kids on my lap and others crowded around... whatever you do, do it to glorify God... that's what God keeps reminding me on this trip. Playing with kids or changing diapers may not seem all that special, but it was my task for the morning and God wanted to be glorified in that. And they are so precious that you can't help but love them!
I spent the afternoon cleaning out the clinic/pharmacy with a couple of the other volunteers. It looked so much better after we were done and now we can actually see what medicines we have and find them easily. We are still just treating a handful of patients a day that come in needing medicine. Today it was mostly just the dads from Argentina, who came in to visit their kids and try to get the government to let them take the kids out. They are all worried about their kids, who mostly look better than all the others here, and are coming up to me every few hours with new problems. What's funny is that here I am in Haiti trying to speak Spanish!
Ok, I gotta run but thanks as always for your continued prayers! Please pray for another restful night for me and for Maki.

Another day of clinic

2010-01-29T13:55:00.000-08:00

The work continues... today we set up clinic in the "downtown" of this neighborhood. We stopped by the police station, either to get their approval or protection or both... not really sure but they asked us to treat all of them as well. Most of it was stress and pain... everyone is affected emotionally even if they don't have outside wounds. Brenna, the PA and I were able to treat them and then pray for them. Then we moved to our "clinic", a covered area in the midst of the tents. Everyone is sleeping outside because their homes are destroyed or they are too afraid to sleep in buildings. We saw almost 150 patients today, some of it basic stuff but some of it was serious. But most of all we continue to see anxiety and hopelessness. Even my interpreter today, Donald, shared with me how he looks to the future with different eyes now and says that he feels hopeless. We've been able to pray with some of the patients as well as giving them medicine.
We had to shut down clinic a little earlier than we expected because the crowd was getting a little rough... but the police were there and they even gave us a ride back to the village in their truck! We were never really in danger but we just wanted to be careful. Most of the medical team has to leave tomorrow, so I'm not sure what tomorrow will hold... but I continue to trust that God has me here for His purpose. Thank you for your continued prayers!!

Clinic at the village

2010-01-28T15:54:00.000-08:00

It's amazing how God answers prayers... just yesterday I was praying that God would open doors if He wanted me to do medical work here in Haiti, in addition to loving on these precious kids. And last night a small medical team showed up! So this afternoon we set up clinic here at the village and the PA and I saw 70 patients this afternoon! Most of it wasn't that serious, but it was great to people to help them. These are the people that weren't affected enough to go to the hospital but still had pain from falling or respiratory infections from sleeping outside. Tomorrow the plan is to set up clinic at a nearby police station that probably will have greater need. Please continue to be in prayer for all of us here, for health and strength as we work nonstop and for wisdom and direction in setting up the medical clinics (This group will be here til Monday).
It's been a busy day and is more exhausting because I sleep with the babies at night so never get to sleep through the night (Did I sign up to be a mom yet? :)) I gotta run cause we still have to pack up meds and supplies for tomorrow, but wanted to let y'all know that things were going well and to thank you for all the prayers! And I haven't been able to respond to all these great and encouraging emails but I appreciate y'all so much!! Thank you so much!! Love you guys!!!

Pictures

2010-01-27T12:15:00.000-08:00

Here's a couple of pictures... I thought you have seen enough of the destruction on TV so wanted to share some of the precious faces... here's one of Maki (my baby and patient), of the cute little kids eating lunch, and of the kids at the airport, the first ones I got to love! :)

Daily life at the orphanage

2010-01-27T06:14:00.000-08:00

I finally have a few minutes where I'm baby free and able to write. I still have too much to say and not enough time or the words to write. I haven't left the orphanage since I arrived, but there has been plenty of work to do. One of my main jobs still continues to be to care for Mackey, the 8 month old that was sick. I carry her around all day and she even sleeps in my room tonite. On Monday night she was up from 12-3, but last night she slept better (Thank you, Lord!). Today she is a little better and happier, but I think what she needs most is love. That's what all the kids here need the most. And there's just not enough people here to give them all the love they need. Besides us and the babies, the older kids and the adults are all sleeping outside. It's not so much that the buildings aren't ok, but more that everyone is just so afraid. I think I felt some tremors last night, but nothing too bad.
Mom asked me yesterday if it was chaotic and I guess it is, but not in the way you would expect. I am nowhere close to the riots, the crowds, the desperation (although it does exist... there are some journalist guys staying here and they come back with stories at night. They actually found another survivor yesterday - 15 days after the earthquake! Truly a miracle!) But here, we are trying to give a halfway normal life to these kids. And the work is nonstop. There are probably 50 or 60 kids and many adults as well... I'm not really sure how many people are really here. But we are blessed to have food and are feeding all of these people, so it's been a big job to make food and wash dishes and I've been able to help some. I think much of the city is without electricity, water and food, but we are blessed with a generator, a well and lots of donated food.
I've not been able to do as much medical stuff as I hoped (although I have been able to treat some of the kids and a couple of people come to the village in need of help), but there are some more medical people coming in today or tomorrow so we've talked about setting up a mini medical clinic here at the village. For now I'm just treating what comes in and helping in any way I can.
Ok, it's time to get back to the babies! Thank you again for all your prayers and encouragement!! All the comments, facebook messages and emails have meant so much and I want you to know how much I appreciate it! Continue to pray for me as I serve, for strength, for health and everything I need to treat and love these people. And pray for the people, especially for peace. Pray for God's love and salvation for the people of Haiti.

Made it to Haiti

2010-01-25T17:04:00.000-08:00

I don't even know what to write or where to begin and I am so tired and ready to try to sleep, but I at least wanted to write and let y'all know that I made it. I left FL this morning at 5 am on a private 8 seater plane and flew to Port-au-Prince. The plane ride was awesome and I got to sit in the front with the pilot! He is a man who donated his time and his plane to fly 3 flights into Haiti to take volunteers and supplies in and kids for adoption out. Barbara, the lady in charge here, flew in with 7 kids on Saturday and 6 kids today. I got to play with the kids at the airport today and help them on the plane... so precious!! Pray that everything would go smoothly with all the adoptions.
I got here to the village (the orphanage), which is partly destroyed like most everything else here. Driving in the city seemed somewhat normal in parts but then you pass a building that is in crumbles. I arrived here and was handed one of the kids, an 8 mo old who was dehydrated from vomiting and diarrhea and have literally carried her around for 5 hours until I finally got her to sleep a few minutes ago. Today I mostly helped care for the kids... at one time I was entertaining 5 infants/toddlers. These kids have been through so much and there's so little help here.
I have so much more I could write, but I'll stop with this. I don't know what these next few days will bring, but I know God has me here for His purpose. I may be treating people or I may be loving on kids, but I pray that He might be glorified. I pray that I could bring His love to a people without hope. Thank you so much for all your prayers! Please keep praying for me and for the others here and for the people of Haiti!

Going to Haiti

2010-01-23T19:09:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm really going to Haiti! I wanted to let y'all know that I am leaving for Haiti on Monday and to ask for your prayers. I didn't think my next adventure would be less than 2 months after getting back from Ghana, but this is an opportunity that I feel God has given me. I woke up the day after the earthquake and the first thing I heard on the radio about Haiti was people coming out of the ruins saying, “I need a doctor!” I thought, “Here I am with gifts God has given me to be able to help people physically and the free time because I just returned to the States and am not working full-time.” Ever since that day I have been praying that if God wanted me to go to Haiti, that He would open the door. And my church has so graciously offered to support me. I have searched out many opportunities but have mostly found closed doors until today.

I will be going to work with an orphanage right outside of Port-au-Prince. (check out the website at www.reachouttohaiti.com) It has been there for over 20 years and helps with Haitian adoptions. Since the earthquake, in addition to taking care of the kids they have opened a “walking wounded clinic”. I will be helping take care of (and love on) the kids as well as helping in the clinic. I really don't know a lot of details (this is just one step deeper into trusting the Lord for me!) and actually found out about the organization from someone I barely know... but in looking into it, talking with the coordinator in Florida and praying a lot, I feel that this is the door God has opened for me and is calling me to walk through. As much as I want to help the people in Haiti, I am getting on that plane on Monday because of obedience – because there is a God who loves me and has called me to follow Him. I obey Him, knowing that I go to the place He has called me to and that He will walk with me every step of the way.

I am flying to Orlando tomorrow morning and then fly to Haiti on a private plane Monday morning. I found out about the orphanage earlier this week but didn't think it was going to work out for me to go. But then I get a call from the coordinator this afternoon saying she has an open seat on a plane and thinks I'm the person that's supposed to go! This is all crazy last minute for me and not what I'm used to, but God has totally confirmed to me that this is of Him.

So I'm writing this to ask you all to PLEASE PRAY! I honestly do not think I could go down there if I did not know there was going to be so many people praying for me. I know that many of you are already praying for the people Haiti but please continue to pray for them. Pray for the ministry of Reach out to Haiti and the orphanage. And please pray for me – for safety, health, for compassion and the strength in what I'm gonna face. I know it's gonna be hard, probably harder than anything I've ever been through and so this is why I need your prayers more than ever!

I was told there is a computer and internet at the orphanage but since I'm not taking my laptop I'm not sure how often I'll be able to write. If and when I'm able to update you it will be on facebook and on here. I'm not sure exactly when I'm coming back, probably in 2 weeks, but I'll try to update y'all as I can. Thank you SO MUCH for all your prayers!!

What's Next

2009-12-29T11:02:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I have been back home for 2 weeks now but things have been so busy with the holidays that I'm just now getting the chance to write. But I wanted to let you know that I completed my 4 months in Ghana and am now back home and am feeling good. What a challenging, amazing experience – probably the hardest 4 months of my life but I am so thankful for what I experienced, for the help I was able to offer and for all that God taught me.

I want to thank each of you for your prayers, encouragement and support during these past few months. I seriously couldn't have done it without you and I want you to know that even though most of you have never set foot in Ghana, you were there with me each step of the way. Thank you!

I also want to ask for your prayers as I'm back in Atlanta and trying to decide what God has next for me. Please pray for His wisdom and guidance during these next few weeks as I spend a lot of time praying and thinking about what I'm gonna do next. I know His journey for me doesn't stop here, but I'm really not sure what the next chapter is going to be.

None of us know what 2010 holds, but we can rest knowing that God is with us and that He has a plan for each of us. I pray that each of you will enter this new year with hope and trust in our Lord Jesus Christ. May He use each of us for His glory!!

Day in Accra

2009-12-15T08:46:00.000-08:00

This is my last blog from Ghana... I can't believe it!! We made it safely to Accra yesterday. We left BMC at 4 am and drove the 2 ½ hours to Tamale... last time on the bumpy Wale-Wale road... and then flew 1 ½ hours to Accra. We were able to rest some yesterday at the Baptist Guesthouse. Megan is feeling better so thank you for the prayers. And besides feeling a little sleep deprived and dreading the long flights ahead of me, I feel good. :)

Today we were able to see a little of Accra. I love tropical cities! After spending 4 months in the dry Northern region, I was happy to see city life, palm trees and the beach!! Praia, que saudades!!! Yes, I was able to see the beach! We did a little shopping and then had lunch at a little restaurant on the beach. It was a great last day!

We're back at the guesthouse and getting ready to leave for the airport. I'm almost home but it's gonna be a long next 24 hours – 6 hour flight to Frankfort, 5 hour layover and then a 10 ½ hour flight to Atlanta. Please pray for safe travels and that I'm able to sleep some. Thanks for being on this journey with me!!

Last day in Nalerigu

2009-12-13T05:53:00.000-08:00

It's my last day in Nalerigu! I can't believe this African journey is coming to a close. It is a time of mixed emotions. I am excited to see my family and friends, give my body some rest and eat Chick-fil-a and Christmas cookies. :) I am sad to leave, especially knowing I am leaving a huge need here. But mostly, I feel peace, knowing that I completed the time God had for me here in Ghana. Just a little packing left and a send-off dinner for Matt & Megan and me tonight.

The long 3 day journey home begins tomorrow at 4 am. Although I am feeling better (thanks for all the prayers!), I know the next few days will be very tiring. Tomorrow I will spend the night at the guesthouse in Accra and will be able to write from there. Please pray for safe and trouble-free travels, for strength and that I would be able to rest. I also ask that you say a special prayer for Megan. She is sick and vomiting today... pray that she feels better before we have to travel tomorrow. Thank you guys for all your prayers and encouragement during these past few months!! Love you guys and look forward to seeing many of you soon!!!

Rest & Trust

2009-12-12T09:25:00.000-08:00

First of all, thank you so much for all of your prayers!! I was still feeling pretty bad yesterday, but I slept well last night and am feeling so much better today. I'm even able to eat and have finished most of my packing! Praise the Lord!

As my time here draws to close, the question I continue to ask (and I'm sure many of you wonder as well) is “what's next?” Since I know that many of you will ask me as soon as get home, I'll go ahead and share with you... I have no idea! For those of you that know me well, you know that I always like to have a plan and to know as far in the future as God will allow. And it seems that God is continuing to lead me on a path where I don't know the future and have to trust Him. I first started praying about what I was supposed to do after Africa a few months ago and God's answer was and still is “You don't need to know now. Rest and trust in Me.” God has used Isaiah 30 throughout this year to remind me to rest and trust in Him. “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength... blessed are all who wait for Him... Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, 'This is the way; walk in it” (Is 30:15,18,21). He used these verses earlier this year to tell me to rest when I had no idea where I was gonna go after graduation, and then to lead me here to Ghana and keeping me here when the times were tough. And now once again, He is telling me to trust and rest, believing that He will open doors and give His guidance in His perfect timing as He continues to lead me on His journey for my life. I just want to encourage each of you to trust Him, to rest in Him and let Him lead you on the plan He has for your life. Sometimes it means taking a step of faith, sometimes it means being faithful right where you are... it isn't always easy, but we can trust that God's plan is best. God says “Rest. Trust me”.

Prayers for BMC

2009-12-11T09:52:00.001-08:00

As I'm preparing to leave in the next few days, the hospital and the great needs here have been heavy on my heart. Matt Jones, the surgical resident who has been here for the past 6 months with his wife, Megan, leave on Monday with me. With both of us leaving at the same time, it will be a drastic increase in work for the remaining doctors. Please pray for Dr. Hewitt and Dr. Dickens, the only two doctors here right now, and for strength, endurance and health. Pray for their wives and kids and for encouragement, strength and joy. Pray that God would provide more workers, both volunteers and long-term doctors. There are a lot of questions about the future of this hospital and it is something that only God knows the answer. I know that as I leave Nalerigu, I am leaving BMC and the patients in His hands. Pray that He would continue to provide for this ministry.

P.S. Please continue to pray for my health and recovery. I wasn't even able to go to clinic today because I was feeling too bad (malaria is no fun) and was so bummed because it was my last day. I ask you to especially pray that I would regain strength and be completely recovered before I start traveling on Monday morning. Thanks so much!

Malaria

2009-12-10T08:47:00.000-08:00

I have malaria... I can't believe I got malaria my last week in Ghana! I guess I have now had the true African experience. I do actually feel a lot better so although I ask that you do pray for me, don't worry too much about me. :) I woke up yesterday morning feeling sick and after rounds decided to get a blood film. To diagnose malaria they stick your finger and smear your blood on a slide and look for the malaria parasite. Mine came back negative, which doesn't rule out malaria but doesn't confirm it. Trying to convince myself I wasn't really sick, I tried to see some patients but only lasted for 30 minutes. After having a really bad afternoon and thinking I probably did have malaria but not wanting to take the medicine unless I was sure, I called Megan to take me back up the hospital and got another blood film. And it actually was positive – mps present +. I didn't know whether laugh or cry but was definitely relieved that I now had a diagnosis and could start the medicine.

I have been taking prophylaxis, which decreases your risk of getting malaria and makes it a milder case if you actually do get it. The milder case was bad enough though. Although I am still weak today, I feel 100% better than I did yesterday. But I just kept thinking about all my patients and how much worse they have it and how it's harder for them to get care. I was sick with a milder case for 12 hours until I started treatment and felt probably the worst I have in my life. But the patients I see daily come in with worse symptoms for 3 or 4 days, have to stand in line and wait for hours to see a doctor and then longer to receive the medicine. rI now understand why they lay down on the floor... cause that's what I felt like doing last night. They walk, ride motos or get on a crowded truck or bus to travel far distances just to get here. I live right next to the hospital and even so, was driven to the hospital to get my blood film and had someone get my medicine for me. I had people to take care of me, a comfortable bed to sleep in, the medical knowledge to make sure I was drinking fluids and medicine the first day I got sick... many of the people don't even have that. Malaria is an awful disease and one that affects millions of people worldwide. I pray that I never get it again, but I know that this experienced has given me insight into my patients' illnesses and increased my compassion for what they are feeling. Thanks for your continued prayers! The worst is over and I am on the road to recovery. I'm just so glad I'm sick now and not next week when I'm traveling.

Last Monday Clinic

2009-12-07T11:21:00.000-08:00

Today was my last Monday clinic day here at BMC. This time next week I will be in Accra on my way home!! I can't believe it's finally here! It was actually a very busy day in clinic and I saw 150 patients! I thought it would probably be busy cause it's a Monday and market day and Friday was a holiday – Farmer's Day, which I never quite understood what the holiday was for, even after asking people. We didn't all go out to farm or even have a party for the farmers.

Starting my last week here in Nalerigu brings many emotions – excitement, relief and gratitude being the main ones. These have probably been the hardest 4 months of my life, but it has definitely been a life-changing adventure! God has taught me so much and although in many ways I am thankful that it is ending, I am grateful for all that God has taught me through this experience. One of the many things I have learned through this is perseverance. There have been days I just wanted to leave because I felt exhausted, lonely, bored, sad... but through it all God confirmed that He was the one that called me here and would help me get to the end of my appointed time.

So here I am, finishing my last week in Nalerigu for one reason – there is a God who loves me and calls me and equips me to carry out His plan and glorify His name in this world! 2 Corinthians 8:11 is a verse that God reminded me of many times during these last few months – “Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it.” Through God's strength and joy, I am completing this work that He appointed me to! This says nothing for me... God only knows how many times I wanted to give up... this is all about Him and His power, joy and strength in my life! I praise Him for His love and faithfulness! And I thank Him for all of you, that have been there to encourage me, pray for me and support me – I couldn't have made it without you guys!! Thank you SO much!!

Giving Blood in Africa

2009-12-04T10:10:00.000-08:00

I have now donated blood twice in my life... both times being in Africa. I guess not many people can say that! :) On Wednesday morning while doing rounds I saw a little boy on the peds ward with malaria and anemia. His hematocrit was 10% (low) and there was no one to donate for him. A couple of his family members had been tested and their blood type did not match. I found out he was 0+, so I donated 140 ml of my blood to him. The actual process of giving blood here is not fun and I couldn't look at the blood flowing out of me and got a little dizzy afterwards (mostly because I hadn't eaten breakfast yet!). But despite the minor pain, the feeling of knowing you're giving a little of yourself to save someone's life is incredible! Malaria is said to kill a million people worldwide each year and is the third deadliest infectious disease in the world. Many kids don't have access to hospitals like BMC to get the medicine and treatment. They die from anemia because there is no one to donate blood and no hospital to carry out the transfusion. This is not 200 years ago... this is today, in 2009, that close to one million kids die from malaria. The statistic is startling but what's even more heartbreaking is to look into their faces, to witness this sickness and see what it does. But what is thrilling is to see the miracle of medicine, of blood and how these precious children can be cured! As my time here in Ghana is ending, I know that there is part of me that I will leave here. I have given my blood, my talent and my love to the people of Northern Ghana and I, in return, have experienced God's joy and blessing that has forever changed me.

Seeing the boy in peds that was severely anemic
Taking my donated blood back to the little boy in the ward

Christmas Time

2009-12-02T10:17:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I walked in the hospital and heard Christmas music over the loud speaker “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire...” and started laughing. It's December and I remembered that Christmas is almost here! It seems strange to hear Christmas music here in Africa when it's hot outside and there's no external evidence of Christmas. I went to market yesterday and there were no signs of Christmas sales and I haven't seen any decorations on the mud huts. I asked someone today if they have Christmas trees and she said they don't grow here and no one really decorates for Christmas. I still have to ask about Christmas celebrations here, but in a way it's nice to not be bombarded with all the materialism surrounding Christmas in the States. When there's no mall within driving distance, you forget about a lot of the stuff that society says is a must for your wish list. :) But as I heard the Christmas music today, I got excited as I remembered that December not only brings Christmas, but means that I will be coming home soon! Two weeks from now I will be in Atlanta!

Harmattan

2009-11-30T12:48:00.000-08:00

Harmattan arrived a couple of weeks ago, signaling the end of rainy season and the beginning of the dry season. One morning everyone started talking about this thing called “Harmattan” and how it wouldn't rain anymore because the winds had changed directions. Harmattan is the dry and dusty West African trade wind. There are good things about the rainy season being over – no more middle of the night thunderstorms, walking in the mud or carrying my umbrella around everywhere. And the weather is actually better... the humidity is lower and it's cooler at night. The Ghanaians actually say it's “cold” and show up to clinic in the morning in sweaters and parkas! The downside of the dry season is the dust. Everything, including me, always seems to be covered in a thin layer of dust and the air is always hazy. I was told the haze actually gets worse later in December. In a way, you kinda get used to the dirt everywhere and never being completely clean for long. Many days I look down at my feet and think they look really tan... until I take a shower and they turn white again! I try to scrub my feet and paint my toes pink so they won't look so bad, but I am definitely looking forward to getting a pedicure in a few weeks! :)

Thoughts on the funeral

2009-11-29T10:28:00.000-08:00

Alando's funeral has been the past few days- yes, it lasts for days. Everything seems to be a big event here, especially birth and death. Usually babies don't receive a name until a week after they are born, at their naming ceremony. Christians usually have their naming ceremony at church and then have a big party afterwards. I was told me that it really important to be accepted in the society by having a naming ceremony. Families borrow money and make preparations that could seem elaborate to us considering their means. Funerals, I have learned, are also very important. Alando's started on Thursday when they brought the body from Tamale. They usually have funerals within a few days and don't embalm but because of the murder his body was sent to Tamale for an autopsy and they had to bring it back in the hospital van... I haven't seen any hearses around here.

On Thursday night they had a wake and although we didn't go to that, it usually lasts all night. On Friday they had the burial service, which lasted for hours and then they buried him in a room they had built onto his compound. Apparently they usually bury people inside the courtyard of the house, but Alando's courtyard was concrete so maybe that's why they built a room. We went to his house for the visitation last week. His house was one of the nicest around here and yet it was still set up like the mud hut compounds – individual rooms all around an open courtyard. He has 2 wives and they each have a room in the house. It's mostly non-Christians that have multiple wives but I've seen some Christian men, like Alando, that have more than one wife. I was told that Alando's father had 5 wives. There's so many aspects of the culture that I still don't understand and wonder how the church really should approach these things.

Ok, so back to the funeral. Yesterday they had the memorial service with tributes, sermon, music and even dancing... interesting to see dancing at a funeral. Many letters and tributes to Alando were read and everyone talked about what a great man he was. They even had T shirts that many people wore with his picture and name on the front and “May he rest in perfect peace” on the back. Another interesting thing is that the family has to prepare food for everyone, instead of everyone bringing the family dishes as we do in the States. On Friday and Saturday, they made food and distributed it out to all of us, which is a huge task and expense, considering there were probably close to a thousand people at the burial and hundreds at the memorial service the next day.

Today there was a Thanksgiving service at church, with the purpose of thanking God for all that He has done for us in these past few weeks. I thought it was both interesting and wonderful to have a service to thank God as part of the funeral. Please continue to pray for the family and friends during this time, because no matter what culture or funeral practices, death is never easy. And pray for peace in this community, for love to replace hate, and for comfort to fill the hearts of the people.

Thankful

2009-11-26T08:38:00.001-08:00

I'll admit it, I woke up this morning feeling a little sad, that it was Thanksgiving and I was far away from my family and not really gonna have a fun and exciting day to make up for what I am missing today. I did hospital rounds this morning and we are going to have a Thanksgiving dinner tonight with the missionaries, but other than that it's just been a pretty boring, hot day here in Ghana. And before you ask how people in Ghana celebrate Thanksgiving, remember that this American holiday isn't celebrated here. :) After feeling sad for a while, God started to speak to my heart and show me all I really do have to be thankful for. Every Thanksgiving, my Aunt Joan always has everyone pick out 3 corn kernels and say 3 things we are thankful for. And although I'm not with them and don't have any kernels, I still want to think about all the things I have to be thankful for today. What am I most thankful for this Thanksgiving here in Africa? First of all, I am thankful to be alive – to have life, to be able to experience both joy and pain. How often I take my life for granted and how much I have been reminded here that life is merely a vapor. I am also thankful to know God and to be His child. I can't imagine how my life would be if I didn't know Him and the Life He has given me. I am thankful that God exists and that He doesn't just exist, but that He sent His only Son, Jesus, to the world to live and die, so that I might be able to know Him and have a relationship with Him. What a gift! I am also thankful for my family and friends, that love me and continue to encourage me and support me on all my adventures, even though they miss me when I am gone. I love you guys and am so blessed! I am thankful for the experiences that God has given me, to see so much of the world, to be able to make a small difference and to be forever changed by what I have seen and done. I am thankful that this journey is one I do not travel alone, but that God is with me every step of the way and that He leads me and fills me with His peace and presence. I will still miss being with my family today & hanging out with people I love at Thanksgiving dinner and wish that I could eat Nanny's dressing, Mom's pumpkin pie and Aunt Joan's Strawberry Pretzel Salad, but today I feel thankful for all that God has blessed me with! I pray that each of you has a blessed and “thankful” Thanksgiving! Happy Thanksgiving!!

Back to 3 Day Clinic Week

2009-11-24T04:51:00.001-08:00

The hospital administration made a decision to go back to 3 day clinic week. I think the decision was made mostly because with Alando's death, the pharmacy cannot handle the number of patients we were seeing with 5 day clinics but I feel that it was the best decision for everyone. I have been worried about how Dr. Hewitt and Dr. Dickens were going to see all the patients after Matt (the surgical resident who's been here for 6 months) and I both leave in a few weeks. Even the clinic workers and interpreters were exhausted and talking about how there were too many patients. In the month of October, we saw 16,000 patients!! Before that, the highest record in a month was 9,000! Part of it was due to the extra volunteers and being at the worst of malaria season, but it's still crazy!
Yesterday wasn't as busy as normal Mondays, but the patients are slowly coming back (I saw over 100 kids). It's been encouraging these past 2 days to see kids get better, especially after the tough weekend. Two of the kids I admitted yesterday (one who was dehydrated and one who needed blood), I was able to discharge home today because they were so much better. I walked into the wards this morning and both of them were sitting up, alert and happy. The little girl was actually asking to go to school and when I said she could go home, she got out of the bed and started walking to the door! Patients do get better and sometimes it's the seemingly “simple” but vital things such as IV fluids or a blood transfusion that is the difference of life or death. On most days I still feel like there's so much I don't know about medicine, but then there are days like today that I realize that there are children alive today because I used the gifts God has given me. Thanks for all the continued prayers and encouragement! Only 3 weeks left... pray I will finish strong!

Tears

2009-11-22T05:55:00.001-08:00

How can I ever fully describe the suffering here or even the things I have seen? Tonight on my peds rounds, I took care of a 1 day old baby whose mother died after childbirth. She hadn't had any milk in 24 hours and the pharmacy was closed, but thankfully I was able to get some formula from Hollie (a missionary wife who has a 3 month old). As I was leaving, they called me over to see a 12 day old who I had admitted yesterday for neonatal sepsis. When Dr. Jones and I examined her we realized that the baby was already dead. I don't know how long this mother had been holding her dead child, but she started sobbing when we told her. It is times like these I feel so helpless and the only thing I know to do is pray for God's comfort. I came back to the house with a heavy heart and tears streaming down my face. I have only cried a few times since I've been here. Maybe it's because I haven't allowed myself to cry, afraid that I won't stop. Or maybe it's because I've seen so much during my time here that I haven't begun to process it all. But tonight I cry, for this woman who lost her child, for this baby that will grow up without a mother, for all those that are suffering because of sickness and death. I pray and thank God for His peace and ask Him to comfort these people. And may I be an instrument of His love here at this hospital and wherever I go.

Hospital Reopened

2009-11-19T12:31:00.000-08:00

The hospital is now back open as of today. It seems that Alando's funeral won't be until next Friday but his family, the Nayiri (the chief) and the workers all decided that they should come back to work. Even with the hospital open again, I think things will be slow around here for a while. I only saw 10 patients today (After the numbers I was used to, it seemed like I didn't even work!). We expect to see more patients tomorrow as the word gets around that we're open again, but many people are still afraid. Tonight in Station Meeting, we had a special prayer time, for Alando's family, for the hospital and for this community. Please continue to pray for God's presence and peace in the hearts of the people here.

African Farming

2009-11-19T12:17:00.000-08:00

Since I am a city girl, I never claimed to know a lot about farming but I received quite an education yesterday during my time with Tommy. In addition to preaching in the villages, he has a farm here. After our village visit he took us by his farm. I learned that farming is a lot harder in Africa because they don't have many of the machines that American farmers have. They have to do it all by hand - the sowing, the reaping, everything. We saw his workers pounding the soybean and Tommy explained that after they harvest it and let it dry, they “pound” it (hitting the crops with big sticks) to separate the beans and then collect it. It's a long process. I offered to help them for a few minutes – it's hard work! Many of the people here make their living by farming and I was once again shocked at what a hard life they have. It's not been easy living in an African village these last few months, but I live in a palace compared to what most of these people live in. And these people work so hard. Both the men and the women work long hours on the farm, and the children as well. I have seen many children carrying buckets of water from the well (Don't take for granted that you can turn on the faucet and water magically appears). I have tried to put into words what it's like here, but to fully understand you have to see it for yourself. All I know is that life is hard here. But as I shared with the people at the village yesterday, the same God I know is the same God that loves them. And this God never promises an easy life, but He promises to always be with us and to fill us with His peace and joy no matter what our circumstances!

Day in the Village

2009-11-18T10:55:00.000-08:00

Since the hospital still wasn't open today, I was able to go out to one of the villages with Tommy. He's a missionary who has been here for over 10 years and does a lot of evangelism in the surrounding villages. We went to a village about an hour away from Nalerigu to take part in their weekly “Church Service”. Such a simple and awesome time! We met on benches under a tree and had a time of singing – a bongo drum and women dancing around in a circle and singing. I posted a video for you to see the singing and dancing circle that I later joined in. Tommy shared a Bible message with them and then asked if any of us would share. I got up and was able to talk to them about God's love and His work in our lives. Tommy has been going to this village for the past few years and besides his visits, they have no other church service or Bible teaching. And there are many other villages like this one, so isolated that healthcare, schooling and Bible teaching are hard to come by. Just to get to this village, we had to drive for over an hour on this bumpy dirt road (this was probably the worst one of all I've been on). We stopped along the way and let people jump in the back of the truck... there is no public transportation on these roads so most of them have to walk long distances just to get anywhere. As Megan put it, we thought we came to the end of the earth in Nalerigu only to discover there are many more remote places. The simplicity of their lives is astounding. Most of the people can't speak English, but they warmly welcomed us and served us food – fresh black-eye peas and corn, mixed together and cooked. It definitely tasted more exotic sitting on a bench in the farmlands of Africa. :) Since I mostly have been inside the hospital during my time here, it was great to see more of where and how many of the patients live.

Here's the video... this is the first time I'm uploading a video on my blog so hopefully it will work.

African Birthday

2009-11-17T11:53:00.000-08:00

It's not every day that you can celebrate your birthday in Africa and yesterday was my special day. I originally thought I would spend most of it busy in clinic, but because of the recent events, it turned out to be a relaxing day. Although I didn't do anything really “African”, I had fun! I did get up to do hospital rounds and then we went to the visitation with Alando's family, but after that we chilled and watched a girly movie. My roommates cooked me a delicious dinner of Italian Chicken, Macaroni and Cheese, Lima Beans and Garlic Bread – an interesting choice for a birthday dinner but I had to choose from what we had. :) And no ice cream but I actually had 2 cakes! The girls made me Red Velvet Cake cupcakes and wrote “Happy Birthday Amy” in icing and then lit 29 candles and sang to me! It was great! And after we finished up at the house, we went down to House 6, where Bawa, our cook had made me a coconut cream pie (with fresh coconut!) and we ate my second birthday dessert! Wish you all could have been here to celebrate with me! I realized that I have now celebrated my birthday in 3 different continents and was thinking today that I should add something to my “List” - celebrate my birthday in every continent. So next year I'm thinking I need to celebrate it in Europe... anybody want to come? :)

Annie & me at dinner
29 candles on my birthday "cake"

Thank you for the prayers

2009-11-16T12:47:00.000-08:00

Thanks for all your prayers regarding the situation here at BMC. The hospital workers meeting this morning apparently went well, but it looks like it's still going to be a while before we will start back clinic. I still don't understand everything that is going on, especially as it relates to culture practices and beliefs, and there is a lot that doesn't make sense to us as Americans, but it's their culture. We question how you can close a hospital because of one man's death, but one of the missionaries told me he stopped trying to understand or interfere with cultural things years ago. I think that the workers will come back after the funeral, but there's a hold up on that because the body was sent to Tamale for an autopsy. Hopefully that will be sometime this week. Things remain clam here in Nalerigu. We will continue being open on an emergency basis only until then. There were only 9 patients in the peds ward this morning (there are 36 beds that are usually filled and I've seen as many as 58!). It's weird seeing the hospital this empty and going from working nonstop to having nothing to do. We all went and greeted Alando's family this afternoon at a type of visitation. Please continue to pray for comfort for his family and friends during this time. Thank you!

Tragedy in Nalerigu

2009-11-15T08:26:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to share about what is going on here and ask you all for your continued prayers. On Thursday night, Alando, the hospital's pharmacist and respected political leader in the community, was shot and killed while he was walking home from work. This man has worked at BMC for 20 years and his death came as a shock to all here. It is thought that his murder is connected with a longtime tribal conflict between the Mamprusi and Kusasi tribes.

I share this with you not for you to be afraid for us, but so that you will pray more specifically during this time. I do not feel there is any danger and have been told that even if more fighting were to occur, that no one would hurt the “white people”. So please, don't worry about me. The people in the community, however, are living in fear. Crime doesn't happen in Nalerigu and everyone is freaked out. We couldn't have clinic on Friday and had to cancel surgeries because many of the workers refused to come to work. We've had to discharge as many people as we can because we only have a skeleton staff in the wards. We don't even know if we'll be able to have clinic this week. How do you convince people who are consumed by fear, even if it's mostly an unfounded fear, to go on with life as usual? And like someone said, yes, it was a tragedy that Alando died, but it would be cruel to allow other people to die. I have shared how much physical need there is and how much this hospital helps the people of this country.

I ask you to pray most of all for peace, that God's peace and comfort would replace the fear and anger. I ask you to pray for wisdom for Dr. Hewitt and the other leaders as they have many decisions to make. There will be a staff meeting on Monday morning to determine if and when the BMC workers will be willing to return to work (why they have the power to say whether or not they will work I don't understand, but that's how it is). So please pray especially for this meeting tomorrow. And pray for those of us here, that we would know how to minister, to show God's love and peace in a time and place that so desperately needs it.

Attempted Trip to the Escarpment

2009-11-12T08:24:00.000-08:00

I definitely have had some interesting adventures here in Africa... but at least I have stories to share. :) On Sunday afternoon we decided to go to the Escarpment, one of the only fun activities close by. It's an overlook about 45 minutes away from Nalerigu that you can hike up to and see all over Northern Ghana and even to Togo and Burkina Faso. It is supposed to be beautiful but I actually have yet to see the view... cause we never made it there! No, our hike to the overlook consisted of an hour of hiking in tall grass and trying to find the trail there! We supposedly started out on the right path, but the more we walked, the narrower the path and the taller the grass. Angela was our guide but she has never been there after rainy season (apparently there isn't any grass to walk through in dry season) so she was as lost as those of us who had never been before. At one point we saw some rocks and thought if we could go over to them, then maybe on the other side we would see the escarpment. But after making our way through more grass and climbing up the huge rocks, we were at a dead end. We just kept praying that we wouldn't run into any snakes and thinking how the anti-venom is 45 minutes away! Thankfully, there were no snakes and we at least found our way back to the car before dark. Our 4 hour trip to walk through tall African grass! Hopefully I will get to see the Escarpment before I leave, but next time I will make sure it's with Dr. Hewitt, who is usually the one to take groups there.

With the Escarpment behind me... where we were headed
Us at the dead end.... yea, not such a pretty view.

Coffee days are better days

2009-11-11T11:51:00.000-08:00

I had coffee today!! It was my first cup of decent coffee in almost 3 months and it was amazing! Some of you know that I didn't drink coffee before Brasil, but now I love strong coffee! So here's my African coffee adventure... The first week I was here I went through major caffeine withdraw from my daily coffee and/or energy drinks. I started having one coke a week – partly from lack of coffee and coke and partly because I thought it would be good to give my body a caffeine break. But then Angela got me some coffee and a coffee maker from the Failes when they left. I decided to make coffee one morning in September, but didn't have much luck with it. I got sick from the coffee and the thing is that I'm not sure why... whether it was because the coffee expired in 2007 or because I made it really strong and my stomach wasn't used to such strong coffee or maybe it was because the milk was sour.... so after that I was afraid to make coffee again. :) I miss Starbucks and the people that make coffee for me! I was going to buy coffee when we went to Ouaga and was so excited cause I saw “Brazilian coffee” on one of the coffee bags at the supermarket... until I noticed the rest of the package was in Arabic! And I didn't recognize any of the coffee brands (I kept searching for Melita) and didn't want to spend a lot of money of coffee that wasn't even gonna taste good. So I had decided that I would just wait another month to drink coffee. But then someone gave me some Cinnabon-flavored coffee. :) So Annie & I made some this morning... I decided that after seeing over 280 patients in 2 days, I could use a little caffeine to keep going. And let me tell you, it was amazing and today was the best day!! Today was a lighter day because I saw only 98 patients (why do I consider that a light day?) but I still have so much energy. Today I am thankful that God made coffee and for fun African coffee adventures. :)

Breaking the record... yet again!

2009-11-09T11:25:00.000-08:00

158 – that's the number of patients I saw today! It's funny to remember back to my first day here, when I was so amazed that Dr. Miller & I saw 96 patients! Those days are long gone and it seems that as the help has decreased, the number of patients have increased. Thank you for all your prayers and please continue to pray for me and the other workers here. God continues to give me strength and joy for each day, and I know that is in part because of so many people praying for me. You are a part of this ministry and you are here with me as I treat each patient. Please pray for continued strength and endurance this week. Tomorrow is market day so it will be busy and we also had to send some of the patients home to come back tomorrow. Thanks so much! Love you guys!

Cute kids

2009-11-07T11:31:00.000-08:00

Just thought I would share some cute pictures of some of my patients today. It's always funny to take pictures of kids here because most of them don't know how to pose (although everyone loves looking at the picture after I take it). I try to get them to smile but it doesn't always work. I took picture of a cute little boy yesterday at the nutrition center and as soon as I took it he broke out in tears. I felt so bad! Everyone around the boy, including his mom, was laughing so I guess it was ok! :) Enjoy and hope y'all are having a good weekend!

A typical day

2009-11-05T09:40:00.000-08:00

Just thought I would share a typical weekday for me here at BMC - I get up and head to the pediatric ward at the hospital at 7:30 am. In the morning we round on the inpatients. For the kids, it's mostly deciding who can go home and who can be changed from IV to PO meds. After I finish rounding, which is usually about 8:30 or 9:00, I go to clinic and see patients until break. The clinic closes from 9:30-10:00, when they have a devotion in Mampruli for the patients. I usually go home to eat breakfast and have my own devotion time. After break, it's back to clinic to see patients. There are 7 exam rooms at OPD (Outpatient Department) that are filled with Ghanaian Medical Officers, the missionary doctors and volunteers. When there were a lot of volunteers, we would have 2 and sometimes 3 people to a room, but now I'm in a room by myself. Since there are so many kids, I decided to keep seeing just kids until they finish for the day. With kids, the flow is faster because it's mostly just malaria. I calculated the other day that at times, I see 1 child ever 3-4 minutes! I stop for an hour for lunch and then go back to clinic until all the patients have been seen. Once the children are finished, I start helping them see adults. We usually finish up between 4 and 6 pm, although occasionally it is earlier or later. Mondays are always busy and Market Days (every 3^rd day) as well. Thankfully today was light and we finished around 3 pm (The last 2 days weren't as bad as Monday, but I still saw almost 100 patients each day.).

Thank you all for your prayers! After Monday I was so exhausted and wondering how I was gonna make it until next month, but God has filled with me with His strength and joy these last few days. I got an email with some encouraging verses today - “ My presence will go with you and I will give you rest.” Exodus 33:14. “The Lord gives strength to His people; the Lord blesses His people with peace.” Psalm 29:11. “Your strength will equal your days.” Deuteronomy 33:25 God reminded me that He is with me and the one that gives me strength and peace. He will give me just the right amount of strength for the days He has me here in Ghana, even when I think I won't make it another day. He is the one who called me here, knowing exactly what I would encounter, and I can trust that He is in control. I pray that you all have a day filled with His presence and peace!

An exhausting day

2009-11-02T10:08:00.000-08:00

Busy Monday in clinic... After a somewhat relaxing weekend, it's back to life at the hospital. Mondays are always busy but today seemed worse, mostly because almost all of the other volunteers have left. It was an exhausting day! I was in an exam room by myself (usually there's another volunteer) and saw mostly kids all day. The thing about seeing kids is that you don't have to talk a lot to the parents because you diagnose them mainly based on examination (and 90% of them have malaria). Over half of the words I've said all day are “He has malaria” and “Go to the pharmacy” in Mampruli. I saw 132 patients today– just me! That's crazy! I have to admit, after today, I am even more worried about how I will survive the next month and a half. Please pray for me, for strength, endurance, encouragement and peace. Thanks!!

Third World Country Vacation

2009-11-01T01:57:00.000-07:00

We're here in Ouagadougou for the rest of our mini vacation. There's been no more African mud baths and our accommodations are far better here than at the game park, but it still strikes me as funny that this is where we come for vacation. Ouagadougou, or “Ouaga” as everyone calls it, is a city of 1 million and the capital of Burkina Faso. Someone told me that Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in the world. We were talking today about how any Westerner would come to Ouaga and talk about the poverty and the dirtiness of the city. And yet, here we are, coming here because it is so much “nicer” than the village we live in. They actually have paved roads, traffic lights, real supermarkets & restaurants!

Most of what we've done has been eating and shopping... and it's been wonderful! Yesterday's lunch was pizza and today we went to the restaurant at the American Embassy – hamburgers, fries and milkshakes! This is no big deal until you haven't eaten food like this in 2 months. :) Last night we went to a Lebanese restaurant and had pita bread, hummus and amazing fresh vegetables. There aren't that many fresh vegetables in Nalerigu so it was definitely a treat! We had chocolate croissants for breakfast and went to a French restaurant for dinner. The shopping was fun, especially since the Nalerigu market only has fabric and food, but it was quite the experience. Imagine trying to bargain in French (I know like 5 phrases and kept trying to speak Portuguese to them!) and calculating the prices in my head (It's 440 CFA for 1 dollar). But it's definitely been nice to be in a city for a few days and to have a break from the hospital.

African Mud Bath

2009-10-30T09:30:00.000-07:00

Well, you probably thought the title of my blog would be “African Safari”, but we had a different kind of adventure yesterday. Soon after we got to Nazinga it was time to go out for the evening safari. The way it works there is you take your own vehicle and pay for a guide to go with you. We start out our tour with Abel, our guide, handing us a picture guide of animals we might see and not saying anything except “turn right”, “go straight”. So we drove for about 20 minutes through tall grass wondering what in the world we're supposed to be looking for. Our animal search came to a screeching halt when we got stuck. Yes, we got stuck in the mud on an African safari. So, Megan, Matt, our guide and I all get out to push while Angela drives. But it did not budge... since there is no way to call anyone we begin the task of getting us out. Matt & Abel get out the tire jack and begin jacking up the front wheels while Megan & I walk around collecting sticks and rocks to put under the tires. Did I mention that our guide, Abel, does not speak any English and Megan only knows a little French. So with hand motions and a few words, we worked together (and laughed cause what else can you do when you're stuck in the mud in Africa?). Once we got that done, we all pushed the car out. I wish someone could have videoed us pushing because it was quite a site. We were at the beginning of the “small river” when we got stuck, so we still had to go through it. We all push again as Angela guns the gas and are running after the vehicle to keep pushing it. In the process though, I fall into the muddy water (not once but twice!), lose my flip flops (yes, I should have worn my chacos but didn't expect to be walking through rivers!) and get up only to find we're stuck again. So we got out the jack, put the rocks under and pushed again... and finally we were out! By that time though it was almost dark and we had to drive back to the ranch. The only animal we saw on our safari was a some type of deer that I think they called a water buck (and some baboons, some birds and a turtle on our drive in). Not one elephant! So basically we paid money for an African mud bath adventure!

All muddy but at least we're out!
Matt & our guide trying to get us out

Trip to Nazinga Game Ranch

2009-10-30T09:29:00.000-07:00

There is no way not to have adventures in Africa, even if they are different than what you expected. We are now safely in the guesthouse in Ouagadougou, but have definitely had an adventure the past 2 days. We left Nalerigu early yesterday morning and it took us nearly 8 hours to get to the Nazinga Game Ranch, where we expected to see elephants. The roads are so bad - almost 100 km in dirt roads where there are huge craters and mud puddles and you can't go over 10 miles an hour in some places! Plus, you have to go through the border, which takes over an hour (nothing is easy here), but thankfully we got through before they closed for their 3 hour lunch break. Our lunch was a “picnic” on the side of the road. We tried to pick a spot where there weren't many people around, but I guess there's no way that white people can't draw attention here. :) By the time we were leaving, we had a small crowd of people just watching us eat.

It is the end of rainy season and apparently not the right time to see animals at Nazinga (yes, useful information to know before you drive 8 hours in Africa but what could we do at that point?). The grass is so tall that you really can't see much of anything. The other problem is the puddles (and small rivers) in the road... which proved to be a bigger problem on our safari. We did make it to the ranch, to our “mud huts”. We thought we had reserved a 3 room chalet but we got 2 small huts with a lock that took 5 mins to open, two twin beds with rock hard mattresses, and electricity from 6-10 pm... pretty rustic but at least it had a toilet and shower. Sleeping was interesting... after the power cut turned our fan off, Angela & kept hearing animal sounds. We couldn't go to sleep because it was so loud so we finally went outside to have a look around (probably not the best idea in Africa but the noises stopped when we walked outside). We finally decided that there must be monkeys or baboons in the tree. I slept off and on – the monkey sounds, the feeling that bugs were crawling on me (although I never saw any), and having a hard mattress. It definitely could have been worse conditions, but we were all thankful to leave this morning.

Wednesday Update

2009-10-28T10:50:00.000-07:00

Well it's Wednesday and I realized I still haven't written anything yet this week. And it's mostly because I've been too busy to write. It's been a long few days in clinic, especially since most of the other volunteers have left. Monday was a 12 hour day and with hospital rounds and the outpatient clinic, Andy & I both saw over 100 patients! I have been mostly seeing kids and am amazed at the number of malaria cases we continue to see. Over 75% of what I treat every day is malaria. Continue to pray for strength and endurance. Andy leaves tomorrow and the rest of the time I am here I think there are only surgical volunteers (meaning there are going to be many more long days in clinic). But I get to take a trip to Burkina Faso for a few days for vacation before it's back to hard work until December. We leave tomorrow and are going to a game park to see elephants and then on to Ouagadougou for a few days. Yeah! I think I will have internet in Ouaga so I will try to update y'all once we get there, but please pray for safe journeys and for a refreshing time for all of us. Thanks!

Day Trip to Tamale

2009-10-25T10:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we took a day trip to the nearest “city” so we could go to the ATM and the grocery store. I was looking forward to being out of Nalerigu for the second time in the 10 weeks I've been here. Well, this day trip took 9 hours with over 6 hours in the car. Tamale is only 100 miles away but it takes 3 hours to get there because of the dirt roads filled with pot holes, sheep, goats and people. Traveling is an adventure even when we don't have to use public transportation!

Our first stop was a restaurant for lunch... I was looking forward to eating at a restaurant for the first time since arriving in Ghana! It was good, although we were overwhelmed at having so many choices and our food was really spicy. So I'm still looking forward to Cracker Barrel, Olive Garden & the Mexican Restaurant when I get back to Atlanta! :)

We went to the bank and I was able to use to ATM to withdraw money but then the machine took Annie & Angela's cards when they tried after me. Which is bad because the bank is closed on Saturday... so they have to do the trip all over again on Monday so they can get their debit cards back! It's crazy being 3 hours away from the nearest ATM!

I was excited about going “shopping”, although I didn't expect it to be like the States or even Brasil. The other missionaries always go to Tamale to go to the grocery store and talk about how much it has. So I had this picture of a decent size store with a variety of things... You can imagine my surprise when we get there and it's only one little room with 2 aisles! The padaria (bakery in Brasil) right by my house in Rio had more food than this store! Very disappointing after the 3 hour trip. I bought Coca Light, a can of Pringles and an ice cream bar. And I got some apples from the “Fruit & Vegetable Market” - it was just stands on the side of the road. After that we drove the 3 hours again and got to Nalerigu right after dark. You know, I never liked going to the grocery store in Rio and would always get annoyed at the check-out people because they seemed to take forever. But at least they had lots of good food, air condition, cash registers that accept credit cards and it was only 5 minutes from our house!! Our Tamale adventure made me realize even more how different the way of life is here!

Ghanaian Food

2009-10-22T09:53:00.000-07:00

We have a cook that cooks lunch and dinner for us every day. Most of the food is American style with an African twist – hot dogs/hamburgers with homemade buns and fries, soft tacos without sour cream or salsa, chicken pot pie and cabbage salad. This week we decided we wanted to try typical Ghanaian food. Caroline, a Peace Corps Volunteer went and got it for lunch for us... closest to delivery we'll ever have here. :) We had fufu, ground nut soup and guinea fowl. Fufu is made from ghanaian yams that they pound and mix together in a big pot with a wooden spoon. It looks like mashed potatoes but is sticky and honestly has absolutely no taste and is the weirdest consistency. You eat it by dipping it in the ground nut soup (with your hand of course!) I liked the soup, although it was a little spicy. It is made from peanut, which they call ground nut. The soup came in a black plastic bag – no such thing as a disposable bowl here. The guinea fowl, which I thought I wouldn't like at all was my favorite of all and tasted like turkey. The pictures are of me pouring my soup from the plastic bag and of the meal. This was after I had already eaten half of it. All of that for only $1!! I will say that I am glad that I don't have to eat fufu everyday, but it was a fun experience!

Caring for Sick Kids

2009-10-20T08:44:00.000-07:00

It's been a nonstop past 2 days in the hospital. Yesterday I worked in clinic all day and saw many patients. A bus showed up mid-morning, filled to the max inside and people on top (see the picture below). I continued to be amazed at the extremes people will go to receive medical care here.

Andy and I were on call last night and had the busiest night I've ever had on call. We didn't get to eat dinner until almost 8 (we usually eat around 6 pm) and only slept from 1:30-3:00 and 4:00-7:00 am. They knocked on the door at 3 am calling us back in for a patient that was not doing well. Besides having to get up in the middle of the night, it's always scary to be called back in and you just pray that you will know what to do to help the patient. Sometimes there is nothing that can be done. Thankfully we were able to help the woman, but in pediatrics 2 kids died while we were there, even after we had done all we could do. The suffering and sickness is so overwhelming.

After a short night's sleep, it was a busy day in the pediatrics clinic. I admitted 12 patients to the peds ward today (On average I usually admit 3 or 4 daily). And these kids were all really sick – malaria with anemia or convulsions, dehydration and malnutrition, pneumonia with respiratory distress. Below is a picture of a little boy that I admitted today with malnutrition and dehydration. The peds ward is full but we continue to admit. There are probably 15 kids and their moms on the floor because there are no more beds.

I was reading this weekend in Exodus 36 and it talks about the “skilled person to whom the Lord has given skill and ability to know how to carry out the work just as the Lord commanded”. God reminded me that He has given me skill and asks for my obedience to do the work He has called me to do... even when it's not fun or I'm exhausted or would rather be doing something easier. It is God that calls us and God that gives us His strength to carry out the work. Thank you for your continued prayers!

The Jewelry Women

2009-10-18T10:50:00.000-07:00

We went back out to Gambaga Witch Village to see the women making the jewelry. It was a lot more fun with some of the women actually being there. It was really cool to see these “outcasts” with smiles on their faces. There were 7 of us that went and we were all taking pictures and praising their work. It was neat to be able to encourage them in the beginning of their jewelry business. And I loved looking at all the jewelry and watching them make it. They asked my opinion about one of the necklaces they were making it and I told them it was great, so great that I wanted to buy it! Below is a picture of the women at work and me with the woman who designed and made my necklace.

More pictures

2009-10-16T12:42:00.000-07:00

I've posted more pictures on facebook. Here are the links to the pics:

Failes Goodbye Weekend -

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=116940&id=517652235&l=de614b89ba

Hanging out in Nalerigu -

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=117733&id=517652235&l=836050ff8e

Thanks for all your prayers and encouragement!

Water Sachets

2009-10-16T12:19:00.000-07:00

It's Friday and we've survived another week of clinic. It was a busy and hot day today. Let me try to describe our “office” today... Imagine a hot room with a fan that barely works, 3 doctors, 1 interpreter for all of us and an endless flow of sick kids. It was the first day I forgot to bring my water bottle and at 3 pm I was starting to feel dehydrated. Someone went and bought me a water sachet, AKA water in a bag. It's really the only way to find cold, pure water outside of our house. There is a talent to drinking these water sachets, that I apparently lacked this afternoon. I bit a hole on the corner, which ended up being too big, and squeezed too hard... which resulted in water all over me! And it was even funnier because there was a roomful of African women and their kids all laughing at me. I know they were thinking, “This crazy girl can't even drink water right!”

A tribute to Dr. Chuck Miller

2009-10-14T11:03:00.001-07:00

After spending 2 months here at BMC, Dr. Miller left this morning and we were all sad to see him go. He has been an inspiration and encouragement to all of us. Chuck will celebrate his 80^th birthday next month and for the past 10 years has been spending half of each year volunteering at mission hospitals all over the world. It has been amazing to hear of his stories and to see how God changed his life and gave him a special calling during this season of his life. His stamina, his compassion & his knowledge were noted by all. And he was so patient to teach us about pediatrics and how to treat the children. We already miss him but know that what he taught us will help us care for children here and in our future jobs. My life was definitely blessed by the time I was able to spend working with him. I told him that I hope I have half of his energy when I'm almost 80! What an example of a life committed to the Lord.

Jewelry and Witches

2009-10-13T09:14:00.001-07:00

Today I visited the Witch's Village of Gambaga. It's a village where woman live who are accused of being a witch. In reality, none of the women are witches like we would think of them. In this culture if you accuse someone of being a witch for whatever reason she is sent out of her village. Common reasons: 1) I have a dream that you are trying to kill me so I accuse you of being a witch. 2) You and I are both wives of the same man. You have children and I don't; so you are a witch because you are robbing me of my chance to have children. 3) You have a prosperous business but mine is not doing well so you are a witch. Which all sounds crazy to us as Americans, but woman are sent out of their village because of this. There is a village supported by the Ghanaian Presbyterian Church where the “witches” can go. Presently there are 70 woman there. Many debate whether the village is helping or merely allowing the witchcraft accusal to continue, but woman that don't have a place like this to go to are killed or forced to hide and struggle to survive.

Caroline, a Peace Corps volunteer, is working to help create income for these women by teaching them to make jewelry. We went today to see the woman and help them in their jewelry making. We got there, though and the woman had gone to farm the chief's land. They broke their commitment to us and did what is better for them today but not necessarily good for their future. It is hard to get the woman to think long-term and work hard today to receive money in a few weeks or months. The visit was still good because the four of us picked out colors and beads and separated them for the women to make later this week. The plan is to sell them to volunteers and in the States so we know better than the women what colors the Americans like. It was fun spending a couple of hours playing with beads and jewelry and I can't wait to see the finished products!

Just another Monday in Ghana

2009-10-12T13:10:00.000-07:00

Today was Monday clinic, which is always a busy day. One of the med students, Lindsay, and I shared a room and an interpreter. After getting to the point of being able to communicate with all my patients in Brasil, the language barrier here is difficult at times. I am trying to learn to say more and attempting to call patients to come into the room (I've learning some of the accent and have found if I yell and stress certain syllables, they will understand. And if not, it makes everyone laugh so at least I'm entertaining them. :)

It's been really hot the past few days (Estou com saudades da praia!!). I thought it was the end of rainy season, but apparently it's not over yet. Tonight we had a thunderstorm and Lindsay and I happened to be stuck in the schoolhouse. Well, first the internet went out and then the power went out and we didn't know how long it would last. Plus, we were already late for dinner and really hungry. So we decided to face the rain and run to House 6. Lindsay didn't have an umbrella so I wore my windbreaker and let her use my umbrella. Oh, and did I mention it's pitch black so I'm holding my flashlight inside my windbreaker trying to see where to run. So we start running and all the sudden I'm running through a river – a muddy river. So we're running, screaming, through puddles in the downpour and thunder. We finally get to the house, completely soaked. But it was worth the rain because we had spaghetti and garlic bread for dinner! You know you've been overseas when you jump for joy over things like garlic bread! And dessert was homemade coconut cream pie. It turned out to be a good day after all. :)

A relaxing Saturday

2009-10-10T11:49:00.000-07:00

I took today off and had a wonderful, relaxing day. After a woman knocked at our door at 7:30 am trying to sell bananas, I was able to go back to sleep enjoy a few more hours. Angela and I made french toast (with Ghanian bread and syrup someone sent her from the States) for breakfast. It was so good!! We also made banana bread muffins to eat for breakfast during the week. It's funny to me what I end up doing in my free time here. Having a roommate that loves to cook has rubbed off on me I guess, and it's been fun to see all the fun stuff we can make.

I can now add hairdresser to my resume. :) In this last 2 weeks I have cut two people's hair! Andy, one of the med students, begged me a couple of weeks ago until I said yes (I told him I had never done it before but I think I was the only person that would try, haha). And his hair actually turned out well. And then today Angela asked me to cut hers and hers looks good too. I don't plan on changing careers once I get back to the US, but I love all the things I get to do overseas that I would never do in the States.

We watched a movie this afternoon, but the power went off 3 times during it and the bad thing is that Angela's remote doesn't allow you to do scene selection so we have to fast forward from the beginning. Nothing is ordinary here in Africa! Hope y'all are having a great weekend!

Our pet monkey

2009-10-09T10:46:00.000-07:00

Yes, we really do have a pet monkey! The Failes had a monkey, Mambora, for 14 years, and when they left a few weeks ago they couldn't find anyone to take her so she moved to House 6 and became the volunteer monkey. I was so excited about having a monkey to feed and play with but all my dreams came crashing down on the first day when she jumped at me and would have attacked me if she hadn't been to the end of her rope. I thought that she was just having a bad day because her family had left her. Andy & James said they fed her and even pet her so I thought I would try again. A couple days later I went out to try to feed Monkey a banana and she went crazy, jumping at me and making all these noises. I was told that since she is a female that she doesn't really like girls, but she seems to hate me even more. Everyone else thinks it's hilarious and took a video of Monkey and me; As for me, I've decided that it's ok that she doesn't like me and it's her loss, not mine. :)

I'm really in Africa!!!

2009-10-07T10:57:00.001-07:00

You know those moments that it just hits you all of the sudden and you think “Am I really here or am I just dreaming?” I had one of those moments yesterday afternoon. My roommate, Angela & I rode into town on our bikes. (BTW, I have a bike now... thanks to one of my friends who bought me one... it's not pink or fancy or new, but it works and it has a basket!) So, there I was, riding a bike (in a skirt of course) on the dirt roads of Nalerigu, maneuvering between goats, motorbikes & puddles, passing mud huts and children yelling, “Saliminga, Hello!” and it hits me, “Nothing about this screams normal, but it seems just normal now. I'm in Africa!” What an experience this has been!

Answered Prayer

2009-10-07T10:55:00.000-07:00

I don't think it's just a coincidence that the morning after I asked you guys to pray for balance, Dr. Hewitt shows up at my house at 7 am to say that he heard that I hadn't been feeling great and since we had so many volunteers here, that I should take the day off. What a blessing to have an extra day to sleep and relax! Yesterday he had a meeting with all of the volunteers (currently there are 8 of us) and said that we can start taking a days off or trading off rounds on the weekend so we don't all have to work 7 days a week. That was definitely an answer to prayer for me to hear that it's ok to take time to rest and that I should take advantage of the fact that more volunteers are here now because there probably won't be as many in November and December. Thanks for all the prayers and continue to pray for health, strength and wisdom for all of us.

Carrying things on your head

2009-10-05T10:49:00.000-07:00

Even after being here for 6 weeks, I am still amazed at what these women are able to carry on their heads! It's not just light stuff either but some seriously heavy things! I have seem women with baskets on their head filled with coal, with firewood, and one that was filled with canned food! The funniest though was a few weeks ago when I was walking around town and saw a woman carrying a rolling suitcase on her head! What's the point in having a rolling suitcase if you're not gonna roll it? :) I am convinced that some of the neck pain and back pain (which people here call waist pain) has to be from years of carrying such heavy things on their heads, but none of my patients will agree with me. I guess it could possibly be since they start at such a young age that they get used to it. I am determined to learn how to carry something on my head, but we'll see if I actually succeed. Until then I will go on being fascinated with the women and the babies on their back and baskets filled to the top on their heads.

Thoughts after a restful weekend

2009-10-04T12:15:00.000-07:00

After a really busy week, it's been nice to have a pretty relaxing weekend. Friday night we had a Girl's Night at our place with the other female missionaries and volunteers. We had strawberry cupcakes and watched a girly movie and did pedicures! Yesterday Angela and I mostly just chilled and watched movies but this afternoon we were very productive. We made strawberry jam! My first time – I'm learning lots of things here in Africa! You have to be really creative here because there's so much you can't get. Tonite we made an Italian dish and it was really good! We were talking about how good garlic bread would be, but the Ghanian bread is sweet so it won't really work. How I miss my padaria (bakery in Brasil) and all the tasty bread we used to get!

I've been thinking and praying a lot this week about finding a balance of work and play here. The work is never-ending at the hospital and the lines of sick patients seem to grow longer week after week. How do you find time to rest and relax when there's always people that are in desperate need of your care? Where is the balance between taking care of them and taking care of yourself so you're able to continue doing the work? How do you get away and relax when you're in the middle of Africa and to go anywhere means traveling at least 2 tiring hours on a dirt road? In Rio, I had the beach, massages, friends and Sharon, who always gave me a day off when she thought I needed it even before I would ask. But here, everyone works 7 days a week and the permanent doctors work even longer and harder hours than I do. How do they do it? I was talking with another volunteer about how there's no way you can continue on in a place like this were it not for God and the sense of His calling to do His work. I can't imagine where I would be if God were not real and always present in my life. I praise Him for all that He has done in me and through me since I've been here. Please continue to lift me up in prayer and specifically for His wisdom to find that balance and for His strength to continue on day after day.

Busier day after day

2009-10-03T08:07:00.000-07:00

This week was probably the busiest yet. I worked with Dr. Miller all week in pediatrics. The two of us saw around 750 kids in the outpatient clinic and when you add the inpatients we saw on morning and afternoon rounds, the total is over 100 children! We broke our daily record 3 different times this week – 157 on Monday, 163 on Wednesday and 178 on Friday! The thing is that most of these kids are really sick and really need medicine. There were 21 patients admitted to the pediatric ward yesterday and there were patients on the floor because they didn't have any more empty beds. Every week the number of patients increases and we are exhausted. Thankfully, 4 new volunteers arrived this week – two 4^th year medical students and two family practice residents. Please continue to pray for us and for the strength and endurance to keep going day after day.

Goat Kabobs

2009-10-01T10:39:00.001-07:00

When I first got here I was surprised at how many goats there were. I guess it's just not the first animal you think about being in Africa, but they are everywhere in Nalerigu. The guys got this idea that we should have goat for James' going away party. Well, our cook went to market and bought one – alive – and the goat was tied up at the schoolhouse for 2 days. The problem was that the goat was really cute and there was a debate at dinner one night as to whether we should really eat him instead of just keeping him as a pet. We all took pictures of him and everything. In the end, though, we were forced to go ahead with the original plan and on Tuesday night we had goat kabobs. The meat was interesting, a little tough and a weird after-taste... apparently if you don't take the goat by surprise it makes the meat really tough. Poor little goat...

Treating Rabies

2009-09-29T10:53:00.000-07:00

I never ceased to be amazed of the things I see here. Today I saw an 11 year old girl that came in with a dog bite. The major risk here is malaria and when I asked if it was a mad dog, they informed me that they had killed the dog. We have the rabies vaccine here and I had to go to the pharmacy to ask how to write for it. Well, when I came back, James told me they had brought something to show me – the dog's head! I thought they were joking but then they picked up the bag on the floor. I screamed & turned my head... I couldn't handle seeing that... but James saw it and said it was pretty bad. The smell was sickening. And then our interpreter grabbed it and said she was going to cook it! What in the world! You're not supposed to eat the head of a possible rabid dog!! Yes, every day brings more excitement! I have to go to dinner now. We are having goat tonite... my first time eating goat! That will be tomorrow's story... Wish you were all here with me! :)

A record-breaking day in pediatrics

2009-09-28T11:09:00.000-07:00

Today was another busy day in clinic. We set the record today in pediatrics – Dr. Miller and I saw 157 patients and admitted 15 to the hospital! We are exhausted! They said that changing clinic to 5 days instead of just 3 would lessen the daily load, but I still don't believe that. It still amazes me how many kids can have malaria and be so sick.

I never know what's gonna happen in peds. Last week a kid started crying so hard when I was examining him (do I really look that scary?) that he began vomiting... and with an “I hate you” look on his face, he picks up the vomit and starts throwing it at me! I couldn't believe it! At least I was able to dodge it but it was definitely a first. :)

Here's a picture outside the pharmacy. You can see there is so many people! You walk around clinic and people are everywhere - standing up, sitting down, lying on the ground. There is an endless sea of suffering people at the hospital... never-ending... so much disease and sickness. Continue to pray that God would give us health, endurance and wisdom to care for the sick.

Greetings in Mampruli

2009-09-27T10:44:00.000-07:00

Although English is the official language of Ghana, many people here in the north only speak the local dialects. Mampruli is the most common language spoken around Nalerigu. I've tried to learn some basic Mampruli, although I haven't gotten as I wanted and at times still try to talk to the patients in Portuguese or pick out Portuguese words in the songs at church. :)

Greetings are a big deal here and there seems like a hundred different greetings! I have mastered the usual good morning, good afternoon, good evening but there are different greetings for people working, for a group of people versus 1 person, for someone eating, for someone walking, for someone carrying water... and who knows what else! Every morning on the way to the hospital I walk past the maintenance guys and attempt to greet them. I can now say “Good morning” and the proper morning follow up “How are you?” but then they will say something else and I'll start laughing or say what I think may be right in the form of a question. They all laugh but since I'm laughing too I guess it's ok.

On Friday I was talking to one of my patients and I thought she asked how I was doing and I said “Alafia” which means “Doing well” but then my interpreter informed me she was asking how my husband was doing. When I said, “Oh, I don't have a husband”, her reply was that she would take me home and let me share her husband! FYI - It is not uncommon for men to have multiple wives here, a concept I still don't understand how these women can be ok with! But I decided that I'll just got back to saying “Alafia” whether they are asking how I am doing or about my husband... ignorance is bliss and I don't think I want any more women offering to share their husbands with me!

Station Meeting

2009-09-25T11:20:00.001-07:00

Every Thursday night we have station meeting. It is where all the missionaries and any volunteers that wish to join them meet together for a time of worship, prayer and fellowship. It rotates around to the different houses and the host always makes a yummy dessert. :) It is always a special time. We have hymnals and we suggest songs to sing. Most of the hymns I know but many I have no heard in years and it's been cool to really think about the powerful words of so many of them. We have a time of sharing and then a time of prayer requests. Last night was special because it was the last night for the Failes. We had a special time of prayer for them as they continue on God's journey for them to the next phase. They left today and it was sad, for them and for all of us. Please be in prayer for them as they travel and adjust to life in the States. I have been praying especially for hope and for peace for them during this time because I remember that it's what I needed most when I was leaving Brasil. I trust that God will provide for the large gap that the Failes are leaving here and that He will also provide a new ministry for them. I thank God for the hope and the peace He gives us!

On Call

2009-09-23T10:41:00.000-07:00

Being on call here is quite the experience. When you're on call you're in charge of all the inpatients (up to 140 patients if it's full) and they call you for any new patients or emergencies. We do nightly rounds at about 10 pm in hopes that they will not call us in the middle of the night. And there is no pager here for the person on call... they come to your house and knock on your door (not even a doorbell) to wake you up! I have only had to go back in once in the middle of the night. Last night I didn't get home til almost 1 am though. After rounding on the patients, I had to scrub in on the C section – the uterus was ruptured and then the power went off in the middle of surgery. Try to imagine, just as the doctor is suturing the uterus back together, it becomes completely dark in the OR. A guy used his cell phone to find a flashlight and we survived like that for 5 minutes before thankfully the power came back on! Only in Africa!!

African Road Trip

2009-09-22T13:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was quite the adventure! I went to Burkina Faso and back in a day, a long 10 hours filled with memories that words cannot fully explain! :) I had to leave the country in order to renew my visa so I decided to take advantage of the missionaries driving to Burkina. I talked Angela into going with me and we got a ride with them to the border. After going through immigration in Burkina (interesting to say the least... a little building, men speaking French, no computers but a book where they wrote everybody's passport numbers in it), we left the group and walked a mile back to the Ghanian border.

After waiting for a while at Immigration, we were back in Ghana and ready to begin our adventure back to Nalerigu. We walked for a while and finally found a taxi that drove us an hour to the closest city. So this taxi was literally falling apart -the backseat windows couldn't even open, with every bump I thought the bumper would fall off, and with the strongest smell of kerosene. We finally made it there only to get on a crowded van for the next part of the journey. I was in the back seat between 3 women and barely could sit back.

The last part of the journey was the craziest and the longest. In Wale-Wale we had to wait over an hour before the bus could even leave. The vans here have to fill up completely before they will leave – no bus schedules here! And once we finally did leave, we spent over 2 hours on this dirt road – probably the worst, bumpiest road I've ever been on! We were crowded into this bus on this crazy road... I looked over at one point at Angela & said “Why did we do this?” We stopped at all the villages along the way to let people on and off and didn't get back in Nalerigu until after dark.

So happy to have made it, we start walking home only to be followed by a group of kids who are yelling at us, trying to talk to us and then they start pulling my hair. After spending almost 5 hours crowded together with Africans, I just wanted to take a shower and be by myself. Finally we yelled at them to leave us alone and finished our walk home in peace. So, that was our Burkina Adventure! I could have just paid the money to get a visa extension, but the African road trip and going to a new country were way more exciting! :)

The Failes' Farewell Weekend

2009-09-20T10:27:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy weekend of celebration here at BMC and it has been interesting to be a part of it. Yesterday was the farewell ceremony for the George and Elisabeth Faile here at the Baptist Medical Center. It was a 5 hour long ceremony!!! It was scheduled to begin at 9 am, didn't start until after 11 and went on until almost 5 pm! And there was no lunch break, only “refreshments” - glass bottles of coke that they handed out to everyone. Africans do not do anything halfway and the ceremony was evidence of that! It was all outside and there were over 300 people present! There were many speeches, with everyone first addressing all the important people present (apparently it's a cultural thing and a way of showing respect). There was also music and dancing – African style! And the funniest part was that they had shirts made with the Failes' picture on the front and people wore them, including George and Elisabeth! And then today in church they had another celebration and time of thanking, praying and giving – a 3 hour long service! My favorite part of the celebrations were when they received the gifts and they had to leave and come out wearing their new outfits!

For people who don't like to be in the spotlight, it has been quite a weekend. Dr. Faile told me today that he would rather have been on call. :) But it was an important weekend, especially for the Ghanaian people to have the opportunity to thank the Failes for all they have done. And it was awesome because God received all the glory. It was not hours and hours of people crying but instead of people thanking God for the life of this couple and for bringing them to Ghana. People talked of the Failes' obedience to God's call, their perseverance during these 22 years and the hard work both of them have demonstrated here at BMC. I pray that the words that were spoken touched the hearts of those that do not know the Lord. I know that for me personally, especially after a long, hard week at the hospital, that it was good to see the big picture and be reminded that God is at work and uses us for His glory. As I have heard people talk all weekend about the Failes and their faithfulness, I have been thinking a lot about legacy. I encourage each of you to think as well about what kind of legacy you want to leave. What really is important in this life? What do you want people to say about you at the end of it all?

Hair Braiding and Soccer

2009-09-18T09:57:00.000-07:00

I am trying to find some time during our nonstop work at the hospital to get to know the culture a little better. Yesterday I got my hair braided. It was quite the experience, spending half an hour on the covered “front porch” of a mud hut on the main street watching normal daily life of people here in Nalerigu while a woman braided my hair. There were some high school girls that kept looking at me and laughing... I couldn't tell whether they were looking because it looked good or really bad, haha! But it's fun and definitely much cooler. And did I mention it cost less than $2?? When I walked home no one yelled “Saliminga” as I walked back so I decided that I must fit in better now. :) All of the locals keep saying how nice it looks and that I look more African now. :) After getting my hair braided I went to watch a soccer match. In honor of the Failes leaving, there are many activities going on this week. The soccer game was between the hospital staff and a local school and was quite the game. The excitement of the fans and the talent of the players was like what I saw in Brasil, but the difference was that there were goats and a donkey that came out on the field in the middle of the game... and they just kept right on playing! And the field was part grass, part dirt, with holes and no clear boundary lines... we asked and they said the field on one side and the fans on the other! Wish y'all could have been here to experience the game with us!

Pictures on Facebook

2009-09-17T09:21:00.000-07:00

Our internet is finally back up and working so I was able to upload pictures to facebook. Even if you aren't on facebook I think you can follow this link to the album. Hope you enjoy!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=110789&id=517652235&l=9970558d5c

Saliminga

2009-09-16T10:10:00.000-07:00

Any time any of us walk out of the hospital compound we become the town's entertainment. As I'm walking down the streets I hear kids yelling, "Saliminga, Saliminga" or "Saliminga, hello". "Saliminga" means "white person". I will never be mistaken for a native here. :) All the kids love getting their picture taken. Kids are the same wherever you go... they cry at the doctor, say funny things and love getting their picture made. This is a picture of some of the kids on the street. They are so cute!

Busy days in clinic

2009-09-15T12:20:00.000-07:00

Our internet is fixed!! Well, at least for today! Hopefully it will stay that way. It has been a very busy past few days here at the hospital. Mondays are always busy clinic days but yesterday was exhausting for me – I saw 70 patients, including a minor procedure and admitting 2 patients to the hospital - a woman in labor and an older lady with pneumonia. I didn't leave clinic until after 7 pm! Today one of the med students and I ran the adult clinic because the doctors were either away or doing surgery. It was definitely a stretch for us but we did ok. Tonight I am actually on call. They put the volunteers into the rotation for night call together with the permanent doctors. The first 3 times I was with an ER resident who was really good so it was no big deal and we actually didn't get any calls in the middle of the night, but he left on Sunday. So now I'm doing it alone and am a little nervous so y'all definitely say some extra prayers for me tonite please. Please continue to pray for strength and endurance for all of us. I am tired but I can't complain much because the doctors here work more than me and they do it week after week, year after year. The need is so great here and the workers are few.

God is our Light

2009-09-13T10:08:00.000-07:00

“God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5

“I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn darkness into light before them... I will not forsake them.” Isaiah 42:16

It is so dark here at night. I guess after spending so much of my life in big cities like Atlanta and Rio de Janeiro, I am not used to being somewhere that is so dark. It is especially dark here at the hospital compound because there are no street lights and as I walk at night, I've been thinking about how God is our light and how we are His light in a dark world. I love Isaiah 42:16 and is definitely true as God is leading me along many unfamiliar paths. He is my light and He is leading me with His light. And just like when I am walking in the dark night and can only see a few steps ahead of me with my flashlight, God is leading me step by step. He gives me light for today and wants me to leave the future in His hands. And because I am His and His Spirit lives in me, I am His light in this dark world. The darker it is, the brighter the light seems to shine. Pray for me, that I would continue to trust God to lead me in the dark, unfamiliar paths and that His light would shine through me for all to see. May I help to bring light to those around me.

“I have but one candle of life to burn, and I would rather burn it out in a land filled with darkness than in a land flooded with light.”

When it rains, it pours

2009-09-12T09:14:00.000-07:00

Another rainy Saturday. It is the rainy season and although some days are sunny, it usually ends up raining at some point during the day. The rain is nice sometimes, although I still wake up in the middle of the night sometimes when the rain is pounding on our tin roof and some mornings the rain makes me want to stay in bed. I always carry my umbrella with me because you never know when it will start raining. We don't have a dryer and last Saturday morning when I did laundry it was sunny and I thought it was safe to hang my towels outside on the clothesline. Well, less than 2 hours later I was down at House 6 eating lunch and the torrential downpour begins. It was a thunderstorm with heavy rain, wind and lightening and I was stuck hanging out there for the next few hours. When I finally got home, I discovered 3 out of my 4 towels on the grounds covered in mud and leaves! Thankfully when I washed them again, they came out clean but I've decided to not hang anymore things outside, or at least until the rainy season is over. :)

Internet Update: The part did finally arrive but we still don't have internet. It appears to be a problem with the network now but with the rain, the cell phones haven't been working great so they haven't been able to call. As soon as we get internet back, I'll post some more pictures, but it's just too slow here at the internet cafe, which we have named the “Internet shack”.

The Baptist Medical Centre

2009-09-12T09:10:00.000-07:00

The Baptist Medical Centre (BMC) was started about 50 years ago by the International Mission Board and the Ghanaian Baptist Convention to meet the great physical needs in the Northern region of Ghana. It is a 140 bed hospital (I'm not sure of the actual number of patients it can hold because I've seen patients on the floor). The hospital grounds are about 750 acres and in addition to the hospital, there are 12 houses used to staff missionaries and staff, a school for the missionary kids, a malnutrition center, a health department that does vaccines and prenatal care, and a TB village. There are 3 long-term doctors here presently. Dr. Faile, whose father actually helped start the hospital, is a family practice doctor who also does most of the surgeries and has been here for over 20 years. Dr. Hewitt is a family practice doctor who has also been here for many years. They are both IMB missionaries. Dr. Dickens is an OB-GYN who has been here since last November and is planning on being here for 2 years. All of these men work very hard... I have shared about how much I work and how tiring it is, but these men work longer and harder than I do, year after year. Even with 3 full-time doctors and many volunteers, the need remains great. In addition, Dr. Faile & his wife Elisabeth are retiring and actually leaving in just a few weeks. They will leave a great void and no one is really sure how things will be once they are gone, especially since Dr. Faile is the main surgeon. And since the missions giving is down and the sending of IMB missionaries has decreased as a result, the worry is what will happen if no other doctor comes, especially because the Hewitts are up for Stateside next summer. I share this with you to ask for your prayers for this hospital and the leadership. Pray for everyone during this transition times as the Failes leave. Pray for God's provision of another full-time doctor. Pray for more volunteers to help lessen the great load. Pray that I would be a help and an encouragement to all here during this time. And if you know of any doctors that might be interested in coming here long-term or as a volunteer, please share with them about BMC. You can check out the hospital's website at www.baptistmedicalcentre.org

Just normal things around here

2009-09-10T09:05:00.000-07:00

Things are a little different around here than compared to hospitals in the States. Last Thursday they had to cancel surgeries for the day because there were no IV fluids. The hospital was out of IV fluids!! I already told y'all about them not having a blood bank here. One man “bought” a donor... he paid a man around $150 to donate blood. It might sound crazy to you, but his wife was bleeding and would die without a transfusion and his blood type was not compatible. It is frustrating at times knowing there are things we could do but just can't do here. There was a man that came in last night with a diagnosis of “overdose of some medicine” - that is what the chart said. We began to talk to the family and they didn't know what drug he had taken. When we asked what disease the medicine was for, they just said the man was “mad”. They were from Togo (neighboring country) and brought him to us because he was unconscious. There are limited labs we can do here – basically CBC, urinalysis, blood film for malaria, and blood glucose. And the first week I asked about doing pregnancy tests and the Dr. told me that they do pelvic exams. I am learning to do a lot of new things. We've had another busy week at clinic and the hospital. And supposedly the new part to fix our internet will arrive tomorrow – let's hope it will be fixed soon!! Thanks for all the prayers!

Transportation

2009-09-08T13:06:00.000-07:00

Getting around over here is a little different than I'm used to. My main form of transportation is my own two feet... which I don't mind at all during the day except when it's raining and the dirt roads become full of mud puddles. Or when it's really hot and the flies constantly buzz around my head. But at night it is a different story. Ghana has these poisonous snakes called copper vipers that bite you and screw up your blood clotting mechanism. We have to admit every patient with a snake bite and although we do have anti-venom, I've seen people die from it. I'm not too fond of snakes to begin with, but seeing every day what they can do to you makes it even worse. There are no street lights in the hospital compound so walking home in the dark is quite an experience. I don't even care about the bats that are flying above me because my flashlight and eyes are fixed on the road ahead of me. I've discovered a better alternative though – my roommate, Angela, has a bike and while she's out of town she said I could use it. It's a great alternative to walking – faster, no flies flying around your head, and no snakes at your feet. But having not ridden a bike in probably 10 years added to the fact that I'm always wearing a skirt and have to make sure it doesn't fly up or get stuck in the wheel, it's quite the adventure! And at night it's even funnier because I have to hold my flashlight in one hand so I can see where I'm going! One night I almost collided with another biker (who was riding in complete darkness!) and had to swerve and almost ran into the ditch... yes, adventures like this only happen to me! This week I've added the truck to my transportation. There's this old truck here that they let the volunteers use – stick shift, no interior lighting, windshield wipers don't work – the kind of vehicle I would never think about driving if I wasn't in Africa. Well, this week I drove it and was happy to know that I still remember how to drive a standard. And Ricky & Dad, you should be so proud of me – this is way worse than Dad's old work truck! But when it's dark and raining, it's the best option! :)

Internet Update

2009-09-06T12:30:00.000-07:00

Our internet is still not fixed. They were supposed to ship the broken part replacement to Tamale yesterday and one of the missionaries was there for the day and picked it up. We had hopes that the internet might be fixed by today, but the company shipped the wrong part! Maybe it will be fixed sometime this week. We are thankful for the internet cafe, but ready to have internet access back at the school. There is only one internet cafe in the whole town and it is definitely an experience. I think the hospital compound is the only place that has wireless... so I can't even get “gato wireless” (picking up someone else's wireless connection). The first day 3 of us walked in with our laptops to a room with no empty computers. But I think Ghanaians are a little like Brazilians in that they find a “jeitinho” (a way around things) for everything. Ethernet cords appeared out of nowhere and chairs were provided as they made way for us! It only costs 1 Ghana cedi (around 75 cents) an hour... we still haven't figured out how they make money! To have internet at the school, I was told they pay $500 a month for internet access!! So if this internet cafe only charges 1 cedi an hour and can hold 10 people max, I'm not so sure how they survive. The connection is super slow (maybe that's how they can afford to charge us so little) but at least it's there... well, unless the power goes off in the whole town for a few hours like last night. The things we take for granted in the States...

P.S. I tried for an hour this afternoon to post this but was unable so I had to come back up to the internet cafe tonite... at least we got to see the town at night. :)

First Baptist Church Nalerigu

2009-09-06T08:04:00.000-07:00

I have gone to the First Baptist Church for the past few weeks. The service is both in Mampruli and English so we are able to understand most of it. The service lasts 2 ½ to 3 hours! During the offering time, instead of passing plates, we go up row by row to the front of the church to drop money in a box. My favorite part of the service is when the choir sings a song and people go to the front and dance. I was told that whoever wants to just goes to the front and starts dancing – not the kind of thing I'm used to seeing in a Baptist Church! :) I love to see them worshiping God in their native language. Even though I can't understand the words, you can see their worship as they praise the Lord. Today the pastor spoke about God being at work around us and that He calls us as laborers in His harvest. I have been praying this week that God would show me if there are any other ministries He wants me to be involved in during the time I'm here, in addition to my work at the hospital. Today I was reminded that God is at work and I am asking Him to open my eyes and to show me how I am to be involved. As you pray for me, I challenge you to remember that God is at work around you, wherever you are. Ask Him how He wants you to be involved and be open to His leading.

5 day clinic

2009-09-05T04:25:00.000-07:00

This week was the first week we started having clinic 5 days a week. They used to have clinic Mon, Wed & Fri while Tues/Thurs was reserved for surgeries and minor procedures. But they lines were becoming so long that this week we started having clinic 5 days a week in hopes to spread the numbers out over 5 days. I'm not so sure that this will happen though. This week in clinic has been just as busier or maybe busier. Friday in peds Dr. Miller and I saw 126 patients! And the patients are really sick. They are not just coming with made-up complaints but have legitimate sickness. We are all exhausted after a full week. I have been switching back and forth from pediatrics and adults. Now that I have gotten the swing of things, I am quicker at seeing patients... all my experiences in Brasil prepared me well. Some days I have started off seeing kids and when we finish I go to help with the adults. They thanked me for being flexible and willing to move around (one day they moved me around to 4 different rooms based on which ones were empty). But because of our clinics in Rio, I'm used to getting a chair and seeing patients anywhere so it hasn't bothered me at all. I'm just glad that I'm able to help. Continue to pray that God would equip me to do what He has called me to do.

New Friends, Shared Experiences

2009-09-05T04:21:00.000-07:00

One of the good things about BMC is that there are always missionaries and volunteers to hang out with. For me, it is an answered prayer and I thank you for your prayers for friendships. Y'all know I can't survive for very long without people to talk to! :) I am living with Angela, the journeyman here, but I eat lunch and dinner at House 6 with the other volunteers. People come and go – some stay only for a week and others for a few months. This week we have such a variety – an English med student, a Swiss med student, a retired doctor from New England, an ER resident from California and me. We have interesting conversations and it's been great hanging out with them. Apart from all the work at the hospital, there is not a lot to do around here. And because the internet has been broken this week, we've seemed to have more free time. But we've managed to entertain ourselves with movies and episodes of “House” and working on a puzzle... which happens to be of snowy Switzerland... doesn't really fit with Africa though, haha! Pray that I would be a blessing to the other volunteers and for opportunities to share with those that do not know the Lord. BMC accepts anyone who desires to come, and some of the volunteers are not necessarily here for missions, but for an international medical experience. Pray that Christ would shine through my life for all to see.

Busy Monday in clinic

2009-09-01T08:42:00.000-07:00

Today was a busy Monday in clinic! I am seeing adults this week and although I do miss the kids, I was able to treat many adults today. Kids are easier because it's usually pretty obvious when they are sick but adults are much tougher... you have to sort through all the vague symptoms to decide if it is something serious or if they just need Tylenol and Antacids. There was a road traffic accident today right before lunch so we had a greater inflow of patients. I didn't take lunch until 1:45 because I helped to treat a lot of people from the accident. We didn't finish clinic until after 7 pm – a long work day! Continue to pray for me and the others here, especially for strength, for health and for knowledge to continue in the great task we have before us daily.

P.S. We still don't have internet so I will just be coming to the internet cafe a few times a week. So that's why if you write me and I don't write back for a while. :)

Give Blood, Save Lives

2009-09-01T08:37:00.000-07:00

I gave blood for the first time today... definitely a unique experience! The hospital does not have a blood bank and so when patients need blood, they search for family members who can donate to them. I never thought about what you do when you can't just call down to the blood bank and pick up one unit of blood for a patient... We take so many things for granted in our westernized hospitals. Many kids die here because they have no one to donate to them or they are unable to receive the blood in time. This morning Dr. Miller came up to me and asked me if I wanted to give blood. There was a little boy that needed blood and I had his blood type. His dad had donated to him twice but the boy's hematocrit was still only 10%. So I went to the lab and donated blood. I have to say it was the strangest and the greatest feeling to walk back to the peds ward carrying my own blood for a patient. The father was there and even though we could not speak the same language, his face showed so much gratitude. I asked him if he would allow me to pray for his son, and I prayed for healing for this boy and that his family would come to know the Lord if they don't already know Him. Pray for this family and so many others that are hurting because of sickness. Pray for opportunities for me to be a light here, both in my words and my actions.

Update: It's Tuesday now and the boy is feeling better. His hematocrit jumped from 10% to 19% - apparently I have really good blood! Thanks Mom for making me eat healthy and take vitamins! :) The parents thank me every time I go visit.

Internet problems

2009-08-30T08:45:00.000-07:00

The internet is down at the schoolhouse (the only place we have internet access here on the hospital compound). We drove to the internet cafe here in town today and I wanted to let y'all know not to worry if you don't hear from me for the next few days. Apparently the internet is not always reliable, especially in the rainy season. We've had a lot of rain this weekend and I was told that maybe things will dry out in a few days and the internet will work again. So hopefully you'll hear from me soon but until then thanks for all your prayers and love!