A Visit to the Minister of Health

Several weeks ago, an announcement was made to the crew that the Minister of Health of Sierra Leone had invited a group of us to come to her village for a Saturday. We had absolutely no idea what we were signing up for - which made it more fun! We left bright and early at 8 AM in a UN bus that the Minister of Health sent to pick us up. However it was quite packed with people. I believe it was meant to hold about 24 people, and we fit over 30! We traveled about 3 1/2 hours to her village of Yoni Bana. The drive was beautiful as we left the smog and crowds of Freetown and headed out to the provinces. Many small villages are situated along that main road that we took. I saw women spreading rice out on the side of the road to dry because rice is in season. In front of their homes I saw many women pounding fufu, cooking over a fire, preparing food for the day. We drove down a dirt road for about half an hour...what a bumpy ride. I had forgotten that most of the roads here are dirt roads. Since we are mostly in the city, the roads there are paved. At one point we hit a bump so big it threw us up off our seats. We were so relieved once we finally arrived at her home.

Thanks to Jeff Quick for taking most of these pictures.

The current President of Sierra Leone, Earnest Koroma.

The preferred method of fixing a car is in the middle of the road. Why not?

One of the many villages that we drove through...

Apparently this event was such a big deal that we needed a "film crew." This man, from Sierra Leone Broadcasting, filmed almost out entire day! Who knows...maybe we were on the news.

 As we pulled up to the home of the Minister of Health, she lead the children in singing songs of welcome for us. I was told that she takes care of these 50+ children and feeds them often. 

We got into the singing...before long we were clapping, dancing, and praising God along with the kids. :)

A short video clip so you can hear them!

The Minister of Health then introduced herself to us, and proceeded to thank us on behalf of Sierra Leone and President Koroma for the work of Mercy Ships. It was quite emotional to realize what a huge task she has because of the nearly non-existent healthcare in Sierra Leone. She was so grateful for all that Mercy Ships has done. 

After that, she led us around her village so that we could see firsthand what it is like. The people were all so friendly, and didn't mind us unexpectedly walking in front of their homes.

:D

Panorama of everyone enjoying a VERY African lunch. I say very because it was by far the spiciest food I've ever tasted!

The Mercy Ships delegation. 

That's me - right in the middle! The ride home was a bit harder. We were all squished together and tired from the long day. I can take being squished, but after 3 hours it becomes quite unpleasant. I must admit though that this bus had air conditioning, which is almost unheard of here!

We made a stop on the way home. Apparently this is where any travelers stop for food/ fuel. As soon as we pulled over, a large crowd of people selling goods came running over to us. They sell anything from fresh bananas, oranges, coconut (love it), to plantain chips and sesame bars (which I bought)! I am REALLY going to miss this once I get home. 

What 2 things are wrong with this photo?? We watched this truck as it hit a large bump and - you guessed it - the goat went flying in the air! Thankfully he was tied so he couldn't go too far. This is Africa.

And this is Africa! You catch a ride however you can here. These guys were grinning as we drove by and they saw us taking pictures of them.

Thanks for reading. There is so much more to say...but I hope that the pictures speak for themselves. It always seems like such a challenge to put what I've experienced into words. My next post will be about a royal visit to the Africa Mercy!

Winding Down

The ship is now in a state of transition as we prepare to sail to Ghana in a few weeks. All of the surgeries are finished. The wards are slowly emptying, and the Hope Center has closed down. I am really missing the Hope Center - I usually visited the patients there several times a week, so I won't know what to do in the evenings now. Last week I was able to visit on the last few nights before the patients left. There is one little girl in particular, Kadiatu, who became my little buddy. That is her on the left. She looks very serious, but all it took was a little tickling to get her giggling. The woman on the right is Kadie. She doesn't speak English or even Krio, so it is hard for us to communicate. The night after I took this photo, I printed it out and took it to her. She was SO thankful for the picture! You would have thought I had given her 100 dollars. She kept thanking me and hugged me several times. Patients like Kadie who weren't quite ready to go home have been transferred back to the ship for a few more days. This has been great because I've been able to see her several times in the ward.

Out of everything that I have been able to do with Mercy Ships, visiting the Hope Center has been the most life-changing. Getting to know the patients, paint their nails, and play games with them has really impacted me. I still remember the first few times I went. I felt so uncomfortable because I didn't know how to act around people/children who are severely deformed in one way or another. Since then, I've learned to look them in the eye instead of looking at their tumor, cleft lip, burns, etc. I also didn't know how to react to the children who are so needy for love that they cling to you. You can tell that a child has been neglected and/or abused by the way that they are desperate for attention. One little boy, Isheika, was an example of this. He had no left ear, and an infection had disfigured his face so that he had no nose. I always went out of my way to play with him and pick him up. In the moments that he wasn't receiving attention, he would hit or pinch until he was noticed.

Lately, I have also been getting to know the patients who are down in the wards of the hospital. A wonderful lady, Rosie, who worked in the Hospital Laundry room told me how she would go down to the ward several times a week and rub lotion on the patients hands and feet to share God's love with them. I thought this was a great idea, and my friend Phebe and I kept this going once Rosie left a month ago. Like many experiences here, this has been equally challenging and rewarding. The first time that I  gave a woman a foot massage, I have to admit I was a bit uncomfortable. I have never seen feet in such a  bad condition before. These women have never been pampered with lotion or nail polish before. The tops of their feet are very wrinkled, and the bottom is SO hard and dry. The only shoes that they wear are cheap flip flops that offer no support. So most of them have no arch in their foot, and their feet are spread out wide. Occasionally someone will be very ticklish, so while I am rubbing their feet they start laughing, which makes me laugh too. Sometimes they will ask for extra lotion on their hands, and will then rub it up their arms and all over their face! One woman turned with her back to me, lifted up her shirt, and pointed to her back. She wanted a back rub! This has been such a humbling experience, and the men and women are always so thankful. They say "Tenki Tenki!" with a great big smile.

Some of my friends in the ward (they were SO happy when I gave them these pictures)!

My roommate, Dorike, who has been down to the ward with me.

 I cannot believe that I have less than 4 weeks left on the ship! Time is flying by so fast, and I'm enjoying every day. My next post about this weekend will be coming soon. God bless.

Meet Wata

This is my new friend Wata.  The way that I met her is quite unique. About 6 weeks ago, I had the opportunity to observe four different surgeries in the OR of the hospital. The order was: hernia repair, cataract removal, syndactyly release (separating fingers) and a facial reconstruction. Three of them were small, minor surgeries, then the last one was a major surgery. I believe it lasted 5 hours, but I was only allowed to stay for the first 2 hours. The woman in the surgery was Wata, but I didn't know her at the time.

I wish that I could show you the before picture so that you could see the transformation that has taken place. Wata is only around 40 years old, even though she appears much older. As a child, she contracted a flesh-eating infection called NOMA. This infection severely disfigured her mouth so that she had no upper lip, her few bottom teeth jutted out of her mouth, and her jaw was locked into place. Wata could not chew food, so she could only squeeze bits of mushed food through her teeth in order to stay alive. Wata is a complete miracle to be alive. Why? Because 9 out of 10 children who have NOMA die from it. She was most likely 6 years old or younger when she was infected, which means she has lived 35 years without the ability to talk or eat real food. 

The surgery was fascinating to watch. I must admit that I couldn't watch all of it...but I tried! At one point the surgeons pulled out what looked like a chisel and hammer and used them to break her jaw. They then used part of a bone from her hip to replace what was missing from her jaw. She now has partial movement of her jaw so that she can chew! They then cut part of her bottom lip and used it to create an upper lip. Watching the surgery felt very surreal. 

Then, this past week, I went for a regular visit to the Hope Center. I had looked for Wata when I visited the Ward, but had not seen her. I had given up and figured that she had already gone home. At the Hope Center, I was walking around greeting all the adults and learning their names when I came to her. We shook hands, and I didn't recognize her at first. When I asked her "How da body?" Her response came out garbled and hard to understand due to the fact that she has no teeth. That's when I looked at her mouth and recognized her. I felt so excited when I realized that I had seen this life-changing surgery, and now was able to meet her! I could only imagine what it must feel like for the doctors and nurses who are the ones performing the surgeries - I was only watching! I have been planning to return to college for nursing when I get home, but now I am REALLY interested in working in the OR. Anyway, Wata asked me if I had any "pekins" or children, to which I replied no, I'm not even married. Her and several other ladies just thought that was hilarious! I asked Wata if she had any pekins, and she said she has 4. I asked if they were all grown, and she said that they range from little to grown. So this woman who could barely feed and care for herself is still raising children! I was blown away when she told me that. I am planning to visit her again tomorrow, and she really wants that photo of me and her. She'll be angry if I don't bring it, so I'm going to print it off tonight! :)

This is a new buddy of mine, Foday. He's such a cutie. He is here to have a surgery on his legs which are slightly deformed.

My friend, Sheika, and I. Just last week he had a tumor removed from the back of his head. A nurse described it to me as "another head." eek! He is so relieved it's gone. I wish you could see his joyful smile!

My roommate, Dorike, and I with the little munchkins. These kids are all getting ready to have orthopedic surgery for bowed legs or similar problems. 

I wish you all could have the chance to visit the Hope Center for a day. Spending time with these patients has been such a blessing to me. I return to the ship sweaty and very dirty, but it never seems to matter. Thanks for reading, and God bless!