an update on Betty. wow.

Sometimes getting woken up at 6:30 on a Saturday morning is awesome.

Just a half an hour ago I was lying in bed, pondering life (okay, so technically I was already awake. sad, I know) when my cell phone rang. I hopped out of bed and picked it up. It was Betty.

Betty was my second adopted patient on board the Africa Mercy. (see my post about Betty) She was a 21 year old girl in for a VVF repair (see my post about VVF) who had been leaking for 3 years. Before Betty had left the ship we exchanged phone numbers. I told her I would call her after I got back to the US. But since as many of you know I am in the running for World's Wort Pen Pal, I haven't called her yet.

Well, this morning Betty called me. It took me a while to realize who was on the other end when I picked up, but once I recognized her voice I couldn't contain my excitement. I asked her how her surgery went, and she responded "If you call me back I will tell you." (smart girl) So I rephrased the question, saying "Betty, are you dry??" (meaning, 'was your surgery successful?'), she promptly replied "Yyyyessss!", and we both said "PRAISE GOD!"

See, I had told her last October that she should call me after she had her third-attempt VVF repair so that she could tell me she was dry and I could say "Praise God!" with her.

Amazing.

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Isaiah 35
Joy of the Redeemed
The desert and the parched land will be glad;
the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom;
it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the LORD,
the splendor of our God.

Strengthen the feeble hands,
steady the knees that give way;
say to those with fearful hearts,
"Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
he will come to save you."

Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
Then will the lame leap like a deer,
and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
and streams in the desert.
The burning sand will become a pool,
the thirsty ground bubbling springs.
In the haunts where jackals once lay,
grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.
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and the ransomed of the LORD will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

The Canary Islands

...here are some photos from the Canary Islands. They're about two months overdue, but that's how I roll these days...

Gran Canaria

After our outreach in Liberia, the crew of the Africa Mercy set sail for the Canary Islands. The ship spent a couple of months in the islands over the holidays so that it could be repaired and prepared for its next 10-month expedition. I was able to enjoy 5 days in this European vacation hot-spot with my fellow crew members. It was a special experience to re-enter Western society with other Mercy Shippers. Together we were able to freely gawk at the paved roads, the order, the variety of food, the electricity, etc.

more photos

Dock and Ducor Palace

Here are some photos of the ship, the dock, and Ducor Palace. Ducor was at one time one of Liberia's most prestigious hotels. It is seated at the top of the highest hill in Monrovia and has some of the best views of the city and sea. The hotel was looted by rebels during the war and was closed for business. Later it became a shelter for thousands of refugees. Now it remains guarded and deserted.

On leaving Liberia...

There is a part of me that is relieved to leave Africa, where 'corruption' has become a cliche, where malaria looms and parasites threaten my Western immune system, where police checkpoints induce fear rather than feelings of security. I'm relieved that I will no longer be asked for money on all corners, that I will no longer be asked for my address, that I will no longer be known only by the color of my skin.

There is a part of me that breaks for Africa, where government officials have betrayed their people, where parents neglect their children and children kill their parents, where satan's malevolent deception pervades God's loved ones. I am broken over the hundreds who are unjustly imprisoned, over the hundreds of thousands who where killed senselessly because of the greed of a few, over the countless children who are denied nutrition, family and hope.

And there is a part of me that rejoices with Africa, where people are quick to praise the name of Jesus, where God's existence is not intellectually debated but accepted and exalted, where restoration is evident. I rejoice because Christ's righteousness is preached, Christ's reconciliatory nature is enabling, and Christ's miracles are happening.

Sailing

We're sailing in the Atlantic! Our current location is apx 23.4N and 18.3W - just off the coast of the Western Sahara. The sail has been a lot of fun so far. I was feeling a little seasick at first (I'm not taking any medicine), but I soon developed my "sea legs." This means I have learned to constantly shift my weight, overcorrect my steps so I don't weave down the halls, run when the ship is rolling down and brace myself when the ship is rolling up. Our captain told us that a good way to prevent seasickness is to keep a full stomach. I have really embraced this advice and have taken to eating Pringles all day long.

Here are some pictures of our sail:

The Sail

Collision with corruption

I took a short trip last weekend with several friends to Buchanan, another coastal city about 70km south of Monrovia. Saturday was great - we enjoyed a beautiful albeit bumpy and cramped 3.5 hour ride there, a nice walk along the beach and a nice dinner. Sunday however was less than relaxing and more than adventurous.

The problems began Sunday morning when we tried to pay for our night spent in the hostel. We had to be out by 10am, but at 10am the owner was nowhere to be found. We took our $30 (3 rooms at $10 per room), placed it on the caretaker's desk, and left to walk along the beach. When we returned to the hostel later that afternoon to meet our taxi the owner was quite concerned. Apparently he had been searching for us all morning because, as he claimed, he never received our payment. We explained in detail where we had left the money, and he maintained that it was never there. Before we knew it, the 6 of us foreigners (probably the only white people in town) were surrounded by about 30 Liberians and two "officers" of questionable authority. It was quite a scene. We explained and argued for about an hour, but it was to no avail. Things were escalating and it was evident that we were gonna be traveling after dark, so we ultimately decided to pay again.

We were quite unhappy about the situation. Not because we each had to fork over an extra $5, but because we had fed right into one of Liberia's evils: corruption. We'll never know if the hostel owner was being honest about not having received the money. If he never got it then it was because someone else went into his home and took $30 off of his desk in the 10 minutes that it was left unattended. Both situations are disheartening. Corruption plagues this poor, hurting nation, and it is one of the biggest blockades to recovery. It seems that everything operates by the ten dollar handshake, and this stagnates progress.

Getting ripped off made me sad about the state of Liberia, but there is plenty of room here to hope. There are pastors here that urge members of their church to walk as Jesus walked - with integrity and fear of God. It is my prayer that these seeds of integrity may be scattered in good soil. Soil that is fertile and far from the cares of this world that threaten to choke life.

Betty update

I've realized that I never gave an update on my last adopt-a-patient Betty. She is the 21-year-old who came in for a VVF repair. As I said in my first posting about her, the surgery was unsuccessful, and so she is still leaking urine uncontrollably. The strength of this woman amazes me. She gave birth when she was 17, and she was in labor for 7 days to deliver her stillborn child. She has never been married, and, from what I can gather, her family sent her away to live with her aunt in Monrovia after "the problem" started. (That's how she refers to her incontinence - it's "the problem.") Betty told me that she doesn't have any friends, which I find hard to believe because she has such a spunky, congenial personality. In addition to causing social isolation, the problem also prevents her from going to school. As she describes it, to be in school she needs to be able to sit and stay dry for five hours, and this isn't possible in her current state. But she is still hopeful. Betty told me that she is praying to God to heal her so that she can go to school. During the war the Liberians schools shut down for about 7 years, which means that Betty probably has the education of and 11-year-old. I told Betty that I would join her in prayer for her healing. She was told that she could get another surgery when the ship returns. We exchanged phone numbers because she wants to call me once she's healed so that we can say "praise God!" together.

Betty and I had a lot of good times together while she was here. I would usually go and visit her in the evening after work and spend about an hour chatting, braiding hair, painting nails, etc. One night when I came in she had her short hair unbraided and standing on end, and she had a pick stuck in it. She said that she had been waiting for me and wanted me to comb out and braid her hair. I was so touched that she wanted me, the white gal will little to no African hairstyling experience, to experiment on her head. Betty patiently taught me how to work the comb against her scalp one section at a time to loosen the "dirt" (dandruff) and choose sections for each braid. The finished product was... well, let's just say that the braids were probably removed promptly after I left. Regardless, it was a sweet time of sisterhood.

Here is a picture of Betty and me:
(hmmm more technical difficulties. stay tuned)

Phebe waterfall - biomeds at play

Saturday evening some of our other friends from the ship joined us in Phebe so that they could see the hospital and we could all go to a nearby waterfall together on Sunday.

The waterfall trip was totally an adventure! The hospital kindly arranged to take us to and from the waterfall in one of their Land Rovers. This initially seemed way more ideal than hiring a taxi, but as it turned out our Land Rover was experiencing some technical difficulties and it kept dying. Apparently it had too much oil and the engine constantly overheated. I think we had to push-start it 7 times in total. On the return leg it died in the middle of a mud puddle so deep that mud crept in through the door. We thought we were sunk both figuratively and literally until about 8 men emerged from the bush (machetes in hand, mind you, because they had been tending their sugarcane) and helped us push the vehicle out. Really, the sense of community among these people continues to amaze me.

The waterfall was beautiful, and what was even more fun than looking at it was climbing it! It was actually a cascade, not a waterfall, so there were rocks and roots going up that allowed us to make our way to the top. The task required a lot of teamwork and determination, but we made it up and back down again with minimal injury and maximal excitement. It was one of those once-in-a-lifetime, unforgettable days.

Here are some pictures from the weekend:

Phebe Hospital - biomeds at work

I spent this past weekend at Phebe Hospital, the second biggest hospital in Liberia which is about four hours northeast of Monrovia. They had a bunch of unusable medical equipment and a broken oxygen compressor, and so the hospital administrator invited up a few of the Mercy Ships engineers up for the weekend to see what we could do. I went up with Carlos, the head biomedical man, and Alan, a mechanical/electrical engineer.

We stayed at the hospital administrator's home and had an absolutely lovely time in fellowship with him over the weekend. His name is Rev John Lunn; he is a Lutheran missionary from the United States and is currently the only non-Liberian living in Phebe. It was really cool to learn about his past. He has spent years serving the Lord in a homeless shelter in the Bronx, in Hawaii, in India, and now here in Liberia. Out of all of the places this man has been, he told us that this has been his toughest assignment. The lack of infrastructure in the country makes everything a challenge. John told us that the two biggest concerns of the hospital are 1) electricity and 2) running water. In the age of gene therapy and remotely performed telesurgeries how can a hospital's biggest concerns be electricity and running water?? Apparently nothing is easy at the hospital. If one thing goes right it's almost guaranteed that two things will go wrong. Yet in spite of these frustrations and his cultural isolation, John exudes peace and hospitality. He has such a sweet, sincere and peaceful demeanor. It's amazing what one can accomplish with Christ as his foundation.

Fixing the medical equipment wasn't quite as enriching as sharing stories with John. We repaired two machines and ended up throwing a lot of stuff away. Such is the life of a biomedical technician, I suppose! Still, I think the hospital appreciated the help. The staff gave us a big box of locally grown fruit as a thank you. From those who have little, such a gift means a lot.

One of the highlights of our day working on the equipment: we got to meet Liberia's Minister of Health! He used to work at Phebe hospital, so he comes for a few days each month to perform some surgeries. It was really neat to talk with him and hear some of his thoughts about the country's current need for biomedical technicians. Apart from Carlos and myself, there are none.

Shadowing the public health team

Last week I got to spend a day shadowing the Africa Mercy public health team as they went into the field. They have been going to a local village named Soss Town to teach about public health to leaders of the community. The idea is that these students will go back to their respective villages and implement the recommendations and teachings they learned in class. It was a good experience. We opened the day with prayer and some worship singing, and then the educators talked about safe village practices. They stressed the importance of hanging clothes on lines instead of the ground, wearing shoes, clearing brush and weeds, keeping animals in pens, building latrines, etc. The students were such avid learners and were engaged by the lesson. It's amazing how such simple changes can have such an impact on the health of the community. After class we all got to enjoy lunch together. We had one of my favorite African dishes - cassava leaves and rice.

Back in prison

I went to visit the women in Monrovia Central Prison again yesterday. Thelma and Mary were not there this time, so I am guessing that they were released - praise God. The conditions in this Liberian prison are so bad. The food is scarce, and the place is crowded. It's by the grace of God that the imprisoned have remained relatively healthy with the exception of a chicken pox outbreak a couple of months ago. The women live in tight quarters - about 30 of them share a cell block about the size of a modest 2bd American home. This however is a paradise compared to the men's cells. I learned this week that in some cases 19 men are sharing a 10'x10' cell. They cannot all lay down at the same time, so they sleep in shifts. What is particularly heartbreaking about this prison is that an overwhelming majority of these people haven't even had any formal accusations made against them; they are merely detainees, awaiting an elusive court date that does not promise justice.

In the morning before heading to the prison I was reflecting on how little I could do to help these women. I mean, there are very few levels that I can relate to them on. In light of their suffering it's so easy for me to feel unworthy to tell them to have hope. To tell them that God is good and God cares for them and will meet their needs. But in his grace God uses unworthy vessels to convey his love, and he gives us the words to say. He allows us to be his hands, to be his voice.

I spoke with and prayed with many women in need, but there was a woman who I was particularly touched by this week - Sarah Mowry. I've seen Sarah on other weeks that I've gone to the prison, but I had never tried to strike up conversation. To be honest, she's a rather intimidating woman. She's got a tiny frame but piercing eyes and a stony expression. Well this week she came right over to where I was sitting in the corner of the cell and said "I want you to pray for me." She spoke heavily accented Liberian english, and it was really difficult for me to understand her as she told me her story. We probably tried for 10 or 15 minutes. She'd start talking, I'd strain to listen comprehend, then I'd admit that I wasn't pickin' up what she was puttin' down. She'd get a little agitated and say "You don't understand me?!" which came out more like "You doh' unahsan' meah?!" Then I'd ask her to try again. We unsuccessfully tried several times to get someone to translate, but by God's grace and patience on both ends, I finally got her story: her husband took out a loan several years ago but was then killed in the war. The collector came to her for payment, and when she didn't have the money she was put in jail. After learning her story I prayed with her, and by the time we were finished this stone-faced woman was in tears and I was awed by the love of God. When I am weak - inhibited by language barriers, feeling unworthy and unsure how to pray - He is strong, and his Spirit intercedes for me with groans that my words cannot express. Praise to God.

Nimba Mountain

Mercy Ships gave us a two-day holiday last weekend, and several of us decided to travel to Nimba Mountain. Our goal was to sleep under the stars from atop the highest point in Liberia. The trip was full of adventures and bumps along the way, but by God's grace we accomplished our mission! The scenery was beautiful and the trip was unforgettable.

Here's an album to recount the trip:

Nimba Mountain

*thanks to Victor, Naomi, and Justin who unknowingly contributed several pictures to this album.

Betty

I adopted a new patient this week; her name is Betty, and she is a 21-year-old here for a Vesico-Vaginal Fistula repair. (see "Scanning the VVF records" for more info on VVF patients) I've only met Betty once. I don't know here entire story yet, but I'm pretty worried about her. She actually came to the ship about three months ago for a VVF repair. There were a lot of complications with her surgery, and it ultimately failed. Her second attempt at repair was this past Thursday, and I've learned that this one failed too. She lost a lot of blood and needed a transfusion. Coincidentally, my name came up as a possible blood donor and we were a perfect match, so I got to give Betty 400ml of my own blood. I haven't visited Betty since the procedure, because after donating I got pretty sick and have spent the past night and day in bed with a fever. I peeked through the hospital window this evening, and Betty looked like she was in a lot of pain. Apparently she received two more transfusions today. Please please pray for Betty. Pray that the Lord would miraculously heal her body and fill her with hope and joy.

Photos updated

*just wanted to let you know that I finally got photos up for "The new 'do" and "Adopt-a-patient send-off."

Liberian History

Liberia is a relatively small country with a dynamically tragic history. The country is only a bit larger than the state of Tennessee, and it was established in the mid 1800's by freed slaves from America. Since the country's birth, there has existed a sort of "step-child" relationship between Liberia and the US as well as a strong tension between the descendants of the freed slaves ("Americo-Liberians") and those belonging to the indigenous tribes. These factors have contributed to significant civil unrest that finally erupted in 1980 when Samuel Doe, a man with an 8th grade education and the backing of a rebel army, overtook the government in a coup and publicly executed 13 members of parliament not far from where my ship is currently docked. Since Doe came into power the country has experienced economic decline, civil unrest and tyrannical leadership that climaxed into a violent civil war that claimed the lives of about 10% of the population and ended in 2003. Driving over the pot-holed roads and shells of bombed-out buildings throughout Monrovia, it's hard to believe that this city was one of the most advanced and prided cities in Africa just a few decades ago.

Here are some photos of Monrovia, taken by the Mercy Ships communication department. Because my $200 camera is more than half a year's wages for most Liberians, I am trying to be sensitive about where/when to take photos. On most of my trips into town the camera stays in my purse.

Adopt-a-Patient Sendoff

Today I said goodbye to my adopt-a-patient, Elizabeth! After spending time with her every day for the past 2+ weeks, I had grown pretty close to her and her older sister, Elizabeth. Through the development of our relationship I learned many things about their lives: I learned that Elizabeth burned her hand when she was 3 years old and reached her tiny hand into a pot of boiling water. Because her family lives in the country's interior region, she had no chance to get to a hospital for treatment. I learned why the Elizabeths always responded to my inquiry of how many siblings they have by saying simply "plenty" - their father has multiple wives. This also explains why they're both named Elizabeth - different mommies. I learned that the older Elizabeth is 28 and has a 10 year old daughter of her own. I learned how to speak a bit of Kissi, their native language. This week I learned that the younger Elizabeth wants to learn how to read English. I wrote out some Bible verses for her, and we read them together. She's a smart cookie and picked up really quickly. I'm hoping to see her again now that she's been discharged so that I can give her an English Bible to read because she doesn't have one of her own.

Thanks for all of your prayers for the Elizabeths. It was so fun to get to know them, learn from them and teach them. As a bonus, I got to know many other patients on the ward as I'd go to visit Elizabeth each day. I really respect the sense of community I see among Africans. Though the hospital patients had never met before and likely will never meet again after being discharged, they interact as a family. They feed each other, share food, laugh with each other, take care of each other's children, etc. It was impossible for me to visit Elizabeth without also catching up with Samuel, Blessing, Mami, Anthony and Christian. Boy do they know how to make one feel loved.

One Sunday I took the Elizabeths along with some other patients on the ward up to our outdoor deck for a little photo shoot. They really got into taking pictures! The first one is of Elizabeth and me. The little girl in the second photo is named Blessing, and she was sooo cute. Whenever I would come to visit she would immediately curl up into lap, and one night she started to cry when I left. The final photo is of the whole photo shoot crew - some of my closest buddies on the ward. Clockwise from left, Elizabeth, Samuel, Mami, Blessing, Elizabeth.

The new 'do

My patient's sister, Elizabeth, kindly spent over two hours braiding my hair. Unfortunately my hair is not as thick or textured as many others who sport the braided look, so the result wasn't quite as flattering on my head as it would have been on others. Nonetheless, it was a good bonding experience. Elizabeth and all the patients around us kept laughing at how "slippery" my hair was. Ah, yes, slippery hair has its disadvantages. Of course, it has some advantages too: I haven't brushed it since arriving. :)

I opted to wear the braids back during the day (photo 1) because I looked a little less like Medusa than when they were down (photo 2). The removal of the braids gave me another new hairstyle (photo 3) that I affectionately named The Poof.

Elizabeth update

My adopt-a-patient, Elizabeth is doing well! She actually didn't need to have her wrist attached to her leg while it healed after all, so she's just got a basic cast on. It's been good spending time with her and her sister, though sometimes it's difficult for us to understand each other because Liberian English is heavily accented. A couple of nights ago her sister braided my hair! It looks a bit crazy and kind of hurts by the end of the day, but it was a good bonding experience. I've got a couple of pictures of the new do; I'll try to post them soon. Tonight I got to read them some Bible stories about Jesus' miracles. Their uncle was there too, and they all seemed to enjoy it. It was a really sweet time.

Biomedical engineering dream team

This is the Africa Mercy Biomedical Technician dream team! Need a piece of broken medical equipment fixed? We're your guys! The team members include (from left) Carlos, Ned and Marla. Ned is a bit quiet, but the other two are loud enough to make up for him.


And this is our territory: the Biomedical Technician Office. Note Ned's lack of a left leg. This may explain why he has not been very helpful these last few days.

...So this is where I spend most of my working hours. My time here has been such an unexpected blessing! Having had minimal hands-on technical training in the past, I initially felt very unequipped for the job. But I was reminded that the Lord called me to this particular position for a reason, His thoughts are higher than my thoughts, and He equips us with all that we need to accomplish His purposes. And the Lord has indeed been faithfully providing for me in this position. By God's grace I even fixed my first broken medical device yesterday! It was actually really fun to pull it apart, identify and repair the broken bit and put it all back together again. Resources are scarce on this ship and virtually non-existent on land, so we have to be very resourceful in our repairs. I have been particularly blessed by Carlos, the head biomedical technician. (actually, he's the real biomed tech; I'm just an assistant) He's been super patient, helpful and kind and has taught me tons about the medical devices and how to fix them. Ned has been less helpful but has provided a good listening ear if I need to talk.

African sunsets

I took these from the ship a few nights ago. The view was breathtaking.