What's Next

That’s a common question asked on the ship I call home. There are so many people coming and going all the time, it’s a good question to ask, but often people don’t have time to settle in before someone is asking them where to next. In fact, just the other day I overheard a conversation that started with “Hi. What’s your name? Where are you from? How long are you here? And what are your plans after this?” Really?!? It sounded crazy when I heard it but let’s be honest, we ask ourselves (and God) the same questions, right? God, where do you want me to go? What do you want me to do? Ok great, now that I’m here, where do you want me to go next? Do we even allow Him time to move in one place before we’re looking ahead to the next? I love the quote that says “It’s not the destination, but the journey.” How easy it is to forget that at times.

The last 2 ½ years in Africa I’ve been able to enjoy the journey. At the end of each outreach it’s been easy to commit to ‘one more’. And I’ve been blown away by God’s provision, the people I’ve met, the lessons I’ve learned and the lives that have been changed! But this year the decision was harder. As I tried to decide if I was going to commit for another year or go home I found myself torn. My heart is here in Africa, but it’s also at home in Texas, and I can’t be on two sides of the ocean at once. If you asked me last summer what my plans were I probably told you I’d be moving back to Texas this summer. If you asked me the same question over Christmas I likely told you I’d be in Africa at least another year... or more.  Well, I decided to split the difference and leave in October, a few months into our next outreach. Most days I find my spirit settled and at peace with that decision, and so excited about the year to come.  But if I’m honest with myself, I still have days of doubt and fear. What if that’s the wrong decision? What if I’m suppose to stay longer? I desperately want to be at the center of God’s will, and I want to follow Him wherever He leads. I feel confident it’s time to go home and start a new season of life back in Texas, but an audible voice of confirmation would sure be nice.

Anyway, here’s a bit about my plans after this outreach and why I’ve decided to stay until October:

I’ll be sailing to Guinea with the ship in August to help set up the hospital for the next outreach.  I’ll help with the main screening day and then instead of serving as the Plastics Team Leader I’ll join the wound care team and do the dressing changes for the 1^st round of plastics which will go through October.  I’ll also have an opportunity to see all the plastics patients we saw in Guinea last year, which I’m really excited about. We had our first ever plastics evaluation day this January, 2014, where we invited the patients that had surgery in Sept/Oct to come back to the ship so we could evaluate how they were doing 3-4 months postop and it was such a success that Mercy Ships has said we can do the same thing when we go back to Guinea. This is a unique opportunity because most NGOs rarely get to see their patients postop and to be able to follow up a year later is almost impossible. I’m so excited to see my patients from last year and to be part of such an amazing day. We’re hoping to do an evaluation day with each of the specialties (Maxfac, ortho, plastics…) in September.  Those are the main reasons I’m staying until October, plus I’m just not ready to leave yet, and this outreach is quickly coming to an end.

And then, of course, there’s what I’m looking forward to in Texas:

From what I’ve seen on Facebook this week, Bluebonnets and Azaleas are at the top of my list. But above those are friends and family! I’m so looking forward to being close to my family again.  I can’t wait to go on morning runs with Scott (a week at Christmas just wasn’t long enough to get my tail in shape), spend holidays at my parents’ house, enjoy family reunions…. And friends, where do I even start? So many of my friends have got married in the last 3 years, had kids, life changing events in their lives and I’m excited to finally get to celebrate with all of you, watch your children grow up, be part of your everyday lives again.  I haven’t figured out my exact plans yet, but my thought at the moment is to live in Tyler for a few months when I get back, settle in, catch up,  and then move back to Arlington/Ft Worth in January. I’ve got some time to sort all that out though. I’ve absolutely loved my time in Africa  (and I still have 6 months!), but I’m looking forward to the next chapter as well.

Weekend Adventures and Agriculture

Last weekend I went with a few friends to Dolisie, a small town about 4 hours north of Pointe Noire. We took a local bus and the drive was absolutely beautiful. We drove through the rainforest up into the mountains where Dolisie is located. Funny thing, the bus cost $10, included a free drink AND it had air conditioning...for the first 30 minutes of the drive at least;) After that our driver turned off the air and said we couldn't use it if we wanted to have enough gas to get all the way to our destination. Of course!

We checked into a hotel and walked to the local market on Saturday. It was so nice to be out of the big city and in nature for a few days. The people were very friendly and excited to meet us. They weren't pushy, they didn't have an agenda, they were just happy to talk to us and share stories. It was so refreshing for a change. Life is pretty chaotic where I spend most of my days, so a change of scenery was appreciated. I found some cute shoes in the market and made a few new friends as well.

New friends in the market

On Sunday we went to the Mercy Ships Agriculture site. Each time Mercy Ships arrives in a new country the food for life program sets up an Agriculture site to help families and communities learn practical food production skills which directly reduces malnutrition. They select a group of trainees and work with them for most of the outreach teaching them how to improve crop growth and income which bring better health to the farmer, his family and the community. It's sort of like school where topics such as crop and garden planning, seed sowing and saving, natural diseases, pest control and water conservation and irrigation practices are taught. Using local resources, participants learn to make homemade fertilizers such as compost, they prepare the lands, plant seeds, and harvest when it's time. At the end of the class the trainees "graduate" and are expected to go and share all of the information they've learned with their villages...and the agriculture site is handed over to the local community to continue production after the ship sails away. It was so cool to see all the hard work that's gone into the ag site this year. They've been growing lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, carrots, eggplant, and many other veggies. They also have rabbits there! Because rabbits reproduce so quickly, it's a good animal to breed and sell for meat. Kinda sad to think about around Easter and bunnies and new life...but it's a great source of income in a country where survival can be difficult.

All around a great weekend! It was refreshing to get away from the city for a few days and spend some time in nature and it also gave me time to reflect on the last several months of the outreach, how plastics went and start thinking about where I want to go from here. More on that coming soon :)

Agriculture site

Day off

Darel before surgery

I had the day off yesterday and took the opportunity to visit one of my patients. His name is Darel and he's a 15 year old street kid. When he was 8 years old he fell out of a tree and broke his arm. It later became infected and although his mom took him to the hospital for treatment, they weren't able to fix it. He had 2 surgeries over the next 2 years, but both ended in terrible contractures. Some time after that he left home to live on the streets and take care of himself. I don't know much more about his past because it's still difficult for him to talk about, but I've heard similar stories in the past. When a person has a deformity like Darel's it can be difficult not only for them but for their family and friends as well. Often they are put out of their homes and abandoned. I don't know if that's what happened to Darel, but it wouldn't surprise me. Anyway, a local NGO that helps get children off the street found him this last year and brought him to our main screening in September and kept him at their center until it was time for his surgery in January.

during a dressing change onboard

Darel's surgery onboard wasn't an easy one and had to be done in two steps. Step one, the surgeon did a groin flap where he took a flap of skin and muscle from the groin area and attached it to the wrist/hand after releasing the contracture. It takes several weeks for a flap to get a good blood flow in the new area so it stays attached to both the old and the new site for 3 weeks. What I'm trying to say is that this boy's wrist was attached to his groin for 3 weeks. I've seen many facial flaps since I've  been here, mostly scalp flaps to the nose, but this was the first groin flap I've seen, and yes, it's as uncomfortable as it sounds.  Darel handled it like a champ though, and never complained. Three weeks later the surgeon released the flap and we began daily wound care on him. He had a few set backs along the way but last week we celebrated with him as he left the ship that he called home for 2 months and went back to the NGO center.

So yesterday I got to visit the center and check up on Darel. He's doing so well and was excited to show off his home and the people that take care of him. We took him to the local barber for a haircut, got sodas in the market and spent the afternoon visiting. It struck me as we sat there how much more like a boy he looks now. Darel has had a hard life, but instead of the hospital aging him even more, it seems to have given him back a bit of his youth. He wants to have a girlfriend, play football (soccer), go to school...and I believe he'll have all of those things and more one day. And what a blessing it's been to take part in his healing!

 

before

after