Seasons

The view of Mount Cameroon, September 11, 2017

Your soundtrack for this post--press play and scroll on

This part of the world sees a unique progression of seasons. Dry season, rainy season, dry season, and rainy season. It's been some months since Mount Cameroon's silhouette was visible on the other side of the Wouri River. It's hidden behind the layers of  matte grey and white, sometimes clouds, but more often dust that blows down every year from the Sahara Desert. We are nearing the end of the dry season called harmattan.

Arial photo of the "official" Mercy Ships Sports Complex (a.k.a. parking lot),
as seen from Deck 8. Photo credit: Saul Loubassa Bighonda

This week, there was a soccer game on the dock between the deck and dental departments (only on a hospital ship...). As the final whistle blew, the clouds billowed in visible layers and turned a deep gray, and it was apparent that in a matter of minutes they would let loose. As I relocated from the dock to the top decks--to get a better view of course--you could hear the wind approaching, and when it hit the ship, rumor has it a plastic chair went blowing clear across Deck 7. I stood with a handful of crew up there and watched the rain soak the dock, pummel the Land Cruisers, come tumbling out of the downspouts. The lightening came next, then the thunder. For the first time in months, I shivered standing in the open air as cool droplets blew in on those of us standing under the shelter of Deck 8, and decided it was refreshing. Rainy season is here once again.

Since the ship's arrival in August, during the last rainy season, the surgical team has performed 1,884 interventions for 1,761 unique patients (I added more detailed numbers on the left sidebar), and the Africa Mercy celebrated seeing its 30,000th patient treated since its deployment in 2007.

The Eye Team celebrates the AFM's 30,000th patient! Photo cred: Saul

Ecclesiastes 3:1,11-14

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven... He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God's gift to man. I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it."

A few months back, I was sitting in the dining room with some friends talking about what we would do if we had only a year left to live. Then we realized the irony of us having this conversation while working on a hospital ship in Africa. I realized that a weekly rhythm that starts out feeling comfortable can easily start to feel monotonous, like any other desk job. It takes intentionality and mindfulness to hold onto the sense of wonder that was fresh and easy at the beginning of the field service. This is a perfectly normal feeling that signals the end of the honeymoon period. Isn't it the same with most fresh changes in life? The last thing I want people "back home" to think is that when I decided to offer my skills overseas with Mercy Ships, I immediately floated away on a happy cloud of khaki, bugspray, and the laughter of small children.

Be encouraged. Wherever you find yourself, be present, working at it with all your heart. Show up, and reach out.That is what it means to have the heart of a missionary, whether in the Midwest or West Africa.  Lord knows it's a choice every day, and I'm the last person who should be pretending to give advice, because I need this reminder right now, too.

Colossians 3:23-24 (ESV)

"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ."

Photo credit: Saul

I've decided to stop this post here, because I tend to get carried away with words, and this update is long past due. For now, I'll leave you with a video that my friend Caleb, the ship's videographer, made in his free time with some of his footage, featuring just a few of the incredible, sweet, and courageous patients that have come and gone so far in this field service. Fun fact: the patient you see at 0m42s and 1m11s is the same man you see at 1m47s. His name is Ernest.

Merry Cameroon Christmas!

"Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him."

Mark 1:3

"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;

on those living in the land of the shadow of death

a light has dawned.

You have enlarged the nation,

and increased their joy;

for to us a child is born,

to us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Isaiah 9:2-3,9

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Photo cred: Saul

Hey you! Merry Christmas. Our halls are decked, and I'm guessing yours are too! I went away one Saturday in early December, and came back to find a garland winding up the gangway and Christmas trees glittering throughout decks 5 and 6.

Two of our own, Michele and Renée, have both gone home to North America for some well-deserved personal time off for the holidays, but not before the communications team gathered in from our different corners of the ship for a family photo. Let me introduce the gang!

Photo cred: Saul

In the back, starting on the left, is Caleb (Videographer from Minnesota), Shawn (Photographer from Texas), Georgia (Writer from the UK), Renée (my Canadian partner in crime), Tammy (Creative Coordinator from Australia), Christiane (Translator from Cameroon), and Elisabeth (Medical Photographer from Cameroon).

In the front is Rose (Writer from the UK), me (hi!), Michele (Communications Director from California), and Saul (Photographer from Congo).

Midships decked out for Christmas--let it snow!

I'm not gonna lie, work has kind of felt non-stop for the last couple months, and I almost wish I had an extra day tacked onto the end of this week to finish up a couple last things. I'm accepting suggestions for what to name this new 8th day of the week.

On the other hand, what a great opportunity to flex my "rest-when-life-won't-just-stop-for-you" muscle. And no better time to be fully present in the "now" than Christmas time on the ship.

Because the crew come from over 30 different nations, the month of December means celebrating Christmas traditions from all over the world. Early in the month, the whole crew left their shoes outside of their cabins so that Sinterklaas (Dutch Santa) could fill them with treats!

A post shared by Vijfaanboord Van Mercy Ships (@vijfaanboord) on Dec 4, 2017 at 1:17pm PST

Sinterklaas climbing the gangway

But it didn't stop there. The next day, Sinterklaas came to visit the ship. After gathering in the Cafe, everyone went up to Deck 7 to watch as Santa arrived at the ship and climbed up the gangway. He had a couple of his helpers in tow, still covered in soot, no doubt from a recent chimney excursion. ;)

Okay, forget the kids, by the time he was walking on board, I was jumping up and down too!

The following week, the Scandinavian crew gave a Santa Lucia performance. Before being forced to marry a wealthy man she did not love, Santa Lucia ran away and devoted her life to serving the poor by bringing food by the light of candles carried on her head. She is remembered around the world for her faith and martyrdom. The crew lined the cafe and balcony above to listen, and the music plus the atmosphere that the candles created gave me goosebumps--it was so beautiful!

The following night, the crew, along with a few patients, gathered on the dock near the bow for Carols by Candlelight--a tradition from Australia. Events like these make me especially thankful for the A/V volunteers on board who work so hard to make them possible! Instruments, microphones, amps, and a bell choir setup were all brought down the gangway for the occasion.

Last but not least, Did you know that there is a Youth Group on board? Let me tell you, they are the bomb, and I am lucky enough to be one of their fearless leaders every Tuesday night. Early on this month, we piled into some Land Cruisers and took the gang to Limbe, a beach town roughly two hours from Douala. We swam in the waves, threw frisbees, and got covered in sand, then returned with the sunset at our backs, tired and salty and happy.

For the last Youth gathering of the year, we got together for a Christmas party and watched a very interesting documentary about the Star of Bethlehem. It's about an hour long and I would highly recommend it! I'll end with a few gems from the photo booth that Shawn set up:

The Youth leaders! Shawn, Carys, me, Rachel, and Kirsten

  

Bonus: Please enjoy this snap of me showing a baby to Mercy Ships' founder Don Stephens on Deck 7. :)

Photo cred: Shawn

~Thanks for reading~

Have a very merry Christmas and a peace-filled New Years!

"Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth, peace to men on whom his favor rests."

Luke 2:14

The Grimace of Victory

The last several weeks have been a marathon. Renee and I have been juggling a relatively heavy hosting schedule. At times it has been exhausting, exasperating, and just plain challenging. But I can genuinely say, I love that my job forces me to have perspective about where my strength and stamina ultimately flow from. If a perfect God can give me grace, then I guess can spare a little for myself, too. ;) I'm planning to share more about my job on board in my next post (which will hopefully not be as delayed as this one!)

Rewind to the Tuesday after our arrival in Douala. The first patients arrived at the HOPE (Hospital Out-Patient Extension) Center, a previously unused section of a local hospital that Mercy Ships renovated last summer. The facility adds 220 beds to the Africa Mercy's 70-some on-board, and that extra space is vital for keeping the surgical schedule ticking at full capacity. It gives patients a place to stay both before and after their surgery, when they need to stay close to the ship for cast changes and physical therapy appointments.

It was during an early visit to the HOPE Center that our team first met Julienne, a 14-year-old girl with an inviting smile. While we were getting a tour around one of the common areas of the building, she quietly entered and sat down on a bench by the back wall, watching our group from a distance. One of the first things we noticed were the colorful purple braids mixed in with the black ones that fell just above her shoulders. They were lovely, and we went over to tell her so, and in no time she opened right up, telling us about her trip from her home outside of Yaounde to Douala.

Julienne under the tent on the dock

Not long after the HOPE Center opened, late September saw the first patients on the dock, awaiting the final step in the patient screening process. Every potential patient that gets treated on board first meets with their would-be surgeon, who makes the final decision on whether to go forward with an operation.

It was during the first week of surgeon screening that I saw Julienne again. She caught my eye and waved excitedly, and I went under the waiting tent to greet her and her friend who was sitting next to her. Both girls had legs that bowed dramatically outwards. It was not as noticeable when they sat down, but standing up they almost formed a perfect "O". At 14, they are just under age cut-off of 16 years for orthopedic surgeries. A couple more years would make it much more difficult for their bones to heal from the change they were about to undergo.

Julienne at the HOPE Center

One week in September, I brought the radio team I was hosting down to see the physical therapy tent, which sits on the dock next to the admissions and screening tents. From where I stood near the entrance, I could see Julienne's "maman" sitting in a chair near the back. A nurse was busy measuring the angle of the curve in Julienne's legs so that they would know by how much they would need to correct them in surgery. But at that particular moment, her maman had turned away from them, and was gazing at a young post-op patient on the bed opposite them. The nurses at that patient's side were using a special saw to carefully remove the child's old cast from his newly straightened legs, and put on a new one.

As Julienne's mom watched them work, I saw a peace-filled smile cross her face. It was a moment that held a thousand years in heaven. This woman, the perfect personification of "be still and know". I wondered to myself what she might have been thinking about.

Julienne (right) with her mom (Center) and surgery buddy, who also had bowed legs

Julienne had come so far to get to this point, but the road ahead would be long and trying. I marveled at maman's strength and courage, which she had clearly passed on to her daughter. I could see it in the way they both smiled lightheartedly, for all appearances without a care in the world, as though they weren't about to surrender Julienne's legs to the foreign doctors they had only just met, to be literally sawed apart and put back together again. Staying at the HOPE Center, they had no doubt heard stories from other patients about the pain and tears that typically accompany the first steps on the "new legs". And yet here they were, anxious and even excited to finally begin the process of transformation.

I don't want to miss a single opportunity to be reminded: the patients are the real heroes on this ship.

Don't worry, I wouldn't go through that whole story without telling you the ending! I'm happy to share that both Julienne and her friend have had their surgery, and are recovering normally. A couple weeks later I saw them while the patients were relaxing outside on Deck 7. They each took a turn making slow steps across the deck with the help of a walker, their mouths pulled into perfectly victorious grimaces for the occasion--those first steps take a lot of determination and stamina!

Julienne going for a walk in the wards

In other news, a group of volunteers took advantage of a Saturday afternoon to do some off-roading in Ngoma, just outside of Douala. We drove until it was green in every direction, and then drove some more. After a year of living in West Africa already, I had never actually driven somewhere just to explore. It was amazing! Check out some pictures below.

The two "chauffers" plotting our course, somewhere in Ngoma

Same road, off in the other direction

And we found a huge pile of dirt, so naturally, up we go...