tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87549791256911399132024-02-18T23:16:12.699-08:00Deb's heart in Africa"If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast."Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06372099250512565189noreply@blogger.comBlogger179125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8754979125691139913.post-78829092075158911272018-08-07T09:28:00.000-07:002018-08-07T09:28:15.089-07:00Goodbye Mango<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I’ve worked my last shift. I’ve packed up my things and left
my white nursing scrub tops and stethoscope behind in Mango. I hugged my friends goodbye, hopped in a
vehicle early in the morning and arrived in the capital, 295 miles away from a
place that became home.</span></div>
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Right now I’m traveling for a short time with my sister before heading back to Australia. So far
we have visited two of her Compassion sponsor children (one in Togo and one in
Ghana) and have been very impressed by Compassion’s work in the lives of the two
children and the children in each project.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In between visiting kids and being a tourist, I have been trying
to process and debrief what happened in my life over the last two months.</span>
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I don’t really know where to begin. Before working in Mango at the Hospital of
Hope I had never worked in a place where I felt so consistently stretched
and stressed that my patients were going to die. Sometimes in other places I’ve
worked, after a busy shift we joke that everyone is alive so that’s our nursing
job done, but in Mango so often you can’t even say that. Instead we joke that
if everyone survived our shift it was a good day. Of course there are good and
bad moments of every shift but with so little staff, such high patient to nurse
numbers and high acuity (very sick patients), it really takes nursing to a new
level of stress.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One shift I had an admission of a boy who was writhing around on his bed, gasping for air, dripping saliva. It was during the afternoon when we take our mandatory (by Togolese government) 2 hour lunch break (the only break we get from 0700-1930). During this time we take over one other nurse's patient load which end up being half the hospital (your patients plus theirs). So, not only did I have a boy who was the definition of a hot mess (an American term which I have wholeheartedly embraced), but I had a bunch of other sick and unconscious kids too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Before I let the other nurse go on break, I went to assess this kid and give him some medications. He was doing circles in his bed. The leads from the cardiac monitor was pulled off and stuck to his stomach, his IV line was pulled tight across the bed, the non-rebreather oxygen mask was around his neck and not on his face. What a mess! It wasn't simply a matter of reorganizing the wires and tubes, because this kid just simply couldn't stay still, but to make matter worse, it sounded as though he was choking to death. I went out to find a doctor but couldn't find her. I found the other nurse and she said that he sounded like that previously but she would help me try to settle him. I walked around trying to find the doctor while inside I was panicking thinking that any moment he would have a respiratory arrest and I would have to do CPR and we would lose another child. My stress response is crying, which is super unhelpful. So I choked back tears, clenched my teeth and did what I could.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Eventually I got him calmed down and when I saw him touch his mama tenderly on the face, I repented of my frustration towards him, realising that it wasn't him, but his sickness that was making him so hard to care for.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I handed over to the nurse that evening, I was fairly certain that he wouldn't last her shift. After she assessed him, she didn't think he would either.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What I have come to realise is that I just don't know what God is doing and why some children survive and others don't, but this child managed to pull through. Several days later when he was much more healthy, I asked his papa if I could take a photo so that I could remember that despite the situation looking hopeless, he is alive and well.</span></div>
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On my last day of work I had a premie baby have 3 apneas and a young boy (cared
for by another nurse but in the same room as my patients) drop his pulse too
low several times, requiring a long sternal rub (it causes a pain response) to
increase his heart rate and a baby have no urine output and an increasing heart
rate all before 11:00. Thankfully we had an extra nurse that day because the previous
day I had all the kids (the regular paeds ward and paeds ICU) and I couldn’t keep up and then throw
in a baby who is very sick and I wondered how on earth I would keep them all
alive. The crazy thing is, we have nurse aids that do all the vital signs.
Nurse friends- you know how much time recording and paper charting vitals take,
remove that from the equation and I’m giving meds, fluids, feeds, doing
assessments and trying to keep up with charting everything (which is way less than a western hospital). Often at work in
Australia I feel like all I ever do it vitals, hand out food, showers, make
beds, fill out paperwork and a few meds. You could not find two nursing jobs more
different.</span></div>
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Aside from the work in the hospital, I met some really amazing people who
became friends and it’s hard and sad to walk away from it all. Also knowing I
can’t be there to shoulder any of the heavy workload for them. The best I can
do is pray.</span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I walk away having very mixed emotions. On one hand I’m excited to see my
family and friends in Australia and somewhat relieved that my stress level is
dramatically reduced by returning to a job that has equipment and drugs to keep
children who are dangerously unwell alive and treated (for the most part).<br />
One the other hand I have left behind friends with whom I now share experience
of deep emotion. I have left a town of Togolese that I have shared precious
moments of life with; the beginning for some and the ending for others.<br />
I’m also afraid that when I return to work in Australia I’ll be frustrated and
bored. I know there’s no fix for this and I do realise I’ve just written about
how stressed I was, but there has to be a happy medium!? I don’t know what that
looks like.</span></div>
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So, friends who are welcoming me home, be patient with me. Don’t be afraid to
ask me questions, even if it feels like it could be a sensitive topic. I know I’ll feel
sad and want to cry. It’s not personal. It’s not because you are not enough.</span></div>
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sent a message to one of my nurse friends I left behind in Mango asking how one
of the babies I looked after was going since I’d been gone. She replied saying
that he passed away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was 8 months
old. His mother had died at his birth and his grandma was caring for him. He
was severely malnourished and had other things going on that we couldn’t test
for or figure out treatment to cure him. I believe he’s now held by Jesus, but
that doesn’t stop me from feeling sad.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I don’t know how to wrap this up and I don’t know what my
next step is, but I’m on a journey like you, taking each day at a time and
asking God to direct my path.</span></div>
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Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06372099250512565189noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8754979125691139913.post-44961775818345009622018-07-25T10:43:00.000-07:002018-07-25T10:43:52.030-07:00The Good Things<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">I was on night shift a couple of weeks ago and I wrote most of this blog on one of
them but never posted it because life was busy and then I got sick.</span></span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">I have been on night shift this last week. My housemates have graciously given up their beds for me to sleep in at
various times because the house is far cooler and quieter than my little <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">dependance</i>. Other than the usual trials
of sleep and feeling generally gross (retrospectively I actually had malaria)
my 12 hour nights have been filled with the usual work. I have been feeding my
premie babies every 3 hours, putting up IV antibiotics, giving malaria medications
and checking IV drop rates. The calmer hours of the night give extra time for
letting mamas sleep and sitting in the ward feeding the babies.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The paeds ward I have worked in almost every shift since I have been
here is </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">one large room</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> and is ever changing with the number of beds, cots and baby isolette cribs. My
first night shift I had the whole 10 patients. By the time the lights were
dimmed I barely had space to walk between the relatives sleeping on the floor.
Interestingly my three patients who had beds (not cots or isolettes) all slept
on the floor next to their mamas so all their actual beds were empty.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi21TqolNgRm_8jQJYUUxBZn6taJfmUMtdllcTnz55I3_6jgicUI4mtOQ1-Y2tJBpmZu1Zi-2YRcUlDt2f-gpwYahZ7ehJ_5zCMJ7lgcNTAoM4rr2MBDtOxb5u4rCCloH0QWo0ULU77ztQ/s1600/IMG_3476.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi21TqolNgRm_8jQJYUUxBZn6taJfmUMtdllcTnz55I3_6jgicUI4mtOQ1-Y2tJBpmZu1Zi-2YRcUlDt2f-gpwYahZ7ehJ_5zCMJ7lgcNTAoM4rr2MBDtOxb5u4rCCloH0QWo0ULU77ztQ/s320/IMG_3476.jpg" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">I end up spending quite a bit of time on the floor, reaching for
patients between their bed and mama or other sibling or sitting on a stool
while a mama gravity feeds her baby breastmilk through the nasogastric tube.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Some of these nights I had spare time and was able to let the mama go
back to sleep and I would sit on the stool and continue feeding the baby,
looking over the ward and admiring the beautiful, tiny baby in my hands. The
premie babies are such sweet little things. We have worked so hard trying to
fatten them up. Our work is paying off because 2 out of 3 of the original
babies have reached 1.5kg and have now discharged! They will come back for
appointments to check their weight gain.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Tonight for the first time since I arrived I have no paeds patients.
Instead I have a collection of adults- snake bite, gastric cancer, fractured
femur who is very confused, pulling at her dressings and not sleeping,
peritonsilar abscess and abdo pain. I feel like I’m back at home in a medical
ward! Thankfully this is because in the last day we have discharged many kids
who are now healthy because they got treatment in time. You have no idea how
relieved I feel about that. We still have several severe malaria admissions
into REA each shift but most of them arrive before it’s too late. I often see
them laying on their backs with their eyes open but a vacant stare or even
asleep but their eyes aren’t closed. I think every time of the girl with <a href="http://debsheartinafrica.blogspot.com/2018/06/malaria.html" target="_blank">malaria</a> who I came
across who had already stopped breathing, her eyes half open but no one was
staring out of them. I don’t think that’s something I’ll ever forget.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">This place has certainly changed me. I don’t think I can sum it up quite
yet, if ever. It has been an eye opening time in many ways. I have the utmost
respect for the missionaries who came out here and pioneered the way and
continue to work so tirelessly at serving God through their various jobs
(Christian radio station, village bible studies, nursing school, running the
hospital and more). I always wondered if I had what it takes to live in Africa.
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Tonight the termites are out flying around the lights and crawling on
the floor. They are big winged, big bodied bugs that are continually being
zapped on the bug zappers, sometimes for so long that you can smell them
cooking. They aren’t the only bugs walking these hospital hallways. There are
these other big beetles that also fly and crawl around. I usually give them a
light kick to the side if they’re in my way. The flies are insistent too, relentlessly
sitting on my patients, crawling over their faces, dressings or somehow getting
into the baby isolettes. I think Australia’s insects prepared me well for being
here.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> Fast forward through one week of sickness and first ever diagnosis of malaria:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">I now only have 5 days left of my two month stay here. I have learnt so
much and continue to be amazed and warmed at the family units I have seen caring for each
other and community around them. I have seen severely malnourished kids get
chubby cheeks and tiny premature babies get bigger. I have seen a miracle and
heard of more. I have been so impressed by the skills and willingness of the
Togolese nurses and nurse aids to help me again and again. (I’m looking forward
to the day I can speak English to my patients!)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Life on my days off has been fun too. I love my little home and can
always find something to do, cook, create or learn. I have grown to love the character
of my home, the peeling paint and dark concrete floors. There are happy
memories made here, from movie nights to housemate dinners to the constant
electric shocks I get from my computer keyboard when it’s plugged into the
Togolese power supply. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglHBdsesQvI5It9qI64UI0ZLE5C1YQz3ZZ5TKLj-WOXCe_VqIOIRVaTtQbdDB2hTl4FWN3EAspNDOHX2rVocFSEEIkb8lrUY6LvTNT7OcDHe8L0GCJXJSyQvEX_pQ_86M03U2Q71L2NmQ/s1600/Home-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglHBdsesQvI5It9qI64UI0ZLE5C1YQz3ZZ5TKLj-WOXCe_VqIOIRVaTtQbdDB2hTl4FWN3EAspNDOHX2rVocFSEEIkb8lrUY6LvTNT7OcDHe8L0GCJXJSyQvEX_pQ_86M03U2Q71L2NmQ/s640/Home-10.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Behind that wall is my house</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOKRicSAF-hdRk3UuDFPOcjbN7ZX4QcHBhU5qvLcS2rhEACzrzzTubCaO4VEw2giq7GSICnWXfZY4nCRQZZ21n3XR2qIDdXsI4B54u5LJ0Ls27ifChfDDS6TlWY3ueBxacqP9rV8gyUz8/s1600/Home-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOKRicSAF-hdRk3UuDFPOcjbN7ZX4QcHBhU5qvLcS2rhEACzrzzTubCaO4VEw2giq7GSICnWXfZY4nCRQZZ21n3XR2qIDdXsI4B54u5LJ0Ls27ifChfDDS6TlWY3ueBxacqP9rV8gyUz8/s640/Home-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My little <i>dependance</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZbAR53ODAXgB-VZkG9X5BnrddJSbSEq1YgIWOES60Acb5PLZRUIA3V1j_cHq8rnxbCoWQkLkWJF24l9tqc60cx9G4zTZXVBbVS7fI1oCb-an6ZYNuS9yTQ8y61mf8QwmawDAEgRB4wzM/s1600/homeB-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZbAR53ODAXgB-VZkG9X5BnrddJSbSEq1YgIWOES60Acb5PLZRUIA3V1j_cHq8rnxbCoWQkLkWJF24l9tqc60cx9G4zTZXVBbVS7fI1oCb-an6ZYNuS9yTQ8y61mf8QwmawDAEgRB4wzM/s640/homeB-5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">My friends here have already asked if I’ll come back (or just stay). I
have been wondering the same thing myself. At this stage, let’s just say God
will have the final say.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06372099250512565189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8754979125691139913.post-23109649494257945372018-07-18T14:15:00.000-07:002018-07-18T14:15:07.937-07:00Nothing Pretty<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It is
0500, it’s still dark and I’ve given up trying to sleep. There is a lady who
lives somewhere near us that has a mental illness who throws a large rock to
the ground repeatedly every morning and sometimes in the afternoon. The force
of her throw sends vibrations and a thud through the nearby houses. I can hear
her powerful throw as she chases away whatever torments her. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I’ve been
awake a lot overnight. I was getting a lot of headaches so finally decided to
get checked for malaria, despite having a cold and feeling like I was
probably overreacting. I tested positive for malaria, much to my surprise and
relief that the headaches will be treated and disappear. After I got home from
work I started the oral treatment which side-effects apparently give me insomnia. It was
also a rough day yesterday and I’ve been reliving my day at work while trying to
sleep.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I didn’t
want to write every time I had a terrible work day and I haven't but it does help me to process
and so here I am again, thinking of my day, tears spilling and blurring the
screen in front of me. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I was on
nights last week but returned to day shift this week and started off the week
looking after a baby boy who I had met on a previous admission. He was
only a few weeks old with a very attentive mama and grandma who cared for him
and his twin sister so well. He had gotten sick at home and his mama had brought him into
the hospital where he’d gotten worse despite treatment. I assessed him
throughout the day and didn’t like how he looked but he hung in there. I was
worried though.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It’s so hard working in a country where you don’t speak the
language and you don’t know the culture well enough to know what you’d even say
to the parents of a child or baby who is very sick. In some African cultures you cannot tell them someone
is dying because it removes all hope. Thankfully the expat doctors here speak
French and working with the Togolese nurses and chaplains, we try the best we
can. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I arrived
at work in the morning to find out the baby boy didn’t survive the night. I
felt so crushed for the mama. They had already left the hospital which I was
selfishly glad of because I didn’t want to see that mama’s heartbroken face. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I was
looking after the paediatric ICU again that day, along with the nursing
students sharing the load and I was also orientating an expat paediatric nurse.
Before we had time to do much the nurse aid called me to our 4 yo girl with
severe malaria. She was seizing. And so began the day. We gave medication after
medication, blood, antibiotics and airway support. We threw everything we
possibly could at her and hoped it would be enough. There were wires and tubes
everywhere but when I wasn’t next to her cot, there was a relative at her side.
At one point I put in a foley catheter and was surprised when the ‘urine’ that
came out was the same colour as the blood transfusion going in. We called the
doctor over for the hundredth time that day. She said she’d only seen one other
patient with urine that colour in all her years working there.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Conversations
were had with the family as we waited to see how she would respond to
treatment. I looked at her vitals and knew that it would take a miracle and
prayed so but I also felt at a loss for words. <i>Jesus</i>. <i>Jesus</i>. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">We made a
plan before I went for lunch and I wasn’t sure she would still be alive when I
returned, but she was. She kept going for hours. Her little chest heaving
breaths through crackly lungs. We hadn’t been able to get a blood pressure
reading on the monitor or oxygen saturations for hours and then I couldn’t palpate
her peripheral pulses. I stayed by the bedside with the family as I watched her
little body stop working. There was no hope in coding her and prolonging her death
so we let her slip away but the thing is, it wasn’t pretty. Her mama was
sobbing and I stopped being brave and just let the tears fall. We stood there
while she breathed her last gasping breaths, the CPAP still blowing air down
her throat. And then her heart slowed and stopped and what I knew was going to
happen, happened. She was still and lifeless. I stood there wondering what she had been like. Had she been a
bubbly, lively little girl?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I stood
helplessly next to the family, so desperately sorry that we’d lost another
child. Another beloved child. I felt so angry that kids and babies are dying
of something that’s been eradicated in other countries but also an element of hopelessness. When will it ever end?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">There’s
nothing pretty about this. No nice way to tie this up. I know Jesus walks with
them in sorrow and oh how deep that sorrow is. I asked God to give me a heart that breaks like His and I think this is what it looks like.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06372099250512565189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8754979125691139913.post-25781852247950895692018-06-28T07:25:00.000-07:002018-06-28T07:25:24.807-07:00Beauty Amidst Sorrow<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">4:30 pm hits and the patients roll in thick and fast. Floppy children
carried in their parent’s arms, pale and lethargic. They are laid naked on a
bed in REA (emergency), feverish and dehydrated. After a month here I cannot
count the number of children I have seen and cared for like this. Some pull
through and others don’t, despite our best efforts.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">This week we had a small child carried into REA unconscious and
unresponsive to pain with irregular eye movements. His heartbeat was steadily
drumming away, too fast for his age. We acted quickly to monitor him and get an
IV in. I had a bag-valve-mask (ambu bag) ready because I’d learnt from my prior
experience.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">As I looked over him, assessing him without even realising I was doing
so, I noticed his breaths were shallow and sporadic. He wasn’t filling his
lungs and moving air to oxygenate his body. We grabbed the bag-valve-mask and
started bagging him for support. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">After about 15 mins with no change in his respiratory effort the Dr told
us to stop and just put an oxygen mask on and go to look after the other sick
kids. I looked up at her and the other nurse standing with me at the airway. <i>Did
she mean what I thought she meant?</i> I understood why. We have to work as if
this is disaster triage. You save the ones you can and let those who are going
to die, die. Everything in me screamed out to not walk away though. He would
die without airway support. <i>How could I walk away from him and just leave
him there</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">?</i> I looked at the
relatives faces, knowing it’s their faces that I remember long after the child
has died because it’s their hearts I see break.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">So we stopped what we were doing and left him there on the bed, naked,
with an oxygen mask on his face, IV dripping, cardiac leads on his chest and a relative at
his bedside. I prayed the same prayer I say multiple times a day, <i>Jesus help</i>.
It was awful just walking away. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">He hung on though, despite barely breathing. Overnight he regained
consciousness and started moving. By the morning he could sit up and when I
came back on shift he cried for two hours saying he wanted to go home! He perked
up so much he was able to sit on his mama’s lap and eat spaghetti for
breakfast. Amazing!! Seriously miraculous. We have no idea how he’s still
alive, except for God’s power. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">In the paediatric ward and ICU I’ve looked after a lot of different
types of patients but there has always been at least one premature baby. I had
no idea when I arrived that 2 shifts in special care nursery in the hospital at
home in Australia would be so helpful now. I’ve now cared for 5 different premature babies,
all weighing less than 1.5kgs. It has been a learning curve complicated by lack
of clean sheets, no nappies, limited neonatal IV supplies and most of the
isolette cribs need a service and so don’t heat well or at all. But I love
these babies and have enjoyed seeing them and their dedicated mamas every day.
They are a rainbow of beauty in the midst of the shadow of pain and loss of some
of the other patients. We are struggling with some of these precious babies to
gain weight. Please pray for these little ones. None of them are given names
until they leave the hospital. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Thank you so much for praying and walking this journey with me. After so
much grief and loss a couple of weeks ago, I was lifted by your prayers and
comments of support and love. Please continue to pray, not just for me but the
team here and those who work and live in Mango and face the reality of life
here every day. It is a truly beautiful country, with friendly, strong, courageous people.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
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<br />
Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06372099250512565189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8754979125691139913.post-76573661487323139382018-06-18T06:35:00.000-07:002018-06-18T06:40:50.958-07:00Loss<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have been thinking a lot about the two weeks I spent in
<a href="http://debsheartinafrica.blogspot.com/2013/05/masanga-sometimes-there-arent-words.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Masanga,</span> Sierra Leone</a> in 2013. I felt like I was working in a disaster
area because multiple children arrived every afternoon with severe malaria that
were half dead. It was there that I did CPR on a baby and child for the first
time. It was there I saw a child haemorrhage who died while I was away eating
lunch. It was a shock to my sheltered nursing career and love of people. I
thought it might be unique to that area because it was remote. There were still
wild monkeys jumping around the trees. But I have realised this week that my
experience in Masanga, Sierra Leone is not unique to that area.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It is currently malaria season and you know the season is
upon you when there is multiple small children lying in beds in emergency or
ICU, febrile and severely anaemic. These patients are very lethargic and flat.
Some have advanced cerebral malaria to the point of seizures. Yesterday a baby
seized for over an hour which could not be reversed by medications. His nurse came
to me for advice since she is not a paediatric nurse. She told me his
respiratory rate has dropped significantly and she was worried. I could see
from the monitor at a distance that his heart rate was close to 200. I told her
that if his respiratory rate was dropping then he was probably going to have a
respiratory arrest so to be prepared. (Unless children have a previous cardiac
history, they will have a respiratory arrest before a cardiac arrest.) She went
and told the doctor the baby’s vitals and then got the appropriate equipment-
simply a paediatric bag-valve-mask (ambu bag) and age-sized face mask. That is
all we have. The saddest thing to me is that I didn’t even have time to help
her because I had 3 premie babies (all weigh less than 1.5kg/3.3lb), 2 3month old
twins who weighed 1.4kg and 1.52kg with malaria and malnutrition and a toddler
with malaria who had barely moved. I didn’t have time to get heavily involved
with a baby potentially needing CPR. There were multiple reasons for me not volunteering to assist. Firstly, the staffing ratio to patient
numbers are often barely manageable because people need care so come to the hospital, but we only have
so many staff to work. On Saturday I had a nursing student help me in the
morning (he was supervised by a Togolese nurse) but after lunch my patient load
was 6 babies that weighed less than 2kgs each, all feeding every 2-3 hours and
3 children. We always have a nurse-aid caring for our patients who are super
helpful but there is only so much they can do. More children were admitted
who I should have taken care of but I physically and mentally couldn’t pick up any more than I was carrying.<br />
Secondly, I wasn’t sure I had the mental strength for potentially doing CPR on a baby. After losing the 6yo girl
earlier in the week due to malaria, the following day I had worked really hard
with another severe malaria baby boy. He looked ok but I came back to work 2
days later and the night shift nurse told me he had coded overnight. They had
managed effective CPR, but then he died a while later. Oh how I wanted
to burst into tears. His little body was still on the bed and his mama was
still wearing the yellow shirt from the day I met her. She picked up his limp
little body that fit perfectly in her arms. He was wrapped in her fabric. She
had a bewildered look on her face and tears pooling in her eyes and streaking
her cheeks. She had to pay the hospital bill before she left but she didn’t
have enough money.<br />
Caring for children who are on the verge of dying is mentally, emotionally and
physically exhausting. That day I had already helped a team do CPR on a woman
who had come in the door and arrested immediately. She didn’t make it either. I
was standing at the head of the bed when we stopped doing compressions and the
doctor checked the pupils. No reaction to light. The female relative was
distraught and quickly covered up the patient’s lifeless face after closing her
half open eyelids. I choked back tears.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
I know death is a part of life, more so in low income countries than high
income. At home we hold on to life for too long sometimes. But I am struggling
with how quickly we lose life here. It just feels so fast. I wrestle with
knowing God cries with me and more, for the loss of his children but I wonder
why He hasn’t answered some of our prayers. Why do these communities suffer
with so much needless loss? It is just so unfair.<br />
I’ve been wondering, how is this life sustainable? The only answer I can find is to look for the
good. See those who survive because there <u>is</u> a hospital. There are
countless patients who come in, get treatment and not only survive but thrive.
All those premie babies are surviving and getting fatter and closer to going
home. That is beautiful to see and be a part of. Also, the Togolese nurses who
work in this hospital are amazing!! They are heroes who deserve so much praise.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
For a period today though, I just need to cry and grieve the losses of the week
because they are so real and heartbreaking and if I don’t cry now I never will.
I put some music on this morning, my favourite album Let There Be Light by
Hillsong Worship and just let the words wash over me and sink deep into my
soul.<br />
Thank you for praying for me. I can tell you are because some days in the midst
of a situation where I might feel swapped and completely overwhelmed, I’m calm.
Please also pray for this community, that they would come to know Jesus. Pray
that despite severe loss and grief, they would know hope. He is the only one
who can truly save them.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqdqIEA2WJF39bfr0KXACqgZc9Pq1YlfI169TyzRUp6_6asAC-TCObPfqZw-tczgnet-oNDHO2mJxp2AJXTITfdme1UPHJhhnWNJ3EwUJ4GufXtNcE_ZG6LgnvGB1ARg6Pkz613h9ow8U/s1600/IMG_3005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqdqIEA2WJF39bfr0KXACqgZc9Pq1YlfI169TyzRUp6_6asAC-TCObPfqZw-tczgnet-oNDHO2mJxp2AJXTITfdme1UPHJhhnWNJ3EwUJ4GufXtNcE_ZG6LgnvGB1ARg6Pkz613h9ow8U/s640/IMG_3005.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06372099250512565189noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8754979125691139913.post-21911693191189331882018-06-15T06:59:00.000-07:002018-06-15T06:59:56.251-07:00Malaria<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I walked over to her bed with the malaria meds prepped and
ready to inject through her IV. I set my little tray of medications on the
table near the trolley she lay on in emergency. I had seen her from a distance
while I was in the nurses’ station but hadn’t been a part of her bedside care
yet. It had been a busy nursing shift but I’d caught up and was helping out my
friend and co-worker Vivian.<br />
The papa was sitting by her side on a heavy wooden hospital chair. This 6 year
old girl had been admitted with severe malaria and her colour was terrible.
Malaria destroys your red blood cells causing death if untreated and children
are especially vulnerable. I could see the pale soles of her feet, her pale
face and lips and identified immediately that she was terribly anaemic and
needed a blood transfusion. Viv was just preparing it as I came to give these
meds. Her papa had previously taken her to another hospital but they were unable to give a
blood transfusion which was what she really needed, so he had brought her to us.<br />
As I neared, I noticed she was staring straight ahead, eyes half open, not
blinking. Her face was a terrible greeny-grey colour. I glanced up at the
cardiac monitor. Her heart rate was only 35. I recognised the signs immediately
and tried stimulating her by sternal rubbing but she didn’t respond. I called
out for Viv and placed the palm of my hand on her chest and started pumping
like I have done so many times in practise, but this was a girl who had very
much been alive a few minutes ago. She was not a manikin. Her skin was warm and
the contours of her ribs showed through her skin. Her eyes, half open, had
beautifully curled black lashes. Her ears were pierced and adorned with gold
earrings as per the custom here for girls. I kept pounding her heart with my
hand while consciously thinking of the rate and depth of compressions. Right
then I wanted to cry. We train for these things but never really want to do
them for real. I grit my teeth, swallowed back the tears that threatened to spill
and I concentrated on compressions while a team formed around me, airway,
suction, squeezing the blood transfusion in and more IV access. The trouble is,
we are in a low income country and our hospital doesn’t have a ventilator or
intubation gear. We have an oral airway and can bag her with oxygen but that
is it.</span></div>
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I continued compressions. I swapped to airway. I changed back to compressions
and back to airway while the team gave adrenaline and put down and NG. I’m not
sure where her papa had gone, but I continued to concentrate on pushing the
little blood she had around her body.<br />
After some time passed and there was no response in the girl, I kept looking up
at the doctor. She was trying to decide when to stop. I could see her
hesitation. No one wants to be making that decision but this little girl’s
spirit had already gone leaving behind a washed out body.<br />
The doctor called us to stop. We took our hands off her small, still body and I
looked around at the 3 other white faces, all were streaked with tears. The
Togolese who were helping, cleaned up and moved on to their other jobs with
stoic emotions. No doubt this was another of uncountable deaths during their
time in healthcare (which doesn’t mean they don’t feel it, they just don’t tend
to show their emotions outwardly like we often do).<br />
Her papa walked forward from where he had been watching us and asked if she was
dead. “Yes she is.” The doctor replied in French through her quiet tears. “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bon courage</i>,” her papa said to the tear
streaked faces surrounding his daughter’s body.<br />
We removed the IV lines and things from her body and wiped her clean. She was
wearing just a skirt so one of the nurse-aids got a small child’s gown to put
on her and once they were ready, papa picked her up and her head rested on his
broad shoulder as if she were just asleep. And then he walked away with her
body. The very opposite of every hospital admission I hope for.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
The strange thing is after that situation you just have to carry on with caring
for your other patients, even though your heart is crying. It cries for every parent,
sister or brother who loses a child or sibling to malaria or sickness that is
totally treatable or preventable. It cries for the injustice and disparity here
and across many countries in the world. It cries, hoping and praying that next
time we’ll be quicker and can save them.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6cLHVyX471-FLmFF-QSd-L7z7yU6u8QW_vmSqfY7UHocTbKvPuXbOx_0a1h8QqRg8Ab2zzzSjz8mqftAUUPkD3_IiZfTRM8hsZdLk-TXyETTRWnrqMAL-gStIz0KHxQLoVeN1yCLahj8/s1600/IMG_2995.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6cLHVyX471-FLmFF-QSd-L7z7yU6u8QW_vmSqfY7UHocTbKvPuXbOx_0a1h8QqRg8Ab2zzzSjz8mqftAUUPkD3_IiZfTRM8hsZdLk-TXyETTRWnrqMAL-gStIz0KHxQLoVeN1yCLahj8/s640/IMG_2995.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06372099250512565189noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8754979125691139913.post-88605213845456807482018-06-11T15:00:00.000-07:002018-06-11T15:00:25.633-07:00A Taste of Mango<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #002060; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">I wake up but keep my eyes closed because my
eyelids are so heavy with sleep still. I know the power has gone off because my
ceiling fan directly above my bed has stopped, causing me to wake feeling
overheated and sticky. With the white noise off I can hear people laughing and
talking in a different language outside my window across the sandy, red dirt
road. The air in my room is still. Too still to be comfortable. I guess it’s
about 32C in here. The <i>dependance</i> I live in is just two rooms and sits
across a small courtyard from the house my friend Miriam lives in. We are in
Mango, Togo, 475km (295 miles) north of Lomé.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6zsRGOXJkSSxbbIFc-qAlcBNAckHAiWnZk4KexcLDCOVe68eihOAAm8Ysot5U_mKgOVrOlvWpmBqrTYuAHpobP2sMCDAio1IAB-XSnxnaPxmipWBfOFZl1NMmtupDNNxQ2JFSmt9UFNs/s1600/IMG_2961.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6zsRGOXJkSSxbbIFc-qAlcBNAckHAiWnZk4KexcLDCOVe68eihOAAm8Ysot5U_mKgOVrOlvWpmBqrTYuAHpobP2sMCDAio1IAB-XSnxnaPxmipWBfOFZl1NMmtupDNNxQ2JFSmt9UFNs/s640/IMG_2961.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #002060; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The power comes back on and my fan restarts but now
I’m fully awake so I wrench myself out of bed and dress with my shoulders
covered and a skirt that reaches my ankles in respect of the Muslims who
populate this area of northern Togo. I unlock my door from the inside and head
across the dirt courtyard to the house. The sun is blazing and a warm breeze
rustles the pink bougainvillea on the wall surrounding our house block and the
mango tree in our yard. The house is simple inside and a very fine layer of red
dust coats everything. The Harmattan winds that blow from the end of November
to the middle of March create most of the dust but also the red dust is kicked
up from the village streets as only the main road is paved. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #002060; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">I head to the kitchen to get a drink of water as I
wake thirsty every day. The tap water is dirty so we have a big water filter
and keep clean water in bottles for when the town water is switched off, which
is frequently.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #002060; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The next step of the day is making coffee. The
power is back on but I need to switch off the kitchen fan to light the gas
stove to boil water in a saucepan as we have no kettle. I mix up the powdered
milk while I wait for the water to boil. There’s seems to be an extra step for
everything here. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #002060; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Coffee cup in hand I sit on the couch and check
messages on my phone. At least Miriam’s house internet is reliable when the
power is on. It’s nice to still feel somewhat connected despite being miles
away from anywhere. I start replying to messages people have sent asking me how
it’s going over here. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #002060; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">I’ve worked a few shifts in the hospital now and
have an idea of what each day might look like. The hospital is run differently
from other hospitals. Patients must come between 0700-0800 and wait at the
front gate to be triaged and sent to the clinic for outpatient appointments,
surgery appointments and new presentations. Not everyone will be seen each day
as there are limited staff members and hours in a day to work. Patients are
sent to the laboratory, pharmacy, radiology or up to the hospital from the
clinic. The hospital has areas for emergency, men’s ICU, men’s ward, men’s
infectious, women’s ICU, women’s ward, women’s infectious, isolation rooms,
paediatric ICU, paeds ward, maternity/labour and delivery and neonatal ICU. The
nurse’s station to all these areas (except maternity/labour and delivery) is
central so it’s set up in a cross shape. There is also an operating room wing
with a recovery room area, although if we are under staffed the emergency nurse
will recover the patient.</span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #002060; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The hospital is run by expatriate Baptist
missionaries but employs many Togolese who work in all areas and are the team
leaders and nurses each shift. There is a nursing school on the compound and
the 15 nursing students work in the hospital 3 times a week putting into
practise what they are learning. Each registered nurse is assigned a Nurse-aid
who takes the patients’ observations, helps with tasks, restocks and also helps
translate for the expat nurses like me. A patient’s relative stays with each
patient. They are responsible for providing all meals for themselves and the
patient. There is a place on the hospital compound where they can go out and
cook their meals (<i>cuisine</i>). They must bring all pots and pans and
essentials for cooking. They normally bring a mat or piece of fabric and sleep
on this flat on the tile floor near the patient’s bed. When a patient is ready
for discharge the family member goes to the <i>caisse</i> to pay the bill and
if they don’t have enough money they must stay until they can pay. For one more
night they can sleep in the hospital but after this, there is a place on
compound for families to stay until they can pay their bill. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #002060; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The patient population here is mostly different to
Australia. So far I have seen or cared for patients with eclampsia, HIV sepsis,
chronic osteomyelitis, fractures, malaria, abscesses needing incision and
drainage, Burkitt’s Lymphoma, infantile fibrous sarcoma, snake bite, CHF,
nephrotic syndrome and premature birth (33 weeks gestation). Most of these
conditions I’ve never cared for so I have a lot to learn. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #002060; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The nursing shifts are from 0700-1930 or 1900-0730
with a 2 hour lunch break, 4 shifts per week. Miriam had the bike man put new
tyres on her bicycle and this is now my transport to and from work and around town.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #002060; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">One night last week I barely slept as the power was
off and it was unbearably hot and then at 0430 the wind picked up and a storm
blew over, battering my little home. The sky opened up and dumped down rain. I
was fully awake despite minimal sleep and prepared to ride to work on my bike
in the downpour through sandy unpaved roads. I put my work uniform and gear in
plastic bags but by the time I left the house the rain had stopped, much to my
relief. The cycle to the hospital required quite the effort through sludgy red
mud, avoiding goats wandering in the streets, kids walking to school and motorbikes
zipping past, all keeping an ankle length skirt out of the wheels and covering
at the very least my knees. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia_Cu8X4mKAJm8TkOu_G_s-e6UUDvQyHEp33IGjO_UJFAw_X8GgE4Ff5C2_0Ls1ahohfQKSyX4VBg-OJkgGEvallNW6h29-w8F4R3NLZFgKXP3a84kNIrLIyvTTS1X5E-NNwT5dMq3I-A/s1600/IMG_2991.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia_Cu8X4mKAJm8TkOu_G_s-e6UUDvQyHEp33IGjO_UJFAw_X8GgE4Ff5C2_0Ls1ahohfQKSyX4VBg-OJkgGEvallNW6h29-w8F4R3NLZFgKXP3a84kNIrLIyvTTS1X5E-NNwT5dMq3I-A/s640/IMG_2991.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #002060; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">As I drink my coffee Miriam hands me the Mango + 1
recipe book. All recipes are ingredients that can be found in the small market
in Mango plus 1 ingredient from a big city such as Kara (2 hours drive south)
or Lomé (9 hours south). I page through the book deciding which recipes I could
try this week according to the food already in the house, thankful for the
recent 18 months I had in Australia cooking each night and knowing those skills
will come in handy for the weeks to come. </span></span></div>
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Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06372099250512565189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8754979125691139913.post-33165044470426311862018-06-02T12:51:00.000-07:002018-06-02T12:51:08.846-07:00From Ship to Shore<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I’m not really sure what I should be feeling right now.
After arriving to the ship at the end of January and jumping into work as
Maxfax team leader, I felt like I was running a 4 1/2 month marathon. Then when
we were 2 days away from closing the hospital, unforeseen circumstances caused
us to extend the closing by 3 days. Oh how I wanted to cry from fatigue! But we
managed with nurses offering to work and the other team leaders kindly took the
extra days on-call so I didn’t have to. Then <span class="aqj">on Monday</span>
just gone, we finally discharged the last patients and we sighed a massive sigh
of relief. The nurses blitzed the hospital cleaning, packing and tying down
while I finished projects I had been working on and tied up loose ends for the
next team leader. Before I knew it, <span class="aqj">Friday</span> morning was
here, I said a lot of goodbyes and I hopped on a plane to Togo. (The most
expensive flight I’ve ever been on but it was direct and uncomplicated which I
appreciate.) Now I’m sitting at a beach-side hotel restaurant in Lomé, Togo
listening to Kenny G on repeat and drinking Nescafé coffee (not my favourite
but it’s the only option). So, in the next few days comes the big gear shift to
remote African living.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
Yesterday I was met at the Lomé airport by my friend Miriam who I lived on the
ship with me for almost 3 years a few years ago. She’s a pharmacist and has
worked at the Hospital of Hope in Mango now for 3 1/2 years. She took the 8
hour night bus journey from Mango to Lomé with another missionary Susie, in
order to pick me up and shop for supplies in the bigger stores. The shopping
list has things like 10 boxes of Honey Puffs, 20L of soy milk, pancake syrup
and a cross trainer exercise machine to name a few. She only comes to Lomé about every 6
months on average so it’s sort of shop until you drop and get a taxi not a
motorbike back to the beach hotel. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
I only have the rest of this day and the 9hr taxi ride <span class="aqj">tomorrow</span>
to shift my mind to the 2 months of hospital nursing and village life ahead of
me and to process the 4 1/2 months of working and living life on the AFM with
Mercy Ships. I know it will take longer than the next 36hrs but I have to start
somewhere.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
The night before I left the ship the communications team gave us access to some
photos from the previous month, a time when my ward was full of one year old
cleft lip or palate repairs. The first few days were miserable for them and
there was so much crying but by 4-5 days post-op their pain had decreased and
they were smiling and happy. One little one named Oslima showed her joy by
sticking her little tongue out all the time. We all poured out so much love on
these babies and their mamas. What a special time.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu25n4o3gR6jgSTzd4cSybdptojIm3G_P-40fXaI1no-M0fy0x5k0gK-5-IVQAhPbQ5jKZUBgbYomG08pxJHk67XIm8xeZfEXUS_d4QgyOc4uFj8Y1amzrZaDiUR6c11jdBeTU-Y6diHI/s1600/CMA180507_D_WARD_BARTON_CW001_MID.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu25n4o3gR6jgSTzd4cSybdptojIm3G_P-40fXaI1no-M0fy0x5k0gK-5-IVQAhPbQ5jKZUBgbYomG08pxJHk67XIm8xeZfEXUS_d4QgyOc4uFj8Y1amzrZaDiUR6c11jdBeTU-Y6diHI/s640/CMA180507_D_WARD_BARTON_CW001_MID.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjokZCiDvrCI1SAFnzdhfk6_UvGu95cmQ39xk1yB1BFAkUUkpJLOkJiL7aQMmiVOzuBDJp9UBiSaKMuxF0J7H_Yh7MJ67zV3lJlwdHQsd2R8kQhnTnaeSDvAfZFwTwUN3_wQa_TykK0p80/s1600/CMA180507_D_WARD_NURSES_PATIENTS_GROUP_CW001_MID.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjokZCiDvrCI1SAFnzdhfk6_UvGu95cmQ39xk1yB1BFAkUUkpJLOkJiL7aQMmiVOzuBDJp9UBiSaKMuxF0J7H_Yh7MJ67zV3lJlwdHQsd2R8kQhnTnaeSDvAfZFwTwUN3_wQa_TykK0p80/s640/CMA180507_D_WARD_NURSES_PATIENTS_GROUP_CW001_MID.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There was also a woman on the ward we called Mama Sabine. She is such a special
woman who loved on each of us as if we were her grandchild. Someone asked her
if she was looking forward to going home after her surgery. She said, “This
place is just an extension of my home.” When I went to greet her each morning
she’d give me a big hug and kiss on the cheek and tell me how her night was and
ask me how I was. We all adored her.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggANzD5uKuZUJxgHO9tyB9tKmsVAY8glT5x4wfOPE10K7-U1HH0nouFjyAk5WupmWNtAO2oj6kw7wXMvtR3h-EFmvHYI9vDUf29Tkznn-PWXy6aST4Jzf3eCwdZp7U66k0xmBRpFyHaXw/s1600/CMA180517_D_WARD_LOUDEN_JK040_MID.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggANzD5uKuZUJxgHO9tyB9tKmsVAY8glT5x4wfOPE10K7-U1HH0nouFjyAk5WupmWNtAO2oj6kw7wXMvtR3h-EFmvHYI9vDUf29Tkznn-PWXy6aST4Jzf3eCwdZp7U66k0xmBRpFyHaXw/s640/CMA180517_D_WARD_LOUDEN_JK040_MID.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
Another patient who was with us to the end was Lawrence. He had a bit of a hard
trot with delayed wound healing and several returns to the OR which caused him
to be quite downcast on the ward but by the last few days of his stay he was
happier and doing well.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW97NwCzKLMW8C0hz1FJl8YsfgmMvtjPRYaISCytFQBLu2rHTR3GDDbiwhxXln0Uijej9kUQ9NncYBomBKdANs-z4VGa1CH5yO6kWMxdRAsrTpeUbX_ensPIy1pf855f0-Wi1BF-1pkGc/s1600/CMA180522_D_WARD_GROUP_CW004_MID.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW97NwCzKLMW8C0hz1FJl8YsfgmMvtjPRYaISCytFQBLu2rHTR3GDDbiwhxXln0Uijej9kUQ9NncYBomBKdANs-z4VGa1CH5yO6kWMxdRAsrTpeUbX_ensPIy1pf855f0-Wi1BF-1pkGc/s640/CMA180522_D_WARD_GROUP_CW004_MID.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
I wish it was easier to know how my patients do after they leave from our
hospital and the ship sails away. So often I think the same as Mama Sabine said
as she walked out and down the hospital hallway towards the stairs to the
gangway, “See you in heaven!” What a party it will be to see each other again.<br /> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I leave the ship knowing I will return in the next while but waiting for God’s
direction. In the meantime I follow the steps laid out in front of me, knowing
a hospital on land will stretch me in different directions than the ship did
but I’m looking forward to a different way of life and sharing the journey with
you.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbB7oqZ5ucHhyphenhyphenVXbXiNtOtyNRRyyr8dpZIo8tq92-BByuet-Lovdl0eHV0vkHWvPhq6AnnKgt0JK2TxCnlF9FXK9t2-Dn_AEWHPHUvLJsHjyNsuNmtkkawd5S8qZRRL9S5HtTKGE0mUY8/s1600/CMA180517_DOCK_PATIENTS_JK085_MID.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbB7oqZ5ucHhyphenhyphenVXbXiNtOtyNRRyyr8dpZIo8tq92-BByuet-Lovdl0eHV0vkHWvPhq6AnnKgt0JK2TxCnlF9FXK9t2-Dn_AEWHPHUvLJsHjyNsuNmtkkawd5S8qZRRL9S5HtTKGE0mUY8/s640/CMA180517_DOCK_PATIENTS_JK085_MID.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQbBvnpBZ2fl3GihHk94liGXkwSawazARjwrxX2Q-XDEuPgoIX74OxQYbPDBloFf0_p43A3dZX_Wn5SOR45-12kN6yT7IwR5Oa1hqu-TSvRgajRAEQbRPPaGTD6UDbCtjRJEJz3dEfvw/s1600/CMA180517_PAUL_PASCAL_PAT14064_AFTER_ST015_MID.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQbBvnpBZ2fl3GihHk94liGXkwSawazARjwrxX2Q-XDEuPgoIX74OxQYbPDBloFf0_p43A3dZX_Wn5SOR45-12kN6yT7IwR5Oa1hqu-TSvRgajRAEQbRPPaGTD6UDbCtjRJEJz3dEfvw/s640/CMA180517_PAUL_PASCAL_PAT14064_AFTER_ST015_MID.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06372099250512565189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8754979125691139913.post-35543871954713306262018-04-22T06:52:00.000-07:002018-04-22T06:52:59.365-07:00Space to Just Enjoy<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Little baby Mathieu has finally been admitted for his
bilateral cleft lip and palate repair after a long journey with the ship. His
grandma is a straight-faced, serious woman who has cared for him well over the
months I’ve known them. When we first met, Mathieu was very sick. He had a
chest infection due to aspiration from his cleft palate. It is a very common
problem but often causes babies with clefts to get sick enough to die. Mathieu
was right on the verge of needing intubation for airway support, but he held on
and with tender, expert care from my team, we got through. Grandma and Mathieu
have been at the Hope Centre being cared for and fattened up by Lee-Anne, our
Infant Feeding Program Coordinator.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This last week 12 month old Mathieu was admitted for his
repair. I greeted both him and his grandma with a smile and a rub on the shoulder.
Grandma simply nodded her head, Mathieu stared at me with his gorgeous dark
brown eyes, no emotion written on his face. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Later that afternoon, I stood in the hallway outside the
door of the ward talking to the screening coordinator. We waved at Mathieu, his
grandma and a few other patients and I went on my way. As I walked off, I heard
a scuffling behind me and someone calling out. I turned around to see grandma
with Mathieu in her arms, chasing me down the hallway. I walked back to meet
her and out of her mouth came a torrent of French I couldn’t catch. I brought
her back to the ward and asked one of my translators for help. Grandma asked if
the screening coordinator and I had been talking about Mathieu, had his surgery
been cancelled? She was very concerned. I assured her I had heard of no such
thing and was sure it was still scheduled for the next day. She simply nodded
her head in relief.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mathieu did indeed get his surgery the next day and came
back to his grandma’s arms looking beautiful. It is not an easy surgery to
recover from but little Mathieu (who has been bulked up to 8.8kg by Lee-Anne)
is most content in the arms of someone, his fluffy head resting on our shoulder
or chest. I held him for so long on Friday that I had sore arms the next day!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yesterday when I poked my head into the ward, Mathieu was
lovingly nestled in the arms of a nurse and his grandma, normally so serious,
looked up at me and smiled when I greeted her. I looked around the ward and saw
another nurse in conversation with a translator day crew, next to a patient
with a board game in progress. Other patients were sitting together chatting,
bandages adorning their heads, patient ID bands on their wrists, the paths of
their lives intersecting on the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Africa
Mercy</i> and forever changing.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUjLIZopOe697AZYxHVWNUjxaWG5FGobc5YaGFr_EjD5wl8zS5YC5Ohau0i_S7YjsAYz3VtM6QOLVrIH-yI1VLAV7qRJcL3roI0KBDnPPMye1s0vvIqSdxp5mlJZt5xdNaIaZIVSCijmE/s1600/CMA180319_WARD_SO_FAI-YENGO_SAMUEL_DOLHANSKY_LOUDEN_JK003_MID.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUjLIZopOe697AZYxHVWNUjxaWG5FGobc5YaGFr_EjD5wl8zS5YC5Ohau0i_S7YjsAYz3VtM6QOLVrIH-yI1VLAV7qRJcL3roI0KBDnPPMye1s0vvIqSdxp5mlJZt5xdNaIaZIVSCijmE/s640/CMA180319_WARD_SO_FAI-YENGO_SAMUEL_DOLHANSKY_LOUDEN_JK003_MID.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Each of these patients are so precious to me. I have never
worked so many hours at work in my career until these last three months on the
AFM. The Ward Nurse Maxillofacial Team Leader position holds a lot of responsibility
and is no joke when it comes to the work load. I have felt bogged down with tasks
and although the days in the ward have been enjoyable, I feel like I always
have a to-do list hanging over the spare moments of time in my day, until this last
week. I lay it all out before God and asked for the space to just enjoy. That
is exactly what I’ve been able to do this week. My eyes have searched for the
beauty in the every day and I have not been disappointed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A few weeks ago I turned around to see my nurse red faced
and crying. I rubbed her back and asked, “Are you ok?” Her response was simply,
“Adama.” Yes, Adama. She has brought almost all of us to tears at some point in
her long stay. She is so brave, one of the most trusting, courageous women I’ve
ever met, but that day Adama was also in tears. I took the cool wash cloth for
Adama from the nurse at the sink over to Adama’s bed. She was curled on her
side, eyes red, covered mostly by her blankets. Around her bed were 9 of our
day crew, all with hands touching her, crying out to God for her healing,
recovery and comfort.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Adama’s journey has been long and complicated with so many ups
and downs that I don’t know where to begin, except to say that I have wrestled
with God so much over her. The situation has forced me to my knees over and
over and I don’t think I’ve ever cried so many tears over a patient here. How
do you continue to have faith and believe in God’s goodness and healing when
you feel like you’ve been kicked in the guts multiple times? I don’t have any
answers but I do know to my core that God is good and I trust Him. He knows
each of my patients more intimately than any of us ever could and not for one
moment have they been out of His sight. They come into our hands for a short
period and they touch our lives forever and we release them back to God.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Cameroon field service is coming to a close. There are 4
surgical weeks left, then the hospital stays open for one week further before
every single patient must be discharged and waved farewell. We say goodbye to
our beloved day crew who were our voices, our guides and our friends every day.
We farewell our teammates and friends who walked this crazy beautiful journey
with us. The hospital is double cleaned and packed away, no longer full of life
and beauty, but a stack of iron beds ratchet strapped to the floor. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In my opinion these are the hardest weeks of the outreach.
Please will you pray for us? Pray for our patients healing, physical, emotional
and spiritual. Pray for our hearts, that we will be strong enough in love and thankfulness
to stand through the torrent of sadness in goodbyes. Also in the weeks right in
front of us, pray for no complications of patient surgeries, for healing and
wholeness for those still in our care and that joy would abound in the every
day.</span>
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</div>
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Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06372099250512565189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8754979125691139913.post-51409915400119874132018-03-25T02:16:00.000-07:002018-03-25T02:16:08.402-07:00Set Free<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I love many things about working in the maxillofacial ward
but what I love most is the way my patients faces are changed and improved almost immediately (apart from some swelling). Someone who has a cleft lip repair
looks beautiful straight away, other repairs take a longer time to heal and
swelling to decrease before they look ready to face the world. I’m practiced at
looking at faces full of distortion or blown out by a tumour. You learn to look
past it to the beauty of the person behind the face. I have learnt a great many
things working with these patients, but the attribute that stands out the most
is how courageous each of them are.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSw5_g8fJFPKGbxu-wkNlbBs0C-2dNxTMZ_xPFSaoOZXIZQcCwUMN8i0e_Ra6MJqa4Y4184CxKQtWupTeVs5yX-YR-fayqlwihKklVKlDe2n9sLTqONwAqQW615TquCGIEC2sNvgGMIDw/s1600/CMA171023_YAYA_PAT14019_BEFORE_ST018_LO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSw5_g8fJFPKGbxu-wkNlbBs0C-2dNxTMZ_xPFSaoOZXIZQcCwUMN8i0e_Ra6MJqa4Y4184CxKQtWupTeVs5yX-YR-fayqlwihKklVKlDe2n9sLTqONwAqQW615TquCGIEC2sNvgGMIDw/s640/CMA171023_YAYA_PAT14019_BEFORE_ST018_LO.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
This last week we had a patient who wasn’t physically deformed from the exterior but his jaw
had been locked closed (ankylosis) at the age of 7. His teeth were clenched
together and he hadn’t been able to open his mouth at all in 19 years. 19
years. He is now 26 years old and had been unable to chew food in all that time
and so he was malnourished and very eager to have it fixed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When he came for
admission it was found that his blood type was very rare and the lab couldn’t
find a crew member to match him. In order to complete a safe surgery the team
came up with a plan for him to give a blood donation that would be saved for
him later if he needed it and in another few weeks he would come back and have
his ankylosis release. In the meantime he was disappointed, upset and unable to
go home due to distance and earn money for his family.</span></div>
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</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Eventually the time came for surgery. He was admitted the
night before and the surgeon came and discussed the surgery with him. When he
came back to the ward post-op he was a bit unsettled after the anaesthetic drugs
but he calmed down and slept during the night. When I came in the morning he
was sleeping soundly but was woken by the surgeon on ward rounds, shaking his
hand. We explained we were going to take the bite block out of his mouth that
was holding his jaw wide open and we put a mirror in front of him so he could
see how wide his mouth could now open. We aim for two finger widths between the
front teeth. Give it a go. Put your index and middle fingers together and put
them between your top and bottom front teeth. Most of you would probably be
able to put three finger widths in but it’s not actually necessary to open that
far.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
Well, after we did this with him, he started crying. At first it was silent
joyful tears streaming from the corners of his eyes and then came the sobbing.
I looked around at the faces surrounding his bed. There was about 6 people on a
vision trip from the Netherlands, 2 pharmacists, 2 surgeons, 1 local surgeon, 1
translator, 3 hospital physicians and me, plus the 4 ward nurses, 3 other
translators and 1 visitor. I looked around at the faces surrounding him and saw
Sandy, our lead pharmacist. Her eyes had pooled in joyful tears which caused my
professional façade to break and tears to pool in my own. After this he started
sobbing, he started shouting out, “I can’t believe it, I can’t believe it! It’s
a miracle!” He was raising his hands in praise to the heavens, high-fiving
people, shaking people’s hands, celebrating! The crowd of people around him
celebrated with him. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He’d been set free.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
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Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06372099250512565189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8754979125691139913.post-72466070796032679632018-03-18T14:17:00.000-07:002018-03-18T14:17:44.841-07:00Bundles of Blessings<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It’s been a while since I last wrote. The things that have
been taking up my time are updating paper work for Guinea field service,
creating new Nursing Observations sheets, making the nursing schedule for D
ward, doing nurse evaluations, keeping track of all the patients and an eye on
my two maxillofacial surgeons. The two of them have worked tirelessly these
last weeks mostly doing all-day OR cases. Despite some late finishes causing
three patients to stay safely intubated overnight, all have recovered really well
and continue to improve. I have been so thankful for such an amazing team
standing and working around me. The OR (theatre) team is amazing, talented
surgeons, anaesthetists and OR nurses and my ward team (doctors, nurses and day
crew) are strong and competent. I know I can walk away at any time and they
will be just fine. So, amongst some days where my head is full of to-do lists of
mostly paperwork, I’ve sometimes pushed it aside and sat down to play a few
rounds of Jenga with a patient. It is always these moments that make me feel
the most fulfilled because it’s the relationships that really matter.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
We have four patients in the ward at the moment who have been on the ward for
weeks. Despite me feeling bad about them staying so long due to infection or
delayed wound healing, they have been so gracious and positive and thankful.
They are such strong people and I am so blessed and challenged by the way they
live their lives here. I love watching them interact from their beds,
translating for someone or just having a joke and laughing. They are true
heart-melters. God has been teaching me about learning through the journey, not
reaching the destination. As I go on ward rounds each day with the team, I look
at the patient’s individual post-operative day count increasing and God reminds
me that He is still present, working through the journey. I wish that all the
patients would have uncomplicated recoveries and short stays and be able to go
home quickly but life isn’t like that. Some journeys are longer and more
complicated. So we continue to pray that these patients would be encouraged in
the waiting period. That they would meet Jesus in that ward where we do nursing
care but also colouring and Jenga (among other things) and that he would heal
their bodies and their souls. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6vrJ8lSOQrVBMh4_1Kw7Zh3a5xhO437Apx8y8hxEvoyZuY-CnmUTo3txpFYQpVbVm0nCndtAVNZmcX_qFv6dC6UdATH_GsPLh-kcz9t7km3uhmWXn5dO9AVIvKgEuWhyphenhyphencXJTA7gPstOU/s1600/CMA180214_TOGUE_PAT13275_WARD_SL003_MID.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6vrJ8lSOQrVBMh4_1Kw7Zh3a5xhO437Apx8y8hxEvoyZuY-CnmUTo3txpFYQpVbVm0nCndtAVNZmcX_qFv6dC6UdATH_GsPLh-kcz9t7km3uhmWXn5dO9AVIvKgEuWhyphenhyphencXJTA7gPstOU/s640/CMA180214_TOGUE_PAT13275_WARD_SL003_MID.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thank you to those of you who prayed for sweet, courageous
Adama. She has now been in the AFM hospital for more than 100 days after a
complicated journey post-op. A week and a half ago we were so blessed with
having a surgeon here who did a large surgery to remove the infected tissue and
hardware and flap some muscle and skin up into a defect. So far she has
recovered really well and I feel so hopeful for her future. She will need
another surgery before she can be discharged but we are in such a better place
now.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-JrDtIaPuF1eCWjGdvuYsiO38SDbsmi88KvC4r9vwXt7L5iLaUDs6W6oUje_rqoRHA24j-dDZ6n1sfnRuadenV51aJd8ILaOFZ8HejgANpCHwL-uEt2fDUq2dJon0RiHjPjkfIiqa-JI/s1600/CMA180219_BISSONETTE_ROMA_BARTON_WARD_SL001_MID.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-JrDtIaPuF1eCWjGdvuYsiO38SDbsmi88KvC4r9vwXt7L5iLaUDs6W6oUje_rqoRHA24j-dDZ6n1sfnRuadenV51aJd8ILaOFZ8HejgANpCHwL-uEt2fDUq2dJon0RiHjPjkfIiqa-JI/s640/CMA180219_BISSONETTE_ROMA_BARTON_WARD_SL001_MID.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
We also have a 2 month old baby of a patient in the ward at the moment. Due to the
fact that his mama was in surgery all day, he got passed around (as his papa
didn’t mind having some time off) and the female day crew enjoyed bathing him
in a blue tub on the floor of the ward, although they did comment on his loud
set of lungs. When he is hungry, he’s starving! I took him for a cuddle and
ended up keeping him asleep in my arms as I continued working for almost two
hours. What a sweet little bundle of blessing for my day.</span></div>
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Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06372099250512565189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8754979125691139913.post-34059248329916534542018-02-16T13:31:00.000-08:002018-02-16T13:31:13.105-08:00The Parker Brothers<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Looking around my maxillofacial ward over the last few weeks
since I arrived I have seen all sorts of things that warm my heart. I would
even boast by saying that every day I’ve witnessed something that infused joy
into my soul. I will tell you about some of them.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is hard to explain how it feels to work in my little D
ward.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbzxUbossz854iyOhtNqj2eJ-XEcuyTfw0NViZVZWq_hXDJAX1DT9aC60FI_tOog6oW8D3MxuCO-9XUq1xQa_hrecDGGN7lBxTaUbl4l6-rwTomzBKD4t0LX4Y12QWtKB6zWBsMhKuAQk/s1600/MGC160408_D_WARD_DL0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbzxUbossz854iyOhtNqj2eJ-XEcuyTfw0NViZVZWq_hXDJAX1DT9aC60FI_tOog6oW8D3MxuCO-9XUq1xQa_hrecDGGN7lBxTaUbl4l6-rwTomzBKD4t0LX4Y12QWtKB6zWBsMhKuAQk/s640/MGC160408_D_WARD_DL0002.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Back in 2016 Madagascar, but the ward looks the same</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the photos above you can see what part of the ward space looks
like. In my first couple of weeks back on the ship, beds 1-5 were full of male
patients. Two of them had stayed longer than expected and when we came for ward
rounds one morning, myself, Dr Gary Parker, a physician and translator, a patient named
Ali, proudly proclaimed that his new last name was Parker (after Dr Gary). Then
the row of males became the Parker brothers. Ali would even sign his colouring
pages- Ali Parker.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ali also helped us translate for a language that only a very
few of our day crew translators speak. So instead of the usual two way
translation from English to French, it became English to French to Fulfulde
using Ali for the last translation. (I always wonder in the last translation
what gets said and how much it changes!) So in the morning ward rounds, we’d
make our way to the Parker brothers side and Ali would hop out of bed to
translate or just lean forward from his own bed and talk across his ‘brothers’.
What a gem.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil00Ai7LbQkkUdmFoNMJeLVdVmO0L-IVaWUjVtmTugLP_YaXEDir9A24DKUELiBYcVhNaVdPDj-G46p4aSaphb0fseSKrZZKUR7tWbMT50umho6LhdD6x3nmP9wDV153dfSA33RPr7174/s1600/CMA180202_D_WARD_LOUDEN_JB001_MID.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1600" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil00Ai7LbQkkUdmFoNMJeLVdVmO0L-IVaWUjVtmTugLP_YaXEDir9A24DKUELiBYcVhNaVdPDj-G46p4aSaphb0fseSKrZZKUR7tWbMT50umho6LhdD6x3nmP9wDV153dfSA33RPr7174/s640/CMA180202_D_WARD_LOUDEN_JB001_MID.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ali Parker is to my left</span></td></tr>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sometimes I would look across at these Parkers brothers who
all had bandages wrapped around their heads, some of them had nasogastric tubes
hanging from their faces, lips dribbling salvia as they recovered from having
major maxillofacial surgery. One day I looked over to see two of the men in
their 50’s laying in their beds facing each other and giggling. I mean, eyes
pinched closed and floppy lips pulled tight as they laughed about their private
joke.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The day the Winter Olympics started, one of our Hospital
Chaplains walked into the ward to let us know the opening ceremony was on the TV
and to change it for the patients. I looked over and saw most of them involved
in watching the movie Up (Pixar animation) that was playing. I suggested that
perhaps we ask the men on the Parker brothers side whether they would prefer to
watch the movie or the Olympic Opening Ceremony. Much to the surprise of the
Hospital Chaplain, when he asked the 50 year old man which he would prefer, the
patient said, “Cartoons!”</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_h1vdt9aAKIpc8f1TDcbnV-8-791_GiRetd6cfcCgQhDJw-yLOafjrAOB8B_Q9whFN9LOtFdi_XUASIyvXEDiLBxUm0TzMlpZm8a5xp2zizt8ewcD8-Jeq53wNQ_W32ijCK58KBx3rM/s1600/CMA180202_WARD_BAKKER_EJ001_MID.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_h1vdt9aAKIpc8f1TDcbnV-8-791_GiRetd6cfcCgQhDJw-yLOafjrAOB8B_Q9whFN9LOtFdi_XUASIyvXEDiLBxUm0TzMlpZm8a5xp2zizt8ewcD8-Jeq53wNQ_W32ijCK58KBx3rM/s640/CMA180202_WARD_BAKKER_EJ001_MID.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alicia and Mama Sabine</span></td></tr>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On the other side of the ward we had one of the most
beautiful, joyful, bright women I’ve ever cared for (pictured above). She had come to the ship
also with a big mandible tumour and had it successfully removed. On the ward
the patients are fed post-op with nasogastric (NG) feeds of Ensure supplement for
7 days. On day 8 post-op, the NG comes out and the patient gets to drink the
Ensure supplement before being able to start a soft, no rice diet the following
day if their inner mouth incisions have healed. It was post-op day 8 for this
lady so her NG had been removed and after being given a bottle of Ensure to
drink, she bowed her head and said grace over her ‘meal’.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Two other patients in the ward have had one of the most
painful procedures for a cleft palate repair called a pharyngoplasty. Dr Gary
describes it as the worst sore throat you could ever have. These patients are
so brave. This week we had an 18 year old boy have his cleft fixed with this
procedure and then a 15 year old boy, Junior, had his fixed with the same
procedure the following day. They typically have a morphine infusion for 1-2
days post-op and normally takes several days before they stop hanging their
mouth open and pooling saliva. Well the 18 year old progressed quicker than we
expected and today when he saw Junior try to take a drink of water, he leaned
in and said something to encourage him, because he knows how it feels and he
gave Junior a thumbs up. It was such a kind, big brother thing to do.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This week I also sat in a meeting room surrounded by some of
the best surgeons, doctors and nurses and hospital ancillary staff I’ve ever
met. We discussed a patient who has a condition that is life threatening. The
meeting was to decide whether we should do surgery or not. The aim was to
discuss the patient’s case from every angle. The most beautiful part about the
meeting was looking around the room and knowing that everyone has this patient’s
best interest at heart. No one is paid to do their job, so no one has anything
to gain except a good outcome for this patient. It felt so pure.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I love all these things and more of the every day events
that happen around me each day at work. It is such a blessing.</span></div>
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Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06372099250512565189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8754979125691139913.post-39934106345060527522018-01-27T08:40:00.000-08:002018-01-27T08:40:05.066-08:00I'm Back<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Where to begin? I returned the </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">M/V Africa Mercy </i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(AFM) 7 days ago and
it’s almost like I never left, except a few things have changed. Most
noticeable; there are new curtains in the dining room and a huge change in crew
members.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My first day back in the ward for doctors
rounds was Tuesday. I was met with a big hug and grin from Dr Gary Parker, the
Chief Medical Officer and Maxillofacial surgeon. I stood back on ward rounds
that day (there were enough people standing around the tiny space; a second
maxfax surgeon, local maxfax surgeon, medical student, pharmacist, two
physicians, day crew translator and acting maxfax team leader). Instead of
focusing on what the day’s plans were for each patient, I watched the patient’s
faces as the team made their way around the ward, stopping to greet each
patient, shake their hand, ask them how they were and make a plan for the day.
There were smiles and praise hands and head bows in thanks and for some reason
it’s all those simples gestures that are unspoken that make me choke up the
most. There is just so much beauty in serving others and seeing them blessed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The following day I was in the ward when
the Hospital Chaplaincy team came and did devotions with the patients. They
share a little word of encouragement and sing a couple of songs. The 26yo
serious man from bed 1 who I was yet to see smile, was up and dancing to the
singing and drums, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, head
wrapped in bandage from his surgery four days prior.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I hope in the coming months I’ll have
hundreds of big and small stories to write here. At the moment I’m in
transition. Transition back into the world of maxillofacial surgeries and
leading a team of ward nurses as best I can. Transition back into a ship
community I left 18 months ago which has changed significantly. Transition into
the country of Cameroon and learning about her people. Transition into speaking
French and trying not to say Malagasy phrases instead!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While it’s early days to have photos of patients
I have already met, I’ll leave you with some photos of previous transformations
this outreach.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This baby, Paul, got fattened up and had his first surgery.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0AJtGmrBiT48FCkSSlGjh-4A_9xoPlvlSbUd7aKd0Lj0wk72-HD__4zesut4spbQULOOJYAfqDsV_bJtUBr5C7dA3uXDbbIDG_4nmqCk54Ynihqcyi3HodQhkNfJHPkG0p9HXnYhyphenhyphenO9M/s1600/CMA171203_PAUL_PASCAL_PAT14064_MID_WARD_SL014_MID.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0AJtGmrBiT48FCkSSlGjh-4A_9xoPlvlSbUd7aKd0Lj0wk72-HD__4zesut4spbQULOOJYAfqDsV_bJtUBr5C7dA3uXDbbIDG_4nmqCk54Ynihqcyi3HodQhkNfJHPkG0p9HXnYhyphenhyphenO9M/s640/CMA171203_PAUL_PASCAL_PAT14064_MID_WARD_SL014_MID.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJohyo1Z_m2GgcXIdBzVJYIz_Xma-mHJSWC4WaDnY83F33fac4NovCOeJXZoXz92jnLmylPIrddtnkbCsYblLgUemtTzvsPo2X5pGO3zR99xzJX1VFGev7JbXkahQBJnw5mNHLHeAO03A/s1600/CMA171208_PAUL_PAT14064_AFTER_SCALE_ST002_MID.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJohyo1Z_m2GgcXIdBzVJYIz_Xma-mHJSWC4WaDnY83F33fac4NovCOeJXZoXz92jnLmylPIrddtnkbCsYblLgUemtTzvsPo2X5pGO3zR99xzJX1VFGev7JbXkahQBJnw5mNHLHeAO03A/s640/CMA171208_PAUL_PAT14064_AFTER_SCALE_ST002_MID.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This mama's life has been forever changed.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRi9gOXc7wkfMpN2PbLLYCucpFUsY193oTOHvzV2VSN3VcjmKyWEGDhmKSKGWUGUirmjs0lqpsiwtM6WYJDQrWCySxyyXAhoF5xc8gsyVZ1DDMupPzVo-vhTUcn1VxDMKAyeruwUk7d7o/s1600/CMA180109_DJENABOU_PAT13362_BEFORE_DOCK_SL006_MID.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRi9gOXc7wkfMpN2PbLLYCucpFUsY193oTOHvzV2VSN3VcjmKyWEGDhmKSKGWUGUirmjs0lqpsiwtM6WYJDQrWCySxyyXAhoF5xc8gsyVZ1DDMupPzVo-vhTUcn1VxDMKAyeruwUk7d7o/s640/CMA180109_DJENABOU_PAT13362_BEFORE_DOCK_SL006_MID.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And now just a few of the new place I live.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFaPmYZVvLVxs0p01DFr9VbkAGQlfYcg6pGcDWC7oD1CRDog5h0CaWPUZIuoXND73-e0DejWMYOfFwbg7MsbuuRKVYRrMtio0UONUyq3tmktJ_cn9wbrLjS5zIWR4lieYg9Z5ZKpRm6RI/s1600/CMA171121_BORROW_ADESANYA_GANGWAY_SL001_MID.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFaPmYZVvLVxs0p01DFr9VbkAGQlfYcg6pGcDWC7oD1CRDog5h0CaWPUZIuoXND73-e0DejWMYOfFwbg7MsbuuRKVYRrMtio0UONUyq3tmktJ_cn9wbrLjS5zIWR4lieYg9Z5ZKpRm6RI/s640/CMA171121_BORROW_ADESANYA_GANGWAY_SL001_MID.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Above right is the ship Captain- an Aussie.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Below you can see Harmattan is in full swing, which blows sand from the Sahara Desert into the sky of West Africa.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGWiC9JTqNMVMF6xVzRq4VyKtfYKPjoS7Ex3qrrejlXSswqoTtFTGbxsCSPi43oZYqaOSa9k7QYfkY8p6xFgWUh2FAdtDGwGwh0bDZsGio29V2mxaV5blTZEl7RxPcsQLSA7SuW9OGoQQ/s1600/CMA180109_AFRICA_MERCY_BOW_SL004_MID.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1205" data-original-width="1600" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGWiC9JTqNMVMF6xVzRq4VyKtfYKPjoS7Ex3qrrejlXSswqoTtFTGbxsCSPi43oZYqaOSa9k7QYfkY8p6xFgWUh2FAdtDGwGwh0bDZsGio29V2mxaV5blTZEl7RxPcsQLSA7SuW9OGoQQ/s640/CMA180109_AFRICA_MERCY_BOW_SL004_MID.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The AFM dock space.</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-AU"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A happy Deb, back at work in the hospital she loves the most. I'm missing family and friends from home, but glad to be back in the place God has called me.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thanks for joining me on this journey.</span></span></div>
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Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06372099250512565189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8754979125691139913.post-68347167251300156722017-09-24T23:44:00.000-07:002017-09-24T23:44:25.573-07:00A New Season Ahead<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I’ve been back in Australia for over one year now. It’s been
full of ups and downs.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In the first eight months of being back in my home town,
I couldn’t see much purpose in being where I was except that God had called me
to be there. So many days I struggled with loneliness and a lost sense of
purpose. In my mind there’s nowhere to go but forwards and so as the days
ticked on, I tried new things. I found a new job where I could be challenged
and learn new skills, I found a new church that I love and I knew I was where
God had placed me, in a season of waiting. I felt challenged to live in that
waiting, as uncomfortable as it was. I struggled and wrestled and still do some
days. It’s hard to live in a state of discomfort, both physically and mentally.
I’ve done a lot of both this year as I’ve struggled with body aches and often
constant discomfort, but the mental anguish is harder. It has been way harder
than I thought it would be to return to the same town I grew up in. It has been
hard to live as a single 30 year old female in a town full of married friends
who are now busy wives and mothers. I have made myself as useful as possible,
hanging out washing, bringing it in, bathing kids, feeding them, babysitting,
playing in parks, having tea parties and generally hanging out. In the process I have
loved all of it and tucked away lots of very special memories.</span></div>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIfDYiBjrffdffMNIB8BQNE_U5746a24arZAL_3DEMi65c1HL8MaAxHy7Ye60xbi0Z9gsEOCF0XdQKSgKRgyo_-8hwWqHez6YsLfZszBDwrMXmFRofV_3i-jv9GtrKeaSf6-NyZ40S1Sk/s1600/EllisFamily-86.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIfDYiBjrffdffMNIB8BQNE_U5746a24arZAL_3DEMi65c1HL8MaAxHy7Ye60xbi0Z9gsEOCF0XdQKSgKRgyo_-8hwWqHez6YsLfZszBDwrMXmFRofV_3i-jv9GtrKeaSf6-NyZ40S1Sk/s400/EllisFamily-86.jpg" width="266" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDwRx9SRV-kxZ8zsUpKFKW3QqZqfuyvNSPnKM-sgVPHj2iN2xvLJwxqudZqqZS3fmySpgBF5bRS32O_pnQCl7SjQ6O_5Fzrp662MD98EOHMJpVDan6EYVJAGG9B5TAZJ7cEDu4N445SGk/s1600/EllisFamily-85.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDwRx9SRV-kxZ8zsUpKFKW3QqZqfuyvNSPnKM-sgVPHj2iN2xvLJwxqudZqqZS3fmySpgBF5bRS32O_pnQCl7SjQ6O_5Fzrp662MD98EOHMJpVDan6EYVJAGG9B5TAZJ7cEDu4N445SGk/s400/EllisFamily-85.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_s6ccHnjGft3GUxGRtCUFc9kkZ3si5EYqMlUa-MsE_sqUsoTJFV9rPQ12AwWomFgY0QXq-PAqe-Osycdao92IyWRcTbN3LTG4S_rzOLHwMCLdtrlXyR5C8HkAM5j71sLJdX6jPqkmIc/s1600/chloe2ndbirthday12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_s6ccHnjGft3GUxGRtCUFc9kkZ3si5EYqMlUa-MsE_sqUsoTJFV9rPQ12AwWomFgY0QXq-PAqe-Osycdao92IyWRcTbN3LTG4S_rzOLHwMCLdtrlXyR5C8HkAM5j71sLJdX6jPqkmIc/s640/chloe2ndbirthday12.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have lived with one of my sisters since coming home who
has been studying really, really hard to pass her emergency medicine trainee
exams. As hard as it has been to watch her struggle through endless days of
study (up to 11 hours a day on her days ‘off’), it has been an incredible
privilege to support her and help her get through them as well as she can (and she passed them both!!!!!!).
Basically it means that I kept the house clean and stocked with food! She has
also been a pillar of support, understanding my passion for providing
healthcare to those whose countries aren’t providing it for them and knowing
how it feels to come home to an empty, dark house at the end of the day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have enjoyed so much about being back in Australia. I have
been around for my newest nephew’s whole life! I have been so blessed to have
most of my family close around me, available to hang out almost any time.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmzT0N14RvjhYCl1PGnPagT9KFN7XDygHGbw2C9Y1pHxZlKjiWCswIGyF9J_XXt0SgeKwsyObrzthsNMyN62nCTa8J8c0WTuz4Zq8MAvwLZDBQjczmd-p55mD_5n841bqKCGlxdfyHLD8/s1600/5Familyphotos-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmzT0N14RvjhYCl1PGnPagT9KFN7XDygHGbw2C9Y1pHxZlKjiWCswIGyF9J_XXt0SgeKwsyObrzthsNMyN62nCTa8J8c0WTuz4Zq8MAvwLZDBQjczmd-p55mD_5n841bqKCGlxdfyHLD8/s640/5Familyphotos-5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We’ve all been through waiting seasons. They aren’t fun, but
one of the many books that I’ve read during this period challenged me to ask
myself what I was learning. At the time I was actually stumped, but as time
passed I realised I was learning all sorts of things; endurance, how to trust
that God has my future, how to live and still praise Him in the discomfort, to look for places to
serve now, to choose joy and always be thankful.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The sister that I’m living with will be moving from this
town at the beginning of next year, leaving me without furniture (because I own
nothing!), a house and my favourite housemate ever. As disappointing and sad as
this felt when I heard the news from her, I was excited for her and had always
felt like our time together was an unexpected blessing. I wondered quite a lot
about what my next step would be, what would I do with my time and passion,
where would I live if I stayed here considering I always felt it was temporary,
but I also felt like I didn’t have to have the answer yet. I needed to wait.
So I waited.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Then one day I got a message from a friend on the ship
asking me if I’d like to return and fill a position that had a gap. After much
consideration, prayer and people closest to me discussing it, I’ve decided to
go! (insert emoji with ear to ear grin!!) I will be the Ward Nurse Maxillofacial
Team Leader to finish off the Cameroon outreach from the end of January to June
2018 and I’m really excited! So excited that this week that I went and got
three vaccinations!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Before this year finishes though, I’m heading to the
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in the UK, to do my Diploma of Tropical
Nursing. It is a 3 week crash course in all things tropical nursing so despite
the fact that <a href="http://debsheartinafrica.blogspot.com.au/2015/10/surprise.html" target="_blank">I’ve seen worms </a>come out of the body in many places and
all sorts of other creepy crawlies, it will increase my knowledge
and I am excited to learn more.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I won’t return home until the week before Christmas so I
must get organised before I go! Once I return there will be Christmas
celebrations, New Years, a new niece entering the world and lots of packing and
goodbyes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As I sit here and think about the year that has passed and
the new season ahead, all I can think is: I have a lot to be
thankful for and excited about!!</span></div>
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Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06372099250512565189noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8754979125691139913.post-68679005534609575092017-06-04T05:08:00.000-07:002017-06-04T05:08:40.027-07:00Ten Months<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I wish I could say after ten months being back in Australia
that I had adjusted to life here. In some ways I have, I mean, I know what side
of the footpath to walk on without being bumped into again. But deep down I know
that life is passing and not getting any better.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="xs1">The days somehow slip away faster in
Australia than they did on the ship. I barely know where the past months have
gone and what I have spent my time doing. I feel in some ways like time is in
fast forward yet other days have stretched out much longer than I would have
cared for. These days are usually the lonely ones when my sister is at work and
I'm home, plodding around the house with no one to talk to but the plant on the
window sill or the neighbour's cat if she is around. Of course there's always
someone at the other end of the phone, but some days I just don't feel like
talking and I'm too tired to go anywhere.</span><span class="xapple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="xs1">Other weeks my time has been full. Full of
work, full of study, full of looking after other people's children, full of
keeping the house clean and stocked with food. In the busy days I'll sometimes
feel full of purpose and others days like I'm just filling in time waiting for
the next thing to happen.</span><span class="xapple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="xs1">But what is next? What am I doing in this
strange season of waiting? What can I find here to feel passionate about?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="xs1">I would say that I'm surviving but not
thriving. What would it take for me to thrive here, I ask myself every so
often. I haven't come up with an answer yet. I might have grown out of this
town. It doesn't seem to fit me anymore. I feel like I could slip away
unnoticed, except for my family. They have been my roots through this whole
replanting.</span><span class="xapple-converted-space"> </span><span class="xs1">As for me, I feel like I've been harshly pruned for a new season but
no buds have grown yet. The losses from the ship; my community, a job I adored,
single friends to take adventures with, new places to explore, is more grieved all
these months later than the day I walked down the gangway for the last time.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="xs1">The one thing I can do is hold onto the hope
I know that I have in Him. He sees me, He knows me and He loves me and that
will have to be enough.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06372099250512565189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8754979125691139913.post-67575405859250217872017-01-02T21:07:00.000-08:002017-01-02T21:07:16.394-08:00Days That Seem Dark<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“No matter how long we’ve walked with God, we will still
have days that seem dark. In those times rely on who He is.” Beth Moore</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I found this quote in my journal this week when I opened
it to write some New Year goals and dreams for the year. I was struck with how
appropriate those words are for me in this season. The darks days seem to
stretch on and on, with definite glimpses of light and beauty but always a
shadow of darkness.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It feels as though leaving Mercy Ships has stripped me of
my purpose. I lived and breathed Africa and her people, meeting new friends and
having adventures. Don’t get me wrong, there are lots of things to love about
being back in Australia and around my family, but I’m a different person now
and won’t ever fit back into the place I left. The place that I have left has
changed too. My community has dispersed over the last six years and is no
longer as it was.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">To make matters worse for me, I am single in a world of
married women who have become mums in the last few years. So not only do I not
fit into this Aussie culture, I’m husbandless and childless. Talk about not
fitting in. When I’m looking for projects to occupy my time outside of work, my
mum friends are run off their feet. Am I the only one in the world with this dilemma?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I recently watched the documentary <a href="http://www.insanityofgodmovie.com/" target="_blank">The Insanity of God</a> created by Open Doors and had the opportunity to hear <a href="http://www.nikripken.com/" target="_blank">Nik and Ruth Ripken</a> speak at a church in town. I highly recommend watching the documentary
or reading the book (although I haven’t read it yet) because their story and
the stories they tell of persecuted Christians across the world are absolutely
amazing. One thing that Nik said the night that I heard him speak was, when the
persecuted Christians were told by authorities to stop praising God and
gathering together, they knew that if they obeyed the authorities, the enemy
would win, so they decided to do the opposite. Despite the fact that we live
such free lives in Australia, the principle can still be applied here. I
felt encouraged to turn my defeated, negative feelings around and not let the enemy
win, to choose joy and thankfulness in all circumstances. I’ve had to practice
this a lot since coming home. I made a list of things I’m thankful for:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="xs1"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For praying family and friends</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="xs1"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For the ability to grow plants and nurture
them and see them flourish</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="xs1"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For good coffee, all the time</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="xs1"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For being able to walk around home in my
pyjamas with bed-hair for as long as I want</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="xs1"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For having a bedroom and bathroom to myself</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="xs1"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For having a car to drive around in and not
count kilometres travelled</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="xs1"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For being able to eat whenever and whatever I
want</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="xs1"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For being able to cook fresh foods and add
lots of spice to my meals</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="xs1"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For having windows that open</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="xs1"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For hearing the birds out my window</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="xs1"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For warm weather</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="xs1"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For electrical storms, hearing the thunder,
seeing the lightening and smelling and feeling the rain</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="xs1"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For yummy cheese</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="xs1"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For a job that pays good money</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="xs1"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For a good team of nurses to work with </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="xs1"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For family close by</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="xs1"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For friends that include me in their daily
lives</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="xs1"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For being able to light candles in my house</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="xs1"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For a washing machine that I can use any time
of the day or night and there is no one waiting after me to finish</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="xs1"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For a clothes line in the sunshine</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="xs1"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For FaceTime and across the world face to face
conversations</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="xs1"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For ship friends in Brisbane</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="xs1"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For my little home, all the space and comfort
of having a place to call my own and be at peace</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I’m waiting, semi-patiently, for a few new opportunities
to open up in the new year but in the meantime I have to keep going back to the
reminder in that quote. I don’t know where God has me, where He is leading me, but
I have to trust and rely on who He is, to choose joy and thankfulness and for
now that is enough.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“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.” Isa 42:16</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkxyop1Deo3h1-W9aMfNIvuPP6DphQAv0cjp9AkBPI4xmwaI1lci-PxhyphenhyphenOy5-LGLBhB2Obz3ESVxPJrpK589g8wgoV-9GkJWL76Nnt6gZKdUZr5BsfcU_Sa0fdqMjqkMcmaPIbH3BmapA/s1600/LoudenChristmas71.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkxyop1Deo3h1-W9aMfNIvuPP6DphQAv0cjp9AkBPI4xmwaI1lci-PxhyphenhyphenOy5-LGLBhB2Obz3ESVxPJrpK589g8wgoV-9GkJWL76Nnt6gZKdUZr5BsfcU_Sa0fdqMjqkMcmaPIbH3BmapA/s640/LoudenChristmas71.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Three of my little lights</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06372099250512565189noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8754979125691139913.post-37901500349734207632016-11-02T19:37:00.000-07:002016-11-02T19:37:44.351-07:00Beautiful Things to Come<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Gungor’s song <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyPBtExE4W0" target="_blank"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Beautiful Things</i></a> is a song that I used to play in the ship ward often at
handover time when we prayed together. The chorus sings, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">You make beautiful things<br />
You make beautiful things out of the dust<br />
You make beautiful things<br />
You make beautiful things out of us</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The words seemed so applicable not just to my maxillofacial
patients who were having their faces reconstructed and being loved despite lack of outward beauty but to each of our lives as
nurses, each on a journey with God. If you haven’t heard the song clink on the
link and just have a listen.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This morning I sat listening to Pandora radio and this song
came on. Tears immediately sprung to my eyes as I contemplated these words
again, but instead of having a ward full of maxillofacial patients in front of
me, I’m in my little house lounge room, alone.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Verse 1 says,</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">All this pain<br />
I wonder if I'll ever find my way?<br />
I wonder if my life could really change at all?<br />
All this earth<br />
Could all that is lost ever be found?<br />
Could a garden come up from this ground at all?</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I just wonder if at the end of this year in Australia I’ll
be able to say “That year was made beautiful”. I don’t mean beautiful in a
shallow way. I think the deepest beauty comes through rising through massive challenge,
so there’s definitely hope for me, but right now I don’t feel like I’ve gotten
very far. There is certainly beauty around me, but I don’t really feel like I’m
needed in any part of it. I’m an extra. Maybe that is part of what I’m learning
this year too, that I am still loved just as deeply by God despite not ‘doing’
anything or being needed by anyone. It’s just a big change from the last 5+
years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Do you know how this transition feels? I’ve read lots of
blogs that talk about a ‘fog’ and it really does feel like that. I often feel
quite emotionless, flat and very tired. It’s hard to drag myself out of bed in
the morning. It’s hard to be motivated about anything because I don’t feel
passionate about much here. I haven’t wanted to look for a different job
because I feel scared to commit to something that might not be what I hoped for. <span class="xs1">I go through the motions of life but without much purpose. Not
thriving, just surviving in this foggy place.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="xs1">There is joy to be found in every day but
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old sad. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I guess now, more than ever, I must practice praising God despite
how I might feel.</span></span></div>
<br />
Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06372099250512565189noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8754979125691139913.post-65059966471412966192016-09-20T06:52:00.000-07:002016-09-20T06:52:26.246-07:00Grieving<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Today I’m a
bit of an emotional basket-case. I mean while watching the news I saw a report
on a young family who escaped being harmed in a car accident with a truck and I
actually had to choke back tears. That’s not normal for me or anyone I know.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I think it
began this morning when I was filling out an application for a volunteer
position with a local organisation. The lady asked me for two character referees.
It couldn’t be a family member and so after I wrote down one friend’s name, I actually
drew a blank with whom else to write. I had to blink back tears and explain
that I’d just left my community and world for the past 5 years. Even writing
that makes tears run down my face. Leaving your community, close friends,
favourite job in the world and life of adventure is just plain old hard and
painful.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>After I did a debrief in New Zealand a few
weeks ago I made myself a promise that I wouldn’t clench my teeth and hold the
tears back anymore, but it comes at a cost to my pride. The other day at work I
was almost reduced to tears in a conversation with the other nurses and had to
just tell them I couldn’t talk about it anymore, because we were about to start
handover and I could barely walk into a patient’s room all red-eyed and teary.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The thing
is, I just wanted to feel welcomed home after being gone for so many years. My
family welcomed me home with open arms and a few friends, but I feel at a loss
for the rest of my old community. It's gone. I grew up in this town and so I
know a fair population and called many friends but a few years away have
changed most of their single status’, not just to married but married with
children. They all have their own lives and I've had mine, so far away from
anything they can connect to. So instead conversations are about the now. ‘What
are you up to now?’ ‘Are you working?’ ‘How long are you staying around for
this time?’ And sometimes ‘Are you settling in?’ Which really just makes me
want to burst into tears. How do you settle into a different world? I want to
tell them that I don’t want to forget everything I learnt but I don’t know how
to fit that into this world here in Australia, but it would be lost on them.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I'm grieving.
I’m grieving so many losses. In fact the loss part makes me so introverted I'd
prefer to stay home and when I think about what I'm doing here now I feel tired
and just plain sad. So sad that I don't want to connect with people I used to
call friends because if I'm perfectly honest, if they ask how I really am I'll
probably cry and if they don't ask how I am, I'll go home and cry. I'm just at
a loss.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br />
<br />
Some day I will not feel overwhelmed so easily.<br />
Some day I will not cry every time I sing in church.<br />
Some day I will have community again.<br />
Some day I will not feel like a foreigner in my own town and country.<br />
Some day I will feel as welcome in church as I do at work.<br />
Some day I will feel like I belong again.<br />
Some day I will not be on the verge of tears or cry so frequently.<br />
Some day I will have a job I love.<br />
Some day I will realise it doesn't hurt anymore to see the Africa Mercy carrying
on, not needing me.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Don’t get me
wrong, I am thankful for people and things here. I wouldn’t have made it this many
weeks without my family and a couple of friends, but I have to keep a check on
myself to make sure I’m choosing healthy ways to grieve. At least I know that
God called me to be here and as painful and restless as it feels in the every
day, deep down I know I'm following him.</span></span></div>
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Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06372099250512565189noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8754979125691139913.post-78132377034145747132016-08-06T17:04:00.001-07:002016-08-06T17:04:22.890-07:00Taking a Deep Breath<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Stacia and I arrived in Charleston totally done with sitting in the
car for hours. By this stage we’d clocked up more than 1,000 miles together
driving through four different states.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Charleston is a beautiful city, despite
the unrelenting heat we walked around the city enjoying the flower window boxes
and the pretty British Colonial homes. It boasts being the friendliest city in
America and we saw that play out one afternoon in a restaurant when a middle
aged man and his adult son struck up a conversation which ended by us eating
some of their food (weird I know) and him buying us another round of drinks
before they left for a meeting. Quite a funny story.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">My last stop was a small town called Potter Valley, two and
a half hours drive north of San Francisco in California, staying with some dear
friends Ben and Hannah and meeting their 18 month old son Levi. Every day we
sat outside on their deck under the sun umbrella drinking coffee, eating,
throwing the ball or stick for Charlie the dog, watching Levi run and play in
the yard and chatting. It was a beautiful slow pace to round the trip up
nicely. It was really a deep breath for me before getting on a plane back to
Australia and facing the world there. We also had a few adventures which
included going to Glass Beach, a place I had seen on Instagram but had no idea
it was nearby!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglA53rPBBt7XErMz85gf_pT_yOospPbnbQyLD2d0_CZbzuDjUnf0PAUDSxQ5v5QOjBXhSNj_NmDVVj0HoxC9hs2SEgXhoLTsHy91Hec5g9r6iq4xK9Ew4vlAvFLGpKM0iG4wuXOyqMneo/s1600/GlassBeach33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglA53rPBBt7XErMz85gf_pT_yOospPbnbQyLD2d0_CZbzuDjUnf0PAUDSxQ5v5QOjBXhSNj_NmDVVj0HoxC9hs2SEgXhoLTsHy91Hec5g9r6iq4xK9Ew4vlAvFLGpKM0iG4wuXOyqMneo/s640/GlassBeach33.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">My flight to Australia was through LA but I didn’t check my
second plane ticket until I was getting off the plane in LA. When I checked it
I realised it was the wrong flight number and didn’t depart until the following
morning. Thinking the check-in desk has made an error I headed for the inquiry
desk but couldn’t find any signs for it. After asking the nearest person I could find
(who happened to be a very nice looking young male pilot) where I could locate
the Virgin Australia desk, the lady at the desk informed me that the flight had
been cancelled and to follow a list of verbal directions to find the shuttle to
the hotel and return the following morning as my plane ticket already said. So
I proceeded out of the terminal without my luggage to look for the hotel
shuttle pickup spot. By this time it was about 11pm, I hadn’t eaten since 3pm,
I was tired and stressed and there was so much traffic, vehicles beeping at
each other and I couldn't see the shuttle I needed, that I was on the verge of tears. I didn’t want to stay overnight in
LA, I just wanted to get home!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Eventually the hotel shuttle that I was waiting
for turned up and I sighed a massive sigh of relief. Arriving at the hotel
there was a really long line of passengers in the same situation as mine and by
the time I had a room key it was past midnight. Waiting again, this time for the
kitchen to make me a cold salad as dinner, I eventually made it up to the top
floor. They said I was upgraded and had to use my room key just to get up to
the top floor, but I only had 6 hours before I had to be out the door again and
back at the airport. I certainly appreciated the massive bed despite not
sleeping well, too afraid I’d miss my alarm and consequently my flight if I
slept too deeply.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Arriving in Brisbane in the afternoon meant that I was able
to walk into the arms of my dad and my little sister who’d had a baby boy 12
weeks ago. A couple of hours later we were driving up the range to my home town
and here I am two weeks later.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In the past two weeks I have spent time with my family,
cuddling the baby and playing games with the toddler as well as having real
conversations with adult family members. I’ve been welcomed back by the Missions
Prayer Team which was so lovely. They gave me a hamper of all things that I
love which was a beautiful surprise.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I’ve seen a small handful of friends. I’ve been wishing that just for once when I returned home that I wouldn’t
have to be the one contacting people asking to see them. I recognise that they
already have their lives, their routines and that my return doesn’t impact
their daily life, but at a time when I’m grieving the loss of my former life
and trying to figure out my way forward in this one, I don’t want to be the one
reaching out.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I’ve already returned to work. I survived three night shifts
and was actually welcomed back heartily by the few I still knew but also by
those I hadn’t yet met. It will certainly be a transition to work in the
Australian system again but at least I have great colleagues to do it with.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">If you are interested there is a blog called <a href="http://velvetashes.com/" target="_blank">Velvet Ashes</a>
which has a post called <a href="http://velvetashes.com/how-to-welcome-her-back/" target="_blank">How to Welcome Her Back</a>. It gives some good tips
for how to deal with a friend who has returned from living overseas.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And now I will turn my attention back to my cup of coffee and the Rio 2016
Olympics and how lovely it is that there is a team of refugees who are able to
compete and who have been embraced by the world.</span></div>
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Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06372099250512565189noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8754979125691139913.post-52765864344664837642016-08-02T20:00:00.000-07:002016-08-02T20:00:38.801-07:00Ripping off the Bandaid<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This week when so many of my friends have flown back to their floating home, I am back in Australia and I am staying.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">My departure from the ship
in June wasn’t really like I thought it would be. I have been the one saying farewell
one hundred times over the years and it was actually nothing like I imagined.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I have gone on holidays away from the ship so many times
now, that other than having to pack up ALL of the things I have bought and
accumulated in the past 5 ½ years, it felt pretty much the same. Walking down
the gangway for the last time felt like every other time. Hugging my friends
didn’t feel different. Sure, there was an element of sadness but I also felt
fairly numb. I walked away from the group of ship family standing on the dock
to the waiting car, feeling nothing. The bandaid had been coming off so slowly
and painfully during the past month that it was really just time to rip it off. So I moved
through the motions of goodbye, waited for the others, hopped into the car,
buckled up, waved goodbye and looked behind me twice as we drove off, trying to
feel something. Nothing. Blank. Apparently I'm a post-griever.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Several weeks later, it still doesn’t feel real.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I flew out
of Durban, through Dubai and on to Seattle. The plane from Dubai to Seattle was
pretty empty and so when the opportunity to have four seats to myself arose, I
jumped up, covered myself in a blanket and promptly went to sleep laying flat,
a rare luxury on a 14 hour flight.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Have any of you watched the BBC series Call the Midwife?
It’s one of my favourite TV shows and comes with a 50% chance of tears. Well
the airline entertainment had season 5 which I had never seen before, so being
overtired and already emotional I sat in my row of four seats and watched Call
the Midwife and cried. Eventually I turned the show off and just sat staring at
the flight plan on the screen in front of me, thinking about all that had just happened leaving my ship home and cried. Not just silent tears
either. Face screwed up and nose streaming sort of tears. No one even noticed.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Arriving in Seattle I was greeted by my friend Molly, who took
beautiful care of me. After a shower and a perfect cup of coffee, we hit a
Seattle highlight, Pike Place Market. I took in the colours and smells of
freshly cut flowers, arts and crafts, seafoods, teas and all sorts of yummy
foods. We met up with another ship friend and headed out for a sushi dinner.
Around that time I hit a jetlag wall of tiredness and eventually crawled into a
dreamy bed and fell fast asleep.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmml_7V8H4vntz3NC8GPuyqy0ToyZmEGenfQaCrUi2TJcUrEYRjJb9x3QXs8IlesodLA2ZABDcbEcqCwmlzGDKsRtKnvbdOXdfsKPjEIgLJh1fXUuRgXnjhEnDS_9g8BGumY22Wa5gW3U/s1600/1+Day-+Seattle2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmml_7V8H4vntz3NC8GPuyqy0ToyZmEGenfQaCrUi2TJcUrEYRjJb9x3QXs8IlesodLA2ZABDcbEcqCwmlzGDKsRtKnvbdOXdfsKPjEIgLJh1fXUuRgXnjhEnDS_9g8BGumY22Wa5gW3U/s640/1+Day-+Seattle2.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The next day Molly drove me out to Pier 66 where I found my
friend Heather and her family, along with the Norwegian Jewel cruise ship for
the next adventure. With a mixed apprehension and excitement I boarded the
largest ship I’ve ever been on. So many parts of living on a ship were
familiar, including the crowds that you fight everywhere to get anywhere. Of
course this cruise ship was completely different to the AFM (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Africa Mercy</i>). The Norwegin Jewel is 14
decks high, it is also double the length, too many restaurants and bars
to count, an art gallery, spas (hot tubs), pools and water slide, a casino and
carpeted almost everywhere, just to name a few differences. There are 1,200
crew and I knew none of them, although they were all very friendly. You can eat
almost all hours of the day and before you are even hungry it is time to eat
again. An event is always taking place and if I hadn’t already learnt how to
live with constant activity around me, and fear of missing out (FOMO) I would
have been a basketcase. Instead we spent most of our hours on board staring out
the windows, eating, reading, eating, playing games, eating, watching shows in
the evenings and did I mention eating? Our favourite time of the night was going
back to our cabin (called a stateroom on a cruise) all the way down on deck 4
forward and finding our origami towel creation on the bed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj335ZGXFsObd-IZXiGwh2IOq1a5BwW8x3yyVweMHHKl8UeZLOspdGXjftxlBD4gX1FTzBtYKCNODKdZJTxPQAMQnGRSxF__rJ_hLllkIwm4Dkb-Y78anGe77lg88IttVt5m3II9pMAjxo/s1600/1+Day-+Seattle5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj335ZGXFsObd-IZXiGwh2IOq1a5BwW8x3yyVweMHHKl8UeZLOspdGXjftxlBD4gX1FTzBtYKCNODKdZJTxPQAMQnGRSxF__rJ_hLllkIwm4Dkb-Y78anGe77lg88IttVt5m3II9pMAjxo/s640/1+Day-+Seattle5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn1UHvTI7GKkCtTQr7rKXNzc38BpN3FP1li-e8_mAKCbnt11bvepK2VxXtCk8TLLAUuw0SjVOhon0jlghcRwbzbudgaAVnHvb94U0EAzoqrP-FqLZuLZHoQengXakjmII8LS9_0Oe9WIU/s1600/1+Day-+Seattle14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn1UHvTI7GKkCtTQr7rKXNzc38BpN3FP1li-e8_mAKCbnt11bvepK2VxXtCk8TLLAUuw0SjVOhon0jlghcRwbzbudgaAVnHvb94U0EAzoqrP-FqLZuLZHoQengXakjmII8LS9_0Oe9WIU/s640/1+Day-+Seattle14.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Deck 7 walkways practically disappeared from view they were so long</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha1mHnoGpAzvkv-C7fKYDa_WSwaTmbITouIfKnPLAu9L_KZOPNSKYkJvoUkdfly-M2X3NSdDQYyyRXJYBiWqOOIn8eHXvZhMWuET6veZ-ebWDpMn5yq2IZ6q2jDJ9rragqYgnQJQBU9eg/s1600/1+Day-+Seattle23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha1mHnoGpAzvkv-C7fKYDa_WSwaTmbITouIfKnPLAu9L_KZOPNSKYkJvoUkdfly-M2X3NSdDQYyyRXJYBiWqOOIn8eHXvZhMWuET6veZ-ebWDpMn5yq2IZ6q2jDJ9rragqYgnQJQBU9eg/s640/1+Day-+Seattle23.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNpOYznyQ-MOJc93UaZauulc04zZfh2_3V8OQyy6PrnqU40ZzkQ3o93ALii8H3N74bHoStM-WxzXubebkQLhrTGuknqBHopqHQ8LQV1WiQz10OzEBfbbAqZn06srrL-r0UCVhiPux9IsY/s1600/3+Day-+Ketchikan11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNpOYznyQ-MOJc93UaZauulc04zZfh2_3V8OQyy6PrnqU40ZzkQ3o93ALii8H3N74bHoStM-WxzXubebkQLhrTGuknqBHopqHQ8LQV1WiQz10OzEBfbbAqZn06srrL-r0UCVhiPux9IsY/s640/3+Day-+Ketchikan11.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Unfortunately mid June is too early for Salmon in Ketchikan</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFzq2wPKug5RotBzLLrn5JNBhUuFWuzkcSQ4br5h7vK13oi-d8nfiIKFdQouuj3JpWcQTjTNnhi32KVWcdz-E8tN0aGH8KLBEfd7t8AmjwkM2aM-ozd9VBO3km6q6TiKtX_5qR3jSQAMk/s1600/3+Day-+Ketchikan57-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFzq2wPKug5RotBzLLrn5JNBhUuFWuzkcSQ4br5h7vK13oi-d8nfiIKFdQouuj3JpWcQTjTNnhi32KVWcdz-E8tN0aGH8KLBEfd7t8AmjwkM2aM-ozd9VBO3km6q6TiKtX_5qR3jSQAMk/s640/3+Day-+Ketchikan57-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Ketchikan's harbour</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicwglVH27ApQtGUGrXLg8nIOvWVQ54EWOA2z17MSTE_Vpz4gxFUNzpBjAeVDugf5XljoiZlaIzPGufBrrTDFM95fn2BUO02ZjqKXJuC3JHEl3f3a0PvSTFxNzsK5CKQWNfR8rR1hvdbDI/s1600/4+Day-+Juneau_Mendenhall+_glacier8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicwglVH27ApQtGUGrXLg8nIOvWVQ54EWOA2z17MSTE_Vpz4gxFUNzpBjAeVDugf5XljoiZlaIzPGufBrrTDFM95fn2BUO02ZjqKXJuC3JHEl3f3a0PvSTFxNzsK5CKQWNfR8rR1hvdbDI/s640/4+Day-+Juneau_Mendenhall+_glacier8.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Us at the Mendenhall Glacier, outside of Juneau</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeDwFcAh3j6cGf3diWQARLZHh7Qk5v8LricKSVVSgUm5bp3ZEYmjHCTbJkUvvBvESuNuGCTXfytjLJLhyphenhyphenug6Zlz49DhRfO_aGtxum4CTs00ZgnF0Bc-KVVvUTNZiexNGnqNyTDjSmEv5M/s1600/4+Day-+Juneau_Mendenhall+_glacier18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeDwFcAh3j6cGf3diWQARLZHh7Qk5v8LricKSVVSgUm5bp3ZEYmjHCTbJkUvvBvESuNuGCTXfytjLJLhyphenhyphenug6Zlz49DhRfO_aGtxum4CTs00ZgnF0Bc-KVVvUTNZiexNGnqNyTDjSmEv5M/s640/4+Day-+Juneau_Mendenhall+_glacier18.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYblSp4WGwmEcdkg6mL_pNdMDTJpRVR9YbC04SkCqtpmMQb_WQdydnEHvIJJHjc5lX4G9-mkV6cbmCopnGe3Q0N0YJseoKMvI8yABM40-woVo1pb85rwigXCO0H3bPzvIm0MMFhE6Ucww/s1600/4+Day-+Juneau_Mendenhall+_glacier29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYblSp4WGwmEcdkg6mL_pNdMDTJpRVR9YbC04SkCqtpmMQb_WQdydnEHvIJJHjc5lX4G9-mkV6cbmCopnGe3Q0N0YJseoKMvI8yABM40-woVo1pb85rwigXCO0H3bPzvIm0MMFhE6Ucww/s640/4+Day-+Juneau_Mendenhall+_glacier29.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMuQhqnvZRv9MKosTlKBQkr6mP10cdZYfsfvkr8pb7F-4EjV9QAZJqZJl_NCzMJXwofjtFgI7QhD8j6012fE4epNJyNBukvJ-YgbNCsd-pEuh4fDfgypqc_YUoyFojNZx3sqnRl8RVpMg/s1600/4+Day-+Juneau_Mendenhall+_glacier51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMuQhqnvZRv9MKosTlKBQkr6mP10cdZYfsfvkr8pb7F-4EjV9QAZJqZJl_NCzMJXwofjtFgI7QhD8j6012fE4epNJyNBukvJ-YgbNCsd-pEuh4fDfgypqc_YUoyFojNZx3sqnRl8RVpMg/s640/4+Day-+Juneau_Mendenhall+_glacier51.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Heather checking out the glacier</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIoPfdC3kRYcV0vne8CgXfWFLV63XD5eChjDXeRQqnjTMEsNRcniCttE2_77l1I0cKSaKFXwKYpvmoHsPVm9XlWgsXVbkPjlCmDn3K85Y_SuwF54KqhDS35mx8mhAAyzA_z70x0SN3ayo/s1600/4+Day-+Juneau_Mendenhall+_glacier55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIoPfdC3kRYcV0vne8CgXfWFLV63XD5eChjDXeRQqnjTMEsNRcniCttE2_77l1I0cKSaKFXwKYpvmoHsPVm9XlWgsXVbkPjlCmDn3K85Y_SuwF54KqhDS35mx8mhAAyzA_z70x0SN3ayo/s640/4+Day-+Juneau_Mendenhall+_glacier55.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ73rHFjJgb6Irg4FoEjTpc3yk6I7Z3qTQgQSUV-z5ow3WZcWqr1TIPbQRqJkQnbNOFKlYQsWgGwASz5fBGdJUn_NazfZy-3R_XNUlRLpjOg9hdvqovPzN6fKNIzldeicj7FBa105n5HA/s1600/4+Day-+Juneau_Mendenhall+_glacier62.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ73rHFjJgb6Irg4FoEjTpc3yk6I7Z3qTQgQSUV-z5ow3WZcWqr1TIPbQRqJkQnbNOFKlYQsWgGwASz5fBGdJUn_NazfZy-3R_XNUlRLpjOg9hdvqovPzN6fKNIzldeicj7FBa105n5HA/s640/4+Day-+Juneau_Mendenhall+_glacier62.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNG6G0cVXXeR9gumXwNpgkeJsTjwOt-AnhlzgsYPwsnq-BvsDYnKlKQKnegeewvzdNrOz3w-SpKHbD7BRwTDhDygosEYF1nI00Eh3Ziz3TXUK-Ios8wZVD8ih7pQQeg1t4j8d-UlYYRwI/s1600/5+Day-+Skagway-+White+pass+14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNG6G0cVXXeR9gumXwNpgkeJsTjwOt-AnhlzgsYPwsnq-BvsDYnKlKQKnegeewvzdNrOz3w-SpKHbD7BRwTDhDygosEYF1nI00Eh3Ziz3TXUK-Ios8wZVD8ih7pQQeg1t4j8d-UlYYRwI/s640/5+Day-+Skagway-+White+pass+14.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA_PxA6HgsrmYW_dyljhyphenhyphenWhHFSfp_EvV6O-gKB5sCW3j689PiPfKyjfWwxeNVmuMTaWnqEJRvfy25DfreFjXvPkH1ubf6Ith9m-oVckX9FI4JgwqycwA6jtFAzIQ8rDS0QKIGdvOoUX6w/s1600/5+Day-+Skagway-+White+pass+15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA_PxA6HgsrmYW_dyljhyphenhyphenWhHFSfp_EvV6O-gKB5sCW3j689PiPfKyjfWwxeNVmuMTaWnqEJRvfy25DfreFjXvPkH1ubf6Ith9m-oVckX9FI4JgwqycwA6jtFAzIQ8rDS0QKIGdvOoUX6w/s640/5+Day-+Skagway-+White+pass+15.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgma_uhVLV70ADSBr_bDBiKUL1pZl194VSlpO8j-9FPgWGiwA7E6oFU7ClhgbE9nwG7PzEAgr2qRi-dwzY_wIzkk1gyyyevpSfhyphenhyphenaY0xOvSTimIgntiBqXg8W8Mw6V_RrD1J5iSxDkk5oE/s1600/5+Day-+Skagway-+White+pass+23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgma_uhVLV70ADSBr_bDBiKUL1pZl194VSlpO8j-9FPgWGiwA7E6oFU7ClhgbE9nwG7PzEAgr2qRi-dwzY_wIzkk1gyyyevpSfhyphenhyphenaY0xOvSTimIgntiBqXg8W8Mw6V_RrD1J5iSxDkk5oE/s640/5+Day-+Skagway-+White+pass+23.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The train from Skagway</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuLjEmkdKBSTAvW6PXAvKbW-sIlyz2bXWcuVGnVl3bdylmuTsVgSqkiGrn3y1C_LKw_QarZTLDa137ZSOUHwZks4QMUuFKraWjwjPY1hoOkbZ4GmD-I_tPo-9q5YxNvLDBwQin2T0kQi8/s1600/5+Day-+Skagway-+White+pass+25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuLjEmkdKBSTAvW6PXAvKbW-sIlyz2bXWcuVGnVl3bdylmuTsVgSqkiGrn3y1C_LKw_QarZTLDa137ZSOUHwZks4QMUuFKraWjwjPY1hoOkbZ4GmD-I_tPo-9q5YxNvLDBwQin2T0kQi8/s640/5+Day-+Skagway-+White+pass+25.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Skagway harbour</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkHGK90tgGhxBjFh008WzYs5rIwPv8z31ErNoSHnbgUzG5rgKSDaUOjx19fLWhtWrtLGzv_lJ_pD-qGMZ8wsXNQhnQGnVQ7YzXko_TuoZluuQ6hzxvj5rT8nYlm5IKdPPkUyCeHgl84uc/s1600/5+Day-+Skagway-+White+pass_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkHGK90tgGhxBjFh008WzYs5rIwPv8z31ErNoSHnbgUzG5rgKSDaUOjx19fLWhtWrtLGzv_lJ_pD-qGMZ8wsXNQhnQGnVQ7YzXko_TuoZluuQ6hzxvj5rT8nYlm5IKdPPkUyCeHgl84uc/s640/5+Day-+Skagway-+White+pass_1.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">One of the seven origami towel creations that we found in the evenings</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We visited Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway (all Alaska) and
Victoria (B.C. Canada). We walked around each town looking in their local
stores, learnt a little bit of history, watched the Lumberjack show in
Ketchikan, walked to the Mendenhall glacier in Juneau, took the train up the
White Pass and Yukon Route in Skagway and walked the streets of Victoria. It was
fun and so beautiful. We saw dolphins and whales, glaciers and icebergs,
waterfalls and snow-capped mountains. All the while my mind had intermittently
been churning thoughts of returning to Australia and all that comes with it,
but to keep my head in the game I tried to concentrate on where I was presently
and focus on that.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">From Seattle we travelled down to my friend’s town Medford,
Oregon. Then the following day after a beautiful morning outdoor church
service, different friends (Tim and Karin) picked me up and we drove back up to Portland. There
we tasted some of Portland’s delicious foods, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/PipsOriginal/" target="_blank">Pip’s</a> Original Doughnuts and Chai, <a href="http://saltandstraw.com/" target="_blank">Salt and Straw</a> for gourmet ice-cream, schwarmas from a street
food truck to name a few. We hiked trails and drove the <a href="http://hoodriverfruitloop.com/" target="_blank">Fruit Loop</a> tasting wines and ciders while catching up and talking of old times.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM7fchkfHnBoPhqKxIRttqowu19bHZYC4yjkvKsado6lyADrrUFha6KGnvEoGxtexw5nOp2l3P-OR31dmoZGa71L_Kj5-cz49qI_s-7GXZCS5alQWflCdG4IS96Fbv5AHIaOWvWz6d9z4/s1600/Portland8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM7fchkfHnBoPhqKxIRttqowu19bHZYC4yjkvKsado6lyADrrUFha6KGnvEoGxtexw5nOp2l3P-OR31dmoZGa71L_Kj5-cz49qI_s-7GXZCS5alQWflCdG4IS96Fbv5AHIaOWvWz6d9z4/s640/Portland8.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Chai and doughnuts at Pip's</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghEKgyR1M71f5teMhQfMBjyvrjbynQ-FAtlssNG0HDsfng-A9XPRnxy_w8QHY3c6fKoehoT3lBVLj3ZGKuzvuM7zXn7XGlwllZzRh61-Pas5r1jmKPRQpabUOrOty8g5aFtxYLq7bEJK0/s1600/Portland15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghEKgyR1M71f5teMhQfMBjyvrjbynQ-FAtlssNG0HDsfng-A9XPRnxy_w8QHY3c6fKoehoT3lBVLj3ZGKuzvuM7zXn7XGlwllZzRh61-Pas5r1jmKPRQpabUOrOty8g5aFtxYLq7bEJK0/s640/Portland15.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Cider tasting at the Hood River Fruit Loop</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Onward from Portland I flew to Durango, Colorado where I
joined Mercy Ships friends from all over the US, Canada and even my kiwi friend
who’s living in Northern Togo. We squeezed into every bed in our generous host’s house, some
overflowing into tents, others in pop-up camper vans. Every day held adventures, hiking
trails in the mountains (we got hailed on and froze when the temperature
dropped significantly and it rained the whole walk down), soaked in the hot
springs in Ouray, went white water rafting down the local river with
Durango friends, a day out on a shooting range, lots of BBQs and meals
together, Dutch Blitz, bocce ball and cornhole games. It was so fun to see so many
friends that I hadn’t seen in years. I love it when you can just pick up
exactly where you left off.</span></div>
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<img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-nksfhfk525XW03-6Jza55NhNWos9udxgFB16BR_v4EszgfXGiTjLJAzTlN_Br41fBlcbx9eLYNi4pTFu-bNXyDWrvCfKRIOmvxtyf87xOyYRdvEUwmX_vrBZv2JliiCyeGyz8QNEGz4/s640/Reunion107.jpg" width="426" /></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1IOhUkuSt8ksXzopHCylNg3_0unF18D7wR2uGwMjWBtV796p3S_QprI6-YZiKdUOt6of2-UNRiXkPI0nZya8Iww8-xABDwDOq-81UkEAn8uQ8KDp1C5sELtOUIkxCkqBFwSJyi-cT2AI/s1600/Reunion2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1IOhUkuSt8ksXzopHCylNg3_0unF18D7wR2uGwMjWBtV796p3S_QprI6-YZiKdUOt6of2-UNRiXkPI0nZya8Iww8-xABDwDOq-81UkEAn8uQ8KDp1C5sELtOUIkxCkqBFwSJyi-cT2AI/s640/Reunion2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Ouray Hot Springs</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibQfrcuKPIi2vt-wOdnnrsR1BPHj6zZZ9oGd4X_VZ-ueYgWWqIG5dGAHHmFb-OzohShaQIrNQZs8T3bJRm1NwSdeGjG_mu8BExkRXGUvil1W4GwFaJNqCxNOK00HsA-Q_Pzl6aNQhcPz8/s1600/Reunion3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibQfrcuKPIi2vt-wOdnnrsR1BPHj6zZZ9oGd4X_VZ-ueYgWWqIG5dGAHHmFb-OzohShaQIrNQZs8T3bJRm1NwSdeGjG_mu8BExkRXGUvil1W4GwFaJNqCxNOK00HsA-Q_Pzl6aNQhcPz8/s640/Reunion3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Look at the size of this thing!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKxJhNfyAWU3ka02npmuDfADtoaWdzk0zKW0PSQxB4H-q0aIdMgZAK1MxKQOk9FfWecvoOdxA8vBdr6VME2WCj4n4CU7Koz1pU-z_vUVpcIZo5I6yWx8vqNXNjyCuWo_8dUhoTXTchyRE/s1600/Reunion5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKxJhNfyAWU3ka02npmuDfADtoaWdzk0zKW0PSQxB4H-q0aIdMgZAK1MxKQOk9FfWecvoOdxA8vBdr6VME2WCj4n4CU7Koz1pU-z_vUVpcIZo5I6yWx8vqNXNjyCuWo_8dUhoTXTchyRE/s640/Reunion5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0h1rcaC8jRQfTKtIG8miw8p27IPBUkvfcPMZiIoh6JG4ij45GAKfx5NUQW60LJME8h0E2o45FGbVZNCKcZSqRyBmroE1XcWhcguukxbmyUFhexfu3XysYWB9YdTsU-aMTibyId7QJZms/s1600/Reunion25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0h1rcaC8jRQfTKtIG8miw8p27IPBUkvfcPMZiIoh6JG4ij45GAKfx5NUQW60LJME8h0E2o45FGbVZNCKcZSqRyBmroE1XcWhcguukxbmyUFhexfu3XysYWB9YdTsU-aMTibyId7QJZms/s640/Reunion25.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Hitting the 200yd, 300yd and 400yd targets took just 4 bullets!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwH9f_UBXL5Zr7xDUW4W8D6b98wAgFZRbO2HRtpNKYGFHTYQT0cl3Blx_pmovpjJvMKozEqBAGlZ3kXN87zJOxpCjVW2qQKAQlFUG_PVAmhCcJkJGuXGztMGPR7B344UzHOlFvA7HyMGk/s1600/Reunion31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwH9f_UBXL5Zr7xDUW4W8D6b98wAgFZRbO2HRtpNKYGFHTYQT0cl3Blx_pmovpjJvMKozEqBAGlZ3kXN87zJOxpCjVW2qQKAQlFUG_PVAmhCcJkJGuXGztMGPR7B344UzHOlFvA7HyMGk/s640/Reunion31.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The mark where my bullet hit and then ricocheted off and hit Mirm in the forehead</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaCM7vb9OSEDTiX_CheFZUm-EksLPSLsGQAlOEdgH9qPgi4o934VB7F4vh7qY7uZC9M2XvUxQB8lx_Kj9OTCULK3QBkAz-UBDNO4AnZ-lb5fH0RzoyAAjARfAbXEOnPeUCQPad8uZqw_s/s1600/Reunion29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaCM7vb9OSEDTiX_CheFZUm-EksLPSLsGQAlOEdgH9qPgi4o934VB7F4vh7qY7uZC9M2XvUxQB8lx_Kj9OTCULK3QBkAz-UBDNO4AnZ-lb5fH0RzoyAAjARfAbXEOnPeUCQPad8uZqw_s/s640/Reunion29.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj5XkG1y1cZNHXPelYXYmOD4q_dYZdcKrYjvZgJSoOrVVDbHGevHCmvcfbGR-PC1krP2CQrljJGTY6MhCGGWJ6Gve14AoX4aV_NRExOawccjQoWGV-Yhrw1xpd5ml2kpcFfoOLwTtCXvc/s640/IMG_2477.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="478" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Soothing baby Bennett took some African mama style</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvOfkryz-YXwI2yGnp9B4Q8HfR-XICdBpwzrfDYSD22gLT_mJal5ZSI2miBp_kw0bVAueoG25kRrv9dhWEE7pw7lyKzRcPGqvItbl7IbONIjiUZwZcag2Z8d3y6xmm9OaTvQ02X68z-k/s1600/Reunion85.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvOfkryz-YXwI2yGnp9B4Q8HfR-XICdBpwzrfDYSD22gLT_mJal5ZSI2miBp_kw0bVAueoG25kRrv9dhWEE7pw7lyKzRcPGqvItbl7IbONIjiUZwZcag2Z8d3y6xmm9OaTvQ02X68z-k/s640/Reunion85.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY5096oPxe4-2QevArvflMzbZD-lQwbhufcN9L8zjilAfwysv3oA3o0i_LM-Z3tAjKdiJMNbvPcPHUy1HY8_W90-nT4cThJ-N21pZ3PU06Pk9CWyx2H_PjeCehJ8CFI3SZ0SXfQCdHJpg/s1600/Reunion96.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY5096oPxe4-2QevArvflMzbZD-lQwbhufcN9L8zjilAfwysv3oA3o0i_LM-Z3tAjKdiJMNbvPcPHUy1HY8_W90-nT4cThJ-N21pZ3PU06Pk9CWyx2H_PjeCehJ8CFI3SZ0SXfQCdHJpg/s640/Reunion96.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWzsRdz4-gXbXbbSVc8gHQ_ovdCFgUDyH11Wvr4xJ_ZOHMINGJZIpoQflXJFxYHnYU97i1eRiBho7DQ8oJjoC76hyqUlzzmFPkEBrl225_21cyBbvWRAGrwCdttdddwzfbEMSM-4Y4IGg/s1600/Reunion104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWzsRdz4-gXbXbbSVc8gHQ_ovdCFgUDyH11Wvr4xJ_ZOHMINGJZIpoQflXJFxYHnYU97i1eRiBho7DQ8oJjoC76hyqUlzzmFPkEBrl225_21cyBbvWRAGrwCdttdddwzfbEMSM-4Y4IGg/s640/Reunion104.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAYfXilHbIsPeaXVQtd_HJoWwiCCmNg1WVpWZslLNHqWMGk9fZIPahrD6hyNvss_7qJpNx3oLxSS1knMFNwz0HQE9Y9OBl9hqx-Xez677f3aI8wQ7463ocuyXotSVoA03aowTLoQnCfCk/s1600/Reunion106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAYfXilHbIsPeaXVQtd_HJoWwiCCmNg1WVpWZslLNHqWMGk9fZIPahrD6hyNvss_7qJpNx3oLxSS1knMFNwz0HQE9Y9OBl9hqx-Xez677f3aI8wQ7463ocuyXotSVoA03aowTLoQnCfCk/s640/Reunion106.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The American cornhole game</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">After Colorado I flew to Virgina to see Stacia and
her family. I always think it’s interesting to see where your friends grew up
and all the things that are normal for them in contrast to your own ‘normal’
upbringing. From Virginia we drove through Charlotte, North Carolina for a
quick stop and onward to Nashville, Tennessee where we got to join our friends
Josh and Katie for their wedding! Another beautiful ship love story became
until-death-do-us-part in a gorgeous outdoor ceremony in the woods of
Tennessee.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqBOxTi3vYK1wQPzl8gGNH_T9tFzMEFUb2tvhU4nQUVjt24FPiFmc7Mb9yiCxpMIJj1XvXh-ZfoOuVeMLnqqMGKqoh-ka0jT8rGWTu92T8KvntNTN_LNbmnVgkrj5RxVziurcgnFbmE6o/s1600/IMG_2286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqBOxTi3vYK1wQPzl8gGNH_T9tFzMEFUb2tvhU4nQUVjt24FPiFmc7Mb9yiCxpMIJj1XvXh-ZfoOuVeMLnqqMGKqoh-ka0jT8rGWTu92T8KvntNTN_LNbmnVgkrj5RxVziurcgnFbmE6o/s640/IMG_2286.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinb67b3eHGmUZXBQr20A_NzFKRjzc1liS3OKgri1VMxahcYJr7r3pplRRn0mUxF6CohPkOcmw5w7d5LpmIJItM_sqZMuSp8RvNam6MKiTuyNPPqrhafcPLrrHONxrzHntLwSobkFHAGIo/s1600/Tennessee9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinb67b3eHGmUZXBQr20A_NzFKRjzc1liS3OKgri1VMxahcYJr7r3pplRRn0mUxF6CohPkOcmw5w7d5LpmIJItM_sqZMuSp8RvNam6MKiTuyNPPqrhafcPLrrHONxrzHntLwSobkFHAGIo/s640/Tennessee9.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxUrebfoUu4ZiryEtEGHw9Ecl0pKLul6d76wT0mXOTmMmvD7-k9cG0E3h6wGLzoLD58GLWwh10DMr1e_AF8kIR83K9B0dhx_kh7Nh7FAGWC4KoFNrxHEuRTDJqUsWubS4-GYnpdaHtYKY/s1600/Tennessee15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxUrebfoUu4ZiryEtEGHw9Ecl0pKLul6d76wT0mXOTmMmvD7-k9cG0E3h6wGLzoLD58GLWwh10DMr1e_AF8kIR83K9B0dhx_kh7Nh7FAGWC4KoFNrxHEuRTDJqUsWubS4-GYnpdaHtYKY/s640/Tennessee15.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFv1IJxo2doyx1sTI6_ME0_9TvkIoxAV7yF7u8RPUo9I2vHd9BJ06U1X3QCoDNJc-463RrgYxeDzQYnuM7wuDidsBqz2AIgQ26VdfNEJbb1NHjNGHZGLgKW5hNrreTncIFY1XfGxw7FBY/s1600/Tennessee20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFv1IJxo2doyx1sTI6_ME0_9TvkIoxAV7yF7u8RPUo9I2vHd9BJ06U1X3QCoDNJc-463RrgYxeDzQYnuM7wuDidsBqz2AIgQ26VdfNEJbb1NHjNGHZGLgKW5hNrreTncIFY1XfGxw7FBY/s640/Tennessee20.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM3M9ncpHByc0xx8HPyawZT35xs0qwrZOdNFpQCMr7RWvxs-vfNK7QK_gz2k3yqop6rqWOMok7v1YSaAStj6laoySYN-6HqTtq-NJrBpNT4rmkc2ireR7qGnWXmK_1Eed0c-IGsRIZAK8/s1600/Tennessee23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM3M9ncpHByc0xx8HPyawZT35xs0qwrZOdNFpQCMr7RWvxs-vfNK7QK_gz2k3yqop6rqWOMok7v1YSaAStj6laoySYN-6HqTtq-NJrBpNT4rmkc2ireR7qGnWXmK_1Eed0c-IGsRIZAK8/s640/Tennessee23.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The plan was to explore Nashville the next day and after
driving around the music recording studios, walking the streets and eating
lunch in a pub with great live country music, I had expired and was reduced to
tears in the airport car park after dropping Heather off. I was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to
lie down and close my eyes, but with nowhere to go and an 8+ hour drive the
following day, we said goodbye to other friends in the city and knocked 2 hours
off our drive for the next day, enjoying the golden hour of sunshine hitting
the trees as we drove and ending up in a random town, hotel and the 12th bed I'd slept in that trip.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Do you feel tired just reading this? Yeah me too. Let’s take a
break.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06372099250512565189noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8754979125691139913.post-81580742561028175262016-06-05T06:32:00.000-07:002016-06-05T06:32:31.939-07:00I Don’t Want to Forget<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It's the time of year I really
dislike the most. The hospital has closed and so I am no longer a nurse which
means I not only have a different job but I no longer have daily contact with
the Malagasy people which leaves me feeling disconnected. I've also said
goodbye to no less than 50 friends, many of whom I'll probably never see again
unless we put in major effort. Now that the hospital is packed up and I'm
sitting at a computer every day, I'm just itching to get out of here and start
the next part of the journey. It's not that I want to leave Madagascar it's
that my reason for being here, my normal day to day life, has been removed and
the crew has shrunk from about 450 to 200. It's so evident by the empty dock
and deck 8 loaded full of vehicles, that we're almost ready to hit the open ocean. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br />
I am ready because I feel a little like I have nothing left to give this
country or many of those around me. The end of field service sucks you dry of
emotion with so many goodbyes. I am dried up like a raisin. I look around the
ship which is my home and try to imprint each special thing about it into my
memory, the cafe in which I have eaten two meals a day for years, the dining
room hustle and bustle which is now quiet and calm, my little cabin space which
is now the most empty it has ever been, the short commute to any place I go,
two minutes being the longest time it takes to get anywhere on board. Then most
importantly I am consciously committing to memory the people that are my family
in this place.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br />
You might wonder why I've chosen to stay throughout this period and not just
taken flight. Although it's been tough and it's not over yet, I find it is part
of the process of letting go and closure to the chapter. As each goodbye is
said, a page turns to mark the end of that season, whether it be goodbye to
patients, day crew, friends or the closure of the hospital. When I look around
I see that those chapters have ended- the hospital is empty, a shell of its former
busy self. My friends aren't there anymore, I think I see them or hear their
voice but it's a mistake when I turn my head to find them.<br />
Setting sail is the second last chapter in this season. It is a physical
departure from Mada that gives time for reflection before jumping onto the next
adventure.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br />
After a very rainy month our last weekend in Mada is beautifully sunny, with
the odd shower and despite the fact that I'm tied to the ship with a duty nurse
pager today I have been able to soak in the rays from the dock, enjoying the
warm breeze, the puffy clouds floating in the blue, blue sky, the mooring lines
slacking and tightening above the rippling sea. Beneath where my feet hang,
tropical fish swim along the dock wall and there's a big fat starfish under the
sea visible from the gangway.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Last weekend as I was sitting in a
vehicle traveling for hours I watched with a keen eye everything passing me on
the streets and decided to make a list of things I might have forgotten to tell
you about.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Have I ever told you...</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br />
How much the Malagasy people like hats? Everywhere you look on the streets, adults and children alike are wearing hats.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDEMuZPJBdCfYgNsaIWpsRALhIudxggokt5fJQvNdqvxnXiWUzB4-11u0JxgUxw69fdhhOULbrnFXxd_i6kdK0KXFSvY9oD9NC03NhCczXcgHx4LA6RucmTYCGYiPMTBX-sVDev0Md3fU/s1600/MGC160510_PAT09175_HAINGO_JF0003_MID.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDEMuZPJBdCfYgNsaIWpsRALhIudxggokt5fJQvNdqvxnXiWUzB4-11u0JxgUxw69fdhhOULbrnFXxd_i6kdK0KXFSvY9oD9NC03NhCczXcgHx4LA6RucmTYCGYiPMTBX-sVDev0Md3fU/s640/MGC160510_PAT09175_HAINGO_JF0003_MID.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br />
How hard the Malagasy people work planting, harvesting, drying, and readying
their rice to eat?</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></span></div>
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How resourceful they are using travellers palms for plates, spoons, wrapping,
drying out for weaving baskets, placemats, bags, anything woven? They build
their houses from the dried branches laid on top of each other and woven
together.</span></span></div>
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How many pot holes their roads have? One man we met told us that in French pot
holes are called chicken nests. I was told the roads only get worked on close
to election time, so most roads go for a long time between being fixed.</span></span></div>
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How much I love seeing the community movement on the streets? They are selling
goods, braiding hair, drying rice, pumping water, washing clothes, weaving,
pushing carts, herding zebu, standing on the side of the road selling chickens
hung by their bound feet or freshly caught fish.</span></span></div>
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How the peoples’ faces break into smiles when we speak Malagasy to them? <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Salama, ina vaovao? Tsy misy vaovao.</i></span></span></div>
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How clever they are at riding bikes with a second person perched on the front
bar, sometimes as small as a toddler?</span></span></div>
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How beautiful the stretching green landscape and rivers are?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br />How colourful the woven crafts are?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">How the main mode of public transport for long distance is a taxi-bruisse which is
a van with four rows of seats? It seats as many people as you can fit across
the seat, about 22 altogether. The other modes of transport is pousse-pousse (bicycle pedaled) and
tuk tuk (motored).</span></span></div>
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How my favourite Malagasy lunch or dinner is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">brochette
de zebu</i> or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">brochette de poulet avec
pomme frite</i> or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">legumes</i>? The best breakfast around is <i>Portuguese omelette</i>, <i>jus grenadelle</i>, <i>cafe au lait</i> and <i>pan au chocolat</i>.</span></span></div>
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How chickens roam everywhere? It seems no matter where you are, there will be a
chicken there scratching around for food. They have long skinny legs and remind
me of a T-Rex dinosaur.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">How much I love to drink fresh
coconut milk from the coconut selling men and women along the beach road?
After you finish the milk if you hand it back to them they will cut it open and
dig out the flesh for you. It is so delicious. Some stalls even have a fridge
to make the coconut milk cold.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Have I ever told you how much I have enjoyed living in
this country? Its people are some of the most beautiful I have ever met. It is a
land I truly hope I am able to return to in the future, for it holds a large piece of my heart.</span></span></div>
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Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06372099250512565189noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8754979125691139913.post-6394986213549965542016-05-23T02:59:00.000-07:002016-05-23T02:59:41.250-07:00Being Understood<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I’m sitting
here on my bed with my last nursing shift in my favourite hospital in the world
looming before me. I struggle for the words to express what I’m feeling. I have
loved every minute in the wards and now I’m wondering where all my knowledge on
this maxillofacial specialty will go, for it is not useful in the general
paediatrics ward at home where I will return to. I think one of the things that
I am struggling with most as I look ahead is knowing that I walk away from a
place where I am sort after for information and knowledge of my specialty. I know
most of the surgeries we do and the nursing care specific to it inside and out,
but I am about to walk out of that position, to be the one again who asks one
hundred questions every shift until I know again. It’s not just at work though,
it’s in life. After more than five years here I have built this community of
the ship around me. I walk the hallways and know who has just arrived, who has
been here for the last outreach or even years before me. I can greet everyone,
knowing that if they are new on board how they might be feeling and I’m able to
share knowledge of how to live life well in this community and soon I will be
the one who needs help and adjustment. I will return home to a physically familiar
environment, but feel like an alien. I already know because when I have
returned home in the past years I feel out of place and uncomfortable in my own
country. It only makes it worse that I have an Australian accent because there seems
to be no excuse for my lack of knowledge or confusion over how to order a drink
or pay for a meal (before we eat or after we eat? to tip or not to tip? to
speak English or French or Malagasy?).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Once I have
returned to Australia I am sure there will be memories of my travels or time
with Mercy Ships sparked by a conversation or comment and I won’t know whether
to pipe up and add to the conversation or just to let the moment pass, knowing maybe
those I am with will not understand and my comment will require too much explanation.
So I will keep it to myself but then I will feel a part of myself dying. How
will I know when to speak up without making it a conversation killer when the
others don’t know how to respond? How many times can I say, “When I was on the
ship….” Before people start internally rolling their eyes and wishing I’d shut
up?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I think
living on this ship, being in this community and loving on the people of Africa
has changed me beyond anything I could imagine. I have experienced the deepest
feelings of my life in this place. Loving so hard that it feels impossible to
say goodbye. Hurting so deeply that I feel like I might break into physical
pieces. The tears have come more freely, sparked by little things like singing
a song that reminds me of a patient I loved.<br />
I have wondered how it would feel saying goodbye to this place I call home.
Last week I stood in front of about 150 friends and crewmates, many of them the
best friends a girl could have. They are people who understand me in my deepest
part. They've seen my heart rejoice and my heart ache. I stood in front of them
to be formally farewelled from the ship. As the complimentary words of my
amazing team leader were read over me, I could barely look up to meet the crowd
in the eye for fear of dissolving into a massive puddle of ugly tears. So
instead I hugged my arms around my chest to hold myself together. I pushed all
the emotion down, for another time, another place, every now and then letting a
tear or two slip out. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I suppose
most people have walked through periods of life like this, where they feel
overwhelmed with emotion to the point of breaking open exposing a deep vulnerability.
I think of my friends who have lost siblings, friends who have lost children
and babies, other who have lost their parents or grandparents. Most of my
friends have had a deep ache of some sort, the breakdown of a relationship or a
beloved pet die. The tender part is knowing when it is safe to speak up about
our deepest hurts or feelings. Just as I want my friends to be my safe place
for my deepest feelings, so do I want to be the safe place for them. Can we
make a pact to always talk about the hard and vulnerable things together? About the
things that make our blood boil? About the things that cause us to burst into
tears? To not be afraid to speak.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I tell you
because I want you to understand and I want to feel understood.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></span></div>
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Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06372099250512565189noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8754979125691139913.post-88283938317596960262016-05-09T02:05:00.000-07:002016-05-09T02:05:11.118-07:00Mourning has begun<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The biggest month of the year is well and truly upon us. May
ends the surgeries on the ship for the outreach, the hospital closes down,
school ends for the year and the grade 12 class finish school forever and the
majority of the hospital crew disembark often traveling places on their
way home. Some head home early before preparing to come back to the ship for
the following outreach.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For the last few years I have felt immense sadness
behind this month of goodbyes, knowing that in all likeliness I will never see
these patients again that I have spent months caring and praying for or the day
crew who have been my voice, another set of my hands and cultural teachers for the past 2 years.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">When it comes to saying goodbye to nurses and crewmates, in the last years I
have hidden behind the saying, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">see you
when you come next time!</i>” knowing that many of them will most likely not be back, but for a good many I
have seen and worked with again. So this time around, it feels so much harder. There is nothing to hide
behind, except to know that for the ones where friendship runs deep, I will try
my hardest to visit and keep up with them despite our different geographical locations.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5DglDRn6qD_RkSjrtUZIfIn28BxxQS5uPzNojf5YDU0iGdRPEnDE3UTh0YE_AJQL2AWjtJdt0IdtXIq1o6d27n0PGWi_y6Z0uu0RL2b1CVw8zQ3fetAwyZ2Ic7hKXVXRklKPaB7IDDeQ/s1600/MGC160419_D_WARD_NURSES_DAY_CREW_KK0001_MID.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5DglDRn6qD_RkSjrtUZIfIn28BxxQS5uPzNojf5YDU0iGdRPEnDE3UTh0YE_AJQL2AWjtJdt0IdtXIq1o6d27n0PGWi_y6Z0uu0RL2b1CVw8zQ3fetAwyZ2Ic7hKXVXRklKPaB7IDDeQ/s640/MGC160419_D_WARD_NURSES_DAY_CREW_KK0001_MID.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">D ward team</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Here is the timeline of coming events:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">11 May- The Advance Team leave for Benin to prepare the way
for the next outreach. My first goodbye in May, to a beloved roommate.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">20 May- The last day for surgeries for the Mada2 outreach
and the HOPE Centre closes and all remaining patients needing care are
transferred to the hospital on board. More goodbyes to good friends.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">26 May- Last day of school for the academy and the grade 12
class graduate! More goodbyes to good friends.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">27 May- The AFM hospital closes its doors to patients and we
send everyone out, whether they have healed or not. Sometimes we have to
transfer them to the local hospital but often we just send them home with an
estimated number of dressing supplies, hoping and praying it’ll be enough.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span>The day crew Thank You event is also held on
board where all 200 of our day crew come together with us and we celebrate them
for the hard work they have done. We also say goodbyes to most of them.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">28 May- There is a mass exodus of crew, mostly hospital
staff. We stand on the dock for a 06:30am departure, overwhelmed with the sheer
number of people getting on the buses leaving. Friends left behind usually say
to me that day, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">How have you done this
so many times?</i>” and it’s hard to answer because each times a piece of your
heart breaks off. Then I usually walk back up the gangway with a guarded heart,
pushing the emotions back deep inside, hoping I don’t fall apart.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Then we have one week to clean, pack up and tie down the
hospital before saying more goodbyes to friends leaving and friend staying
behind and to the country of Madagascar before we sail away. At that point I
don’t even know what to do with the heavy feeling in my heart, tears just aren’t
enough. I already had one good sobbing session out of the blue on my own last
week. I have a feeling there are a few more to come.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So, will you stand and pray with us for all these things?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Pray for the next two weeks of surgeries, that the cases
would be uncomplicated and patients will heal quickly.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Pray for the patients who have been with us for months that
their wounds would heal before the hospital closes.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Pray for the day crew that they would find new jobs quickly.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Pray for the crew leaving that they would walk away from the
ship with full hearts and that they would know God walking with them as they
leave and process all they have seen and been a part of.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Pray for the emotional, mental and physical strength of the
crew who are packing up, readying the ship to sail.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Pray for me, as I prepare to leave this beautiful country,
the Malagasy people and say goodbye to a ship community that has shaped me
these past 6 years. Pray for the strength of my heart.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06372099250512565189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8754979125691139913.post-9739662010053272522016-04-24T11:46:00.000-07:002016-04-24T11:46:23.958-07:00Treasures<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Today I went to the HOPE Centre (Hospital OutPatient
Extension Centre) to join in with their church service. The covered outdoor area was
packed with chairs, filled with patients and their relatives and a scattering
of <i>Africa Mercy</i> crew members. Outside of the covered area were more crew members,
many with patients or little kids sitting on their laps or by their sides. The
weather was cloudy and I had just ridden my bike through the rain to get to
the site. My hair, the front of my skirt and shirt were wet with rain. There
were droplets of water still sitting on my skin as I walked in with a friend to
find a chair.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As instructed we all stood to sing songs in Malagasy
praising God, the words and tunes familiar to me after these past 14 months in
Madagascar. Looking around the area I saw so many familiar faces, almost all
patients I could name, came from my maxillofacial ward and a bunch from other
specialities on board. The patients and caregivers were dressed up beautifully
for church despite the off and on rain. There were shiny shoes and matching
tracksuits on babies, ruffled flower girl dresses on little girls and best
dresses for the mamas and papas. Hearing the singing voices of these people,
already so dear to my heart, raised in praise to my God, just about reduced me
to tears. A wave of emotion washed over me reminding me to treasure this moment,
these voices, this place, these people.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Last week while I was writing the morning ward rounds orders
in the patient charts, I came across the pre-operative photos of a male patient
in his early 20’s who had a massive facial tumour on his jaw. During the first
surgery, the tumour is removed and a metal plate is put in place of the missing
jaw. The tumours on the mandible that we remove are mostly ameloblastoma, a
slow growing benign tumour that eventually cause death by slow suffocation. The
tumour is overgrown tooth enamel that, if found in the western medical world,
would often be able to be removed quickly without major surgery. This man’s
tumour however was massive, I mean, American football sized, coming down off
the right side of his mandible. He’d had a successful first surgery and had
returned three months later for bone to be put inside the jaw to strengthen it.
The bone graft was taken from his hip (iliac crest) and after this healed, he
would not need any further surgery and could hopefully go on and have a happy
and long life.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I had collected the chart from the end of the patient’s bed
as he had just walked into the bathroom, bandage on his face, covering his neat
incision line under his jaw, his face perfectly round and symmetrical. When the
page fell open with his very first pre-op photos on it, I could barely believe
it was the same man. I stared at the photo a while, wondering what he was
thinking when the photo was taken. When he came out of the bathroom I showed
him the photo. He stood there gazing at it. I grabbed a translator and asked
him, “Do you remember how you felt when you had this tumour?” He paused a
moment and replied, “If Mercy Ships had not come, I would have died.” I asked
him if he remembered how he’d felt when the pre-operative photo was taken. He
said, “I was thinking I would probably only have one or two months left to
live.” Yet here he stood before me, three months later, with a beautiful, new, symmetrical,
tumour-free face. He asked me then if he could give his testimony in church
that morning about what God had done. “Yes, yes you can!”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Another patient came over, this one a female, also in her 20’s.
She had had the same procedure to remove a tumour on her jaw and had returned
also for her bone graft. She also had her pre-op photos in her chart which I showed
to her. I asked them both if before they came from their village to the ship if
they thought they were the only one in the world with a tumour growing in
their jaw. They both said yes. I explained that they’d both had the same type
of tumour and the same operations to have them removed and bone grafted. They
were not alone.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin06lOFHpev4LUVu8uXPS140j6P8WFPYyKjIVgOaeq1rPklURO7yI6LJ6id7WMBB_-TrOaad4SDo7U04W20BvjS2RSHML0fRmT_oqJHzzzuluiiIenSsAISIYNVhqJcO9OKAFvD4BYRP4/s1600/MGC160408_D_WARD_DL0010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin06lOFHpev4LUVu8uXPS140j6P8WFPYyKjIVgOaeq1rPklURO7yI6LJ6id7WMBB_-TrOaad4SDo7U04W20BvjS2RSHML0fRmT_oqJHzzzuluiiIenSsAISIYNVhqJcO9OKAFvD4BYRP4/s640/MGC160408_D_WARD_DL0010.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Several weeks ago we were able to operate on an 8 year old
girl who had a bifid nose (see the photo below) and hypertelorism (eyes too far apart). The night before
her surgery, I rebraided her hair so that when the surgeons cut her head from
ear to ear (across the top), they would not have to shave off all her beautiful
hair. As I undid her braids she stayed bent over her brand-new colouring book,
enjoying her gift from the Hospital Chaplain team. We talked about her
family, her friends and school.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The following day the operation went really well and her new
face looked beautiful but as per usual the swelling from surgery forced her
eyes closed. The first day post-op, she kept crying, “I can’t see, I can’t see.”
She cried whenever someone touched her without first speaking to her and she
refused to eat.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As the days passed, the swelling began to go down but her
eyes did not yet open. She did begin to eat and we looked for toys that she
could play with by touch and not sight. I put new batteries in the toy
keyboard, much to the annoyance of some nurses, but I knew if I was that
precious girl, I would want something like that.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Eventually the swelling went down enough for one eye to open
and we rejoiced! After approval from the surgeon, I took her into the ICU and
washed and brushed her hair, removing the clumps of shaved off and matted hair
and one of the female day crew redid her braids. She looked so fresh and sweet
afterwards.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt6cjqWf-UeEsqD76Qc107B7zSAshrVQ6GJ0hBZTyifErbROYSUrSRIGuQLZsb6M_sOt4MFiu_6jN_-T_hYYR7_8OW9ZTqsMmqWyKi6A9A8Jm3uxBFqIC_b5cdr7hFDG00kwFllKqSbEk/s1600/MGB141104_SCREENING_DAY2_JF0064_MID.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt6cjqWf-UeEsqD76Qc107B7zSAshrVQ6GJ0hBZTyifErbROYSUrSRIGuQLZsb6M_sOt4MFiu_6jN_-T_hYYR7_8OW9ZTqsMmqWyKi6A9A8Jm3uxBFqIC_b5cdr7hFDG00kwFllKqSbEk/s640/MGB141104_SCREENING_DAY2_JF0064_MID.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Waiting in line to be screened, October 2014</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6opkEV9YjXmwPTw9_InNMdhltxMiwqIfmsiuVCFTgKNas5nj7j6YgUqvZ3ZyYHFTBgp71qcewj5tqv4win6RoErvC-FDhpZ9NNZeXkpm6Cnn9ucbA4kmhRf37t75zjgl3fHzvbFoQ2gI/s1600/MGC160408_D_WARD_DL0014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6opkEV9YjXmwPTw9_InNMdhltxMiwqIfmsiuVCFTgKNas5nj7j6YgUqvZ3ZyYHFTBgp71qcewj5tqv4win6RoErvC-FDhpZ9NNZeXkpm6Cnn9ucbA4kmhRf37t75zjgl3fHzvbFoQ2gI/s640/MGC160408_D_WARD_DL0014.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The surgeons making their rounds</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ceZTscGlZWGrEl8zfORcwnYRMaLRxMhemuwB_kjNgGqdwUsJ6wk5ehuDmhvx0DiTcz5YW_bpgz9Vway7rrJZ1wrivDN0IGVZuM7EDL0KLrD3F70dFzCgicThqJwUQpnmchIKHZix7UM/s1600/MGC160412_PAT12079_CHRISTELLA_DECK_7_JF0004_MID.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ceZTscGlZWGrEl8zfORcwnYRMaLRxMhemuwB_kjNgGqdwUsJ6wk5ehuDmhvx0DiTcz5YW_bpgz9Vway7rrJZ1wrivDN0IGVZuM7EDL0KLrD3F70dFzCgicThqJwUQpnmchIKHZix7UM/s640/MGC160412_PAT12079_CHRISTELLA_DECK_7_JF0004_MID.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Post-op with her sweet grandpa</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPp-KKFBRqaEePaqPVhHdVm9we0vXDyrav0XqKz5iOWlO1hwQb9VRWZD_7cbjGTs42XFBhplr6PeqYqVuu-FF0wxyrZc2bypR7iPz-T4UYmiejWTgfeAYA0bPWioKgAkH1swMulxLFHEU/s1600/MGC160412_PAT12079_CHRISTELLA_DECK_7_LOUDEN_JF0002_MID.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPp-KKFBRqaEePaqPVhHdVm9we0vXDyrav0XqKz5iOWlO1hwQb9VRWZD_7cbjGTs42XFBhplr6PeqYqVuu-FF0wxyrZc2bypR7iPz-T4UYmiejWTgfeAYA0bPWioKgAkH1swMulxLFHEU/s640/MGC160412_PAT12079_CHRISTELLA_DECK_7_LOUDEN_JF0002_MID.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It’s each of these stories and moments that I treasure. As we
count down the weeks left in Madagascar I want to be counting up the treasures
to be found.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span>
</div>
Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06372099250512565189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8754979125691139913.post-49630179231541765182016-04-14T12:39:00.000-07:002016-04-14T12:39:48.578-07:00I'm Leaving<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I have thought many times over the past months how to write
this blog. Many days I felt heightened emotion and other days I felt neutral,
like today. It’s pouring down rain right now and it just seems like the right
sort of mood to make this news public. I have decided to end my long-term
commitment with Mercy Ships and go back to Australia after this outreach ends,
for no other reason than it’s just time to go home. I love the work I do on
this ship more than any job in the world and despite knowing I will miss it incredibly, I still know it’s time.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">When I walk down the hospital corridors as the OBF women
walk and sing, their sweet melody echoing high into the decks above, a lump
rises in my throat and I wonder how I will ever say goodbye. When we hug and
wave our patients goodbye from the ward, knowing that they can return to their
village tumour free or with a new lip or palate, able to become a part of
normal society, I wonder how I will cope with nursing at home when it feels so
much less significant. When I sit up on deck 7 with my patients at the end of
the day, spending time playing games or running around after the kids, making
sure they use up their energy, I know I will not be able to give this sort of holistic
care at home, but in all of those moments I know that God is in this decision
because I feel such peace, despite expecting the adjustment to be tremendously hard.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In approximately three months I will be disembarking from my
home and community for six years. I can barely believe it even as I type, that
time has disappeared so quickly. It has been swallowed up by the daily loving
of new friends, exploring new countries and serving patients with all sorts of
conditions. I’ve certainly had some high highs and some low lows, from seeing
God perform a <a href="http://debsheartinafrica.blogspot.com/2014/02/theres-your-smile.html" target="_blank">miracle in a man surviving when it looked like certain death</a>
to <a href="http://debsheartinafrica.blogspot.com/2013/09/dear-baby-girl.html" target="_blank">having a child die unexpectedly <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>in my arms</a>, my heart and character has been
stretched to the maximum and I have grown more in these years than any time in
my life.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We are getting closer to counting down the weeks left of the
hospital being open for this Mada2 outreach. On May 20<sup>th</sup> the
operating rooms close down and we will have one week left to recover the remaining
patients. It’s the time of year where we get down on our knees praying to see
all the wounds that are currently still not healed, to have skin growing to
cover them.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Speaking of wounds, my patient <a href="http://debsheartinafrica.blogspot.com/2016/01/we-need-to-see-miracle.html" target="_blank">Olivia</a> who you have
been praying for (thank you!), came back into the ward for a while in the last
weeks so that we could give a little more attention to her wound which still
hasn’t healed. We have applied the wound vac again in hopes that we can
stimulate enough skin growth that she won’t need another surgery. Please
continue to pray for her and her family. Her girls are still as gorgeous as
ever. Baby Julia is getting so big and able to sit up on her own. Both girls
love all the attention that is showered over them in the ward.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This last week I was able to go out with our Mercy Ministries
team to the local Hopital Be Paediatric ward. In signing up to join the group
that ministers to them, we have to leave our nursing, medical brains behind and
just go as someone who cares. The paediatric ward is split up into several rooms
with 4 or 6 beds. These rooms are small- probably smaller than your master
bedroom. They hold rickety old hospital beds with plastic covered mattresses
that were split open from being used for so many years. Each family member has
to bring their own bedding, pillows, lapas (fabric), bowls, spoons, food, water
etc and then buy the medical supplies that the nurse or doctor tells them to
buy from the hospital pharmacy. Since each room is so small and the Malagasy
people are a strong relational culture, each of the families speak to each
other, like they do in the wards on the ship. They help each other out in ways
that you would never see in a western country.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">There were such a small number of us going for Mercy Ministries
that we were able to just have one translator each and go into the rooms in
pairs. We walked in and said hello to the family members and patients inside, taking
the time to speak with each family or mother individually before praying for
the whole room collectively. Seeing the tiny babies wrapped up in blankets or
the toddler sprawled out on the bed looking quite ill, was nothing I had not
seen before and not shocking to me, although also a picture you are not quickly
able to forget. The eyes of the sickest child I met were so dull, I feared she
was closer to death than life but I was not there to be a nurse and so I had to
carry on. I met some beautiful new babies, some only hours old, and their loving
family members who were caring for them. It was truly a privilege to meet each
patient and to be able to stand in that room and pray for them. I also know
that walking through the ward, seeing those sick kids, kindles the fire already
burning within me. This Africa journey I’ve been on, is not ending.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih4OJA6E1APe2b0qoF1UBWDGDpmSkC4fkApwdb1U3cho8ZV3YLxXDAejVd2JRpqmrxYtpI-4nTT1pBfHD9cLFO8gl08RaX_8UKEqEr7Kh29XRZTKGhnyMfTb5hXgH71Vkb9WzNI5wXSqI/s1600/12517055_10100253759437975_1273420221_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih4OJA6E1APe2b0qoF1UBWDGDpmSkC4fkApwdb1U3cho8ZV3YLxXDAejVd2JRpqmrxYtpI-4nTT1pBfHD9cLFO8gl08RaX_8UKEqEr7Kh29XRZTKGhnyMfTb5hXgH71Vkb9WzNI5wXSqI/s640/12517055_10100253759437975_1273420221_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Debhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06372099250512565189noreply@blogger.com1