African Life!

My thoughts are all smashed together at the moment.  I don’t really know when this past week began because so much has happened.  The days seem to linger and yet the weeks fly by.  In the past week we said goodbye to five short-term missionaries, welcomed two new short-term missionaries, celebrated the 4^th of July, continued our work in the Magazine, shadowed doctors in the hospital, played with children, fellowshipped with one another, and went on a day trip to Kpalime to hike to a waterfall, visit the blind center, and shop in the market.  On top of all that I happened to catch a cold and was pretty sick Friday, but God is good and I am finally feeling much better.  

There is not much time to catch ones breath here as things are always happening.  This week our team will be traveling to Mango (Thurs-Sat) to see the hospital that is being built in Northern Togo and do some site seeing, were hoping for some hippos!  I have to say I am missing home but am learning so much here.  Africa is so unbelievably different than America.  Many times I find myself trying to compare the two and often I stand in disgust at how nice Americans have it.  However, I have come to the conclusion that I shouldn’t compare because there really aren’t’ any similarities except that both have people.  Each country is unique to itself and has its own troubles.  As an American I look at Africa and see the poverty and disease and think what sorrows Africans have; but as an African I look at America and see the broken families and drug/alcohol abuse and think what sorrows Americans have. It is all in the way that you look at things.

From what I have perceived thus far the Togolese truly value life or they seem to understand what is important – people.  They are all about family.  In fact if you don’t have a big family you are highly looked down upon.  When I travel through villages I just see people everywhere.  Walking together, eating together, playing together, working together, driving together (Side note: I don’t think I have seen one car that has had less than 4 people in it and most of the time I see a 5 passenger car, small car, filled with 8-10 people plus fruit or luggage stacked as high as possible and hanging out the back end.  The saying here is you can always squeeze one more! In contrast how often do you see more than 1 person in a car traveling down the 5 freeway?  Just something to think about).  The Togolese are definitely a people oriented culture, especially in regards to children.  They are also the hardest working people group I have ever seen.  Each day I see children, around the ages of 5-12yrs old, come to the hospital with huge jugs (similar to gasoline containers but larger) to get fresh water. They walk miles to get the fresh water, fill the jug (which probably weighs 20-50lbs), place it on their head, and walk back home.  It really is mind-blowing.  Well I could go on and on but I have much to do.

Please pray that our team would have safe travels this weekend, stay healthy, and continue to bless those we meet. Please be praying for the hospital and the missionaries here.  This past week was difficult as there were five people that died within a 24-hr period, and that was just one day.  Death occurs often here mainly due to disease.  For some statistics, a doctor that works here only lost 4 patients in his 20 years of practice in the States to similar diseases that take the lives of 170 Togolese a year; and that is just the record for this hospital.  As there is sorrow there is also happiness.  Abraham, whom I have mentioned before, was able to go home today.  His future doesn’t look hopeful, but he has wanted to go home for months now and he finally got to.  I went to say goodbye and it was the first time that I saw him where he couldn’t stop smiling!

Life in Africa!

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored?  It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.  You are the light of the world.  A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good words and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”  Matthew 5:13-16

There are many things in this world that influence people’s perspectives and opinions.  Usually people aren’t swayed too easily; however there are cases when one’s view can change in a moment.  I have been in Africa only one week; and yet this one week has impacted me greatly.  Each night I lie in bed dumbfounded at life.  Life, what is life?  As this question is answered clearly in my mind I have missed the importance of it and the wonderful gift it is.  You could say that in the last week my eyes have been opened immensely too how much I take for granted.  I honestly can’t express in words what I have seen.  African’s have so little and yet they value life and more importantly each other.  They aren’t all about themselves, but rather are more concerned for the well being of others. 

Eight days ago I traveled with a team of nine to Togo, West Africa. For the first few days we became acclimated to our surroundings.  We had much to observe.  You could definitely say culture shock.  All I can say is American’s are spoiled rotten, even the poorest of the poor. To put it into perspective a C-section in the area of Africa I am in costs $5-15 depending on the hospital one goes to.  To be honest sometimes it makes me sick in my stomach just thinking about how much I have complained and what I take for granted.  African’s walk miles to go to school, work or get water.  Women will carry two huge bowls of coal or wood on top of their head (30-50lbs) with a baby strapped to their back for many miles.  When is the last time you saw that in the States – never!  They are the hardest working people I have seen, especially the women and children; and they always have a smile on their faces.   They are very friendly, honestly there are few instances when I pass people where I don’t here them say Bonjour to me and ask me how I am even though all I know how to say back is bonjour. 

My first day here we went on a tour of the hospital.  For the past week our team has mainly been working in the Warehouse, we call it the Magazine.  We basically have been organizing and inventorying all the medical supplies.  It is very overwhelming because they have had no one to manage it so when shipments come in boxes basically get thrown into storage.  The hospital really doesn’t know what they have so it is our job to organize it all.  It has definitely been a test for all of us because it’s not the first job I would sign up for if you know what I mean.  In any case we are making progress, slowly. 

Yesterday was my first full day at the hospital.   I followed an American PA in the morning and then followed a Togolese PA in the afternoon in the clinics.  I greatly enjoyed working with both of them.   My first day was definitely difficult because you never know who will walk through the door.  The hardest thing is that almost all of the patients that die in the hospital would not have died had they been in America.  There was so much I saw yesterday, so much pain and yet happiness mixed within.   I saw children and adults with malaria, meningitis, surgery patients, and premature babies.  One premy baby is called Koku and she is a miracle baby.  She was born a month ago and weighs 408g, so tiny and so adorable.  Seventy-five percent of the children were admitted due to Malaria.  For Africa this is the season for Malaria because of rainstorms, which means many deaths.  The average kid in America probably doesn’t even know what malaria is and it is one of the number one killers of children in Africa.   Thus far while being here there have been five deaths in the hospital, two within the last 24hrs. One was an elderly lady who I actually worked with yesterday, she died early in the morning from congestive heart failure.  The other was a girl only the age of 15.  I was actually viewing a surgery when we heard of her death, which was difficult because this morning she was walking and seemed to be recovering well.  African’s take death extremely hard.  In fact they view it as the most important event in one’s life, especially if you are old because you would have made a name for yourself.  You almost always know when someone dies in the hospital because of the mourning.  There has been so much to take in within the last week, just even the last day.  At night my brain runs a million miles a minute, which is good except for when I need sleep. 

Briefly the thing I have loved most is working with Believers.  In the hospital the very first page of everyone’s medical chart is their spiritual state followed by their medical records.  For every patient we see we will pray with them before we go to the next patient.  This has been very compelling.  Also the staff is absolutely wonderful.  There are many short-term missionaries here as well as long.  Our team stays in the guest house along with other short-term doctors who stay in guest rooms.  We all have breakfast, lunch, and dinner together, which I love.  I have met some incredible people. 

Well that is my short update, haha, there is so much more to tell.  God has been so good and our team has remained relatively healthy, a few upset stomachs.  My knee hasn’t given me many problems thanks to a fantastic African stationary bike that one of the missionaries made for me.  Please continue to keep our team in your prayers and the work we will be doing here.  These last two days have been hard but good just with everything we have seen in the hospital.  Also remember the Togolese.  Animism is very prevalent in Africa.  Each village has a ‘god’ that they believe protects them along with the wind, earth, sun, etc ‘god’.  If something bad happens they believe it is because they have disobeyed the ‘gods’ and thus have an evil spirit upon them.  There is a great need for the truth of the One True God.

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”  Psalm 27:1 

Graduation!

Well I can't believe it but Sarah and I officially finished college.  It is surreal just thinking about it.  Four years have come and gone just like that.  Everyday I hear the words of the wise running through my mind "Cherish every moment for time only goes by faster the older you get."  What a blessing it was to be at The Masters College.   It was humbling to reflect back over the years and think of all that God brought into my life, the good and the bad, and how the events shaped me.  Honestly God is incredible.  Each day I am reminded of how much I must rely upon him as I am completely inadequate without him, I am a fool.   He has been so good to me.  At the moment I am still on crutches, but today while at physical therapy I rode a bike and walked without crutches and my brace. Ah it was so exciting and at the same time so weird and tripy and crazy and I could go on and on.  Learning to walk again is strange and yet such a blessing.  The fact that I get to walk again and I have gotten to reflect or be reminded of all that I took and continually take for granted.  So many say I am so sorry about your injury and most of the time deep down I am like me to, this is not fun; but then there are those moments when I realize my injury is nothing compared to what most go through.  The world is full of misery with cancer, disease, disabilities, etc.  I am one of the blessed ones.  How often I forget this and what a shame.  It just shows the selfish/self-centered human I am.  I pray that God would continue to put me in my place, reveal the sin in my life, and allow me to be a light to those around me.  Praise God for all he has done.

Trusting God isn't always easy but the best

It has been quite awhile since I have written to say the least.  I would say I probably fail at blogging, but then again I haven't given it a good shot so here I go once again.  Israel was absolutely a life changing experience.  To say it simply I once read the Bible in black and white and now it is full of color and life.  I was blessed beyond belief to go and I thank God for such an incredible opportunity.  Since then so many things have happened.  I started my last semester of college, which ends in four weeks :), am living off-campus with two incredible girls, Mollie and Kayla; have two classes with my little sister being able to spend every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with her going to chapel, lunch and classes, which I have absolutely loved.  But the main reason I finally started blogging again was because God had a change of plans with my life.  This summer I was planning on going to Togo, Africa on a medical missions trip with eight other amazing people.  I have been preparing this whole semester for it and couldn't have been more excited to go.  Well on 3/31 I was playing intramural soccer and managed to step on some uneven ground, which resulted in a torn ACL and inverted and torn lateral meniscus.  As I was going down I knew exactly what had happened and all I could think was why, why me, why again, why?   There were so many other people playing, over 50.  Not one of them got hurt and not that I would wish it upon them, but why me?  The first thing I said was my parents are going to kill me, which they didn't and have been amazing about it.   The following 10 days were a whirlwind going from one doctors appointment to the next, getting X-rays and an MRI, getting tons of calls form different medical people.  In short the doctor told me I needed surgery asap, but for me that wasn't the worst.  The worst was when I reminded him about Togo after hearing the results and he immediately swore and dropped his head (I sorta laughed later because I couldn't believe he swore,  after shadowing two doctors I came to find they will never swear unless they know the individual really well or something is serious and it happens to slip out.)  Once he lifted his head he said "Togo is absolutely out of the question."  I kept myself composed and left the office completely devastated.  Honestly at that moment I really could have cared less about what had happened to my leg, I was crushed about Togo.  Why, I felt like God had completely thrown Togo in my lap only to rip it out and taunt me this whole time.  On 4/10 I had surgery.  The doctor was able to repair both the meniscus and the ACL, but if the meniscus doesn't heal within six weeks he will have to take it out.   I have been recovering at my older sisters house and my mom flew out, which was such a blessing.  I can't say that recovery has been easy, its rather been frustrating due to insurance and medical equipment problems.  Now hear I am finally finding myself updating my blog after months of nothing.  To sum up all thats happened is difficult.  I am trusting the Lord, but it is not always easy especially when you see nothing ahead of you and I had Togo.  Still I know God's ways are perfect.  Life truly can change in a second,  but the joy in it all is knowing that although life may change God will still be with me and my family and friends by my side to get me through difficult times.  This is the blessing that I have because of Christ.  Not only that, but I know it could be much worse.  There are so many hurting with much more trying situations.  I may not be able to walk for awhile but I still have a leg and a healthy body.  Anyways that is my life at the moment.  It went from being really great to just about rock bottom, but like I said God has a purpose and I pray that I would remember that "God is always good it is how we view his goodness in our lives that affects our attitudes." Romans 5:3-5 "More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."