Treating Rabies

I never ceased to be amazed of the things I see here. Today I saw an 11 year old girl that came in with a dog bite. The major risk here is malaria and when I asked if it was a mad dog, they informed me that they had killed the dog. We have the rabies vaccine here and I had to go to the pharmacy to ask how to write for it. Well, when I came back, James told me they had brought something to show me – the dog's head! I thought they were joking but then they picked up the bag on the floor. I screamed & turned my head... I couldn't handle seeing that... but James saw it and said it was pretty bad. The smell was sickening. And then our interpreter grabbed it and said she was going to cook it! What in the world! You're not supposed to eat the head of a possible rabid dog!! Yes, every day brings more excitement! I have to go to dinner now. We are having goat tonite... my first time eating goat! That will be tomorrow's story... Wish you were all here with me! :)    

A record-breaking day in pediatrics

Today was another busy day in clinic. We set the record today in pediatrics – Dr. Miller and I saw 157 patients and admitted 15 to the hospital! We are exhausted! They said that changing clinic to 5 days instead of just 3 would lessen the daily load, but I still don't believe that. It still amazes me how many kids can have malaria and be so sick.

I never know what's gonna happen in peds. Last week a kid started crying so hard when I was examining him (do I really look that scary?) that he began vomiting... and with an “I hate you” look on his face, he picks up the vomit and starts throwing it at me! I couldn't believe it! At least I was able to dodge it but it was definitely a first. :)

Here's a picture outside the pharmacy. You can see there is so many people! You walk around clinic and people are everywhere - standing up, sitting down, lying on the ground. There is an endless sea of suffering people at the hospital... never-ending... so much disease and sickness. Continue to pray that God would give us health, endurance and wisdom to care for the sick.

Greetings in Mampruli

Although English is the official language of Ghana, many people here in the north only speak the local dialects. Mampruli is the most common language spoken around Nalerigu. I've tried to learn some basic Mampruli, although I haven't gotten as I wanted and at times still try to talk to the patients in Portuguese or pick out Portuguese words in the songs at church. :)

Greetings are a big deal here and there seems like a hundred different greetings! I have mastered the usual good morning, good afternoon, good evening but there are different greetings for people working, for a group of people versus 1 person, for someone eating, for someone walking, for someone carrying water... and who knows what else! Every morning on the way to the hospital I walk past the maintenance guys and attempt to greet them. I can now say “Good morning” and the proper morning follow up “How are you?” but then they will say something else and I'll start laughing or say what I think may be right in the form of a question. They all laugh but since I'm laughing too I guess it's ok. 

On Friday I was talking to one of my patients and I thought she asked how I was doing and I said “Alafia” which means “Doing well” but then my interpreter informed me she was asking how my husband was doing. When I said, “Oh, I don't have a husband”, her reply was that she would take me home and let me share her husband! FYI - It is not uncommon for men to have multiple wives here, a concept I still don't understand how these women can be ok with! But I decided that I'll just got back to saying “Alafia” whether they are asking how I am doing or about my husband... ignorance is bliss and I don't think I want any more women offering to share their husbands with me!   

Station Meeting

Every Thursday night we have station meeting. It is where all the missionaries and any volunteers that wish to join them meet together for a time of worship, prayer and fellowship. It rotates around to the different houses and the host always makes a yummy dessert. :) It is always a special time. We have hymnals and we suggest songs to sing. Most of the hymns I know but many I have no heard in years and it's been cool to really think about the powerful words of so many of them. We have a time of sharing and then a time of prayer requests. Last night was special because it was the last night for the Failes. We had a special time of prayer for them as they continue on God's journey for them to the next phase. They left today and it was sad, for them and for all of us. Please be in prayer for them as they travel and adjust to life in the States. I have been praying especially for hope and for peace for them during this time because I remember that it's what I needed most when I was leaving Brasil. I trust that God will provide for the large gap that the Failes are leaving here and that He will also provide a new ministry for them. I thank God for the hope and the peace He gives us!

On Call

Being on call here is quite the experience. When you're on call you're in charge of all the inpatients (up to 140 patients if it's full) and they call you for any new patients or emergencies. We do nightly rounds at about 10 pm in hopes that they will not call us in the middle of the night. And there is no pager here for the person on call... they come to your house and knock on your door (not even a doorbell) to wake you up! I have only had to go back in once in the middle of the night. Last night I didn't get home til almost 1 am though. After rounding on the patients, I had to scrub in on the C section – the uterus was ruptured and then the power went off in the middle of surgery. Try to imagine, just as the doctor is suturing the uterus back together, it becomes completely dark in the OR. A guy used his cell phone to find a flashlight and we survived like that for 5 minutes before thankfully the power came back on! Only in Africa!!

African Road Trip

Yesterday was quite the adventure! I went to Burkina Faso and back in a day, a long 10 hours filled with memories that words cannot fully explain! :) I had to leave the country in order to renew my visa so I decided to take advantage of the missionaries driving to Burkina. I talked Angela into going with me and we got a ride with them to the border. After going through immigration in Burkina (interesting to say the least... a little building, men speaking French, no computers but a book where they wrote everybody's passport numbers in it), we left the group and walked a mile back to the Ghanian border. 

After waiting for a while at Immigration, we were back in Ghana and ready to begin our adventure back to Nalerigu. We walked for a while and finally found a taxi that drove us an hour to the closest city. So this taxi was literally falling apart -the backseat windows couldn't even open, with every bump I thought the bumper would fall off, and with the strongest smell of kerosene. We finally made it there only to get on a crowded van for the next part of the journey. I was in the back seat between 3 women and barely could sit back. 

The last part of the journey was the craziest and the longest. In Wale-Wale we had to wait over an hour before the bus could even leave. The vans here have to fill up completely before they will leave – no bus schedules here! And once we finally did leave, we spent over 2 hours on this dirt road – probably the worst, bumpiest road I've ever been on! We were crowded into this bus on this crazy road... I looked over at one point at Angela & said “Why did we do this?” We stopped at all the villages along the way to let people on and off and didn't get back in Nalerigu until after dark. 

So happy to have made it, we start walking home only to be followed by a group of kids who are yelling at us, trying to talk to us and then they start pulling my hair. After spending almost 5 hours crowded together with Africans, I just wanted to take a shower and be by myself. Finally we yelled at them to leave us alone and finished our walk home in peace. So, that was our Burkina Adventure! I could have just paid the money to get a visa extension, but the African road trip and going to a new country were way more exciting! :)

The Failes' Farewell Weekend

It has been a busy weekend of celebration here at BMC and it has been interesting to be a part of it. Yesterday was the farewell ceremony for the George and Elisabeth Faile here at the Baptist Medical Center. It was a 5 hour long ceremony!!! It was scheduled to begin at 9 am, didn't start until after 11 and went on until almost 5 pm! And there was no lunch break, only “refreshments” - glass bottles of coke that they handed out to everyone. Africans do not do anything halfway and the ceremony was evidence of that! It was all outside and there were over 300 people present! There were many speeches, with everyone first addressing all the important people present (apparently it's a cultural thing and a way of showing respect). There was also music and dancing – African style! And the funniest part was that they had shirts made with the Failes' picture on the front and people wore them, including George and Elisabeth! And then today in church they had another celebration and time of thanking, praying and giving – a 3 hour long service! My favorite part of the celebrations were when they received the gifts and they had to leave and come out wearing their new outfits!

For people who don't like to be in the spotlight, it has been quite a weekend. Dr. Faile told me today that he would rather have been on call. :) But it was an important weekend, especially for the Ghanaian people to have the opportunity to thank the Failes for all they have done. And it was awesome because God received all the glory. It was not hours and hours of people crying but instead of people thanking God for the life of this couple and for bringing them to Ghana. People talked of the Failes' obedience to God's call, their perseverance during these 22 years and the hard work both of them have demonstrated here at BMC. I pray that the words that were spoken touched the hearts of those that do not know the Lord. I know that for me personally, especially after a long, hard week at the hospital, that it was good to see the big picture and be reminded that God is at work and uses us for His glory. As I have heard people talk all weekend about the Failes and their faithfulness, I have been thinking a lot about legacy. I encourage each of you to think as well about what kind of legacy you want to leave. What really is important in this life? What do you want people to say about you at the end of it all?

Hair Braiding and Soccer

I am trying to find some time during our nonstop work at the hospital to get to know the culture a little better. Yesterday I got my hair braided. It was quite the experience, spending half an hour on the covered “front porch” of a mud hut on the main street watching normal daily life of people here in Nalerigu while a woman braided my hair. There were some high school girls that kept looking at me and laughing... I couldn't tell whether they were looking because it looked good or really bad, haha! But it's fun and definitely much cooler. And did I mention it cost less than $2?? When I walked home no one yelled “Saliminga” as I walked back so I decided that I must fit in better now. :) All of the locals keep saying how nice it looks and that I look more African now. :) After getting my hair braided I went to watch a soccer match. In honor of the Failes leaving, there are many activities going on this week. The soccer game was between the hospital staff and a local school and was quite the game. The excitement of the fans and the talent of the players was like what I saw in Brasil, but the difference was that there were goats and a donkey that came out on the field in the middle of the game... and they just kept right on playing!  And the field was part grass, part dirt, with holes and no clear boundary lines... we asked and they said the field on one side and the fans on the other! Wish y'all could have been here to experience the game with us!  

Pictures on Facebook

Our internet is finally back up and working so I was able to upload pictures to facebook. Even if you aren't on facebook I think you can follow this link to the album.  Hope you enjoy! 

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=110789&id=517652235&l=9970558d5c

Saliminga

Any time any of us walk out of the hospital compound we become the town's entertainment.  As I'm walking down the streets I hear kids yelling, "Saliminga, Saliminga" or "Saliminga, hello".  "Saliminga" means "white person".  I will never be mistaken for a native here.  :)  All the kids love getting their picture taken.  Kids are the same wherever you go... they cry at the doctor, say funny things and love getting their picture made.  This is a picture of some of the kids on the street.  They are so cute!

Busy days in clinic

Our internet is fixed!! Well, at least for today! Hopefully it will stay that way. It has been a very busy past few days here at the hospital. Mondays are always busy clinic days but yesterday was exhausting for me – I saw 70 patients, including a minor procedure and admitting 2 patients to the hospital - a woman in labor and an older lady with pneumonia. I didn't leave clinic until after 7 pm! Today one of the med students and I ran the adult clinic because the doctors were either away or doing surgery. It was definitely a stretch for us but we did ok. Tonight I am actually on call. They put the volunteers into the rotation for night call together with the permanent doctors. The first 3 times I was with an ER resident who was really good so it was no big deal and we actually didn't get any calls in the middle of the night, but he left on Sunday. So now I'm doing it alone and am a little nervous so y'all definitely say some extra prayers for me tonite please. Please continue to pray for strength and endurance for all of us. I am tired but I can't complain much because the doctors here work more than me and they do it week after week, year after year. The need is so great here and the workers are few.  

God is our Light

“God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5

“I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn darkness into light before them... I will not forsake them.” Isaiah 42:16

It is so dark here at night. I guess after spending so much of my life in big cities like Atlanta and Rio de Janeiro, I am not used to being somewhere that is so dark. It is especially dark here at the hospital compound because there are no street lights and as I walk at night, I've been thinking about how God is our light and how we are His light in a dark world. I love Isaiah 42:16 and is definitely true as God is leading me along many unfamiliar paths. He is my light and He is leading me with His light. And just like when I am walking in the dark night and can only see a few steps ahead of me with my flashlight, God is leading me step by step. He gives me light for today and wants me to leave the future in His hands. And because I am His and His Spirit lives in me, I am His light in this dark world. The darker it is, the brighter the light seems to shine. Pray for me, that I would continue to trust God to lead me in the dark, unfamiliar paths and that His light would shine through me for all to see. May I help to bring light to those around me.

“I have but one candle of life to burn, and I would rather burn it out in a land filled with darkness than in a land flooded with light.”

When it rains, it pours

Another rainy Saturday. It is the rainy season and although some days are sunny, it usually ends up raining at some point during the day. The rain is nice sometimes, although I still wake up in the middle of the night sometimes when the rain is pounding on our tin roof and some mornings the rain makes me want to stay in bed. I always carry my umbrella with me because you never know when it will start raining. We don't have a dryer and last Saturday morning when I did laundry it was sunny and I thought it was safe to hang my towels outside on the clothesline. Well, less than 2 hours later I was down at House 6 eating lunch and the torrential downpour begins. It was a thunderstorm with heavy rain, wind and lightening and I was stuck hanging out there for the next few hours. When I finally got home, I discovered 3 out of my 4 towels on the grounds covered in mud and leaves! Thankfully when I washed them again, they came out clean but I've decided to not hang anymore things outside, or at least until the rainy season is over. :)

Internet Update: The part did finally arrive but we still don't have internet. It appears to be a problem with the network now but with the rain, the cell phones haven't been working great so they haven't been able to call. As soon as we get internet back, I'll post some more pictures, but it's just too slow here at the internet cafe, which we have named the “Internet shack”.  

The Baptist Medical Centre

The Baptist Medical Centre (BMC) was started about 50 years ago by the International Mission Board and the Ghanaian Baptist Convention to meet the great physical needs in the Northern region of Ghana. It is a 140 bed hospital (I'm not sure of the actual number of patients it can hold because I've seen patients on the floor). The hospital grounds are about 750 acres and in addition to the hospital, there are 12 houses used to staff missionaries and staff, a school for the missionary kids, a malnutrition center, a health department that does vaccines and prenatal care, and a TB village. There are 3 long-term doctors here presently. Dr. Faile, whose father actually helped start the hospital, is a family practice doctor who also does most of the surgeries and has been here for over 20 years. Dr. Hewitt is a family practice doctor who has also been here for many years. They are both IMB missionaries. Dr. Dickens is an OB-GYN who has been here since last November and is planning on being here for 2 years. All of these men work very hard... I have shared about how much I work and how tiring it is, but these men work longer and harder than I do, year after year. Even with 3 full-time doctors and many volunteers, the need remains great. In addition, Dr. Faile & his wife Elisabeth are retiring and actually leaving in just a few weeks. They will leave a great void and no one is really sure how things will be once they are gone, especially since Dr. Faile is the main surgeon. And since the missions giving is down and the sending of IMB missionaries has decreased as a result, the worry is what will happen if no other doctor comes, especially because the Hewitts are up for Stateside next summer. I share this with you to ask for your prayers for this hospital and the leadership. Pray for everyone during this transition times as the Failes leave. Pray for God's provision of another full-time doctor. Pray for more volunteers to help lessen the great load. Pray that I would be a help and an encouragement to all here during this time. And if you know of any doctors that might be interested in coming here long-term or as a volunteer, please share with them about BMC. You can check out the hospital's website at www.baptistmedicalcentre.org

Just normal things around here

Things are a little different around here than compared to hospitals in the States. Last Thursday they had to cancel surgeries for the day because there were no IV fluids. The hospital was out of IV fluids!! I already told y'all about them not having a blood bank here. One man “bought” a donor... he paid a man around $150 to donate blood. It might sound crazy to you, but his wife was bleeding and would die without a transfusion and his blood type was not compatible. It is frustrating at times knowing there are things we could do but just can't do here. There was a man that came in last night with a diagnosis of “overdose of some medicine” - that is what the chart said. We began to talk to the family and they didn't know what drug he had taken. When we asked what disease the medicine was for, they just said the man was “mad”. They were from Togo (neighboring country) and brought him to us because he was unconscious. There are limited labs we can do here – basically CBC, urinalysis, blood film for malaria, and blood glucose. And the first week I asked about doing pregnancy tests and the Dr. told me that they do pelvic exams. I am learning to do a lot of new things. We've had another busy week at clinic and the hospital. And supposedly the new part to fix our internet will arrive tomorrow – let's hope it will be fixed soon!! Thanks for all the prayers!

Transportation

Getting around over here is a little different than I'm used to. My main form of transportation is my own two feet... which I don't mind at all during the day except when it's raining and the dirt roads become full of mud puddles. Or when it's really hot and the flies constantly buzz around my head. But at night it is a different story. Ghana has these poisonous snakes called copper vipers that bite you and screw up your blood clotting mechanism. We have to admit every patient with a snake bite and although we do have anti-venom, I've seen people die from it. I'm not too fond of snakes to begin with, but seeing every day what they can do to you makes it even worse. There are no street lights in the hospital compound so walking home in the dark is quite an experience. I don't even care about the bats that are flying above me because my flashlight and eyes are fixed on the road ahead of me. I've discovered a better alternative though – my roommate, Angela, has a bike and while she's out of town she said I could use it. It's a great alternative to walking – faster, no flies flying around your head, and no snakes at your feet. But having not ridden a bike in probably 10 years added to the fact that I'm always wearing a skirt and have to make sure it doesn't fly up or get stuck in the wheel, it's quite the adventure! And at night it's even funnier because I have to hold my flashlight in one hand so I can see where I'm going! One night I almost collided with another biker (who was riding in complete darkness!) and had to swerve and almost ran into the ditch... yes, adventures like this only happen to me! This week I've added the truck to my transportation. There's this old truck here that they let the volunteers use – stick shift, no interior lighting, windshield wipers don't work – the kind of vehicle I would never think about driving if I wasn't in Africa. Well, this week I drove it and was happy to know that I still remember how to drive a standard. And Ricky & Dad, you should be so proud of me – this is way worse than Dad's old work truck! But when it's dark and raining, it's the best option! :)

Internet Update

Our internet is still not fixed. They were supposed to ship the broken part replacement to Tamale yesterday and one of the missionaries was there for the day and picked it up. We had hopes that the internet might be fixed by today, but the company shipped the wrong part! Maybe it will be fixed sometime this week. We are thankful for the internet cafe, but ready to have internet access back at the school. There is only one internet cafe in the whole town and it is definitely an experience. I think the hospital compound is the only place that has wireless... so I can't even get “gato wireless” (picking up someone else's wireless connection). The first day 3 of us walked in with our laptops to a room with no empty computers. But I think Ghanaians are a little like Brazilians in that they find a “jeitinho” (a way around things) for everything. Ethernet cords appeared out of nowhere and chairs were provided as they made way for us! It only costs 1 Ghana cedi (around 75 cents) an hour... we still haven't figured out how they make money! To have internet at the school, I was told they pay $500 a month for internet access!! So if this internet cafe only charges 1 cedi an hour and can hold 10 people max, I'm not so sure how they survive. The connection is super slow (maybe that's how they can afford to charge us so little) but at least it's there... well, unless the power goes off in the whole town for a few hours like last night. The things we take for granted in the States...

P.S. I tried for an hour this afternoon to post this but was unable so I had to come back up to the internet cafe tonite... at least we got to see the town at night. :)

First Baptist Church Nalerigu

I have gone to the First Baptist Church for the past few weeks. The service is both in Mampruli and English so we are able to understand most of it. The service lasts 2 ½ to 3 hours! During the offering time, instead of passing plates, we go up row by row to the front of the church to drop money in a box. My favorite part of the service is when the choir sings a song and people go to the front and dance. I was told that whoever wants to just goes to the front and starts dancing – not the kind of thing I'm used to seeing in a Baptist Church! :) I love to see them worshiping God in their native language. Even though I can't understand the words, you can see their worship as they praise the Lord. Today the pastor spoke about God being at work around us and that He calls us as laborers in His harvest. I have been praying this week that God would show me if there are any other ministries He wants me to be involved in during the time I'm here, in addition to my work at the hospital. Today I was reminded that God is at work and I am asking Him to open my eyes and to show me how I am to be involved.  As you pray for me, I challenge you to remember that God is at work around you, wherever you are. Ask Him how He wants you to be involved and be open to His leading.  

5 day clinic

This week was the first week we started having clinic 5 days a week. They used to have clinic Mon, Wed & Fri while Tues/Thurs was reserved for surgeries and minor procedures. But they lines were becoming so long that this week we started having clinic 5 days a week in hopes to spread the numbers out over 5 days. I'm not so sure that this will happen though. This week in clinic has been just as busier or maybe busier. Friday in peds Dr. Miller and I saw 126 patients! And the patients are really sick. They are not just coming with made-up complaints but have legitimate sickness. We are all exhausted after a full week. I have been switching back and forth from pediatrics and adults. Now that I have gotten the swing of things, I am quicker at seeing patients... all my experiences in Brasil prepared me well. Some days I have started off seeing kids and when we finish I go to help with the adults. They thanked me for being flexible and willing to move around (one day they moved me around to 4 different rooms based on which ones were empty). But because of our clinics in Rio, I'm used to getting a chair and seeing patients anywhere so it hasn't bothered me at all. I'm just glad that I'm able to help. Continue to pray that God would equip me to do what He has called me to do.  

New Friends, Shared Experiences

One of the good things about BMC is that there are always missionaries and volunteers to hang out with. For me, it is an answered prayer and I thank you for your prayers for friendships. Y'all know I can't survive for very long without people to talk to! :) I am living with Angela, the journeyman here, but I eat lunch and dinner at House 6 with the other volunteers. People come and go – some stay only for a week and others for a few months. This week we have such a variety – an English med student, a Swiss med student, a retired doctor from New England, an ER resident from California and me. We have interesting conversations and it's been great hanging out with them. Apart from all the work at the hospital, there is not a lot to do around here. And because the internet has been broken this week, we've seemed to have more free time. But we've managed to entertain ourselves with movies and episodes of “House” and working on a puzzle... which happens to be of snowy Switzerland... doesn't really fit with Africa though, haha! Pray that I would be a blessing to the other volunteers and for opportunities to share with those that do not know the Lord. BMC accepts anyone who desires to come, and some of the volunteers are not necessarily here for missions, but for an international medical experience. Pray that Christ would shine through my life for all to see.  

Busy Monday in clinic

Today was a busy Monday in clinic! I am seeing adults this week and although I do miss the kids, I was able to treat many adults today. Kids are easier because it's usually pretty obvious when they are sick but adults are much tougher... you have to sort through all the vague symptoms to decide if it is something serious or if they just need Tylenol and Antacids. There was a road traffic accident today right before lunch so we had a greater inflow of patients. I didn't take lunch until 1:45 because I helped to treat a lot of people from the accident. We didn't finish clinic until after 7 pm – a long work day! Continue to pray for me and the others here, especially for strength, for health and for knowledge to continue in the great task we have before us daily.  

P.S. We still don't have internet so I will just be coming to the internet cafe a few times a week.  So that's why if you write me and I don't write back for a while. :)

Give Blood, Save Lives

I gave blood for the first time today... definitely a unique experience! The hospital does not have a blood bank and so when patients need blood, they search for family members who can donate to them. I never thought about what you do when you can't just call down to the blood bank and pick up one unit of blood for a patient... We take so many things for granted in our westernized hospitals. Many kids die here because they have no one to donate to them or they are unable to receive the blood in time. This morning Dr. Miller came up to me and asked me if I wanted to give blood. There was a little boy that needed blood and I had his blood type. His dad had donated to him twice but the boy's hematocrit was still only 10%. So I went to the lab and donated blood. I have to say it was the strangest and the greatest feeling to walk back to the peds ward carrying my own blood for a patient. The father was there and even though we could not speak the same language, his face showed so much gratitude. I asked him if he would allow me to pray for his son, and I prayed for healing for this boy and that his family would come to know the Lord if they don't already know Him. Pray for this family and so many others that are hurting because of sickness. Pray for opportunities for me to be a light here, both in my words and my actions.

Update: It's Tuesday now and the boy is feeling better. His hematocrit jumped from 10% to 19% - apparently I have really good blood! Thanks Mom for making me eat healthy and take vitamins! :) The parents thank me every time I go visit.