Plastics

Today, I floated to a different ward. The B Ward is really slow because there are no more general surgeries taking place and we just have some long term patients still on the ward. The eye surgery patients have been discharged and since its the weekend, we aren't getting new patients. Because we now have more than one plastics surgeon, A Ward is super busy and so for my evening shift, I went there today.

I was so happy to see many of the people I had met the day I visited the Hope Center (I still haven't gotten a chance to go back there). They all remembered me and were so happy to see me again. My Krio is much better since I was last there and many of them were impressed with how much I had learned in such a short time. I also was working with Harry today and he too was very proud :) It gives him such pleasure to see how effective his teaching has been. Many of the patients on this ward have had burn contracture releases. Burn contractures are caused after severe burns that are not treated properly. It is the tightening of the skin after second or third degree burns and as a result the limb or area has restricted movement. We have patients ranging from ages 4 to 40 and some of the older patients have had the contracture for over 20 years. Many of the contractures are on the hands and wrists and elbows, but we also have a few on the neck, face, and eyes. The release is done either with Z-plasty, a technique for loosening the skin without a graft, or by using a skin graft. Most grafts are taken from the thigh which causes the patient to have two wounds. Two wounds that have to heal and two wounds that cause the patient pain. Some patients also have K-wires put into their limbs. K wires are pins that are put into bones to prevent them from returning to a position. Most of the wrist contracture patients have K wires. Thier wrists prior to surgery were bent in nonfunctional positions and the K wires hold the joint in place until proper healing takes place. These patients get alot of physiotherapy and remain on bedrest for a few days so the grafts can hold and healing can begin.

I loved being there today, and am very excited to see what the end results of these individuals are. Both Regina, Josephine and Hawa from the Hope Center visit were there and I'm going to bring them the pictures of us tomorrow.

It was a great day!
Oh! and I got a 73 on my first Krio exam! I guess that's not so bad for just learning. Harry says I'm ready to learn a new set of phrases. I'm very excited!
Tenki papa God fu tiday! Mi na bohku gladi!

Ar lek mi nyu padi dem :)

Its been a while since I last wrote and feel there is so much to say. The night shifts are done. Yesterday, Friday, I slept only about 4 hours so that I could somewhat get a normal sleep last night, but that didn't go so well. I was up late.  My body quickly got used to working during the night and sleeping during the day. I got used to it by the fourth night, but really didn't enjoy not bring able to see people much this week. My times at night on the ward by myself, the patients and the day workers were very valuable and have added tremendously to my experience. I have learned so much from them and talking with them has changed my perspective on life.

The third night was really busy. Both 20 month old babies who were going for cataract surgery were postop that night and were fussy most of the night. Their eyes were wrapped with bandages and their hands were also wrapped so they couldn't pull at the bandages, but, boy, did they try. By the time I went in on Thursday night, they both had been discharged. Some of the nurses who were there that morning said they were looking around at everything once the bandages were off. Praise the Lord, for they have received sight! Very encouraging.

Thursday night was by far my favorite. There was only 6 patients. They had discharged four during the day, so it was a quiet, very laid back night. I had my first Krio test, which Harry left for me to take during the shift, and I recevied another lesson from Kadiatu, the mother of a 6 year old patient. She speaks very little English and speaks Krio and Temne. She spoke to me only in Krio and I was very happy to be able to understand as much as I did. We talked about our families, and I showed her a picture of mine. She wanted me to take a picture of her so I could show my family, but I didn't have my camara. I told her I would come to the ward on Friday so that I could get one. She asked many questions and when I started to respond in English, she pretended like she really couldn't understand and made me respond in Krio :) Her and Esther, a patient, stayed up until about 1am with me, talking about things in Sierra Leone and sharing some of their lives with me. I was doing some charting while talking and Kadiatu told me how she didn't know how to write and how she was unable to go to school when growing up because she didn't have the money to do so. In Sierra Leone, all schooling, from elementary school through university has to be paid for. She explained that she has taught herself some of the letters, but can't read or write them. I grabbed a piece of paper, pulled out a pen and wrote her name down. I then gave her a piece of paper and handed her the pen. She copied her name; she wrote so beautifully and then with excitement showed it to me. She then wanted to write her sons' names (Ali and David) and her husband's name. I helped her do so and then celebrated with her in her accomplishment. The joy that she had after writing the names is indescribable. She showed Esther, and the other day workers and told them how she wrote them herself. She then told me that she was going to write the names over and over again until she filled the page and would give it to me the next day. Since I wasn't going to be working, I told her I would come after I woke up. I was so thankful the Lord allowed me to share this moment with her.

Esther and Kadiatu also knew where the church my aunt was telling me about was and Kadiatu said she would take me there the next day so I would know where it was. We made plans to meet after a woke up in the early afternoon on Friday. I really enjoyed my time with them. After they went to bed, I spent some time talking with the day workers, Sahr and Abu Bakaar. I learned so much about them and Abu Bakaar says I have to go to his house so I can meet his mother and so she can teach me some "African" things :)

Friday, I got up at 12:30pm cutting my sleep time almost in half so I could meet with Kadiatu and so I would get back on a normal sleeping schedule. When I went to the ward, Esther told me that Ali had been discharged and that they had left that morning. I was very sad to hear that I had missed them. I had missed the opportunity to get a picture with Kadiatu and to spend time with her as she showed me the town. Esther did tell me that she had left a message for me saying that when she returns to the ship, possibly for the followup appointment, she would bring me the paper of names :) I am touched to know that this means so much to her.

Friday evening, I went to Word of Life for the music celebration for the end of the revival. Michael had been preaching there everyday this week and for the last day they were going to have just a music service. There was alot of singing and dancing. They even pulled me forward to dance with everyone for two of the songs. This is Abu Bakaar's family's church. His father is the pastor and I did get to meet his mom; both his parents are very warm and welcoming people and were really happy I came to their church again. I really enjoyed myself and, retrospectively, I even enjoyed dancing up front (I was so out of my comfort zone and was quite embarrassed at the time :)

I keep meeting so many people and am really thankful for my new friends. That's what the title says in Krio " I love my new friends." I am really really enjoying myself, and love being a witness of all the Lord is doing here in Sierra Leone.

As a matter of prayer:

• Pray for the surgeons as they do great work on the patients here
• Pray against infections and for good healing
• Pray for the strength of all the workers, both on the ship and in the hospital 
• Pray for the eye team and dental team
• Pray that all will have attitudes of Jesus and see the people as Christ sees them- as His children, people created in the image of God
• Pray against malaria (I have a few bites myself)

In Jesus Name. Until next time!

Night Shifts

Its 3am, the hardest hour on the night shift. I'm on my second night of four and I'm more than halfway through :) The night shift is from 9:30pm to 7:30am. Not too bad, but it is a challenge to stay energized and from falling asleep when being the only nurse on the ward.

Last night, there was only 7 patients. However, there was also about another 20 people on the ward which we are calling the Bed&Breakfast patients. They are members of the Hope Center who are being housed here for now until their surgeries take place. Because the seven who are patients are the only ones that require nursing care, only one nurse is needed and its my turn! Last night was very hard. I slept in yesterday morning and then took a 3 hour nap during the day thinking that may be enough to get me through the night. There is only so much you can do before getting bored and the patients on the ward are very stable and don't need much care during the night. I did have a day volunteer, Harry, with me, and he gave me a Krio lesson which lasted about an hour. I read some of a book. I'm reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan, an amazing book about the love of God. I then read some of my Bible. I checked my email. Harry and I talked about lots of stuff. He shared with me how this experience working with Mercy Ships has changed his life and has been unlike any other experience he has had. He loves being a part of something so wonderful and loves seeing the impact that is occuring in the lives of his people. We did a word search, looked at pictures on his cell phone. Anything to stay awake. By 3am, I was so tired. My eyes just wanted to shut and I was so hungry. I never realized how much staying up affects ones body. God bless all those that normally work night shift! By the time 5am came around I got a second wind, did all my vitals, finished charting and prepared to meet the day shift, which was also just one nurse who came in at 7am.

I slept until about 3pm today, and then woke up to meet me two new roommates and then go to dinner. I just hung out until it was time to go into work.
Tonight is much better. I have ten patients. I am by myself again and Harry is my day volunteer. I have a bit of a challenge tonight in that 6 of my 10 patients are children. I don't have any pediatric experience, and two of them have malaria. In addition, another one spiked a fever. Each child is an interesting case.

• One is a long term patient who had a burn contracture to her axilla and arm after burns to one side of her body. Her donor graft site became infected and she has been with us for a long time while that heals. She is 5 years old and doesn't really require much care at night.
• My second child is a 7 year old boy who had a colostomy reversal done. He's progressing very well and is such a joy. He loves to pray with us at change of shift and is always giving hugs.
• The third child was post op today after having an iridectomy done after some trauma to his eye. A piece of metal had gotten caught in his eye and caused damage to his cornea and iris. He is 6 years old.
• The last three children are all infants. One is an underweight 20 month old with bilateral cataracts, who is preop for surgery tomorrow. The child was also diagnosed with malaria today after spiking fevers.
• The next is another 20 month old infant with bilateral cataracts who also is preop for surgery tomorrow. The child spiked a fever tonight so I don't know what the plan will be in the morning. I did a quick malaria test which was negative. The child does have an upper respiratory infection which could be causing the fever.
• The last child is another 20 month old infant who has webbed hands and feet. The child was also diagnosed with malaria today and was started on treatment and is going to the OR on Friday Lord's willing for surgery to his hand and feet.

In addition to the children, I have four adults who are self sufficient and don't require much during the night. I need to make it to 5am to get over this hump. I am very grateful for a better night. I think I'm just getting used to the night routine. "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." Leaning on Him for the strength to make it through each night.

During the down time each night shift, I have really gotten to spend some time meditating on how good God is and how much He loves us. This may sound cliche; however, this book Crazy Love has helped me see God in a different way. I was challenged by the irony the author states "God doesn't need us but still wants us; we desparately need God but don't really want Him most of the time." Why is this? I pray I can get to the place where all I love the Lord with ALL my heart, mind and soul.

That's all for tonight. I'm trying to make some plans for my one day off this week, Friday. I'll be sleeping the whole first half but want to do something in the night. There is a Jesus Film showing out in the community that night. So I may do that or I was invited by a day volunteer to his church for a worship service. It is at the church I first went to, Word of Life. I may do that instead. I don't know right now. I'm also hoping to go back to the Hope Center tomorrow after I wake up. Some who went today said that Simeon was asking for me, and that Umaar and his family are leaving in the morning. I am sad that I will miss them, but I'm very happy that he is now well enough to go home.

Please continue to pray for the patients and for Umaar as he goes home; and for our surgeons as they do many surgeries each day.

The Lord's Way Ministries

Today I went to church in the city again. I went with Sabrina who was invited to go with Sarah, another nurse on the ship, who was invited by a day worker named Sahr. John also came along and another day worker from the Hope Center Jonathan came as well. We met at the ship at 8:30am and then walked into town to catch a poda-poda. Poda- podas are like city buses; they are vans in which about 20 people squeeze into as they stop at different spots letting more people on and others off. Very cozy :) Some people say the motto is "You can always fit one more." Others say they have shared the poda poda with goats and chickens and other animals with all the people. Really interesting experience. They are more economic to take through town rather than a taxi. It cost about 1,000 Leones each way on the poda poda, whereas it can cost up to 14,000 Leones when taking a taxi. After taking the poda-poda, we walked about another 10 minutes or so through some dirt roads to the church. We arrived for Sunday School which was at 9am.
The church was called The Lord's Way Minitstries. The Sunday school lesson was about preaching the Gospel and how we must use the Word of God when preaching the Gospel. He focused on the idea the truth that there is life and power in the Word of God and identified 10 points/truths about the Word of God and used scripture to back each point
up.

1. It is alive and active- Hebrews 4:12
2. It is like a fire and hammer- Jeremiah 23:29
3. It is the sword of the Holy Spirit-  Ephesians 6:17
4. It probes the heart and mind- Hebrews 4:12
5. It convicts- Acts 2:36-38
6. It regenerates- 1 Peter 1:22-23
7. It brings forth faith- Romans 10:17
8. It doesn't return void- Isaiah 55:10-11
9. It cleanses you- Ephesisans 5:26
10. It cleanses the way of man- Psalm 119: 9-11

The Sunday school teacher emphasized the fact that we must study to show ourselves approved and that we need to take the Word of God seriously and learn to meditate on it day and night. A very good, biblical Sunday School. That lasted until about 10am when they transitioned to the Sunday morning service, which began with some great praise and worship (beautiful African music and dancing) and a time of testimonies, some which were very touching and powerful.

The church had a guest visiting preacher for the service this morning. A man from Nigeria who studies and speaks on prophecies. He spoke from Matthew 24, Luke 21:25 and Revelation 3:10 and spoke about the signs of the end times. He spoke of all the immorality in the world and about how the things happening in the news are all signs that Christ is coming soon. He had some different, nonBiblical views about many things, but he did speak an interesting sermon.

Sabrina, John, and me at church

Jonathan at church

The members of the church

On our way back to the ship, me, John, and Jonathan spoke alot about God and the Bible. We spoke about struggles where we find it hard to do all that we know is the right thing to do, and spoke on how it is so much easier to do what we are used to and to do the things that aren't pleasing to the Lord. John and I was able to encourage Jonathan with Scriptures from the Word, which was nice.

I spoke again with John once returning to the ship and was able to reflect on the day and encourage each other in Christ, to seek the Word for truths especially when we encounter controversial topics such as the end times. We encouraged each other to read and study the Word and to memorize so that we are meditate on it day and night.

We are now heading to the church service on the ship. Looking forward to a great time of worship!

The Hope Center

Today was such a great day! I woke up having no idea what I was going to do. I was hoping to be able to leave the ship and either go in town or check out the Hope Center. After breakfast, I met up with some friends and they were discussing how they were going to clean their cabins and do laundry. One of my roommates was going to the Chimpanzee park, which I am hoping to do at some point, but was going to be staying overnight with the group of people she was going with. I have plans for church tomorrow and didn't want to do an overnight thing so I decided against going with her.

I have a new roommate, by the way! The turnover is so frequent because people are coming every Monday and Thursday and are leaving on any given day. Everyone's length of service differs and there are always new people coming. Sabrina, is my new bunk mate. She is from Switzerland and is also a ward nurse. We are going to be getting two more roommates on Monday as well. Anyways, Sabrina and I decided to clean the cabin and create a "chore chart" so that tasks like cleaning the bathroom and taking the trash out were being done, but not by the same person everytime. We did some laundry and then found out that Vera, a lady on the ship was planning on going to the Hope Center today. I met up with her and asked if I could tag along for the day. She goes to the Hope Center three times a week; usually on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays but because there was a lot of rain yesterday she decided to go today.

I am so thankful I decided to go. The Hope Center by far is my favorite part of this adventure so far! The Hope Center is located down the street from the dock. It is a rented out building that Mercy Ships uses to house patients who live far away from the ship but need followup care and for patients and their caregiviers who live far away and need a place to stay prior to their admission on the wards. General surgery is ending on the ship because our general surgeon is leaving on Monday. A plastics surgeon will be arriving this weekend and we will begin admitting his patients on Monday. Because of that, the Hope Center has a large number of people who are going to be admitted on the ship on Monday for a plastics surgery. There were a large number of burn contractures, mostly kids. There were also a few facial tumors, some eye conditions, some cleft lips/palates and other conditions that all will be taken care of once each patients admission date comes. There were also many of our discharged patients who were there. Most of them were contracture patients who are there for continued physiotherpy for their limbs.

When we arrived, the kids were so excited to see Vera. She usually brings games for the kids and they were excited to see the balls and the game she brought with her today. The mothers and other caregivers are so happy that people are there to visit. The adult patients almost stood off to the side until I went and introduced myself to them in the little bit of Krio I know and then developed some great relationships which I hope to nourish going forward.

Vera and Aminata, a 2 years 8 month old child who has a facial tumor. As a result, she has difficulty eating and is malnourished, hence her small size. She has been at the Hope Center for some time and has been gaining weight and growing so she will eventually be able to have sugery.

These are bead crafts that many of the ladies were working on.

Simeon and I. He was my photographer for the day. He took most of the pictures.

 In Sierra Leone and, as I understand, in most African countries, photographs and cameras are not quickly accepted. I believe it has to do with some of the history in these countries where foreign journalists would come and take photos of the people and then the people would see their pictures in the newspaper and be upset. Also, they are sometimes ashamed of the poverty and conditions of the country. Because of this, we are not allowed to take pictures in the town or of people without permission. In town, it is not uncommon, if caught taking a picture, for one to get mobbed by a group demanding the camera be confiscated or that they receive money in exchange for the photo. I, therefore, no longer plan on traveling into town with my camera. At the Hope Center, I had to receive permission from the individuals to have their pictures taken. This is also another reason why we aren't permitted to take pictures in the hospital wards. I have signed up to have my picture taken with patients by our communications representative who will then post the pictures on a shared folder on the Africa Mercy computer network, where I will be able to take them and share with you. Please be patient. I will do my best to get as many photos of me with the people.

Josephine, Regina (a patient who will arrive to the ship on Monday) and me!
They were teaching me some Krio while I was there :) They think I can learn in 3 months.
I'm definately willing to try.

A boy who was on the plastics ward for a while prior to my arrival

Hassan, Josephine and Regina.
Hassan is the caregiver of his son Usman who will be coming to the ship on Monday for a burn contracture release.

Usman and Hassan

The view from the Hope Center

The view of the ship from the Hope Center

Sabrina, Usman, Me and Bintu.
Usman was a patient at the ship and was also discharged prior to me arriving. He had an amputation of a leg done. He walks with crutches and plays and runs and is quite good at juggling (three balls even) while standing on one leg. Such a happy boy. Bintu's brother was at the ship and she is there with her mother and brother. She clung to me and stayed with me the whole time.

Usman and me playing hand games while we sang worship songs. He learned them all while on the ship. His favorites were Here I am to Worship, Lord I lift Your name on High, and two others I didn't know. He loves to sing and has an amazing voice.

Me, Bintu, and Usman

Usman and Bintu

Umaar, Bintu's brother getting his physiotherapy on his burn contracture release wound

Miriam getting physiotherapy, also a burn contracture release patient. She is amazing at making those bead crafts which are made into purses despite her hand.

Bintu, Me and Miriam

Sabrina and Hawa, a girl who has a burn contracture. Coming to the ship on Monday!

Today was truly a wonderful day! It was nice to be off the ship and even nicer to be with the people. There were many people who didn't want their pictures taken, which I have to respect. Many of them had very visible facial deformities. Its so nice to be able to see people the way Jesus does- all fearfully and wonderfully made. I can't wait to go back to the Hope Center. The kids asked me to come tomorrow, but I will probably try to go again on Monday. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

The Hospital (2)

Some major differences in the hospitals here versus at home:

• The illnesses/conditions are more severe- As I had mentioned in the last post, on my ward, I see mostly hernias, hydroceles and goiters. The extent that some of these conditions have reached are unbelievable. Some of the patients have had these hernias for over 9 years and 11 years. The hydroceles are so large, its unfathomable to think that they have lived and worked with them for so long. Its so exciting to see that they can finally receive relief. Because of the decreased nutrition of all of the patients, wound healing is a huge issue. We have about 6 patients who have been with us for a long time, have gone home and then come back with infections, or who have developed other complications. Infections is a major issue because of lack of cleanliness. During discharge instructions, we have to emphasize the need to "shower" daily and to clean the wound with clean water. Yesterday we had a patient return to the ship after having increased pain post operatively. When asked when he last showered, he responded that it had been a few days. The incisional wounds and surgical wounds are taking a long time to heal. A major part of it is lack of nutrition. We do alot of education on what foods to eat to make one strong and to help with wound healing.  In addition, alot of our long term patients receive nutritional supplements such as Juven, Ensure, and Promod.
• On my first day I had a patient who had a large goiter and was s/p a partial thyroidectomy. She then came down with Malaria. The night after I took care of her, she became very febrile 41.3 degrees (which is like 106.3 degrees fahrenheit) and had chills and shaking. She became hypotensive and lethargic. She is now in our ICU. The malaria is really causing damage to her body. I don't know everything that is going on, but found out yesterday that she also has Typhoid. Another nurse told me that when talking to her, while she is mostly "out of it," she said that had she gone to any other hospital they would have just let her die and was thankful for all that we have been doing to help her get better. I did do some research on malaria and it is a really awful disease. We initially had been treating her with oral Co-artem and she wasn't responding to it so she is now on another antimalarial drug in addition to many more medications. Her thyroid surgery is not causing any problems. Thank the Lord and we are also thankful to Him for bringing her to the ship at such a time where she is able to get treatment for her malaria and typhoid. Please pray for her.
• The poverty, yet resiliency of the patients- Yesterday I discharged a patient. He had a bilateral inguinal hernia repair and was post op day 2. When going over discharge instructions, I asked him how he was going to get home. He said that he was going to walk to the town center and then get a taxi home. The patients have to hand in their transportation money on admission and it is kept in the safe until discharge. He didn't have any transportation money so I asked him how he would get the money to take a taxi and he said to me "I'll beg for it when I get to town." I then asked him if he had someone who he could call to maybe pick him up. He responded that yes he could call someone but they wouldn't pick him up. My heart was saddened, however we aren't nor can be responsible for the patient's transportation. I think of all my patients back home with the same operation and can't even begin to imagine any one of them wanting to walk home after having surgery and having staples remaining in both groins. Never would this happen. Pray for him.
• All the beds in one room- male and female together
• Bed to bed handover- I like this. As much as I thought of it as old fashioned before, I like going with the nurse to see and round on the patient. The chart is also reviewed and signed by both nurses to ensure all the orders are read and performed.
• Charting on paper
• IV drips to gravity- No IV pumps. This is challenging but i'm getting better at counting drops.
• Using the metric system- Kilograms and celsius are my biggest challenges.
• Having to encourage bathing
• Caregivers sleeping under the beds
• Prayer- I only wish we could incorporate prayer into the workplace. Prayer for the nursing staff, prayer for the surgeon and prayer for the patients. It is unlike anything else to have God such an evident part of healthcare and healing. Prayer truly changes the atmosphere and puts patient at ease, especially before surgery.
• Nurses devotion time
• Ward church services

The Hospital

Things I love about the Hospital

• Prayer at change of shift- At every shift change, the previous shift and the oncoming shift pray together for the patients, for the staff and for the will of the Lord to be done.
• Praise/worship singing and dancing- We have a patient life group who comes and plays African music, sings songs in both Krio and English, and dances with the patients. They also do crafts and activities with the patients at other times during the day and provide Christian reading literature
• Spending time with the patients- The pace on the wards is much slower than in the States and it allows for down time to spend time talking with the patients and getting to know them. They are all trying to teach me to speak Krio :) I'm going to try to get pictures taken of me with the patients. The are done by the communications department and are the only way pictures can be taken on the wards. I will do my best :)
• Day workers- Amazing people! They have been hired by Mercy Ships to help in every area. The day workers in the hospital serve as what is similar to aids in the States. They are translators and educators (they perform all of the patient education about hygiene, nutrition, and disease prevention). They help with meals, cleaning, and toileting of patients and help keep the unit clean. They change bedding and are a constant resource for the nurses for questions regarding culture. Some of them are nurses by profession and are working on the ship while it is here. They are wonderful to talk to and spend time with. One day worker yesterday shared with me how her husband was killed during the war in 1999 soon after they were married. She is such a strong woman who moved on and provides for her family. I enjoy spending time with the day workers.
• The relationships the patients develop with each other- Because all the beds are all in one room only a half meter away from each other, the patients become great friends. The culture is already relationship based and the patients enjoy spending time together. They sing together, they encourage each other. We had a patient who had a large goiter and was admitted to have a thyroidectomy done. The patient in the bed next to her showed her his drains and told her it would be okay. The other cool thing is that we can use the patients to help communicate with others. There are many spoken languages here in Sierra Leone. The most common one is Krio and Temne. However there are others like Loko and Mende. Most of the people can speak more than one and all of our translators can speak Krio. We had a patient who only spoke Mende and we didn't have a translator that spoke that language in our ward. However, one of the patients spoke Krio, Temne and Mende and he was able to with a Krio translator explain what we were saying to the lady. Very very cool how they all help each other out so they understand what's going on. It helps with their anxiety too- there is no feeling of "going it alone."
• The laid back atmosphere- While busy at times, I have yet to feel stressed or overwhelmed. Its just a chill atmosphere where we are taking care of the patients but have time to learn about each other as nurses and to learn about the patients. It also allows us to help each other out. If we need a hand with a dressing change, there is always someone available to help. I can't quite figure it out, especially because we all have 5+ patients and there are only like 3 of us on a shift. We also have a social committee that arranges events and activities for the hospital staff. I'm looking forward to what that brings. Next week is international enthusiam week and we have different things going on each day like dress your countries colors day and wear crazy scrubs day. Fun stuff!
• The gratefulness of the patients- The patients are so greatful for everything that is done. The are happy for life and for each new day and don't take anything for granted. Things like soap and toothpaste, which we don't give second thought to, are treasured possessions. The patients are also very resilient. While a long hospital stay in the states causes one to sometimes become depressed and/or delirious, the patients who have been with us for months are still so happy and greatful and are actually and encouragement to all the others. They hardly feel bad for themselves. The rejoice when one is discharged and are genuinely happy for them.
• The Christ centered atmosphere- Christ is always glorified on the ward. All things are done for Him and with Him in mind. An awesome way to work :) "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him" Col 3:17  "..for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure" Phil 2:13
• Ward church services- Every Sunday morning, there is a church service in the Wards. Haven't attended yet but am excited to. I hear it is a wonderful experience and that the patients enjoy it as well.
• Devotion time for the nurses/ hospital staff- Twice a week, there is scheduled devotion times for the whole hospital staff and then for the ward nurses. What an encouraging time in the Word, to be encouraged in our service for the Lord!! Our staff meetings are also Christ- centered. We had it yesterday and it occurs once each month. We start all meetings in prayer and then we had a devotional. Yesterdays was about seeking the face of God. Sometimes in service we can tend to lose our focus on what is important or lose focus on the reason for our work. It is during those times that we need to return to the one who gives us strength to do His work. It is when we seek His face that we then are reenergized and are more effective in all we say and do.