Speaking without Words

Aissa is beautiful; she is full of life, full of energy, spunk, and attitude. This 7 year old girl is a fighter, I like that about her. She was abandoned by her parents and taken in by her grandmother. Then about a year and a half ago she got a disease called NOMA. She is from a rural village in Cameroon and God brought her to this ship... His hand is so evident in her entire story. Aissa came to us by plane, with her uncle and Sarah a physicians assistant who works at the hospital in Cameroon that Aissa was brought to over a year ago. Last night, I had the opportunity to sit down and look through pictures of Aissa and listen as Sarah gently spoke of how God clearly saved Aissa, brought her into Sarah's life and how God brought them to Mercy Ships. When Sarah first saw Aissa she was severely malnourished and without quick intervention near death. Check out Sarah's blog to read through Aissa's journey. 

When you walk onto the wards, you can't help but notice Aissa. She is either running around playing or on the floor throwing a tantrum about something. It is written all over her that she is desperate for love and attention. We are more than happy to give her exactly that. Although we have no one (except Sarah) who can communicate with her or her uncle, through a little bit of acting and some expressive faces we can understand each other. My first night caring for Aissa we found a little game that kept us both amused, we would talk on pretend phones to one another, Aissa into a calculator and I into a stapler. We would say Hello, then proceed to have a whole conversation both of us in our own language having no idea what the other was saying but talking away. The "phone" would get passed around to translators and other nurses the conversation going on and on. 

The day before her surgery she sat on my lap as we prayed at the end of my shift, then she jumped onto my back and happily hung out there as I gave report on my patients to the oncoming nurse. This little girl that was merely a bag of bones now has a chubby belly making it hard for her to hold onto my back. Yesterday Aissa had surgery and today for the first time in a very long time she no longer has a gaping hole in the side of her face. Praise God!

"Jesus reached out His hand and touched the eyes of the blind, the skin of the person with leprosy, the legs of the cripple. I have sometimes wondered why Jesus so frequently touched the people He healed many of whom must have been unattractive, obviously diseased, unsanitary, and smelly. With His power He easily could have waved a magic wand but He chose not to. Jesus mission was not chiefly a crusade against disease but rather a ministry to individual people some of whom happened to have a disease. He wanted those people one by one to feel His love and warmth and full identification with them. Jesus knew He could not readily demonstrate love to a crowd, for love usually involves touching." - Dr Paul Brand (whose life work was caring for leprosy patients in India)

Yesterday started early we left the ship at 0530 (if you know me you know that my clock only has one of these a day). We left for one last screening. This one was a little farther out of the city than most of the others so the screening coordinator had asked if I could come along as she anticipated we would see a number of VVF patients. When we arrived there was a long line of people (we estimate we saw around 500) and my initial job was to start at the back of the line and ask each patient what they had come for. We were only taking very specific patients with severe problems as we have very few surgical spots left. This was not a pleasant job, it mostly consisted of I am sorry we cannot help you.

It wasn't long before I met my first VVF lady. I can almost pick them out of a crowd. She came up to my shoulder, was a tiny little thing who stood quietly all by herself with her eyes cast down at the ground. When my translator asked her why she had come she spoke in very hushed tones as to not let those around her hear. My translator quietly listened and then looks up at me and says, she is one of yours. I place my hand on her shoulder and let her know that if she will just wait I will sit down and speak with her myself, I am the one who works with women just like her. Within another 5 minutes I find out the screeners at the front of the line have found 2 more women and soon it was 2 more.

I spent the remainder of the day sitting with each women, 11 in total, asking them questions and listening to their stories. I sat and quietly listened as they shared their stories, I have had 14 babies only one is alive, I have had 6 babies die before their 5th birthday, I was pregnant at 18 and have been leaking since that very first delivery, I have been leaking for 22 years, the stories go on, my heart breaks a little with every one. As the day was coming to a close it hit me hard, I am finally seeing their faces and these are the faces and the stories of the women I came here for, the women who will shape the remainder of my time here. I prayed with each one, Lord begin the healing in them, prepare their hearts, their minds, their spirits, and their bodies for the journey that lay ahead, and Lord give us the knowledge to know how best to help them, let us be your hands, your feet, your voice, your actions. As each women got up to leave, she clang with hope to her patient card, she left a wet spot on the bench behind her, and then she would gently shake my hand and say Akpe Kaka (thank you in Ewe).  One month from today I will see them again.

In the next month please consider joining me in specific prayer for these women individually. Here is a link to my blog about that or just send me an email or leave a comment and I will get you a couple of names to pray for. Thanks