Rich Africans ;)

"Content makes poor men rich; discontent makes rich men poor."

This is the theme I want to describe in this post. I encounter the truth of this statement everywhere here in Africa. Yesterday I followed a nurse for the afternoon. She works on the max facts ward, (I don't think that is how you spell it :)) it is the ward where the patients who have tumors removed stay. One special girl, Esther, has come all the way from Nigeria to have a tumor on her face removed. Because she knew English, I could communicate with her without a translator. In the afternoon, the nurses take all the patients who are able to make the trip up the stairs outside to enjoy some fresh air. Esther loved going outside. After we came back down in the ward I read a couple of books to her. All throughout the afternoon, Esther radiated joy at being loved in simple ways. Esther is content. Esther is rich.

This morning I went to the Special Needs School again. 40 children in one small, warm classroom, but are they ever happy. They jump and dance and hug and smile. Two cookies = made a day. These children are so rich.

I am learning a lot here! :D

The special needs school

Patient life

Below I copied a story about one of the patients. I think some of you might be interested in the hospital side of the ship, which I often do not get involved in although I would love to. I did sign up to observe a surgery, and I am going to attend the dental team for a day as well. Last week there was another VVF celebration. I felt very privileged to be able to experience the joy that these ladies radiated, some of whom have been finally healed after 20 years of sickness, abonden, rejection and hurt.

Darius 
Onboard the Africa Mercy, a nine-year-old boy named Darius sat curled up on his mother’s lap. With his head bent over, he hid his face from view. The dark sunglasses and the large bandages over his eyes hid a boy who was trying to cope with the circumstances life gave him.
Just five months ago, Darius’ had been a normal boy who could run around playing with his friends. Then one day, he came home from school feeling sick. And, before anyone understood what was happening, he was fighting for his life.
Darius had chickenpox, and his aunt decided to buy him some antibiotic to help him get better. Unfortunately, he had an adverse reaction to the antibiotic. This reaction is known as Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS) – a life-threatening skin condition in which cell death causes the epidermis to detach from the dermis. It also affects the mucous membranes of the body.
Darius’s reaction was severe, and it did not take long before he became extremely weak. His mother, Josephine, took him to many doctors, but none of them understood what was happening to the boy because SJS is a rare syndrome.
As Darius’s condition worsened, layers of skin died and fell off from his lips, inner eyelids, and other parts of his body. When he started to vomit blood and mucous, Josephine decided she needed to go to a large hospital – anything to help her son get better. They traveled all the way to a hospital in the capital of Benin, where they waited in the ER for someone to help them.
“I looked down at my son. Flies were living in his wounds. He was covered with blood and dead tissue. Even the flies saw him as good as dead. I wondered how anyone so small could survive so much,” Josephine says as she fights back tears. Darius was brought to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Slowly, he started to regain strength but remained in the ICU for a while.
Darius’s eyes were swollen shut, so he could not see. One day, as he lay in bed in the ICU, he heard a fuse spark. Even though he could not see, Darius could smell the smoke as the fire started to build around his bed. He began yelling for help, but the nurses had been called somewhere else and did not hear him. Finally, Josephine heard his cries and ran in to see the place engulfed with flames. She picked Darius up and ran to safety. Luckily, the boy received no injuries from the fire, and he was moved to the pediatric ward of the hospital, where Josephine could stay with him at all times. He spent a month in the pediatric ward before being released from the hospital.
The inner lining of his eyelids had fallen away, and as the raw edges of the eyelids started to heal, the upper and lower eyelids fused together. No longer able to open his eyes, Darius was blind to the world around him.
When Josephine heard about Mercy Ships, she brought Darius to one of the eye screenings. The Mercy Ships Eye Team quickly sent him to the ship to be screened for surgery. The young boy needed many surgeries to restore his vision. But, slowly, he started to show signs of progress – not only in his vision but also in his spirit. Josephine explains, “His problem is being fixed, he is receiving all this surgery and care, we are receiving food, and all of our needs are being taken care of. The nurses are so kind to us, and it is such a blessing after all of our struggles.”
During the first couple of weeks in the hospital, Darius kept to himself, keeping his head down. The traumas of the past several months weighed heavily on him. Slowly, the crew onboard the Africa Mercy started to coax him out of hiding. His spirit started to lift as he saw how people cared for him and protected him from harm.
The transformation was remarkable. Darius could be found playing the piano – with the largest grin on his face. He loved doing exercises and stretches.
A grateful Josephine has a special message for the donors who have helped pay for Darius’s care: “You are taking from your own salaries for us! May the Lord bless your hands and your salary, and may you have good health and a long life. You have truly blessed us!”
Darius’ transformation is complete as he sits in the ward and lifts his head high, singing a song he adapted to honor Mercy Ships:
“They will go to the ends of the earth,
Mercy Ships, Mercy Ships.
They will never perish,
Mercy Ships Mercy Ships.”

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Darius – six months before he became sick.

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Darius, after being released from the hospital – finally, almost healed from the Stevens-Johnson Syndrome.

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Darius often hides on his bed, and the light bothers his eyes. The scarring all over his skin is from the Stevens-Johnson Syndrome.

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Darius sits on his bed, not wanting to venture far out of his comfort zone.

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Darius takes comfort from nurse Nick while enjoying the fresh air on Deck 7.

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Every day, Darius goes out onto Deck 7 for some fresh air. The light hurts his eyes, but he loves the fresh air

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Darius tries to hide. Not being able to see in such a new environment is difficult for him.

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The crew managed to get Darius to come out of his shell and lifted his spirits.

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One of Darius’ favorite activities is stretching. He can be seen stretching up high – with a large smile on his face.

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Darius also became good friends with photographer JJ Tiziou.

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JJ takes Darius up to play the crew piano. Darius has a strong love for music.

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Darius leaves the ship. Even though the sun is bright for his eyes, he finds freedom in being able to walk out of the hospital.

Impressions of first two weeks

Wow, two weeks are past already! On the one hand it feels like I have just arrived, and on the other hand it feels like I have been here forever.
One of the first thoughts that pop into my mind as I think about these two past weeks are how blessed I am to experience the Mercy Ships. As I talk to different people here, I figure out that there are many different ways in which people came to Mercy ships. For me it just kind of happened. It wasn't like I put a lot of thought into it, or hoped and expected very much. Other people have been planning and praying and thinking about their trip for two years. We all stay different lenghts too. Some people stay two months, some people stay two years. There is one family on board who has stayed here for twenty five years already! We are all different ages and at different stages in life. Children, just out of highschool, college students, just out of college, couples, parents, those whose children are grown up already. We all come from different parts of the world. Texans get poked fun of a lot, but there are quite a few of them on board. Canadians and Dutch people are also very well represented. I discovered the other night another nurse who had also lived in Chilliwack for a year. Another guy close to my age is planning on going to Trinity Western in Langley in the fall. One of the great things on board is discovering how small this world is.
My impressions of Africa itself are many, but hard to describe. Often at home you think of Africa as people dying of hunger, confirmed by horror pictures. That is not the Africa that I encountered. When I went to the market, which is a great but overwhelming experience, I discovered that also in Africa there is a distinction between homeless people and the rest. And it seems like there are less of them here in Lome than there are in Vancouver. The warmth of the African people is another aspect which I love about Africa. They accept you and offer you their friendship without worrying about who you are. They show their love without restraints. Another aspect that struck me was that the African people themselves can't tell where somebody else comes from. I am friends with one of the African ladies who lives on board, but she is originally from Liberia. So she does not know the French or the Awi language. But when we went to the market, or to a hospital on land, many people assumed she could translate for me, but she was just as language crippled as I am.
There are many more experiences which totally amazed me, but they are too many to all write about in one blog. Often when I finish writing an email to one friend, I find myself writing an email with totally different information to another friend, because there is so much to tell. I will keep trying to keep you all updated! I would love to show pictures of my market adventure, but I am too scared that my camera will get stolen. And pictures of cool experiences like visiting the University Hospital or the Special Needs School are not allowed :( Thank you so much for reading my blog, and for all the prayers!

My work uniform!

The pool I fell in love with, it is at the fanciest hotel in town, four dollars for a ticket

The US Navy ship that was docked behind us for a couple of days

Pictures of first week

Elsbeth and Moose

On the airport 

The airplane that brought me to Holland

At opa and oma's :)

Cousin Johan and his family

Arrived on the ship!!

The dock

The entire Togo navy

The pool on the top deck

A gorgeous evening

My cabin

A soccerfield

A scene on the way to the market

What do you mean, we have too much baggage?

My friend Rebeckah

The ship itself

The gangway unto the ship

My friend and bunk mate Sarah

At the Hope house

Sunday

On Sunday I had the day off so I could attend a church. There are several in town, but you have to sign up so they have enough drivers. A couple people had told me to go to the Fisher Village Church. Mercy ships has been in Togo before, and they started this church. The Fisher Village is not far from the ship, maybe ten minutes driving, and is, of course, right beside the ocean. The dress code was skirts past the knee and decent tops. The church building itself was just cement, no windows or doors have been put in yet, but it was nice because the breeze could blow through the church. The women sat in the middle section and the men on the right and us visitors on the left. The children had a sort of Sunday school outside. The service started with a long worship time, during which first the ladies went to the front of the church and walked a few circles, followed by the men, girls and than the boys. African people have a natural dance to the way they move. During prayer everyone prayed out loud. They display so much more joy than we ever do. This Sunday there wasn't really a sermon because the Captain of the ship had come to church also, so he did a short speech. I hope to go back to this church next time I can, but I probably will be able to only for three times because I work every other weekend and we are in Togo for only 6 more weeks. After the church was done we sat outside and talked to the locals for awhile.
In the afternoon everybody just relaxed and did their own stuff. At night there was a church service on the ship itself. There are four chaplains on board, and I think they take turns preaching. This Sunday it was about the footwashing. It was definitely a different Sunday than at home, but it was good. Sorry, I don't have a lot of pictures as of yet...

The boys walking their circle. In the front of the church is the minister, but he is kind of hidden by the pole.

All the children on a picture with the captain

This boy and girl were very fascinated by the camera...

and this girl was fascinated by the glasses :)

Settling in...

On Tuesday, May 2nd, I started my first shift of work. I'm part of the dining crew which takes care of preparing the dining room for breakfast, lunch and supper. I start work at 5:45, and finish around 7:00. It's a long day, but you do get breaks in between. There are 3 other members in my group who are on the ship, one man whose wife is a nurse, one woman whose husband does some kind of other job, and the leader who is Togoian but lives on board. 2 dayworkers come in everyday, one of them is from Benin, the country that borders Togo, and on his days off he travels back to his family. I wipe tables, clean floors, do dishes etc. :)
The ship organizes many activities in which the crew members can participate. There is a hope house on land. The agriculture team travels to villages and teaches them other agriculture techniques etc. On board there is the befriend-a-patient program, if you sign up you get assigned a specific patient who you can visit etc.
Right now there are a lot of VVF patients in the hospital. Yesterday a nurse told me the story of one of those ladies, very sad. While she was having her 6th baby, who died, she got VVF, which means that she constantly leaks urine. She got rejected by her family and lived in poverty for many years, till Mercy Ships came and helped her. After the operation, there is a celebration for all the ladies who are healed from VVF. It is a very joyful occasion I have heard, the ladies get a new dress, some soap and a Bible, and some tell their testimony. I hope to attend one maybe next week. My befriend a patient is a 70 year old lady who also had VVF.
I find it kind of hard to write a blog, because so often it's about me, which I don't feel very comfortable with, but I will keep trying because I do think people want to know what is happening :)
Yesterday we went to the Hope House with three other girls from my cabin. Quite the experience, first hauling a taxi. The trip cost us $2 American. Driving through town with horns honking, people walking etc. I would have taken my camera, but quite a few cameras have been stolen already so maybe another time I will do that... In the hope house the people who have had surgery recover. We played some games with some of the ladies there, they are so happy when you give them some attention. Many of them don't even speak French so it's hard to comunicate.
Oh one thing that really surprised me is the food on board. It is REALLY good. It's buffet style, and there are lots of choices. Most of the food is shipped from Holland. I've been told that most people gain weight while on board.
This afternoon we have planned a trip to the market :) I am excited to go!

Arrival Togo

Arrived in Africa!! It still feels unreal that I actually am in Africa. My trip to Holland went very smooth, I arrived there on Saturday. Tante Willie, Digna and Eline came to pick me up. During the weekend I stayed at opa and oma's place. It was kind of strange to be in Holland again for only such a short time, but it was nice because I had some time to catch up from my jetlag. It definitely did not feel like home anymore, Chilliwack has really become my home now :)
On Monday morning, Queens day in Holland, my uncle, aunt and cousin brought me to Brussel. They said good bye, and than I really was on my own. I had some time left before I had to board the plane, but when I sat down in the boarding area, a lady came up to me and asked if I also was going to Mercyships, because she was also. There were five others on the same flight who also were going to Mercyship. On the airplane I sat beside a Togoian or however they are called. He was a nice man, but he also did warn me to never go off the ship by myself, and to be super careful of theft because apparently that happens quite often. We made a stop-over in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. At 9:30 local time we arrived in Lome. As soon as you exit the airplane the warm air hits you. It was 30 Degrees! On the airport many people were bustling around, inspecting your passport many times over, but we made it through without a problem.
Landrovers from the Mercyships were there already to pick us up. Driving through town was quite the experience. Motorbikes everywhere which do not move aside; people on the road; markets on the road side even though it is evening. The first time I saw the ship I realized it was BIG! I don't have a picture of it yet because it was dark when we arrived, and it is quite a hassle to leave the ship.
I had to sign a couple of papers, we got a meal and than they showed us our rooms. I'm in a 8 person room, but there are only 6 of us. It is super cozy, and the girls all seem super nice. There is one from Switzerland, two from the US and two from Canada. Most of them are around my age. It is all bunk beds. There are also two small bathrooms for our room. Right now there is a water restriction, so only two minute showers are allowed. The whole ship is air conditioned which is sweet and cool :)
I did not have anything today till 1 o'clock so I could sleep-in. This morning I explored the ship, and tried to locate everything a bit. I got a tour of the ship at 1. It is amazing, the ship is like a mini village. There is a post-office, bank, school, library, laundry room, kitchen, cafe, internet cafe, lounches, pool, gym etc. Every day there is breakfast at 6:30-7:30, you can come if you want and when you want. Lunch and supper are also at set times.
My job on the ship will be in the dining group. Every week I'll work two days, two days off, and every second weekend I have to work. I don't know exactly what I will be doing yet, I'll find out tomorrow. On the days that I work, I have to start at 5:45, so that's quite early, but I think it will be fun.
Please ask questions if you have them! I think I covered what I know for now, but if there are let me know :) :)