waffle fridays

I love Fridays not merely because-they usher in the weekend, but because Fridays hold one of my favorite Mercy Ships’ traditions…Waffle Friday! To serve 300 plus crew breakfasts of warm, mouthwatering, Belgium waffles, would be a rather time consuming job for our galley staff. So we settle for cereal and other breakfast items on a regular basis- which s no problem...we are by no means suffering or starving here... But, Mercy Ships’ Starbucks café serves piping, hot ,Belgium waffles, Fridays for a mere .75 cents! I hate to admit it, but yes, over the past .4 & 1/2 years of my life on the Mercy Ship I have splurged and made Waffle Friday- my Friday breakfast tradition.

When our Starbucks café opens at 0900 hrs there is always a line-we all want to be the first to get a waffle (greedy, gluttonous, missionaries we are)… See the photo of my friend Melinda and me waiting patiently for our “waffle numbers” to be called which means our tasty treats are ready…Thanks to someone at home- I have my own supply of Vermont Maple Syrup to eat with my scrumptious waffle! If I ever leave this floating home of mine, I believe I will forever make “Waffle Friday” a tradition. Why not make it a tradition of your own and you can add in an extra prayer for the patients  & crew aboard Mercy Ships when you enjoy your treat…Bon appétit!

blowing bubbles until I am light-headed

I work in an inflatable tent on a dock in Africa.  My patients wait on wooden benches beneath a make-shift awning that protects them from the sun’s blazing, hot rays. My tent looks like nothing more than a humble tent from the outside and one would have no idea from just looking at it that it doubles as a triage clinic on the inside.   My patients wait with a handful of other patients outside our modest extension to the hospital outside- which we call “Tent-Ville.” Some patients wait for admissions, other wait for physical therapy appointments. Some patients have already had their surgeries and have returned for follow-up care on an out-patient basis. Cleft lip babies (which are my favorite) wait to see the dietician who will help them gain weight and get fit for surgery. And still other patients are waiting for biopsy results, lab results, medical imagery, CT Scans, Ultrasounds, or X-rays. Some patients have come for blood pressure medications and cardiac stress testing (which includes running up the gang-way 3 times, and assessing the patients’ pulse, respiratory rate, and wellbeing after the “exercise.” We have to be creative around here without a treadmill).  I pass the group of waiting patients 100’s of times throughout the day as I move from here to there and from there to here taking care of my patient’s needs.

 I try to smile every time I pass the patients and tell them “thanks for your patience in waiting- you are important to me- and we will be with you soon”. I continue to run in and out of my tent throughout the day, taking this patient inside the hospital ship to X-ray or taking that patient’s blood that I have just drawn to the lab. Another patient needs medication from the pharmacy, so I run their prescription up the gang-way and wait at the pharmacy until their meds are ready. A different patient needs to see the surgeon so I loiter in the hall-way outside of the OR with the patient to confirm with the surgeon in between OR cases if my nursing assessment was correct and we can actually schedule a surgery for the patient.

The other patients still wait patiently for their turn to see their nurse or doctor. I see small children sitting patiently next to their parents, but starting to get a little antsy. The parents smile, but I can tell they are getting tired of waiting as well. No one enjoys a long wait at a doctor’s office.  I know the patients will be fine and for a fleeting second “I think- they can wait- they are getting free surgery and treatment from Mercy Ships after all…” I extinguish the thought as quickly as it enters my head- and think- it doesn’t matter; I can do more for them & more for HIM the one serve… I run into my tent once more, look for the bubbles and decide the list of patients I need to call can wait.

When back outside, I open the bottle of bubbles and tentatively start blowing bubbles near one of the toddler patients with crooked legs.  They stare in amazement as the bubbles form from the stick I am blowing on and then take flight in the air. The toddler looks frightened at first- then sheepishly smiles as the cool, wet, bubble bursts on their dark skin. Their gaze comes back to my direction and they step closer to me waiting for more bubbles to come. I keep blowing bubbles until I am light-headed. I cannot bring myself to stop blowing the bubbles as a previously sleeping, cleft lip baby, jumps up and down, trying to catch the bubbles so she can eat them with her giant- hole- ridden smile. She melts my heart.

Thoroughly out of breath I start to head back into my tent to put the bubbles down, but not without blowing a multitude of the bubbles at the little, old, grandpa sitting in the corner with a frown on his face. He looks at me in utter shock and pure disbelief; I hold my breath for a moment thinking I may have just made the biggest culture faux pas of my life, but then his lips form a toothless smile and his eyes light up with joy.  I breathe a sigh of relief. All the other patients burst into laughter, tension is washed away, and I duck back into my humble, inflatable tent on a dock in Africa.  

14 symbols that changed his life

I stepped off the airplane after traveling for more than two days and even though I was slightly exhausted from the travel which had taken me from Idaho to Utah by car, Utah to Chicago by plane, Chicago to Boston by plane, Boston to Frankfurt of course by plane, Frankfurt to Libreville, Gabon by a huge plane, and from Libreville, Gabon to Pointe Noire, Congo by another plane, I had a spring in my step as my heart subconsciously leaps and smiles every time my feet hit the African continent.

I passed through immigration without difficulty, showed proof of my yellow fever vaccine to the health authority, gathered my luggage, and rushed out to meet the Mercy Ships’ Land Rover that I knew would be waiting for me. I was greeted by two fellow crew mates who said, “Oh- good- Laura is here…we are so glad you are here- we have a patient for you!” I chuckled as I thought they were playing a joke on me-giving me work the moment I got off the plane… ignoring what they said, I asked where the land rovers were parked as I was looking forward to getting to the ship and enjoying a 4 minute shower (normally we are allowed only 2 minute showers, but I thought I could cheat because I hadn’t used the last 2 months worth of my 2 minute showers)….The two crew mates repeated what they has said before, “we have a patient for you.” In disbelief I still questioned my crew mates, “really, there is a patient here?” I don’t know why I thought it so impossible, but honestly the ship had just sailed in 3 days prior to my arrival and I was part of the second group flying into the country. I didn’t think enough time had passed for the African bush telegraph (what we call the manner in which news spreads in Africa which is amazing-despite the general lack of passable roads, modern technology, electricity, and such, news does travel rapidly and across 1000s of miles) to spread the word that Mercy Ships personnel are at the airport each night.  Either way, my crew mates were not joking, there was a patient looking for help from Mercy Ships and seeing how I am on the triage team of Mercy Ships’ nurses that say “yes” & “no” to patients, I was the woman for the job.

Upon exiting the airport, it was not hard to spot him; he had a giant grapefruit sized tumor jutting out of the right side of his face. I approached him and learned he wasn’t too many years my senior and had been plagued with his tumor for the last 12 years. He told me his diagnosis and with remorse reported there were simply no doctors in his country that could successfully complete his operation so he had to look for help elsewhere.  He learned about Mercy Ships on the internet and had tried to connect with us when we were in Guinea- but realized our surgical spaces were all full by the time he contacted us. He wouldn’t let the same happen to him again.  He had traveled roughly 1,801 miles from his home country of Nigeria to seek help. He had heard Mercy Ships was in Brazzaville so he flew there in faith that he would connect with us.  Upon reaching the Congo, he searched for someone he could communicate with, because he doesn’t speak French, and learned the ship was not in Brazzaville- but about 348 miles away in Pointe Noire. He then boarded another plane from Brazzaville to Pointe Noire and “happened” to fly into Pointe Noire, Congo the exact same evening I flew in.

Considering the hospital was not yet ready for patients (because the ship had just sailed in and we literally have to pack- and up-pack the hospital every time the ship moves) we found somewhere for him to stay, took his contact information, and promised to contact him the next day to arrange for his lodging, medical assessment, and care.  A few days later- he received a CT scan, a surgical assessment by Mercy Ships’ amazing maxillo-facial surgeon, his diagnosis was confirmed, and my team and I had the privilege of writing 14 symbols on his patient ID badge that changed his life…A-d-m-i-s-s-i-o-n …S-e-p-t  4… I LOVE my job & love being back in Africa!

healing never thought possible has come- HIS hand of mercy be upon those we are unable to help...

...6000 plus people lined the streets outside where Mercy Ships screened/selected patients on August 28th..
Healing never thought possible has come to many- to God be the glory!
His hand of mercy & grace be upon those we are unable to help...

Although you cannot see me in this photo- I was standing to the left of the line
on the platform and was one of the triage nurses telling patients yes- we could help them
or no- regretfully, we don't have doctors to meet their need...
We believe 4236 actual patients were triaged by our nursing team-
the others in the line were the patients family members and friends.
THANKS FOR THE PRAYERS