Love with abandon

It has truly been a remarkable journey for me with Mercy Ships in Guinea. I have worked in mission healthcare in Canada, Kenya, Ecuador,Jamaica, Togo, Benin and now Guinea. Not that life on board the Africa Mercy is ideal, but the unconditional, effervescent, sacrifical love lived out by the volunteer crew of those servicing on this hospital ship takes your breath away some days.

Many of the patients that present for surgery here have been rejected and ostricized by their communties and even their families. Those with enormous, disfiguring facial tumors hide behind scarves and head wraps; the fistula women suffer as their wetness and odor have separated them from any hope of a normal life; and children with deformed legs struggle to limp or crawl while they dream of a normal childhood. Rejected and broken they are not worthy in a culture where different is often equated with cursed.

As they are admitted to the ship without exception they are loved with abandon. Looking into their eyes they are welcomed, encouraged, loved, hugged, kissed, laughed with, cried with, valued, validated, and blessed. The children spend more time in the arms of the nurses than of their parents. These unusual people with a different skin and language embrace them in a way most have never known. though we speak of it in our hospitals, this staff has truly been "released to care".

Last week we had 2 patients both with B+ blood type come for major surgery. This is not a common type among the white population but reasonably common among the West African black peoples. 17 units of  blood were administered to these 2 patients. All donated from among the crew of the Africa Mercy. This week another man presents with an enormous parotid tumor, also expected to experience great blood loss. His surgery will be challenging and this is one of hte few weeks with 2 surgeons on board with the specialzed skills to manage the surgery. Without blood we would need to send him home. We were sure that all of our B+ donors had already given all that they could. We asked the crew to pray. God worked as we saw many of those that have recently joined the ship come to be tested and mnay of them found to be B+. Surgery is scheduled tomorrow and booked for 7 hours - with sufficient blood to safely proceed.

It is most certainly true that you couldn't pay people enough to work and give like this. But they are not working for a wage or for Mercy Ships but have chosen to bind together to be God's hands and feet and heart and very lifeblood to bless those abandoned by their world.

I have been truly blessed to be a part. Thanks for your prayers.