Follow the adventures of our family around the world

Home

May 7,2006   I can't believe it has been 3 weeks, but what a time it has been and we will be leaving Liberia in less than a month. I just can't believe it. I have loved our time here over the past year and a half.  This time here has been much more unstable than the last time we were here. We had few incidents among the people last year, and this go round is so busy. I have been busy with my VVF ladies over the last few weeks. We had this wonderful doctor here from the UK doing surgery. He is great at what he does, but wow did we have a tough go of it. The first two weeks he had to take several ladies back to the OR because they were bleeding. Then he left to go to a hospital upcountry and we had a eventful time without him. We had one woman get really sick and then responded poorly when we gave her blood, then we had another one try to bleed to death one night. It made many sleepless nights for my fellow doc and myself. We were both tired by the end of the week. The surgeon flew back on a UN flight to do emergency surgery on the first woman on Friday night. It was a wild night, she was doing so poorly and we prepared for the worst scenario.  When we transfuse blood, we take it immediately from one of our crew and put it in the patient. So we had 10 people with her blood type available for the night and the entire crew prayed for this woman for the night. She did well through the surgery but the prognosis is not great for her. Both women just reminded me that we are in Africa. the woman that bled during the night would had died had she been anywhere else in Liberia than on our ship.

Any of you who know me well, know that I love music. So often songs speak to me or make me see more of what I believe God has for me.  Well there is this song by Superchick, Beauty from Pain. Click and look at the lyrics. To me it seems these words were written about my ladies that I get to watch transform from pain to beauty.  So many of them have always had hope that the Lord would bring a way for them. Some don't have that, and you can see it in their spirit. Some talk about the times they just wanted to die. They wanted to kill themselves so many times. their families have left them. their babies are all dead, and tragically dead.  And they are all alone.  One woman told me that she had more love in the days on the ship than she had experienced in 15 years.  This one older woman was telling me shee had been wet with urine for 21 years and 8 months!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I can't imagine. And she would just dance and hug and was just so happy. I walk in the room and they all smile and they hold out their hands to me and someone hugs me or walks past for a Liberian handshake. And we all talk about exercises, drinking water and caring for themselves when they leave.

The girls only have a month left of school. This photo is of all of the kids and teachers in the school.  They have enjoyed the year and I think this pic is great.  Cailin is on top and jess is standing at the front of the Landover.  They are so excited to come home. they have spent lots of time at work with me this week. They are so ready to see old friends and family, and after seeing a home depot commercial on a tape a few nights ago, apparently they want to go to home depot. they just miss everything. Our crisis this week was when I realized that Jessie has out grown her sneakers and I don't know what size she wears. I have not taken her shoe shopping in American sizes in 18 months. So we measured and outlined and finally haggled for sneakers in the market, I should say mark haggled-he is good at it. Tonight Cailin got a little panicky about throwing out an old nightgown, I think she is just really feeling all of the changes.  She is tired and ready to come home. We have so much packing to do and plans to make and it seems we are far behind the game. But I suppose it will come together one way or another. We are flying into Baltimore on June 23rd. Spending some time there and then heading North.  We cant wait to see everyone.