Friday, April 10, 2009
Quick Update
I went to the ward today so that I could see the patches being removed from the children's eyes that I talked about in the last post. If I understand right, their sight will never be 100%, but will be better that before surgery. It took awhile for them to be coaxed to open their eyes and look around. The oldest child was a 7 year old boy. He will probably not have as good a result as the 2 younger children as the brain just loses the ability to connect fully after a certain age. But, saying that, he finally looked around and in the language of Abomey, kept saying something over and over. We found out from a translator that he was saying "I'm never going to close my eyes again, I"m never going to close my eyes again."
Thursday, April 9, 2009
A Mother's Prayers Answered
Yesterday was my last night on the ward. It proved to be very interesting and (as usual) rewarding. Our VVF surgeons left last Friday so most of our ladies are far out from Surgery. In about an hour, there will be a dress ceremony for 6 of our friends. I worked with Kate, ( someone I consider a spiritual giant) so the first thing that we did was to pray for a few of the ladies specifically. The first one we prayed and anointed with oil as we asked for God's healing touch as she is having difficulty.....she is a little too dry. Poor woman, her repair is a success, but she has had problems passing urine and has had to be re-catheterized a few times. Stretching the bladder after this surgery is a very bad thing to do, so they decided to leave in the catheter for a few more days and try again. She actually had her dress ceremony last week and I noticed that during the service portion she was really listening hard to the translator and even asking questions. She is a Muslim, so before we prayed we asked if she minded and she gave us permission. It is so hard for a Muslim to convert. One of the surgeons told me of a patient who converted and was killed once she returned home. This is hard core, where the rubber meets the road, a true spiritual warfare. Lord, open our eyes and give us eyes to see and ears to hear.
I also helped to draw blood for a transfusion which turned out to be another adventure.
Since the VVF ward is starting to empty out, we got in 5 not VVF patients. Four children with bilateral cataracts and a 5 month old with a large mass at the base of her tongue. The 5 month old was here for a CT scan which was done this morning. They believe that they will be able to operate and remove the mass. Three of the children are from the same family. Kate talked with the mother and she told Kate of how her heart breaks for her children (who are giggly and positively delightful....just blind). With God's help and His Mercy Team, we pray her heart will be happy after today.
Love to all....must run to the dress ceremony and see my ladies dance!!
I also helped to draw blood for a transfusion which turned out to be another adventure.
Since the VVF ward is starting to empty out, we got in 5 not VVF patients. Four children with bilateral cataracts and a 5 month old with a large mass at the base of her tongue. The 5 month old was here for a CT scan which was done this morning. They believe that they will be able to operate and remove the mass. Three of the children are from the same family. Kate talked with the mother and she told Kate of how her heart breaks for her children (who are giggly and positively delightful....just blind). With God's help and His Mercy Team, we pray her heart will be happy after today.
Love to all....must run to the dress ceremony and see my ladies dance!!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Sight to the blind....
Sorry, I had pictures but can't figure out how to post from previous document.....
I visited the eye clinics a couple of weeks ago. They hold them each morning in different locations and are often met with 400+ crowds. This is a picture of the folks who made it through the crowd and where actually able to be seen. This is the upstairs room at a church. When we arrived at the church, there where so many people in the downstairs sanctuary, that we thought they where having a service. While the hopeful patients wait, disciplers talk with them about Jesus. The eye team is only able to screen about 150 each day (which is a huge amount of work). The following is a more personal story provided again by the “Navigator” page. (FYI, the dark haired girl in the foreground is Vanessa. She is from India but lives in Canada now. I met her in the Paris Airport while waiting for the flight to Benin. She has gone home know….another good-bye)
Now able to see, Celine’s steps are sure
Four-year-old Celine was born with congenital cataracts in both eyes, but she recently had them removed onboard the Mercy Ship in Cotonou. During the first few hours after the bandages were removed, it was obvious that the child was unaccustomed to such intense color and detail. She was just beginning to learn to see the world around her.
Since Celine was a baby, her father Honoré had wanted to get help for her. He could not afford an operation. As a tailor, he had much competition from the many other tailors in Benin. Then a kind friend offered to pay for Celine to have an operation from a doctor visiting Cotonou.
Unfortunately, when Honoré brought his child to the military hospital, the doctor wanted $180 (US) for surgery on each eye, plus the money for drugs, surgical tools, and bandages. Honoré said the paperwork involved for the operation was a waist-high stack. Afraid of all the unknown costs and variables, the friend decided to pay for Celine’s school instead.
Because of her cataracts, Celine struggled in school. “When she went to school the first day, during break time, she fell down the steps,” Honoré said. “I felt so sad when I would see her trip and fall. At school, she stayed quietly in a corner because she could not see.” Later the teacher asked Honoré to take the struggling child out of the school.
“If she can go to school, she can be something,” Honoré said. “But if she couldn’t see, I feared that she would not have a job – or a future. It would be difficult for her to find a husband and to make a life.”
Then from many directions – his church, his wife’s hairstylist, and a soldier-friend seeking help for his own father – Honoré heard about Mercy Ships. He learned that they were coming to Benin and offering free eye operations. Honoré began to regain hope.
To make sure he would know where to go, Honoré rode his bicycle to the port before the ship even arrived. He and Celine waited at the main screening day, where Mercy Ships doctors directed them to an eye clinic for evaluation. They received an appointment, and on a hot March day, Celine boarded the Africa Mercy with the clouded lenses that kept her from seeing the world around her. Dr. Glenn Strauss removed both cataracts, and the little girl was ready to go home the next day.
After the bandages were removed from Celine’s eyes, Celine stared down at her feet, then examined a train engine, spinning its wheels and fingering a sharp black line on the red wheel. She eyed people suspiciously, but unlike before, with alertness. When she left, she could see the stairs in front of her, and her steps were confident as she walked down the gangway.
“I am so happy,” Honoré said. “On this ship, my daughter has been healed. I just want to ask God to bless everyone on the ship, every day, for all the things they are doing. Maybe now Celine can be a doctor or nurse to help others like Mercy Ships helped her.”
I visited the eye clinics a couple of weeks ago. They hold them each morning in different locations and are often met with 400+ crowds. This is a picture of the folks who made it through the crowd and where actually able to be seen. This is the upstairs room at a church. When we arrived at the church, there where so many people in the downstairs sanctuary, that we thought they where having a service. While the hopeful patients wait, disciplers talk with them about Jesus. The eye team is only able to screen about 150 each day (which is a huge amount of work). The following is a more personal story provided again by the “Navigator” page. (FYI, the dark haired girl in the foreground is Vanessa. She is from India but lives in Canada now. I met her in the Paris Airport while waiting for the flight to Benin. She has gone home know….another good-bye)
Now able to see, Celine’s steps are sure
Four-year-old Celine was born with congenital cataracts in both eyes, but she recently had them removed onboard the Mercy Ship in Cotonou. During the first few hours after the bandages were removed, it was obvious that the child was unaccustomed to such intense color and detail. She was just beginning to learn to see the world around her.
Since Celine was a baby, her father Honoré had wanted to get help for her. He could not afford an operation. As a tailor, he had much competition from the many other tailors in Benin. Then a kind friend offered to pay for Celine to have an operation from a doctor visiting Cotonou.
Unfortunately, when Honoré brought his child to the military hospital, the doctor wanted $180 (US) for surgery on each eye, plus the money for drugs, surgical tools, and bandages. Honoré said the paperwork involved for the operation was a waist-high stack. Afraid of all the unknown costs and variables, the friend decided to pay for Celine’s school instead.
Because of her cataracts, Celine struggled in school. “When she went to school the first day, during break time, she fell down the steps,” Honoré said. “I felt so sad when I would see her trip and fall. At school, she stayed quietly in a corner because she could not see.” Later the teacher asked Honoré to take the struggling child out of the school.
“If she can go to school, she can be something,” Honoré said. “But if she couldn’t see, I feared that she would not have a job – or a future. It would be difficult for her to find a husband and to make a life.”
Then from many directions – his church, his wife’s hairstylist, and a soldier-friend seeking help for his own father – Honoré heard about Mercy Ships. He learned that they were coming to Benin and offering free eye operations. Honoré began to regain hope.
To make sure he would know where to go, Honoré rode his bicycle to the port before the ship even arrived. He and Celine waited at the main screening day, where Mercy Ships doctors directed them to an eye clinic for evaluation. They received an appointment, and on a hot March day, Celine boarded the Africa Mercy with the clouded lenses that kept her from seeing the world around her. Dr. Glenn Strauss removed both cataracts, and the little girl was ready to go home the next day.
After the bandages were removed from Celine’s eyes, Celine stared down at her feet, then examined a train engine, spinning its wheels and fingering a sharp black line on the red wheel. She eyed people suspiciously, but unlike before, with alertness. When she left, she could see the stairs in front of her, and her steps were confident as she walked down the gangway.
“I am so happy,” Honoré said. “On this ship, my daughter has been healed. I just want to ask God to bless everyone on the ship, every day, for all the things they are doing. Maybe now Celine can be a doctor or nurse to help others like Mercy Ships helped her.”
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