New Growth

Yesterday, Dr. Dunn got so excited about showing us something. It was new green grass! We are here during the dry season, and they need rain. There hasn't been green grass to look at. In fact, it's almost like I'm looking at a reversed sunset, as if the red dirt would be the sky. You just see miles and miles of red out here. It is beautiful. There are trees and shrubbery. Now, we have new grass. It popped up literally overnight after the rain for a day. Can you believe it? This makes me think that really we just need to be planted and washed spiritually with a good rain of God's mercy as in the blood of Christ by believing and we, too, can just sprout spiritually overnight. I got excited about the grass, but more excited about the spiritual implication the Lord was telling me about my own renewal here. I'm so excited to continue to grow after the fresh renewal here. I was talking with Elizabeth, one of the missionaries here, and she told me that people come here and leave changed. Amen. That's why we come. Last night we got two more volunteers, a med student and his wife who is not in medicine. This morning they joined in with the team and will be here for a month. Lift up their experience as well. I told the guy that he will be changed. He said that's why he came all the way across the world and then some to Nalerigu to be changed. Dr. Dunn hesitantly mentioned to me after the fact that this place has been known to be "one hundred miles beyond the Great Commission." :)

Every 7pm the day after rain

Yesterday as well as this morning, we had rain. When it rains here, it rains hard! We are still in the dry season, though, which means even though we still see malaria on a daily basis, it is still lower than the wet season. However, there is this funny thing that happens, they say, every day after the rain at 7pm. The termites [see a typical huge mound below] come out and fly toward light, then they die. I have proof that this happened. Tonight at 7pm on the dot, they came out by the masses in our house and flew toward our lights. So, as Dr. Dunn and I sat down in the living room, we opted to turn the lights off, so they wouldn't bug us.

Dr. Dunn sat on one chair and I sat on the sofa, and we both just sat there in the dark able to talk with our eyes closed! :) Honestly, it was so great. We ended up talking for two hours before our night rounds. We reminisced about missions to Venezuela. He helped establish the Fundabrez Clinic in Maracaibo, Venezuela, which is the very clinic where I served just after graduating college and before starting medical school. In fact, I still keep in touch with the McCones, the missionaries who were there. They are the very ones God used to connect Dr. Dunn and me two years ago, when I went to Vanderbilt for an interview for residency. I stayed with the Dunns then, and here I am in Ghana now with him. Who knew God's plan. It was so awesome that we were able to talk about the same people in Venezuela, served there at different times yet with similar experiences. I then got to share with him how wonderful this trip has been and what God has taught me here. He shared, too, saying that he came last year, but this year has been so much more amazing! I still can't get over how God blesses obedience to answering His call. Not only have I had the blessing of discipleship, but the fellowship with, at one point, 8 other members on the team.






Cedrick Palmer, one of the residents here, went into town tonight with our cook, Issa, and experienced his home and more of the culture. Dr. Dunn, Dr. Renfro, and I walked around behind our houses and through the commmunity with the mud houses. We saw a school house and donkeys, chickens, and goats.





On rounds tonight, I heard the good news from Victoria, the chaplain, that the two ladies with spiritual problems earlier were opening up. The woman who wasn't speaking was now speaking. Praise God! We also have a man with a snake bite to his face, since they sleep on the floor. His whole head is swollen. I forgot to mention all the snake bites we treat here. Hello, flashlights, when we are walking around at night! Just another common ailment here in Ghana. We are good at giving anti-snake venom.

Okay, well, I really appreciate your comments. Kathy, I have to say your comment about your church's sermon coinciding with mine just blew me away again with how God weaves it all together. He only does things with purpose. Our messages enhanced each other's walk with Him and ultimately for His glory. Pray that my every day here will be maximized as the month is nearing an end.

A new heaven and earth at church today

Today, it started raining this morning. Dr. Dunn asked me if we wanted to try First Baptist church here, instead of Second Baptist that we tried last week. First Baptist is the church where the two sets of missionaries here attend. I was happy with either. So Dr. Renfro, Dr. Dunn, Beth (the nurse volunteer), one of the missionary couples, and I all got in the truck to go to First. I guess since I go to Houston's First Baptist, I should go to the one in Nalerigu, right? :)


Again, I was just taken away by the nationals in their colorful wardrobes. They dress their best for church, using the finest fabrics they can afford. There are always so many children, too. I took a picture of the children outside.


By the way, anytime I do this of children, I show them the digital picture of them on my camera. Everytime I get the same reaction-screaming laughter! I get the biggest joy out of making them laugh out loud so hard and scream with excitement. I doubt they have mirrors or get to see themselves very often. One day this week I did that to a group of children in the market. They all screamed so loudly with joy and before I knew it, I had 15 children following us all around the market! I am not joking!




Back to church... We opened up by reading Revelation 21:

1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
5He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."

He said not only do we have a new heaven and earth to look forward to one day, but look forward to change in your life. A renewal. That has been a prayer of mine, while I'm in Ghana. I pray to come back spiritually renewed. I know this experience will change my life. I remember when I first talked with Dr. Dunn, as he asked me to pray about this opportunity to go. He said, "you never know, this might be the best trip you've had in 10 years." Who would want to miss an opportunity like that! I think anything God has called you to, He plans to use it and change you and others through it to His glory. Again in church today when the music started, I did everything possible not to flood with tears of joy. Dr. Dunn leaned over to me and said, "it's a shame people back at home are missing this." This is glorifying to God. This is humble worship. Everyone singing the loudest their voices would let them while swinging to the beat. I love it when we have the greeting time with everyone. Everyone is joyfully walking all over the church shaking hands with others or hugging them while singing. This is welcoming. They do not have inhibitions. I love it! Today we had the choir sing and recognized a family who came from out of town for a funeral. Here they have 3 funerals to honor a loved one. They have one immediately, then one a little later, then one a year later, all for the same person. Anyway, with the addition to the agenda, there was no circle of dancing this morning. It doesn't matter, I saw a glimpse of heaven with every tribe and every nation coming to the throne to worship. We read that very verse today from Revelation 7.

9After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10And they cried out in a loud voice:
"Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb." 11All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12saying:
"Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!"

Today, one resident and his wife, a med student, left our group to head back home. Please pray for them. There was a problem with getting their flight, so they are taking a 14-hour journey to Accra by car. From there they will fly out. Our group is down to 5 plus the two sets of missionaries. It's reminding me of the reality that I will go back, too. I fight tears when saying this, but this has been a treasure for life, and I know it is not the same in the land of the plentiful. I encourage everyone to experience laying aside your inhibitions to serve and be rewarded in ways unimaginable. Not only for you, but for them. They are in such need. May everyone have the opportunity to hear about Christ, so we may all share one day and be at that throne together. I look forward to the new heaven and earth!

Needing more than physical help

Last night I was on call. My call went well. I was able to take care of the admissions before our 9pm rounds. After that, I didn't have any more admissions or emergencies, so I slept the whole night. That was a praise, since we had church today. One patient last night was brought in for "impaired consciousness." Just yesterday her family noticed that she was not speaking. She could walk, but not talk. Her blood film was positive for malaria, so she had just started treatment. I've seen several cerebral cases of malaria out here where children have seizures. I examined this young woman who was about 25 years old. She kept her eyes closed and would not follow commands. Upon my neurological exam of her, she was normal. In fact, when I looked at her eyes, she would quickly roll them back. If I lifted up her hand, she would hold it up in the air instead of it falling naturally. I started fluids and started IV malaria treatment, since I knew she wasn't going to participate in taking anything by mouth. She was having some psychosis or attention seeking way of refusing to talk. The problem was more than physical. We think it was spiritual. This morning, Dr. Dunn and I found Victoria, our chaplain friend with the amazing testimony, to talk with her, too.

Also when I rounded this morning, I met a young lady about 20 years old who had a sad demeanor and had her head covered, since she was Muslim. Her chief complaint was chest pain and shortness of breath. The medical assistant who first saw her thought she might have hysteria. Her exam showed a normal heart. All things suggested she might be having a panic attack. Again, beyond the physical into the spiritual. I talked with her and found out whether she was having any worries or stress in her life. Yes, just yesterday she had a big disappointment. I told her how she can never be disappointed or failed by Jesus. Nothing can separate us from His love for us. We talked for a few minutes, then Dr. Dunn and I prayed for her. We also had Victoria come visit her, too. Dr. Dunn was observant and noticed her t-shirt that phrased it so perfectly, "B Some 1." Her shirt was saying to be someone. That was her cry for help.

She, like so many, are trying to just be someone in life. Thank goodness we can be someone. We are someone in Christ and we matter to Him. He knows even the number of hairs on our head. He knit us together perfectly in our mother's wombs, we are fearfully and wonderfully made. I pray she realizes this. So, I pray and ask you to pray for these ladies.

A sad night

Well, after our merry dinner with each other and a movie, we headed to the hospital for our evening rounds. One of the med students, Krissy, came up to me to tell me my baby died. What? I immediately went to maternity and saw that baby Zsila was not in the incubator. If you don't know this story, please read my previous blog about it. She was septic this morning but on antibiotics immediately after birth yesterday. I knew this morning that she could die at any second, since we didn't have all of the resources here. However, this afternoon she looked a little better. Sure enough, at 7:55pm she died. I went in the maternity ward and her mother and grandmother looked devastated. My heart was so broken for them. When I prayed this morning, it was in faith for God's miraculous healing but in His will, even if it meant He wanted to take the baby home to heaven. Well, God's plan was done. He chose to take this baby back home to heaven after a short life. The parents are Catholic and believe in Jesus, so I told them we will see this baby again one day in heaven. Let's rejoice in that! We prayed together. It is so hard also for me to tell them we did everything we could here in this country, while knowing what would have been done at home with equipment. This just clearly demonstrates what a privilege it is to live in America with our medicine. I value the NICU in many ways I haven't seen until now. That is even a new field to medicine--just several decades old. Things have always worked out the way they are supposed to. God may have even chosen to take home the baby, if they were in the U.S. You never know. All I know is that I was honored to be a doctor in this child's short life, even if it meant I could start antibiotics and give the minimal amount of oxygen we had to her and, most importantly, lay my hands on her and pray. Bless this child. May she be sitting at Jesus' feet right now worshiping Him. What a place to be!


Immediately, I went to round on the rest of the peds patients, when we had news that a patient literally just arrived and died before any of us got there. This is life here. I am learning that this is just the way things happen. Sometimes people find healing that they can find in no other place, and sometimes they die here yet receive the comfort of a staff who will pray with them while they mourn. Either way, I am blessed to be here.

Everyone hung out tonight

Tonight, one of the missionary doctors invited all of us over for pizza and a movie. We had a great time of fellowship and then watched part of a movie, until we made our night rounds. Again, I am so blessed by how our group here does everything together. It is as if we are one in the Spirit. We came as individuals yet move now as a group or unit together to serve the Lord. We eat together, take breaks together, and work together. You really get to know each other and there is always someone right there with you working and serving.



Tomorrow night, Saturday, I am on call again, if you would lift that up in prayer. My last call on Wed. was great. I wasn't called in until 6:30 am, after that all nighter the other day. Well, please lift up one of the missionary's wives and their kids. They are going to the States on Sunday for a trip. Please pray for their travel.

Joyce

Today Dr. Dunn and I shared with Joyce, one of the head nurses in the clinic, and she has sat with us multiple times.

Joyce asked me yesterday why I wasn't wearing earrings. Actually, she's not the first nurse to ask that here. Well, I didn't want to wear any and be flashy here. However, I'm obviously now being offensive by not wearing them, so I tried a cultural experiment today and wore my Austrian crystal studs. I wore them and asked Joyce if she thought they were appropriate. She said, yes.





Later on, we asked Joyce how she became a Christian. She told me her mother is a muslim and her father is a Christian. Her dad actually was a muslim first and made the mother be a muslim too. Then he converted to Christianity and the mother hasn't yet. Joyce told me that she is married to a prince! He is the next in line to be chief. I asked her about all of the men wearing hats here and she told me that they wear them usually if they are chiefs or princes or if they are old and want to cover their heads. There is a governmental system but also tribal with the chiefs, and each respects the other. Who knew these were some of the people in and out of here. She told me that several of the muslims who come here feel a sense of healing, when they walk in the place. She said, in fact, one day a woman accepted Christ just by hearing the music they were playing during the worship time. The song was about being healed by the Lord. The lady had her head wrapped as muslims do and she started to dance and removed the wrap. From that moment, she followed the pastors here and asked to accept Christ. You never know, but I see this as a venue for God bringing hearts who are ready for change. God is using this place!