Rainy Days

Hello friends and family!! Hope you all are well. Things here in Africa are going well, although they are very busy. Life on the Africa Mercy has picked up and operations are in full swing! The rainy season has arrived in full force, and it downpours several days a week. Unlike at home, life sort of slows down when it rains, because it is difficult for people to travel around and get where they need to be. This morning it looked to be a nice day out, so I am excited to try to visit one of the local beaches, since I haven't done that since I've arrived. One must take full advantage of the sun when it decides to show its face!!
This week has been a difficult work week, because we re-started eye surgeries, and have a lot of kinks to work out of the system. However, we were able to do about 20 eye surgeries this week, and hope to increase over the course of the time here. My work is to coordinate our various workers and the patient schedules to keep things moving along smoothly, the surgeons busy, and the patients well-looked after. I still have much to learn about how to do this efficiently, but with God's strength and direction I know things will get better. Yesterday we also had a Celebration of Sight Day, where about 200 previous eye patients came for a party and to receive a laser treatment (if needed), to prevent the recurrence of a cataract. It was a wild day, but overall came out quite well. There was African singing, some testimonies, and a little bit of dancing going on.
Last weekend I had the chance to go to a home for handicapped children to play and provide the simple ministry of presence, touch, and verbal stimulation. There were several children there with varying disabilities. Many of them are unable to talk, walk, see, or hear. For some, all we could do was literally rub their backs and sit with them. Others were able to play with balloons, blow bubbles, have simple conversations, etc. In some ways, it was hard to go there, because their situation is difficult, but at the same time, it was great just to be there, to learn a little about what their lives are like, and to give the staff a break, while providing a sligh change of pace for the kids. Many of the kids are quite joyful, and it seemed like they were being well-cared for, which is so encouraging. I hope to go back again while the ship is still here.
Well, I won't attach any pictures this time, I seem to be having some difficulty with it today. I miss you wonderful people in my life, but am glad to be here serving. God has been so good to allow we to come here, and I think He has many lessons for me to learn along the way. Thanks for your support, prayers, and encouragement!

The First Surgeries

The first surgeries are finally underway and have gone very smoothly! The first patient to receive surgery on the Africa Mercy was one of our eye patients, and she had a cataract removed. It was a very exciting day. To see pictures and some video, visit the Mercy Ships website at www.mercyships.org and click on the American Flag. I'm actually in a couple of the pictures, and I've heard I'm also in the video! The patient that received the surgery was adorable, and so excited that she was dancing for joy after the operation! It was a very special thing to be a part of.
This week I got to go out to one of our mobile eye clinics and see how we screen to find our surgical patients. Sometimes hundreds of people arrive to be seen at these clinics, the need is just overwhelming. During the rest of this outreach, we are hoping to see lots of kids and do surgery for them, giving them a new shot at life. This picture to the right is at the clinic, which was held at a church out in the country, about an hour from Monrovia. The countryside is absolutely beautiful here!
The weekends hold many adventures. This weekend we spent a day with some local people, learning how to make potato greens with hot pepper sauce, and I mean hot! After we had eaten the local meal of turkey, rice, palm oil, pepper, and potato green sauce, we headed out onto the river for a better look at the city of Monrovia! We were in this fishing boat, high above the water. It was a great day for sun, and the water. Sadly, though, you see a very different side of Monrovia, where there is much more trash, and people living in unbelievable poverty, in little shacks along the river's edge. As much as I love swimming, I did not swim, because all the outhouses are built over the water, so that all the waste can just drop into the river. That was possibly the least tempted I've ever been to swim!
Hope you all are well at home, and always enjoy reading your posted comments! Miss you guys. WE had our own little 4th of July party here, where we ate ice cream together as Americans (and let a few foreigners in to our party). The only person who brought an American flag to our party was a German!