Joy and sorrow

The past week has been difficult, filled with a mixture of sadness and joy at God's gracious hand in the midst of seemingly impossible sitatuations and sorrow.

We had been trying to get Chantal into a more appropriate place for her to spend her last few days and had arranged for the Missionaries of Charity to visit to decide whether or not they felt able to take her.

Missionaries of Charity are a Catholic hospice/medical charity founded by Mother Theresa in 1950 to provide free care for those who are suffering and at the end of life. Many people here have been reading the book 'Finding Calcutta: what Mother Theresa taught me about meaningful work and service'. This describes the experiences of a woman who went to live with the sisters in Calcutta and from the little excerpts I have read, it is one of those books where every other sentence makes you stop in your tracks and consider your own heart and attitude towards God and the poor.

It is evident from the numerous references in the bible that God's heart is for the poor and the downtrodden; those society ostracises.

Two particular passages in scripture challenging me with regard to my heart for the poor, especially when considering medical mission and mercy ships before I came this year.

Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loosen the cords of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter - when you see the naked, to clothe him, and to not turn away from your own flesh and blood?


Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.


Isaiah 58: 6-8


³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
   ³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
   ³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Matthew 25 v 31-40

Gathering around Chantal's bed on Thursday morning, after a particularly painful and fatiguing dressing change we all were attempting to make the seemingly impossible decision of whether or not we should attempt to transfer her home to die, as this had been her wish before she became too unwell. However it was easy to argue both sides as we did not know if she would be more comfortable with the care given on board or if she would even make the journey 2 hours home. Praying for wisdom at 11am that morning, we prayed that God would give us clarity regarding the best decision for her so we would know before her uncle came the next day.

That afternoon the team of amazing nurses caring for her came up with an idea to allow Chantal to see the sea and feel fresh air, for the first time in a number of months. A side entrance was opened and her bed was wheeled close to the water where she could look out to sea. She sat there for about an hour with Clementine, head of the patient life team and the nurses singing and talking about Jesus. Clementine later revealed that during this time Chantal had been struggling with pain at one point and had cried out 'Who would save her?' She later replied 'Jesus is here. He is sitting beside me'. What a blessed time and one all who saw and experienced will treasure forever.

Later on that evening, while the monthly gathering for sharing food and worship with all the crew and day workers was happening, I received the news that Chantal had just passed away.One of the day workers had been with her and while she breathed her last Chantal had told her that 'Jesus is here'.

Praise God that his plan for her life was far greater and of more eternal significance than any of us could have ever imagined. His wisdom and ways, as always, are above ours and since 2006 he had been using Mercy Ships to pursue her with the word of God and by his Spirit to bring her to himself, both here on earth for a short time and also now eternally in Heaven.

Everyone on board, whether working in the hospital or not, was touched by Chantal and the story of God's grace and salvation through her. Her illness and death also served to remind that this life is not what we are living for; too often I know I can get taken up in this world but we are merely passing through. Her testimony gave us a small glimpse of eternity.

The reading in Spurgeon's Morning and Evening the following day;

Hebrews 2 v 14 'That through death he might destroy him that had the power of death'


O child of God, death hath lost its sting, because the devil's power over it is destroyed.


The distance between glorified spirits in heaven and militant spirits on earth seems great, but it is not so. We are not far from home - a moment will bring us there. The sail is spread, the soul is launched upon the deep.


When the eyes close on earth they open in heaven. Then, O child of God, what is there for thee to fear in death, seeing that through the death of thy Lord its curse and sting are destroyed? And now it is but a Jacob's ladder whose foot is in the dark grave, but its top reaches to glory everlasting.



Chantal with one of my friends and nurses; Steph

Chantal

Have been meaning to write this one for a while now but everytime I have thought of how to put it all into words have struggled. I don't fully understand God's plan for her or why everything which has happened over the time we have been here has come into pass. I do know however that we trust a God who holds everything in his hands and who has ways that are far above ours, achieving an eternal purpose.

Chantal...there's so much to say, she was one of our burn contracture patients who came to us in Togo 2010 for surgery. We operated, releasing the contracture which held our right arm flexed into her body. She met us at screening this time, with her right arm and shoulder covered in a blanket and a stench coming from the wound which had broken down shortly after we had left. Over the past 2 and a half months we have treated her with many courses of antibiotics, daily dressing changes and physiotherapy, tube feeding and she has returned to theatre multiple times, in an attempt to cover the gaping wound with skin grafts and flaps to allow healing.

She has had so many ups and downs throughout her stay with us and at many points we could see no way forward but God provided. We found out that she was HIV positive and that threw up many problems as we cannot provide free anti retovirals for patients. Within a few weeks her Uncle was bringing a montly supply of tablets and a local HIV doctor was involved within her care.

However, as if often the case, God has reminded me through her that his ways are far above ours and his plans are eternity focused. Man looks on the outside but God looks upon the heart. Though when we first admitted her my plan was to allow her to walk from here back to her 4 year old daughter and family in Ghana fully healed, I have been struggling to come to terms with the fact that this may not be God's will for her. She came to us, not knowing Jesus, in fact where she had been staying with her uncle is a voodo stronghold in Togo. A few weeks ago we found out that she prayed with a day worker, asking Jesus to be her Lord and Saviour!

Last weekend things with her took a turn for the worse and we found she was not responding to the last antibiotics her infection had been shown to be sensitive to. She subsequently has developed a pneumonia and the difficult decision was made to shift direction with her care and to palliate symptoms.

I have been struggling with questioning God over what has happened with her but was reminded by someone here that what better outcome could she have had spiritually; her eternal destiny has been changed! May God give us his love as we seek to care for her and may he give her a peace that surpasses all understanding and a real knowledge of his tangible presence with her. May we all know that we serve a God who is sovereign, loving and ever merciful and may her testimony continue to witness to him and his glory.

Post op

Have been realising that though I've been telling many stories of the patients coming to us and the planned operations, I have been failing to show God's grace and goodness in the outcomes and results we've seen.

So often it is too easy to focus on the massive need here and concentrate on those we cannot help, yet forget how God is working not only through those who have had successful operations but also in the many other ways I see everyday but too readily overlook.

Edem and his Mum

We went to a church service at the Hope Centre a few sundays ago. This is the centre in Lome itself where we send patients who are recuperating from their operations and still needing some kind of input regarding dressings, nutrition or simply needing somewhere to stay because their homes are too far. It has a brilliant patient life team, similar to the one who works in the hospital,  who work to show God's love in looking after the patients in all ways. They have services every evening and on sundays and we joined in for one of these. Was great to see Edem and his mum again, especially as she gave her testimony as to how God had brought them to the ship. The mass on Edem's face had been growing for many years and she had sought medical attention at some of the hospitals near to them in Ghana. However after giving all the money she had available they told her there was nothing they could do. Her husband subsequently kicked her out of the family home and she sought refuge with her parents, all the time still desperately praying for a solution. She heard of Mercy Ships and our visit to Togo through some other friends and arrived with Edem on our screening day. She spoke of God's goodness and mercy to them and just spoke of giving him all the praise for the immense change he had brought about in giving Edem back his childhood.

Lulu post op

Lulu was a little girl who suffered burns to both her feet and came to us to have the scar tissue, which had formed following this, released. She had poor mobility before but is now able to walk around and has some very special bright pink shoes which she loves!

Togan came to us after receiving radiotherapy treatment to a lesion on his jaw, which resulted in destruction of his mandible. His surgery and post operative recovery were difficult, leaving him needing to be on a feeding tube for a month following it. At times the skin around the wound looked so fragile and friable we didn't know if it would heal and slow granulation took place a millimetre at a time. Many people were praying for his healing and after just over a month on the ward we were able to let him go home. It really was our pleasure to have him as a patient for such a prolonged time as he was so inspiring with his faith and joy as at all times, whether things were going badly or not, he would be reading his Bible and would always greet you with a smile and greeting! He also became the comedian and father of the ward, looking after all those who came and went.

Tani

Sibi had a cleft lip repair and here she is with her Mum following the operation.

Papakey and Toyi both proudly stand showing their new noses!

Psalm 115 'Not to us, LORD, not to us, but to your name be all the glory'

A verse I know I've shared before but one I just feel sums up all our work here, without God who cares so intimately about each of our patients and their stories and who has brought them to us and will continue to look after them in the palm of his hand, we would have nothing.