Yesterday's love: going to Obama Beach...yes, this is a beach dedicated to Obama...in Lome, Togo. Pictures will come soon...hahaha...I couldn't believe it!

Today's love: knowing that my sister is about to run the socks off the State of KS!!! :)

An African Adventure...

This past weekend, I was able to get off ship. I had mentioned before, but some friends and I went to Kpalime (pronounced, pal-a-may). It was about a 3hr drive, complete with amazing scenery! Everything is so green here! The driving here is always an experience though. There are many potholes in the road...so you are constantly being thrown different directions in the car. The brakes are not used gently, but often slammed on - in order to miss a pothole or a biker. Needless to say, we got good at bracing ourselves. And coming back to Lome in the dark, was even more interesting...haha. But overall, it was one of my favorite days here!!

The initial plan was to leave at 9am. At 10ish, we found out that one of the drivers starting coughing up blood and died..."but dont worry, we have another driver for you" is what we were told. As you can imagine, we were like...wait, what?! Someone died?! That's awful! And they just shrugged it off...like it was no big deal. Slightly different approach than Americans have with death... Well, we ended up leaving Lome at 11. We made great time and made it there quickly. Along the way, one of the girls had to use the bathroom...so we proceeded to stop at a complete strangers house. They were very welcoming, and we just laughed..."we are stopping at a strangers house...haha, only in africa." So, our first stop was to visit this mission on Mt Agou. A lot of people have hiked this mountain...but we weren't going to have enough time to do the entire hike. So I was thankful for this small hike, and to see a little glimpse of the mountain view! Next, we went to one of the translator's (there were 2 that went with us) sister's house...pretty much just to tell her that we were coming for dinner! But she was great, super excited to meet us and also very welcoming. After this, we headed to the waterfalls (our destination)! It wasn't a very long hike...but it was amazing! The mountain was soo beautiful...the pictures don't do it justice. We were able to swim and stand under the waterall, which was SO fun!! Not to mention, we were also drenched in sweat by the time we reached the waterfall...so it felt extra refreshing. We were the only people we saw there...on the hike and at the falls. So it was nice to be at a local gem, not a big tourist attraction. Just sitting there on the rocks, listening to the water crash down, staring up at all the plush green mountain around us...was very serene. And needless to say, I loved it...

Then, we headed back to the sister's house for dinner. Side note: curfew on the ship is 11pm...it is currently 7pm when we arrive at her house - and with good traffic/no car problems...it takes at least 3hrs to get back to the ship. So we had mentioned this to our translators, you guys know about the curfew, right? To which, he responded..."dont worry, God is in control" ...and proceeded to turn back around and continue talking to his friend. haha...we kinda laughed and said, yeah we know He is...but we still have to be back at the ship by 11. We weren't quite sure if they understood us, but it all worked out. Anyway, the traditional African meal was prepared for us and was amazing! I was slightly worried...and lets be honest, saying that I was worried is an understatement...about the food, but it was really great!! We had fou fou (pounded yams) with some sort of soup. Pap (prounounced pop)...which was some sort of with corn tasting stuff that they peel off a leaf. (i obviously dont know exactly what it was, haha) The pap was served with a red sauce. And with African style, we ate with our hands. The fou fou and soup was my favorite...I didnt care for the Pap. Fou fou looks like and has the consistency of stretchy mashed potatoes (if that makes sense)...so you pull a chunk off and just dip it into the soup! Very, very good stuff... And to make things even more fun, we were able to pound some fou fou!! Pictures are at the end of this post... the African ladies there got a kick out of watching us try this. And to say they simply laughed, would also be a huge understatement! haha...it was fun though!

We arrived back to the ship, right at 11pm. As we laughed about the day, there were several things that we enjoyed. One being how we would randomly stop throughout the day (usually, i think they were asking directions), and one of our translators would get out of the car and leave. Keep in mind, our driver speaks only french and we all spoke only english...so we couldnt ask him, where the translator was going! We decided that he went and bought food for himself...but it always took 10-15mins. It became quite humerous to me actually! We would stop. He would leave. We would sit in the hot car (car was turned off) with 3 people in a small backseat of a car. We had no idea where he went or what he was doing. We were just sitting, waiting, getting lots of odd looks from the locals that would meander by our car. haha...it was great! He then would eventually come back to the car...and proceed to say "are you happy?...your happiness is my happiness...your happiness is my reputation". hahaha....needless to say, it became my quote of the day, because we heard it numerous times!!

It was a great day and definitely one of my favorite adventures since being here!! Here are a few pictures from the day...

During hike on Mt Agou

Random street shot with part of Mt Agou in background

An African bookstore...

An African shoe store...

At the falls

Street shot in Kpalime


The pros pounding Fou Fou...

The Yovo's pounding Fou Fou... *Yovo is their term for white person...so its very common to hear kids yelling, "yovo, yovo!!"

Today's love: reflecting back on the adventures, opportunities, and friends I've met during this time...

LOVES!

Yesterday's loves:
1. Eating blackberries!!!!! (i'm semi-obsessed with berries and haven't had them since i left home...) So every Thursday night, there is a community meeting. Pretty much, its like a church service or if you were/are involved in a college christian ministry...like a weekly nav night! I've really enjoyed them, while being here! And one of the greatest parts (although, not the only part) is that we usually get dessert afterwards. The first couple weeks, there was ice cream. Umm...awesome is all I can say about that! But I think they've run out...the past couple weeks we've had a cake, not that you really care...but just wait, I'm getting to the good part. I had to work yesterday during the evening, so I missed the meeting. But a couple lovely co-workers ran up and grabbed a few desserts for us. SOO surprised to see blackberries, whip cream and chocolate amazingness...and SOO very excited! So much so, that you are getting to hear about it. :)

2. I had a little girl who had surgery yesterday morning. So precious! I'm forgetting the technical medical term...but pretty much, she had a large lower lip. So they made it smaller in size and it looks great! Anyway, I was changing her dressing last night and when I finished, she reached over and gave me a hug.... totally unexpected and it just made my night. It truly is the little things about this experience that I'm loving!

Goodness, it's been awhile since I've dated...I apologize! Not to much has been going on though. I just got off a stretch of night shifts...so I haven't been able to do a lot off ship. I thought I might just give some random updates for this post...

Roomates: As I've mentioned before, I live in a 6-person cabin. But I don't think I've told you about my roomates! They are as follows: 1 from Australia, 1 from Switzerland, 1 from Germany, 1 from Georgia, 1 from Seattle, and me!! Quite diverse...and I love it. I heard that currently, there are over 40 nations represented on the ship. It's so neat to hear about things from all over the world! I don't know how the long-termers do this all the time though. You develop great friendships with people and then they leave...the time here on the ship initially sounds like a long time. But once you're here and involved, it goes quick! And I much as I'm loving meeting new friends from all over...its weird too, in a sense that I don't truly know if I'll see these people again. I pray I do!! But until then...I guess thats what facebook is for... haha!

Ward Church: Every Sunday, there is a church service held in the wards. A couple of wks ago, I was working and was able to attend this! It was awesome! There are 3 wards...and almost everyone comes and crams into just one side of one ward. I'm going to include a picture here of a ward...so try to imagine ~50 people in here...with another ~10 people in the hall, all praising the Lord. Amazing stuff! As with true African worship, there was lots of dancing and drumming. The dance circle was held in the middle...and everyone just danced around the people sitting on the floor. It's so neat to see everyone together. You have nurses, patients, caregivers, translators, random visitors and occasionally doctors all gathered together in one small room! One of the photographers on the ship gave the message that Sunday.










Aissa: A couple posts ago, I mentioned the little girl named Aissa, who had NOMA. She has become such a special kid to many of us, here on the ship. She is SO fun to be around! Aissa speaks a language that no-one hear on the ship knows...I don't remember the statistic, but there are an insanly high number of languages/dialects spoken in Cameroon. There are lots in Togo too, but Cameroon has a ton! Aissa has learned some Engligh though, since being in the ward. It's hard to keep a 7yr old busy, in the same room as 19 other patients/caregivers are as well. With no windows and only 1-2hrs of playtime outside...its just hard at times. She is full of energy, full of life and has kept us on our toes. At her village, she was given free reign. There was no discipline, no guidance, etc. So at first, it was a challenge for her - to listen, share, etc. But she has come soo so far. This little girl has stolen my heart! She has become like a mother hen to other patients, she helps the nurses, she even gave herself her own tube feeds/medications when her NG tube was down (she would aspirate to make sure nothing was still in her stomach before feeds, she would flush the tube once they were done and would push her own meds too). And she's only 7! This past weekend, she was cleared to leave the hospital. So on Sunday afternoon, she left for the hospitality center!! And in about a wk or so, they think she'll able to make the trip back to Cameroon. Yesterday afternoon, I went over to the hospitality center to play volleyball and was able to see Aissa again. When I first got there, she came sprinting over to me and wrapped her arms around my legs. I picked her up, twirled her around and we both just laughed! It was so exciting to see her playing outside...running around...and the best part is....without a bandage on her head. Her skin graft to her cheek has taken well, and she no longer needs a dressing on!! PRAISE THE LORD for this precious little girl and her tender heart. Please keep her in your prayers, as she will make the trip back next week...that she will continue to heal and that hopefully she'll be able to start going to school this fall. I'm hoping to post more pictures of Aissa on the next post!

Food: So the food here on the ship is actually pretty good! I wasn't sure what to expect. And being that I've actually been called picky before...shocking, i know...I was a little nervous. But it's been great! I've refound a favorite food...cinnamon/sugar toast. Most definitely not African...but soo good!

Blood bank: The ship is pretty unique when it comes to blood. Our blood bank is the crew! Anyone that volunteers to be a donor, has their blood checked (to analzye and double check blood type) and then if they are needed, they will be paged/phoned at that time. This could be in the middle of the night...in the middle of lunch...whenever! They don't have to technology separate the particles of the blood...so they aren't able to store any blood on the ship. I've only given blood a couple times on the ship (as a nurse, not a donor)...but its SO cool. The lab draws the blood...and within 30mins, a warm (yes...warm) bag of blood is then handed to me to hang. Its so neat to see the donor standing there, watching his/her warm blood flow into another person. At home you can donate blood, but you never know when/where/how its being used. Here, you get to see in person. How cool is that!! The other day, there was a large surgery taking place (a lady was having several very large tumors taken off her neck/jaw). The surgeons had predicted they would 6 units of blood...so the lab got 12 units ready (knowing they would probably need more than the surgeons thought...). And by ready, I mean made sure they had 12 donors on the ship. We've found that B+ is a common blood type here in Togo, but not very common among everyone else! So it's been pretty interesting to find enough donors. I was working that evening, so as I heard the overhead page to inform anyone who hadn't gotten the blood checked to donate, to please please go see the lab. They had gotten to the point, where they would have to stop the surgery if they didnt get enough blood. So we ran over to lab...got checked (i'm not B+) and then started praying. Praying for donors...praying for blood...praying the surgery, etc. They ended up finding some blood from a blood bank in Togo. But it was a close call. They surgery ended up taking 12.5hrs and required 18units of blood. They were able to take all but one tumor off, and she is doing great. Praise the Lord! I just think the system for blood transfusions here is pretty neat...in one person...30mins later...infusing into someone else. Sweet!

Kpalime: So this weekend, a small group of us are planning a day trip to Kpalime. It's a town north of Lome, a couple hrs away. I haven't been there yet, but have been hoping to be able to go! There's lots of hiking and waterfalls to see...so I'm pretty excited about that!


Volcano: Prayers needed. As most of you know, I'm going to travel around Europe for a week, when I leave here. I'm meeting my Mom and Aunt in Paris and we'll go from there. But we need the volcano in Iceland to stay calm!! So I figure if we start praying now...hopefully all will clear in a few weeks when we go. :)



Deck 8: I've mentioned the top deck of the ship before...but last night was the first night I've gone up there at night. Is there anything more peaceful than the combination of: tea, ipod, stars, and ocean? I think not! I've decided that Deck 8 is most definitely my favorite spot on the ship...



I'm going to end this post with a random picture. It was taken in Benin, when we went on the agriculture trip a couple wks ago. The rainy season has offically started here...but it has actually only rained a few days total since I've been here! This picture just shows a random street...with a "puddle" in the middle. All the bikes are trying to go around it...haha...





Today's love: being back on a days schedule...

Today's love: getting an email from Mat Kearney, announcing his summer acoustic tour.

...anyone up for a roadtrip?

WARNING: graphic pictures in this post...

This was taken on Saturday, at the Agriculture school in Benin. Yes, thats right...I went to another country! It was really neat. This ship was in Benin last year, and they started this ag school where they teach the students how to be farmers using godly principles. I guess at this time last year...they had nothing there, but the land. Now, they have several crops growing and they have a building!




This is just a random street shot in Benin. It was taken while we were driving...but it kinda shows what the streets here are like. And its an excellent example of the women here...they usually carry a baby on their back, something in their hands, and a huge bowl on their heads.




We went to a local beach the other day, Cocoa Beach! It was really fun! These boys were just kinda hanging out...but when they realized that we had cameras (we were just taking a few pics of the beach) they started dancing, posing and doing flips/cartwheels for us. It was quite entertaining!

We did crafts the other day, on the ward! Maybe all pediatric nursing is this way...I don't know, since this is really my first time doing it. But it's definitely been a lot of fun so far!!

Here's a few of the casted-legged kids at the hospitality center!

So this next group of pictures is slightly graphic...just a heads-up. I can tell you story after story...but seeing a couple before/after pictures, will hopefully give you a glance of why I love what I'm doing right now. It's a completely different mindset, going to work...knowing that I'm actually paying to go to work. But this is why I'm doing it....and this is why I'm loving it... :)

Little Aissa's story could break your heart. She's a little 7yr old girl, who has been living in Cameroon. Her pictures were mailed to the ship, and they agreed to give her a surgery. She has a condition called Noma. I'll be honest...I had never heard of this before her. I guess its a series of steps that start with malnutrition, then when the immune system is down they get a viral infection (like measles)...they then get a tooth infection or mouth sore or some sort...and the face will then just melt away. It's fatal in 90% of the cases and it only takes about 2 wks to get to this point. Aissa's a blessed one...the pictures from when she first came to the Cameroon hospital broke my heart. She is now a joyful, playful little girl (with a slight attitude) who has a face again. It's absolutely amazing!! The surgeon's took a skin graft (piece of skin from her thigh) and placed it on her face. Amazing stuff!! :)

Little Maurius is the one I mentioned the other day, that got to go home!

"...And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:17-19

Today's love: getting to be a small part of what God is doing here. To God the glory, of all thats being done here!!

I'm going to try and post pictures later....until then...

Today's love: being blessed with the greatest Mom ever. :)