Restored

There are some patients that really plant themselves straight into my heart, and I'll never forget them. Meet 'M,' she has definitely planted some roots that are there to stay.  She hasn't had the easiest journey here, but that smile you see, it hasn't really left her face. She's been discharged and readmitted a few times for bleeding, and through it all she's been patient, and understanding; scared, but trusting; sweet, and loving.  

To celebrate a patient's transformation from wet to dry, and commemorate a fresh start to their new life, we have a party! It's a blast! We get all the ladies together, they get their hair and makeup done, get a pretty, new dress, and get to tell their testimonies.  Unfortunately, M missed the last dress ceremony because she was in the OR.  So yesterday, after having some time to heal after her surgery, we got to celebrate M! 

I love how God is a God of details. He's got things under control far beyond our thinking or awareness.  I was feeling bad that all but one other VVF lady had been discharged, and she was the only one who hadn't had her dress ceremony yet. She was going to be all alone.  But in a way only God could do it, M's husband randomly showed up on the dock with her belongings from the HOPE Center! Perfect timing for her dress ceremony, and just in time so they could go home together. So we celebrated! It was beautiful to see the patients, day crew, and nurses celebrating M! 

During her testimony she told us how she had suffered with her fistula for 2 years, and during that time she let her relationship with God go. Her and her husband stopped going to church, and drifted away from God. She said that through her time on the ship she was reconciled to God, and her relationship with Him restored. I love how God doesn't cast us aside when we leave Him, but instead He seeks us out to restore relationship with Him. 

    

M left today...it was bittersweet, but mostly sweet because she's going home healed now. I'll miss her, and her me, but I know I'll see her again someday. 

Stories

As I was looking through my past blog posts from the start of this blog in 2012, I realized I didn't have many patient stories, actually, any patient stories! Which made me sad that I haven't shared with you all the beautiful people I get to love-on day in and day out. Sooo I decided to start sharing some stories of the ladies that I learn from on a daily basis. I'm keeping their names for them, but you'll still get to know them and their sweet spirits. 





This is 'B.'  You wouldn't know by looking at her, but she is a riot! 

To help pass the time on the ward we often paint nails, braid bracelets, or braid hair...ya know, girly things. What else is there to do with a room full of 20 female patients, 3 female Translators, and 5 female nurses?? (Oh, I forgot to mention that among all this estrogen there are 2-3 male translators who often partake in the girly activities). Well, one day the ladies were all sitting in bed doing an assortment of the aforementioned girly activities when 'B' and her neighbor started bursting out laughing. One of said male translators was talking to 'B,' and she told him, and I quote,"The men in our village are Casanovas, and better looking than you. Now when we go back to our village we'll know how to do our hair, paint our nails, and look nice. We'll all get husbands."  

Women are the same on both sides of the sea...