Work hard. Play hard.

Hey Everyone...

Sorry that it has taken me so long to get back to you. Last I wrote, I was preparing to head out to our first official screening day for the outreach here in Togo. What can I say about it? It went well. Not a lot of people came, which is awesome, since that is what we were praying for. We did, however, get surgeries booked, x-ray and CT scan appointments booked, as well as casting for club feet. As it stands, screening has been pretty successful, new process and all. By the end of last week, I think that they had screened over 2,500 people. Please continue praying for the remaining screening days!

Since screening and now...we've had two open houses for the Oak Foundation Hospital (the name of the hospital here on the Africa Mercy). The first open house took place this past Thursday, where medical staff from all over Togo were invited to come aboard, see the hospital, meet the staff, and learn a bit of what we do and why. All of the hospital staff were required to participate in putting on the open house. All the wards and departments were open so that they could ask questions and get more information. We also worked as hosts/hostess, servers, and parking attendants (my job for the night). It was a blast, but a long night - and I hope that we represented ourselves well. I promise to put up a picture tour of the hospital for you soon!

The second open house was held last Friday (yup, back to back open houses)...but, this time, the hospital was opened up to non-medical crew. It was a fun-filled night. The ward nurses set up different stations for people to go through that taught them about inserting IVs, feeding tubes, and a chance to be in their shoes. All the operating rooms were open, with games revolving around some of the surgeries that they do - VVF, ophthalmic, general, etc. Even the kids on the ship were able to get involved, as they got dressed up in the OR to operate on a monkey, and learned how to stitch things up from our surgeons.

This weekend marked the beginning of hopefully many outings to come. What ended up being a group of 17 of us from here on the ship took a weekend trip out to a town called, Kpalimé. It was about a 2.5-3 hour ride northwest of the port here in Lomé. It was uncomfortably amusing having 19 people squish into the taxi-van/bus (originally intended to carry 15 passengers). I was lucky enough to be sitting not too far from an open window, and it was amazing watching the landscape pass me by. There is no way that I could describe to you the beauty that I had seen. It was awesome passing by the African villages and seeing the thatched huts and the people busy, going about their day.

It was a fun...although not completely relaxing weekend. We ended up having 5 hotel rooms to divvy up between the 17 of us. Our group then split off with a few of them going to see waterfalls and the other group (me included) heading to the market. The market was very lively and full of color. As we walked through the streets, you could hear children singing. They sing this song that I have grown to love and sing along with them. Basically, they sing it any time that they see a white person.

"Yovo, Yovo,
Bonsoir.
Ca va bien,
Merci."

It essentially says, "White person, White person. Good evening. It goes well (or I am well.). Thank you."

On Sunday, we all went for a hike up to the tallest mountain peak in all of Togo, Mount Agou. It stands about 986 meters (3234 ft.) tall. I never knew that I could sweat so much until yesterday. I also developed a healthy appreciation for water and keeping hydrated. Thankfully, it had rained enough the night before so the air was cooler than it normally would've been, yet the path wasn't all that muddy. We had a guide take us up the mountain, and he showed us various things...like how the locals get different dyes from the plants in the forest, as well as little tidbits about the area...like how it was one of the first areas to develop fruit.

As we made our way to the top, there were various villages built into the mountain side that we passed through. So very interesting to see how other people live and thrive. I was, and continue to be, astounded. We seemed to hit each village on our way up as they were having church. So, as we walked along the path, you could hear the drums being beaten to a tune of worship, even if it was unfamiliar to me. In one village, as soon as the worship music stopped, you could hear the music of the children's voices, saying, "Yovo! Yovo!" and then breaking out into song. At one of the villages, the children were outside the church and even came up to get a closer look at us. I love putting my hand out, and having their tiny palms smack mine...and then wander around my hand, amazed at the feel of my brown skin. They are just adorable, and they make my heart ache for my little ones back home.

When we reached the top of the mountain...we had a bit of a relaxed celebration, complete with human pyramid, jumping photos, spelling photos...and one of me being tossed in the air. I am sure that the guards were wondering just exactly what it was that we were doing.

On the way back down, we passed a village just as we met up with the road that winded back down the mountain we just climbed. We figured that this was a great place to take a break and wait for the rest of the group to catch up. As I was sitting on a log, resting, a little girl came towards us with a baby. As I watched her walking our way, I saw that she was intent on walking up to someone in particular - me! With a big smile on her face, she handed me the baby. And as soon as the baby was in my arms, the people from the village across the way erupted into laughter. I looked at the little girl, pointed to myself and said, "Je m'appelle Tatiana." She then proceeded to tell me that her name was Florence, and that the baby I held in my arms was named Emil. :-) Eventually, I returned the baby, even though Jens was trying to convince the little girl to let us pack the baby in our backpacks to come back with us. Thanks to Micah for taking this photo as evidence for me!

We had just enough time to head back to the hotel, take a quick dip in the pool to cool off, and then catch our taxi-van/bus to head back to the port. Walking back into the Africa Mercy, we were greeted by one of our Gurkhas with a big smile, and the cooling rush of air conditioning to meet us. As fun as it was to get away for the weekend and explore...it was sure nice to be back.

This week, we are preparing for the official open of the hospital. Our patients start to come in on Wednesday, 24 February and our first official operation is to commence on Thursday, the 25th. I am going to be spending the next few days before we open stocking the wards and the operating room. Everyday, it's starting to look more and more like a hospital...and even though I know that there is tons of work ahead of us...I can't help but be excited.

Three weeks in...Let the bruising begin!

I have been here for three weeks already. Weird. Although, I must say, that things are starting to pick up...and it didn't take too long to get the ball rolling. After our briefing meeting once docking in Togo, we started unbracing things in the hospital. In the pharmacy, it meant removing the braces on the rolling racks, unsecuring the cupboards, and moving boxes around (lots of moving boxes around). For the nurses, however...they've been working hard the last few days, bleaching the ward surfaces (as seen in the picture here, taken by Ali, I do believe...she also writes an amazing blog.), stripping and waxing the floors, and setting up the wards. They've been working hard...and yes, they are pretty amazing!

The first weekend here in Togo was a fun one, I must admit. On Saturday, the ship underwent a blackout so that teams could work on the cooling system and fix some problems that they have been having. As a result, shuttles were organized to take crew into different parts of the city to swim at the local hotels.

Now you may be wondering why on earth would we be sent off to swim at pools in hotels...when we are surrounded by beaches? It's because rip tides are common along the coasts here in West Africa, we are told...which makes the lovely beaches dangerous for swimming. :-( But, I must admit we still had fun. A few others and I got loaded into one of the land cruisers and headed off to the Palm Beach Hotel, located in downtown Lomé.

It was a great area for us, since we wanted to explore a bit, as there was a local market in the same area as the hotel. We spent most of the morning roaming the streets and checking out the local vendors. It was an...interesting...experience. A bit overwhelming, for me at least. It was awesome to see the liveliness and some of the color of the city...but, a bit frustrating as people are constantly coming up to you and trying to put things in your hands to buy. I think that might take some time getting used to.

After roaming the streets, a dip in the pool was very rewarding and we spent most of the afternoon there. It was glorious finally being able to swim in the water (as I was continuously tortured by the thought of cool waters while sailing) and get some relief from the heat. We spent lots of time relaxing, reading on loungers in the shade. A great day out on the town, all in all.

On Sunday, I had the pleasure of having my first West African church experience. We attended an Assemblies of God church just on the outskirts of Lomé. When we arrived, we were put at the very front of the church, facing the congregation (which I know is an act of honoring us as guests). For those of you that know me, you know how much I don't like speaking in public, or being put in any kind of spotlight. It was a bit unnerving for me, but I got over it quickly as I was swept up into their worship. It was amazing. Everyone was singing...just about everyone was dancing...and no matter what the preacher or the worship leader was doing or saying or singing or praying, the congregation continued with worship. They were so into praising God, that I couldn't even hear the worship team...all I heard were the hearts and voices of the people in the church. Can you imagine what that would be like?

Another thing that blew me out of the water...knowing only North American church services...is how giving these people were. And how joyful they were about it, too! I think that they must have taken up 4 offerings in the service, and every time, the congregation danced...DANCED!...their way to the offering baskets. I loved watching the ladies move in unison down the aisles and up to the front of the church. And, they gave every single time in that fashion. I just sat there, blessed by their joy to invest in their church and in their congregation. Especially when I sat there and considered their circumstances...the neighborhood that the church was located in, and likely where they live, and just knowing the statistics about the country that they live in. In comparison to what I am used to...all I can say, is that they may be poor in material aspects, but they don't seem to be poor in the Spirit. Poverty truly isn't just a state of what you can see in the physical with your own eyes...

At this church service, Jean-Claude introduced Mercy Ships and what we are here to do. Then, we each had to introduce ourselves (Jean-Claude also acted as our French translator), state where we were from, and what we do on the ship. It was really cute, because after we were introduced, the pastor commented that the congregation also had a Leah and a Tatiana. She actually came up to meet me. I couldn't help but smile. After the service, I got a picture with her. She was so cute, and so excited. Everyone seemed eager to meet us, to shake our hands, and to bless us for what we are here to do. As exciting as it all sounds, it was also a bit overwhelming. Especially for me, who doesn't always do the best in large groups of people and when I don't know most of them.

After the service, we were invited into the pastor's quarters for refreshments and snacks. It was nice to sit and chat and meet the pastor and the elders of the church. And definitely honoring to be treated in the manner that they received us.

We got back in from church around 1 pm...and I ended up spending the afternoon (from 1:30 pm to 5 pm) playing soccer out on the dock with some other people from the ship. It was lots of fun, but I have bruises and aching limbs to prove that I was out there for so long.

Today was business as usual...still setting up the hospital (yes, it takes a lot of time!), preparing to stock the wards, preparing for screening, and tidying up our work space. Speaking of screening...we start tomorrow. And, I'm going! I'm a bit nervous, as I heard that screening can be quite shocking for someone who hasn't seen things like this before. Tomorrow may be different, as we are not mass screening like they have done in the past. As some of you may already know, there is a presidential campaign and election happening in Togo this month. Due to this, the Togolese government has asked that we not hold a mass screening day like they did in the past, where up to 4,000+ people show up, hoping to see if we can help them.

This year, we are having smaller screening clinics...on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of each week for the next ten weeks. We are hoping that we can reach the people that we need to, and not to diminish the hopes of people we won't be seeing tomorrow. We are also hoping that we can convey to them that hope is not lost if we don't see them tomorrow, but that they can come to another screening day, and hopefully be seen. We are really hoping, even in spite of our best efforts, that masses upon masses of people don't come...but, there is a good chance that they will, as most are desperate for help and see Mercy Ships as their last shot. Since Mercy Ships has done mass screenings before, tomorrow, we will be holding a "double screening"; meaning...rather than seeing ~200 people (as planned for the rest of the screening days), we are hoping to see ~400 people.

Please pray for everyone going out tomorrow (myself included)...please ask that we are given clarity when seeing and screening the patients, helping with crowd control/security/escorting, or wherever we can help. Please ask that we are able to show compassion and mercy. Please pray for those that we can't help - that they rest in the knowledge that even if we (as humans) can't help them, that does not mean that the Lord has abandoned them. Pray that we have a good rest tonight, as it may be a long day tomorrow. Pray that we have peace, and energy, and anything else that is needed. Here's hoping and praying that tomorrow goes smoothly!

Now...it's off to bed. G'night whoever is out there. Dream sweetly...