First week in Guinea

It's been one week on the Africa Mercy, and I already love it! This has been a busy week, filled with so many new experiences, people, and places. It's a lot to take in, but every moment has been wonderful. Thank you so much for all your prayers, love, and support. I love that I get to share this experience with you all!

Sorry if this blog is all over the place. Life here is so unusual and I am still trying to take it all in. There is a lot to say, as each experience here is so new and different. I hope you'll bear with me as I try to sort through and describe some of my observations and experiences.

I arrived here last Saturday evening, after many hours in transit, and I haven't had much downtime since. Mercy Ships has so many volunteers coming in and out, so they have a very efficient system for orientation and so on. I love that there is nothing wasted here- not time, space, or resources. Could not be more different than my life at home. The facilities are great- a Starbucks cafe, hot meals in the cafeteria 3 times a day, a pool, computers and a tv, view to take your breathe away...I could go on. Needless to say, this is a strange juxtaposition between the hardships of Africa and an all-inclusive vacation. But I love that the community here encourages these two aspects of life to intertwine. We take our patients out on the deck after our shift and play games with them during down time. There are musical groups moving through the wards, with patients joining in song and dance. Then during days off, there are many opportunities to visit orphanages, local churches, or hospitals. Any time on or off the ship, working or basking in the sunshine, it is a chance to worship and glorify God.

Entrance to the Africa Mercy

After months of anticipation, I've finally started work on my ward at the hospital, which is called the VVF ward. There are so many other nurses, new and experienced, so there is always someone available to lend a helping hand. The VVF ward is where we take care of women before and after they have an operation to repair a fistula, vaginal and/or rectal, that has formed as a result of prolonged childbirth (a symptom of chronic malnutrition, pregnancy at a young age, and lack of access to a hospital). This fistula allows urine and/or feces to continually leak out. Due to this unpleasant odor, these women often feel ashamed and/or have been shunned from society. Most of these women have had previous surgeries performed at local hospitals in an attempt to repair the fistula, often unsuccessful and resulting in increased scarring making it even more difficult to repair. And all this is on top of the loss of their stillborn child. Puts things in perspective doesn't it?

So, after having surgery to repair this fistula, the women will remain on our ward for several weeks while they recover. It is often heartbreaking as we are unable to repair some fistulas. However, regardless of whether the patient is wet or dry, each woman on this ward is so joyful as she begins to see hope for a better life and an unconditional, redeeming love. They are received with open arms by the crew on Mercy Ships, and they find community among one another as they see they are not alone in this plight. It has been such an absolute joy for me to watch these women interact with one another- playing games together, doing each other's hair, sharing belongings. Many will join the nurses in prayer and give joyful praise to God when they find they are healed. I feel so privileged to be a part of this process for such amazing, sweet, funny women. We can't take photos ourselves, but I'll try and attach one from the official Mercy Ships photographer.

Some of the many sweet women on the Africa Mercy

 

I have this weekend off, so I'm trying to take advantage of all Guinea has to offer. I've made it into town a few times so far, and tomorrow I hope to take a boat to a nearby island for the afternoon. There is so much to do just on the ship itself, and the possibilities on land seem endless!

I've gotta run now, but I'll try to write more next week. Thanks for reading!

So here I am, just a few days out from leaving for Guinea. I have been eagerly anticipating my departure for such a long time now, and all of a sudden it is almost here. I feel like I have spent months preparing for this trip: learning about missions, saving up and raising support, writing out endless to-do lists, strategizing how and what I will pack, etc. Yet despite all this planning, January 19th has managed to sneak up on me and here I am scrambling to say my last good-byes.
Let me just say thank you to all my friends, family, and co-workers, who have all made me feel so incredibly loved over the past few weeks. People have been so generous in supporting me on this mission trip to Guinea, and it has been such a humbling experience to receive this abundance of love. God has been so gracious to me, and I thank Him for each one of you. My hope is that I can bring the same love you have shared with me to our brothers and sisters in Africa and that this love will be a beacon of light pointing towards the true love of Christ.
I'm sure that if you're reading this blog you know where and what I'm doing for the next couple months, but just in case you don't I'll give you a quick run-down. I'll be traveling to Conakry, Guinea in West Africa to serve as a nurse with an organization called Mercy Ships. Mercy Ships has a huge ship called the Africa Mercy, which has been converted into a hospital for the purpose of serving the people of West Africa. Amid so many other difficult conditions, healthcare in West Africa is extremely limited, resulting in many untreated conditions which are life-threatening or debilitating. The mission of Mercy Ships is to follow the "2,000-year-old model of Jesus to provide hope and healing to the world's forgotten poor" and this is accomplished in part "by mobilizing people and resources worldwide". You can learn much more about some of the amazing ways the Lord is working through Mercy Ships by visiting their website at www.mercyships.org.
I have never kept a blog before, so please bear with me as I write. My goal is to keep a 'Rick Steves-style' guide to Mercy Ships, but I have a feeling this blog will be more like 'strange thoughts from Stephanie'. I'll try to keep it professional. See you in Africa!