Home for the Holidays

I find myself reluctant to write this post, as it will be my final entry for this trip and means that it is officially over. It is so hard to bring the past 2 months to a close, after so many wonderful people, places and experiences. However, returning home to my family just days before Christmas has helped to soften the blow of leaving Madagascar. It certainly felt like a magical homecoming after 3 long days of travel, flight delays, a missed international flight, lost luggage and extremely swollen ankles. Listening to “I’ll be Home for Christmas” on endless repeat while circling the Dallas skyline glowing with holiday lights, it really did feel like the ending to a Hallmark Christmas movie.

A welcome sight after a long journey home

Of course, Christmastime on the Africa Mercy was special in many ways, due to the 30+ nationalities represented in the ship. Christmas traditions abounded, but my favorite tradition by far was the Santa Lucia processional. My Swedish roommate played Santa Lucia, and a group of Swedish and Norwegian men and women joined as her chorus in singing traditional songs. From celebrating these different holidays to making Christmas cards with the patients, Christmastime in Madagascar was very unique and a pleasant removal from the typical commercial bustle this time of year.

Santa Lucia in the Swedish tradition

In the last weeks before my departure, the clinic stayed very busy and at times we were bursting at the seams with patients. As a result, I was able to participate in one of the largest dress ceremonies for our OBF patients. After getting to know many of the patients for almost 1 month, it was a particularly special dress ceremony. Happily, many of the women in this final dress ceremony had very supportive families and husbands, which is a rarity for the VVF patients. We celebrated the husbands who stood by their ailing wives for years, staying true to wedding vows taken so long ago. It made the goodbyes much easier, knowing that the women I cherished so much would be returning to a brighter future surrounded by faithful loved ones. On top of all this, the local Malagasy nurses passed their exams and were taking on more responsibility in the clinic. Sad as I was to leave, it was very fulfilling to see the clinic flourishing in so many ways before I left. I know that the team there will only continue to grow and nurture this clinic so that many more women and families can benefit from surgery and rehabilitation.

One of our patients and her sweet husband

A full celebration at this dress ceremony

Before leaving Madagascar, I did my best to squeeze in every last activity. From running along the beach to eating lychee ice cream, I savored every last moment in this beautiful country. Perhaps the most unexpected activity was that of bathing pigs. One of our day crew told us about the 17 pigs he kept at his home, and invited a friend and I to help out with the chore of washing his prized possessions. This was quite a treat and one I won’t soon forget! The pigs were kept in pens, as a part of his small compound within a neighborhood. Our friend welcomed us into his home, resembling an efficiency apartment, which he built in just one day. From getting water out of the pump to snatching piglets from their ferocious mother, it was a unique glimpse into the life of a farmer in the city.

Last run on the ocean road

Hungry piglets pre-bath

Final farewells and selfies

After saying goodbye to friends in Tamatave, I traveled with a large group of volunteers to the capital city Antananarivo to catch a flight home. After an 8 hour bus ride through magnificent countryside, we arrived in the capital with enough time to explore just a little bit. A fellow volunteer and I trekked around the town and even found a vantage point from the former gravesite of the Queen of France. After this brief diversion, I was off to Johannesburg, then Amsterdam and finally US soil.

View of Antananarivo, a vast and sprawling city

Found a friend in this Scottish volunteer, only to say goodbye just hours later

I wish I had some clever words to say after these past 2 months, but to be honest, I am still trying to process all that has happened in this brief timeframe. However, I know that I am grateful for the opportunity to travel to Madagascar, to know and love the people of this nation, and to serve alongside many gifted individuals from around the world. God's handiwork around the globe continues to be evident to me, in the form of unique and diverse individuals made in his image, in the beauty of landscapes painted by his hand, and in his outpouring of grace and mercy for and through his people. Psalm 66:1-4 "Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise! Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you. All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name."