I am going to briefly describe the surgery and show you before and after photos so that you can get an idea of what each surgery entailed.

This is Mohammed. He has an ameloblastoma involving his jaw.

Mohammed

While the surgeons were still home in Europe, they were sent CT scans (i.e., “cat” scans) of each patient so they could map out the surgeries. The surgeons spent many hours planning the resections and needed grafts for these patients before coming to Ethiopia. For example, they created metal templates in Europe and brought them to Ethiopia. These templates are used to attach the new tissue grafts to the patient’s face in order to fill-in the defect left by the removed tumor.

From an anesthesia perspective, huge tumors close to the airway make securing the airway much more complicated. Mohammed had a very limited mouth opening.  This made intubating him with an endotracheal tube, which is necessary so that he could breathe during surgery, technically challenging. We had to intubate his trachea with the breathing tube while he was awake using a special fiber-optic bronchoscope. After he was asleep, he received special IV’s and monitors. For example, we put in an arterial line, or “a-line.” A-lines are basically IVs put in an artery rather than a vein.  They are more technically challenging.

An important part of cure’s mission is to train local medical personnel.  This is the first time the CURE Ethiopia nurse anesthetists had seen an a-line.  I showed them how to perform them and then supervised them while they performed them on the rest of the patients throughout the week.  Throughout the week, the Ethiopian medical personnel at CURE received other training and experiences that are rare here (i.e., practice intubating with the fiber-optic bronchoscope, etc.).  These patients require much more attention after the surgery, so they have to be in the ICU.  Our ICU was full and put to good use this week.  The ICU experience also created an excellent training opportunity.

Mohammed with his new jaw in place.

The first part of the surgery involved resecting the tumor.  Most of his jaw had to be completely removed because the entire jaw was involved with the tumor.

Next, the surgeons remove a portion of bone (with muscle, blood vessels, and skin still attached) from the leg. They take this portion of bone and fashion it to fit the patient’s jaw template perfectly. They use chisels and screws and drills that look like a “drummel” until the jaw is an exact fit for the patient’s defect. The graft is then ready to be reconnected to arteries and veins within the patient’s face in order to give him a new jaw.

We are very thankful for the team that came and shared so much of themselves to make a new life for these patients.

How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you?  1 Thessalonians 3:9

Originally posted at: http://ethiopia.thebernards.org/2012/01/29/success/. Note: the original post includes medically graphic pictures.

A visit home

I got back on January 4th from the being in the US for Christmas and New Years. The break was just beautiful and relaxing in almost every way. I got to ride my horse (and my sister’s), and I got my fill of nieces and nephews (Well I’m not sure if it’s possible to ever get my fill, but at least I got to spend time with them and see all of them growing so big and preciously as they are). I could go into so much detail about a fun-filled two weeks at home with family and dear friends, but I will just say it’s just what I needed — to spend time with some of the people closest to me.

CURE

The first couple of days back at the hospital were exciting, for one, just to see everyone again, and two, because we had a lot of new patients coming in. We love seeing returning patients and seeing their progress, and it’s great to also see our numbers growing and more new kids coming in!

It is super exciting to see the CUREkids program continue to grow and to see more and more kids’ surgeries being funded. Seeing people really desiring to reach out and help others with what God has given them is very inspiring.

Translating in clinic for Dr. Jay continues to be fun, and there is normally always something to laugh about afterwards. There are the occasional stressful moments when I can’t for the life of me communicate a word. Recently it was “MRI,” and Jozzeth (x-ray technician who speaks a lot of English) wasn’t understanding me either. Finally, Dr. Jay just wrote the prescription for it and told the patient’s parents which hospital and doctor they needed to see for this. After clinic, Jozzeth asked me to explain it to him again, and when I wrote it out and said, “See, M-R-I,” the light bulb lit up! He thought I was saying MRI as one word, like “emarreye.” Ok… finally got that one figured out. Learning new things every day!

Last week we had one of our clubfoot patients come back, walking almost completely normally! It’s been a long and sometimes very painful journey for Gerardo, making many trips here, but he is nearly DONE, and it’s awesome to see the change in his life and how going through all that treatment was SO worth it!!!

Gerardo, day 1

Gerardo, day 134

One of our missionary friends here, Tara, and her husband, Jorge, have a ministry called Reach Out Orphanage Ministries. Dr. Pauline (a pediatrician who is also Dr. Jay’s wife) went with Tara last week to one of the orphanages that they work with which has special needs children. We hope to be able to bring some of the kids who need treatment to CURE, and this new prospect of working with more orphanages in our area to help the poorest of Hondurans is very exciting. We appreciate your prayers as this unfolds! This weekend, possibly after church, we hope to visit the orphanage again (and bring a pediatric neurologist who is visiting) and make some progress determining which children we will be able to help. It’s very exciting for me personally to see CURE connecting more and more with orphan care!

Hank & Martha Parker and their grandkids

Hank Parker, host of Hank Parker’s Outdoor Magazine on NBC Sports, introduced his affiliation with CUREkids on today’s show.  For those of you not familiar with “the rod-n-reel answer to Michael Jordan,” Hank Parker won his first national championship for bass fishing in 1976, then went on to win many other awards and championships over the next decades.  Inducted into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame in 2003, Hank now hosts his own fishing/outdoors television program, nationally televised on NBC Sports and the Pursuit Channel.

Today, Hank introduced his viewers to CURE.  The Hank Parker Community is currently raising support for Adriany, an 11-year-old girl who is scheduled for treatment at CURE Honduras. Today’s episode of Hank Parker’s Outdoor Magazine will air again on NBC Sports on Friday, 3 February, at 12:30 PM EST.  Be sure to check out his show and CUREkids community!

Learn more about Hank Parker: http://hankparker.com

While we can’t help you lose weight, fall in love, or manage your money, we can help you if you made a resolution to help others! As you may have realized, the hardest part of keeping a resolution to help others can be knowing where to start. There are so many good causes to choose from that it can be overwhelming knowing where you can best use your skills. If you have a desire to meet the needs of disabled children in the developing world, you have come to the right place!

We have a need for all types of volunteers.  Right now we are looking for individuals to join spiritual ministry teams in preaching the good news of Jesus to the surrounding communities of our hospitals in the Dominican Republic and Uganda. We need people with construction skills or those who are willing to paint to help keep our hospitals looking great.  If you are a nurse, surgeon, or anesthesiologist, we need your help in healing kids.

Not up for traveling the world? Then consider helping us right from your couch or your kitchen table by sponsoring a child’s surgery on our CUREkids page, knitting a hat for a newborn in Afghanistan through our Knit Pray Love program, or sending a donation to help support the work of CURE.

If any of these opportunities sound interesting or exciting to you, please explore our website, fill out an application for a trip, or email us a question at volunteer@cure.org.

Best wishes in keeping your resolutions this year. We look forward to hearing from you!

The food is good. The only problem is there is not a ton of variety. There are a few different sauces that they use (peanut sauce, okra sauce, and a few other sauces that I haven’t been able to identify), and they are all delicious, especially when you add this spicy chili stuff that is basically just chopped up peppers. But if you were hoping for a salad, or a sandwich for lunch, you should probably look elsewhere. Don’t even think about asking for a wrap. You can pretty much count on the fact that every day, you are going to get some kind of sauce on one of the following:

1. Rice
2. Noodles[1]
3. Couscous.

Usually it’s rice. Actually, I started keeping track (informally), and I think I’ve observed a pattern. It goes something like this: rice, noodles, rice, couscous, rice, noodles, rice, noodles, rice, rice, rice, couscous, rice, etc.

I do like the food. Really. But it does feel, sometimes, like I am eating rice every day.

Food reality

Each morning Hassane and I go around the hospital, visiting all the patients. We go see those that are going to be operated on, those that just came out of surgery, and then those that are recovering. The recovering patients usually stay in our patient guesthouse. There is a tree that grows right next to the patient guesthouse, a Baobab tree, the kind that gets really big eventually. But this one is still small. One day I noticed someone had plucked almost all of the leaves off of it. I asked what happened to it, and they told me that the patients have been picking the leaves off because they use them to make sauce. I remember Baobab trees from my childhood in Togo. I always thought they were really cool because they are so huge, but I never knew that you could eat their leaves.

At our hospital, we feed the patients. This sets us apart from most of the other hospitals in Niger, where you have to feed yourself, but it is important, because how can you heal if you are undernourished? But we do not generally provide meals for the people who accompany the patients (usually a mom, dad or grandparent). They cook for themselves. Of course, if they are unable to feed themselves (as is often the case), we give them meals as well. Sometimes they come with as much money as they can, and it lasts awhile, but it runs out well before the patient they are accompanying is ready to be sent home. This is especially common if they come from the village. They are not used to dealing with money, and not used to how expensive (relatively speaking) everything is here en ville. It may be their first time to visit Niamey. Their first time to visit anywhere other than a neighboring village — so it would make sense that they would be glad to see a tree they recognize from home growing in this new, strange, expensive place, and that they would make sauce out of it.

I knew all of this, but I was still surprised to learn that they pick leaves off a tree to eat.

I told myself I would remember this the next time I felt like saying, “Why is our fridge always empty?” or “There is nothing to eat in this house?”

By “empty,” of course, I mean that we don’t have anything that can be taken out and eaten immediately. I might have to use the microwave. I mean that instead of instant gratification, my gratification will have to be delayed anywhere from two to four minutes.

By “nothing to eat in this house,” I mean that I might have to actually do some cooking before I can eat. Gratification delay — up to half an hour. Half an hour! Are you kidding me? With that kind of time, I might as well go start picking leaves off a tree.

Bringing it home

Drought has come to Niger. It is never very far away. Some countries have an early warning system for tornadoes or hurricanes. Niger has an early warning system for drought and famine. Even in the best of times, most people barely get by, growing enough to live on. Kind of. When there is not much rain, or when, for some reason, the harvest is not very good, the situation becomes critical. In the past few weeks we have noticed at the hospital people who come in, especially from the village, are reluctant to leave. They come up with all kinds of excuses, but the real reason is that they are eating well here at the hospital, and they know that if they go back to the village, they might starve. That may sound extreme, but it is not hyperbole. Starvation is a real problem, and a real possibility facing many people in Niger.

I am starting to realize this more and more. One lady came to the hospital a few weeks ago with her niece. Her niece has club foot, and while she is being treated for it, she and her aunt are staying here at the hospital because their village is too far away for them to come and go all the time. Every morning I practice my (meager) Hausa with this lady, and she always laughs a lot, and says a whole bunch of things that I don’t understand. A few days ago, she told me (through a translator),

“Now that you speak Hausa, you are one of us.”

“Thank you,” I said. That is one of the things I do know how to say.

“Since you are one of us,” she continued, “you have to come back to the village with us when we leave.”

“Thank you,” I said again. I say it a lot.

“But when you come,” she said, “make sure you fill your truck with rice, because in the village we don’t have it, and we are used to it, because here in the hospital we get to have rice every day!”

church dome in Addis Ababa

Greetings from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia!   What a beautiful morning!  I awoke quite early in the quiet darkness.  As I searched for my light and my book a soft sound arose from off to my left.  The tone slowly rose and fell into the morning call to prayer.  In Al Ain, this chanting song lasts a few minutes and the jarring amplified sounds fade as dawn approaches.  Here in Addis, the songs linger on.  Even though I fail to understand any of the words, the breaking of the night and calling of the dawn draws me into a new day.  After my morning routine, I walked outside the hospital up to the kitchen.  The kitchen staff is an amazing group, spoiling me rotten.  Approaching the faucet for clean drinking water, I am greeted with smiles all around.  One woman always rushes to the stove.  The clay pot is resting there ready to be heated; my coffee shortly arrives.  Oh yes!  Today I cuddled the warm cup and walked along the pathway as food was prepared.  The song from off left was still accompanying my day.  As I strolled farther, other vocalists were also in tune.   After breakfast, I walked down to the bottom of the CURE hill and could appreciate four different singers surrounding me and echoing across the hills.  The hills were indeed alive with music!

I have been contemplating my note for several days.  Some weeks the topics are absolute; the choice is so easy as something strikes me strongly.  Other weeks I am faced with a large variety of options and must choose one.  Some weeks I have trouble finding anything that should be written.  This week is one of options.  I could write about short term missions and the plus/minus view from a long term missionary performing short term missions.  I could write about several of the cute kids that came to clinic and their needs.  I could write about the CURE hospital here.  None of these topics seemed right for the week.  I will write later about missions, but today is not the day.  CURE Ethiopia is an awesome mission here in Addis.  The work of the hospital is important; the staff talented.  The need in Ethiopia for the medical/spiritual mission hospital is great.  Ethiopian children are very beautiful for sure.  I love their smiles.  Surgeries went well, clinics were full.  But that is not the topic for today.

I have only been in Ethiopia a brief couple weeks.  I know very little of the country as a whole.  I could get lost walking from the hospital if I am not careful.  Last week I joined some other CURE volunteers to travel around Addis with a driver and explore.

Ethiopia is a country with a long history.  I always remember the story of the Queen of Sheba coming all the way to the Middle East to visit Solomon.  Solomon was a man of great wisdom; the queen wanted to share in his wisdom and knowledge.  Christianity moved through Ethiopia at an early date.  Decorative monoliths are found in different areas of the country.  There are areas of beautiful forest and rugged deserts.   A sort trip, especially if you are working, will not allow you to get more than a taste of a country.  Volunteering will allow you to meet families and people in ways tourists will not, as tourists remain isolated in hotels and ride tour buses.  For me, that is an incredible benefit of volunteering your time and skills; I love to meet different people of different cultures.

Our excursion was to be limited due to time.  We piled into a small Toyota sedan and met our driver, “Antenna.”  I am not kidding.  Since we really had not clue where to go, we asked for suggestions.  Antenna smiled and we exited the CURE gate and wound up the hill.  Addis is situated on many hills.  The roads are therefore winding up and down all the time.  Roundabouts are the norm in Addis as well.  Scattered traffic lights attempt to control the weaving, honking mass of vehicles somewhat.  Pedestrians anxiously look and then time their dash across the streets.  Driving is always an adventure in the countries I have visited.

Our first stop was the national museum.  We entered the building only to be told the museum was closed.  Then the guard explained it was OK; we could start looking around anyway.  Someone will come.  We started on the ground floor.  Pictures of the different Emperors lined the walls.  Statues and paintings attracted my attention.  Suddenly a woman rushed in and the guard waved us over.  Paying a small fee, we were now legal.

Downstairs was the archeology section.   We descended to view the exhibitions before any other tourists arrived.  Pots, bowls, weapons, and pieces of every day life from old times were cleaned and documented.  Leaving that section we went to find “Lucy.”  Lucy is a partial skeleton found in Ethiopia.  Lucy is thought to be one of the oldest skeletons currently in existence.  Ethiopia has always been a cradle of civilization for archeologists.  Different skeletons and artist renditions-guesses of what the original looked like were on display.  Although I find the studies interesting, I am not an archeologist of that manner.  I would rather look at pyramids in Egypt, the Copan ruins in Honduras, the architecture of old churches and buildings, paintings of different eras, and nature as it exists now.

We ascended as several groups excitedly descended to find Lucy.  The top floor had numerous paintings depicting Ethiopian history; I always have enjoyed lions, whether wild in the Mara or sitting as guardian on a building pillar.  I have pictures of various lions alive, as statues, and as carvings.  This day I was faced with a royal lion with the staff of leadership.  I learned on a previous trip that Emperor Haile Selassie used to let lions roam the palace grounds.  That would keep the number of visitors down!   When I was allowed to visit the palace grounds in 2006, there were no lions I saw but, instead, giant tortoises wandering.  The tortoises were very nice but just not the deterrent a lion would be.   Even a slowpoke like me can outrun a tortoise.

Leaving the museum, we drove off to the next stop.  This was a large cathedral.  A priest gave use a guided tour within.  The stained glass was gorgeous as events important to Christianity were portrayed.   Near the front were the Emperor’s and Empress’ throne for worship.  Each throne was decorated with rich carvings.  The pews were simple wood with the Ethiopian style cross engraved.  A museum was next door which had some more artifacts.  Crowns of various styles were on display.  I liked a silver crown with dangling decorations and rows of carvings.  I just knew it would fit perfectly!

oldest church in Addis

We then rode off to see the oldest church in Addis and also to experience the view from the mountain top.  The climb was very difficult for the car.  Several times we stopped, backed up, and took another run at the hills.  Donkeys laden with large burdens strolled along and on the road.  Powerful cars roared on by us.  We arrived at the pinnacle and the car sighed.  The view was indeed incredible.  Addis Ababa stretched out for miles below.  Pockets of densely packed buildings were separated by the green hills.  The church itself was there but nothing I would travel far to see again.  The view was the destination of choice.

Lunch was definitely next on the agenda.  Antenna knew just the place.  He eased our way down the hill to a larger road.  Wandering here and there we arrived at a taller building.  The restaurant was up nine floors.  Enjoying the food, we looked out the window.  A large crowd was gathering.  This crowd was not a dangerous-appearing mob but people dressed in fancy clothing and others in colorful robes.  A red carpet was rolled along the street below.  People stretched along the pathway for as far as I could see.  Since our exit was obviously blocked, we sat back to enjoy.  This is the Ethiopian festival of Epiphany.  Suddenly the processional started.  Choirs started dancing and singing songs of joy.  People all around joined in the dance.  Completing one chorus, the group moved farther down the road.  More joined in behind.  Priests dressed in flowing robes carrying colorful umbrellas were next in line.  Waves and blessings to the people marked their group as celebration proceeded.  More musicians followed.  Following the last members walking in the processional, young men rolled up the section of bright red carpet and dashed forward, lugging the heavy carpets.  Way ahead the carpets were unrolled so the procession always walked on the red carpet.  Desiring a closer view, we left the restaurant to go to a small coffee shop near the road.  Now we could not only see but hear well and feel the excitement of the celebration.

Finally we entered the car for the ride home.  We had our taste of Addis Ababa.  Like so many tastes, this trip only increased your desire to see and learn more.  Life is usually like that for me.  True, there are many experiences I have had which I never wish to repeat or enlarge.  But I have been able to see much more of the world and meet many more people of the world as I serve.  Earlier in life, I would have never guessed my life going on in this way.   Life is indeed an adventure when you travel and live in His grip.

“The best Facebook game goal ever: Helping real kids walk again” from games.com

“Facebook game gets kids needed surgery” from WPVI-TV

CURE Philippines

“Pacquiao praises Tebow for setting up hospital in PH” from ABS-CBN

The 12th of January marked eight months from the day I boarded a plane for Kenya. And now that I’m in the home stretch, the beginning of this journey is getting farther away in my rearview mirror, and the details are blurring into each other. Life in Kijabe has lost a lot of it’s newness, as the unfamiliar has now become the norm. It reminds me of when people first got an iPhone (and yes, I mean “people,” as in “not me”). There were so many things to explore, and their fingers couldn’t scroll through the capabilities fast enough. Then you see them a few months later, helping you find something with their digital flame, not even giving a second thought to why a phone would have a lighter app. So in a way, that’s where I’m at right now. I’m familiar with all the “buttons” of my job, and I rarely do double takes on what I encounter. Another day, another case of clubfeet, bowed legs, burn contractures, extra fingers, fused toes, backwards limbs, etc.

We had a team visiting a few weeks ago, and the majority of them had never been to Africa before, let alone seen the kinds of disabilities our kids have. Being around them was like taking a trip back to square one, the place of constant intrigue and curiosity and wonder, where everything is ahead of you just waiting to be discovered. Now, by no means have I discovered everything here, not even close. And I still experience intrigue, curiosity, and wonder, but it’s definitely changed from the kind I experienced back in May. And then there are the days where something really out of left field happens, and you go from feeling like a veteran to a rookie, enveloped in undiscovered territory. Reminds me of the game Chutes & Ladders, you know? If you don’t, don’t even worry about it. My mind colors outside the lines quite a bit.

So in honor of this new year, I figured I’d try and whittle down a few lessons & memories from 2011 in hopes of bringing some things lost in the rearview mirror back in focus:

• Investing in someone, no matter the outcome, is the wisest investment you could ever make.
• David: My first CUREkid. I’ve been at every one of his appointments and in both of his surgeries. I’ve witnessed his pain, his joy, and most emotions in between, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Before I leave, my prayer is that God will let me see him really run for the first time in his life.
• Climbing Mt. Longonot was one of the coolest things I’ve done here. I highly suggest putting “climb an old volcano” on your “things to do” list.
• Monkeys are only cute until they rip through your trash and don’t clean up after themselves. They’re just kleptos, every last one of ‘em.
• Win Joy: By God’s grace alone, she came to us with bowed legs and left with straight legs, and the privilege of capturing that will always be a highlight. Like my prayer regarding David, I hope God will let me see Win Joy’s healing all the way through.
• After coming back from my trip to CURE Malawi, all my Kenyan co-workers kept saying, “Oh Jenny, you were lost for so long.” Well I knew where I was, so we’ll just agree to disagree : )
• My first bout with Giardia, which, up to this point, entailed some of the most humbling moments in my life.
• If you ever wonder what sort of things you can possibly transport using a motorcycle, come to Kenya.
• One of our Maasai patient’s mothers wanted to give me a bracelet off her own wrist. But when she took it off hers and tried to put it on mine, it didn’t fit, since the bracelet is roughly the size of a napkin ring. But as I tried to reassure her that it was fine & I was thankful for the gesture, she literally pulled me over to the sink in their hospital room, ran my wrist under the faucet, doused it with soap, then white knuckled that thing on me. She looked very satisfied, and my hand looked very red.
• If you can step into the confidence of knowing who God made you to be, there’s no limit to what can be accomplished. So in the absence of leadership, know that the Leader of the universe lives inside you, and then become the leader you see a need for.
• Every day that you neglect God is a day you’ve invested in the enemy.
• I hope I never get to a point where holding a child’s hand isn’t completely disarming.
• John: He’s an 18-year-old kid who came to my first clinic in Mombasa, a city on the coast of Kenya. He has severe burns on his hands and face, and although we scheduled him for surgery, his parents wouldn’t agree to let him come. We tried for months to change their minds, then finally, they fell off the map completely. I will always remember the feeling of losing that battle and realizing that out here, even our kids’ own parents are sometimes the factors that keep them from treatment.
• Reagan & Ceciliah: Reagan was a CUREkid who passed away before even making it to Kijabe for his surgery, and Ceciliah was a CUREkid who had had her operation already and passed away just before her follow up appointment. Reagan contracted some sort of illness, and Ceciliah contracted meningitis and malaria. On both occasions, I was out of the country visiting another one of our hospitals, and I will never forget receiving those emails or the swift kicks to the heart that followed.
• Even though I didn’t understand one word, I loved attending the Sunday church service we hold for our patients in our playroom. Worshiping alongside your disabled brothers & sisters will do wonders for your soul, I promise.
• The first Kenyan wedding I attended, the rings were in a basket that was lowered from the ceiling with a string. Yep. Real life.
• If you really love God, then you’ll find yourself more concerned with His happiness rather than yours.
• I was able to surprise friends of mine who were on trips to Kenya not once, but twice, and the blessing of that is beyond words. My name is Jenny, and I’m addicted to surprises.
• Making friends with the kitchen staff is one of the best decisions you can make. Chapati my body.
• When the US Women’s Soccer team played Brazil in the quarters of the World Cup, some friends and I splurged and went to an actual restaurant with an actual TV and actually convinced the waitress to turn it on. And when the US pulled out their incredible victory, we actually became those Americans and completely lost it.
• Every Thursday night indoor soccer game. Outside of work, it’s been my favorite weekly activity and is the source for the majority of bruises and cuts on my body.
• I feel like in order to be a good photographer, you have to master the skill of capitalizing on the smallest windows of opportunity. A great shot can open up, and then you blink and it’s closed. On top of that, you have to see and predict it before it ever becomes a reality, a.k.a. be prophetic.
• Swahili… you say it like it looks and write it like it sounds. Simple, yet so elusive at times.
• Go ahead and purge the phrase “on my own” from your vernacular. As a Christian, it makes absolutely no sense. John 8:29
• If you don’t think you have the qualifications you need for a role, but God puts you in that role anyway, understand that the Holy Spirit is your qualification.
• When “home” becomes a fluid concept, God graciously reveals the only things worth holding on to: Him and all the people He’s blessed you with.

Obviously, May through December contained more lessons & memories than I could ever fit on here, so I’ll stop while I’m ahead… at least ahead of your willingness to read any more. If you’ve been tracking with me from the beginning, I’m beyond blessed by your commitment. If you’re just now joining the party, welcome. And if you’ve decided this is the last time you’ll ever read anything I write, ouch. Regardless, I believe journeys are better when they’re shared, so no matter what capacity you’ve shared in mine, thank you. Finally, here’s a little somethin’ I read on the wall of the medical director’s office today, here in Ethiopia:

“Live as if Christ died yesterday, rose this morning, and is coming back tomorrow.”

:::Martin Luther:::

Having fun with one of our Ethiopian kids, Tsega

Originally posted at: http://nashipai.wordpress.com/2012/01/19/long-time-no-see/.

It finally hit me. Two weeks into life in Addis, I’ve realized that it’s only been two weeks. Don’t get me wrong, it’s been an incredible two weeks, and I’m so happy about the other 50 to come, but what was only a “mere year” last week just turned into a scary, heart-beating-faster-when-I-think-about-it, entire year. I’ve found a few remedies to battle the fear, though, so I’ll share them here.

Plain and simple: The kids. It’s hard to miss anything when you’re staring into the big brown eyes of a genuinely happy child. And it’s hard to worry about anything when their bright smiles light up the room when I walk in with my camera… or without it for that matter. Who knew that random strangers could make me feel so special and loved? Especially at a time when all of the people I love most are half a world away from me. Another thing that diminishes my fears is when I’m holding the hand of someone else who is terrified. I’m just scared because I’ve had a change of scenery, but they’re getting prepped to have a life-altering surgery. Those moments when I squeeze their hands while they get the IV put in are some of my favorite moments.

Next: Facebook, Twitter, Skype/All forms of social media. I remember one time I was listening to Frank Sinatra, and I thought to God, “Why didn’t you make me in that time period? I should be in that era.” And almost immediately I felt like God was laughing at me and saying, “You know you can’t live without Skype.” It’s true, ever since I’ve moved away from my family and friends, seeing them on video as if they’re in the same room as me is like a drug. And if I have to join my family through Skype to watch the American Idol auditions, then so be it. I can’t miss out on traditions like that. And if I have to FaceTime my grandma from my computer to hear her sweet words of encouragement and all of the funny things she says, then how lucky am I that I have a grandma who understands technology? And if Facebook messaging all my best friends in the world is my only means of communication with an 8 or 9 hour time difference, then thank you Mark Zuckerberg, I think you’re awesome. And thank you Macbook Pro for having a screen shot option so I can be creepy and take pictures of my boyfriend when we’re video chatting and the internet freezes up.

Good music helps, too. Thank you U2 (as always), Needtobreathe, Mumford and Sons, Casey Darnell, Kristian Stanfill, Davis Harwell, Ben Rector, and everybody else on my “Favorites” playlist. Yeah, you too T-swift and Celine Dion. Y’all know where I’m at.

Finally: God keeps giving me the best words to meditate on every day when I do my laps around the balcony. First of all, let me describe this sweet gym set up I’ve got going on. I live in the private ward up above all the kids. The balcony is a wrap-around rectangle. The first side doesn’t have much of a view, but I like that one because it’s my starting point, so I get to count another lap every time I come around that corner. The next side of the balcony is the first view of the sky. I usually run around dinner time, which means there is some sort of beautiful sunset going on. The next corner is the long stretch of sunset/the city skyline of Addis Ababa in the distance/giant African trees as far as my eye can see. And finally, the best side of the balcony: the little sitting area that the kids are all looking up from waiting for me to turn the corner so they can cheer me on. I lose my breath every time because I laugh so hard when they yell up at me. I love it. But back to the words. Some things I’ve just stumbled upon since my time here that have given me so much peace and some extra strength:

1 Corinthians 4:17 “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”

1 Corinthians 12:9 “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

Hebrews 13:5 “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

AND From my Jesus Calling book for January 25th: “LET MY LOVE ENFOLD YOU in the radiance of My Glory. Sit still in the Light of My Presence, and receive My Peace. These quiet moments with Me transcend time, accomplishing far more than you can imagine. Bring Me the sacrifice of your time, and watch to see how abundantly I bless you and your loved ones. Through the intimacy of our relationship, you are being transformed from the inside out. As you keep your focus on Me, I form you into the one I desire you to be. Your part is to yield to My creative work in you, neither resisting it nor trying to speed it up. Enjoy the tempo of a God-breathed life by letting Me set the pace. Hold my hand in childlike trust, and the way before you will open up step by step.”

See also: Hebrews 13:15, 2 Corinthians 3:18, Psalm 73:23-24

Originally posted at: http://bridigiacomo.wordpress.com/2012/01/26/week-two/.

Bethel University nursing students attending to babies at the CURE Uganda neuro ward.