But GOD

So today is day 11. The days are passing so quickly. There does not seem to be enough time to accomplish all the I want to. I work from 8-5 with an hour for lunch. The mornings are reasonable with mostly walk ins. My afternoons are quite full. Vaccinations, and Physicals are taking up much of the time right now. Everyone needs to be fully up to date before the ship sails some time in June.

Evenings have been very busy. As I sit at a desk most of the day, after work I try to walk either on deck 7 or on the dock to get my steps for the day in. I am still getting my steps in on most days. There is also usually an activity of some kind in the evening. There are pray meetings, movie night, and last night I got to go to a continuing Education class. They offer then usually on a weekly basis in the evenings. It will help me meet my License needs when I get home. I was a few hours short when I left home and wondering how I would find time to do them. Interesting how the Lord has an answer for everything, even before we often realize the need.

On the other nights I am trying to catch up with friends and family at home either by face time or phone. It seems there are more people than nights to call. And then there are always time zones to consider. The good news is I have a phone in my room.Another reason to be thankful.

I cant tell you much about my patients for privacy reasons but I will say I see a pretty steady mix of crew and local people who work here as day crew. Everyone is very friendly and have made me feel quite welcome.

Everyday I see something or someone that reminds me of others that I have worked with on ships in the past, would love being here. I really happens all the time.
It is amazing how many things go on behind the scenes to make this floating hospital possible.
Engineers and drivers, cooks and electricians, interpreters and housekeeping. There are people who work on the medical equipment and people who make arrangements for visiting diplomats. No one any more important than the rest. All doing there part in the body to make the whole possible. It is really something to just sit at my desk at times and see the number of people who pass by the door, hurrying off the next task. It is humbling and wonderful to be a part of it.

Twice a day, a very special thing happens. Just down the hall, in one of the hospital wards are women who have suffered from Vaginal Fistulas. It is a complicated story of how they get them, but they are quite common in Sub-Sahara Africa. These women have truly known what it means to suffer. Most have suffered the loss of a still born child after complicated and unproductive labor. Here it is very difficult to get a C-section. This results in their fistula forming which then causes them to leak urine, usually for the rest of their life.This results in them becoming socially isolated, often left by their husbands and with no way to provide for themselves.

But GOD

But God has a different plan....many of these women make it to the ship. They are given corrective surgery which has an 85% success rate. For the first time in years they are clean and DRY. You have no idea what this means for these women. But they do. Everyday during there recovery period they rejoice. Although they can not go outside due to the tubes and hoses attatched while they are healing, they are allowed to walk the halls of the hospital. And walk the halls they do. Twice a day, everyday all of them along with some of the staff, walk the halls with drums and shakers, lifting their voices in song to Jesus thanking him and celebrating what he had done in their lives. It is a beautiful things. The sound fills the entire hospital and most of the ship. I wish you could see it and hear it. Perhaps one day you will.