I Live in a Gated Community in Africa

I live in a gated community in Africa. To be more accurate, I live in a double gated community. The Africa Mercy ship is nestled in the port in Madagascar. The outer gate to our community is guarded by a combination of local maritime police, port facility security officers, and the Gendarmerie, a military style police force common in French speaking countries. No one enters the port without proper identification. We have a lovely driveway, as I call it. There’s a fair walking distance from our gangway to “actual Africa.”

The roads in this port are very well maintained.  There are huge cargo ships unloading containers for delivery.  Last week there was a massive Roll-On/Roll-Off Ship (Ro-Ro) “parked” behind us. It was from Norway and the port filled up with new vehicles from all over the world. There are tractors driving to and fro. Motorcycles with port workers zipping around, giant semi-trucks with containers of imported supplies headed out for distribution to the country. The activity in the port resembles scenes in books from my childhood by Richard Scarry. Hopefully, everything gets to the correct location, owners, and those needing the delivery. I learned that in other African countries, items the USA sends over from Goodwill and other thrift stores, meant for donation, are often “sold” once they arrive here. It is fascinating how things travel around the world. I recall walking down the busy market street with a friend in Sierra Leone and my friend saw her high school shirt on an African man on the street. Not just her high school shirt, but HER senior shirt with her name on the back from years before! I also bought a brand new scarf from a dirty tarp on the ground, in the middle of the market with the tag still on it from Wal-Mart (see my blog from Saturday, July 14, 2012 titled A Little Piece of Idaho and the Africa Market).

There are a few buildings with wooden scaffolding constructed for upcoming projects. A pile of scaffolding sticks, carefully carved into roughly the same shapes and sizes are wheeled along in a wheelbarrow to be used for more scaffolding. An ambulance sits in front of an official looking building.  Dustin pointed out; the local ambulance has the word ambulance, written incorrectly on the front. I just learned this week that apparently, in the USA, we write “ecnalubma” on the front of our ambulances so when a driver looks in their rearview mirror, the reflection reverses the image again making the word ambulance spelled correctly. I thought Dustin did not pay attention to a lot of details. Boy, I was wrong.

There’s even a pedestrian sidewalk in the port. Many countries do not let pedestrians walk freely through the port for security reasons and safety. This is a busy port, so I am glad we are allowed to walk in the port, some countries do not allow that. I enjoy walking in the port for exercise. No trouble getting in 10,000 steps a day around here. I greet the workers I walk past by saying “Salama” pronounced “sah-LAH-mah.” Dustin is getting good at his greetings as well. There’s a mix between French and Malagasy here for the main languages. So, it’s very common to hear “Bonjour” as well and it takes me off guard when someone says “hello” in English. There is a group of beautiful local women with caramel-cappuccino colored skin, and in my mind, the perfect hair, in matching housekeeping style dresses sweeping the sidewalks to keep the port tidy.

There are a few areas of beautifully manicured grass, tropical flowers, and baby palm trees. Colorful lizards scurry through the grass. I can safely meander on the port sidewalk as a woman in daylight hours without concern for my security. I live in a gated community in Africa.

To approach our ship, one has to pass a second gated area guarded with pedestrian and vehicle boom barrier gates. Our area is secured and only crew, our local interpreter team, and day crew team are allowed past this point. Our area is blocked by a container wall to allow privacy and another level of safety. We have an incredible team of Gurkhas, Nepalese Soldiers, keeping us extra safe and secure before anyone is allowed on board.

My house-ship in this “gated community” has a constant supply of water. Not only water, but clean water, in both hot and cold temperatures. Thank you to the hotel engineering team. I have electricity, most of the time, thanks to the electricians, (Dustin) and the engineering team, who keep the lights on. I have air-conditioning, most of the time, thank you HVAC team, and all technical crews. I have plenty of food, not only food, but nutritious food, clean, free from worms, parasites, and damaging invisible toxins and health risks related to the practice of using “nightsoil” human excrement for fertilizer. Thank you to our incredible galley team and dining room team.  I have access to world renowned medical, ophthalmic, and dental care. I have a pharmacy, medical supply, CT scanner, radiography, lab, and walking blood bank. I have clothing, clean water to wash it in, and soap, not a muddy river with more tropical diseases that is my only option for bathing or washing clothing. I have a roof over my head and shelter. I am extremely blessed.  I live in a gated community in Africa. I am in one of the safest places in all of Madagascar.

If any of you pay attention to global news, you may have heard there is excitement and lots of “parades” and “reunions” of passionate folks in my corner of the world. It is true. This is not uncommon in this part of the world. The first “parade" was on September 25 and initially was triggered by grievances over chronic power and water outages. The “parades” got a little more enthusiastic and spread around the country to include grievances over corruption, poverty, and the cost of living. Some of the “parade” participants and those not liking the “parades” became animated and gas that created tears, along with other methods to stop such “parades” were initiated. The Bible Society building in the capital was engulfed in flames in the process. They donated Bibles in the local language to the ship. The majority of these “parades” and “reunions” of passionate individuals are taking place 12 hours via land from my location in the city with the seat of government. Some people have left the “parades” for alternative activities such as pillaging.

Again, I am VERY safe; I live in a gated community in Africa. Mercy Ships takes extra layers of precaution to keep me safe. When necessary, the captain of our ship advises us if it’s better for us all to spend time bonding in our gated community rather than wandering to the grocery store, tailor, or beach for a little R&R. Life in my gated community continues with minimal interruption. We are extremely blessed. Concern has come from countries servicing our location with incoming flights and airlines not wanting to land their planes with animated “parades” and “gatherings” of people. This has created unique opportunities for prayer for our crew and those we are here to serve. Hearts and hope have been set on anticipated surgery dates.  We have had surgery delays, a return of flow of crew arrivals and departures, and now more surgery delays. This is devastating for those waiting for intervention, especially for those near suffocation from tumors encroaching on their airway. Please join us in prayer. Please pray for this area. Pray for the “parades” and those participating and those who are not fans of the themes of the “parades.” Those participating in the “parades” have been carrying signs requesting the leader of the country to take an “early retirement.” He already gave an “early retirement” to many in his leadership team a few weeks ago. Yet, the “parades” continue with “reunions” as well. Life has been lost at these “parades” by a clash with those not appreciating the “parades.” Tragic.  I am safe and unafraid (Matthew 10:28 is my inspiration for being unafraid). I told Dustin, I only fear “irrational” things. Ha! Thanks OCD, anxiety, and my extra, overactive mind. Please pray for my friends and those really struggling that live just outside my gated community in Africa.  

Third Edition of "5 Thoughts from Dustin-9 Pictures from Dustin"

 

The Africa Mercy Electrical Team Nationalities represented left to right: Philippines, United Kingdom, America, and Romania Dustin noted that the "office-breakroom" for the electricians in 88% humidity and 80 degree weather on the dock is cooler than their actual workroom near the engine room on the ship. The boys posed for a picture after I insisted. Missing their fellow electrician, a rockstar gal from Switzerland, who departed a few days prior to this photo. I told the boys to smile so I could send this picture to Dustin's mom as she would appreciate it. Then the chief electrician from Romania, said, his mom would actually appreciate a photo too. The other guys chimed in that their families would actually love a photo of them as well.  Will need to get an updated photo as we now have a new Chief Electrician serving on board and he is from the Ukraine.

My handsome electrician headed down toward the engine room and his workroom. Although Dustin sometimes feels "unimportant" Mercy Ships could not complete it's work with out every crew member aboard.	Dustin and the chief electrician- his supervisor during a fire drill on the dock.  We have mandatory fire drills every week.
I know Dustin has given up a lot of his personal comforts to be here. I asked for a fellow crew member coming from the USA to bring him some comfort from home. It'd been 48 days since Dustin had a Reese's or Hershey's Bar. It's been 48 days since he's had a Pepsi from the USA. He called his wife "a little blesser" for arranging for these comforts from home to travel here. Thanks Mom K & Scout Master Kent, my "adopted family "from Vermont for sending the treasures.	Related to shift work, Dustin and I do not always get days off together. I wander into town with friends when able. I found a little bakery that looked lovely, clean, and safe the other day. I brought Dustin back a donut. He was excited and ate it as an "appetizer" for dinner.
Our friend Sonja left on Sunday to start her journey home to Switzerland. She was an ICU nurse and member of the dive team. She invited us to visit her sometime. She lives very near a town called "Suhr" Switzerland.	Dustin and I were able to join 11 other friends for a birthday dinner/good-bye party a few days ago. Dustin was surprised when his fish came out with the skin still on and a full head and tail. I just told him to smile and thank the waitress. He did, then gave me this expression for a photo.
Another Pepsi Miracle for Dustin! We found regular Pepsi in a tiny store here that does not have the fake sugar additives! It appears to be from Pakistan. It says "Stronger Fizzier Tastier" at the top of the bottle in tiny letters. That's the only way we were able to tell it was different from the other "regular" Pepsi. After Dustin's disappointment with the fake sugar additives in the other "regular" Pepsi Dustin asked if we could adventure back to the little store to see if the other Pepsi was different. It was! It apparently is sorta "flat" tasting, but Dustin is mighty thankful. On my days off, I find a friend to walk to the 3 plus miles with me to the store for Dustin. I load my backpack up and trek it back for him. Last time the store only had 2 bottles total left. We bought them out!	All rights to whoever made this meme. It is not mine. Dustin sent me this picture the other day and I cracked up laughing. He was hinting that his hair is WAY longer than he wants and we need to find a solution. I keep rooting for a "man bun." Dustin will not comply. In an odd way, this lion sorta resembles Dustin. Hahah! He's REALLY wanting a haircut soon. I am working on solutions.

The Blame Game or Be a Door

 Pain and Suffering are everywhere around us. No one is immune to the reach of pain and suffering. We experience pain in our personal lives, family units, extended families, friendships, churches, villages, communities, provinces, states, and countries. We turn on the TVs and watch more pain and suffering. Someone once told me the world news is “what’s wrong in the world” and the local news is “what’s wrong near you!”

 Pain and suffering are HUGE philosophical topics. The reality of pain and suffering make many even question the very existence of God. Then people move to determine IF God exists, He is not a kind and loving God, or there would not be pain and suffering.

 I’ve had life VERY easy compared to many in the world. When I went to Liberia for the first time in 2008, I saw suffering unlike anything I had ever seen before in the poverty stricken, post-civil war-torn, country. It rocked my world and beliefs. (See a brief snippet of some of my thoughts in my blog post from Friday, May 2, 2008 titled Reality.)

I remember going to the Chaplaincy-Counseling office on the ship full of questions related to the inner turmoil my heart and soul were experiencing related to all the agony, sorrow, grief, hurting that was tangible in the air around me. The stories of the utter torture my patients had been through, the fact that many of them were literally suffocating behind tumors the size of basketballs. Or mamas telling how they bravely choose the life of their child born with a cleft lip and lost their village, food, marriage, and a hut home because of the belief that cleft lip babies were demon babies and should be left to die.

 A World Health Organization report in 2008 noted Liberia had a population of 3.5 million and “only 3 Liberian surgeons and no Liberian anesthesia providers” (Google and WHO report from 30 September-3 October, 2008- all my professors forgive me for not including a proper citation, I can’t even remember how to right now, nor do I want to be bothered, but know that is not my personal knowledge).  Then the fact that I toured the JFK Memorial Hospital in 2008 and it was an empty shell of a building. I met 1-2 nurses that were loyally going to work every day, but had not been paid in years. There were no supplies in the hospital. These nurses went in hopes that one day they would be paid to work again and have supplies to provide care. There was no running water and no electricity. The nurses showed up to give what they had to anyone who might show up in need. So if people had the chance to accesses a surgeon, there might not be anesthesia, or supplies, and most do not have the money to afford care. (See my blog titled The Neurosurgeon and One Single Light bulb from July 3, 2012 to understand the desperate situation a little more).  Let’s not even approach the topic of 26 year old me learning what child soldiers are and the Liberian Truth and Reconciliation Project, a commission that was formed to investigate more than 20 years of civil conflict in Liberia and the human rights violations and war crimes. A former child soldier even spoke at one of our community meetings.  

Mind blowing, earth shaking, matters of the heart and I thought it was a big deal to share an air-conditioned cabin in tight quarters with 5 other girls. To be restricted to 2 minute showers, with not only running water, but clean water, and not cold water, but hot water if I desired. The chaplaincy-counseling office on the ship gave me a number of resources and welcomed my questions.  I was connected with a copy of The Problem of Pain written by C.S. Lewis and published in 1940. I also borrowed a book called The Gift of Pain by Philip Yancey and coauthored by Dr. Paul Brand, a famous British surgeon published in 1997. I took the books to a quiet corner on the ship and started to thumb through the book by C.S. Lewis. I quickly realized I was in over my head and with my poor attention span, I set that book aside. Then I picked up the book by Philip Yancey and Dr. Paul Brand. I read the back cover:

_____________________________________________________________________________________

“A World Without Pain?

Can such as place exist? It not only can-it does. But it’s no utopia. It’s a colony for leprosy patients: a world where people literally feel no pain and reap horrifying consequences. 

His work with leprosy patients in India and the United States convinced Dr. Paul Brand that pain truly is one of God’s great gifts to us. In this inspiring story of his fifty-year career as a healer, Dr. Brand probes the mystery of pain and reveals its importance. As an indicator that lets us know something is wrong, pain has value that becomes clearest in its absence. 

The Gift of Pain looks at what pain is and why we need it. Together, the renowned surgeon and award-wining writer Philip Yancey shed fresh light on a gift that none of us want and none of us can do without.”

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Being a nurse, this resonated with me. I dug into the pathophysiology of leprosy and all of sudden, the intellectual waves that were battering against my worldview and causing soul upheaval calmed. Pain was not the enemy. In this soul searching someone gave me one of the most influential quotes of my life. I cannot even remember who, or if I read it in one of the above mentioned books, but it has stuck with me for 17 years…

“You ask, God why is there ALL this suffering in the world and WHY have YOU NOT done ANYTHING about it! Well, what if God asked YOU the same question? WHY have YOU not done ANYTHING about ALL the pain and suffering in the world.”

As I finish writing this post at 2:52am because I just came off night shifts and apparently my body wants to be awake, the words to a song by Jason Grey titled With Every Act of Love run through my mind. “God put a million, million doors in the world for His love to walk through. One of those doors is you. I said, God put a million, million doors in the world for His love to walk through. One of those doors is you…”   

The choice is yours. Point a finger at God and blame him for all the problems. Or be a door for His love to walk through. 

Same Ward 17 Years Later

 Ludwig’s Angina my nursing report read as a diagnosis for the patient in D1. I gulped, “angina, means chest pain, I am not a cardiac nurse. I didn’t think we did cardiac surgeries on the ship. I have no idea how to care for this patient,” I thought to myself. I can picture that first shift on D Ward, Deck 3, in the hospital on the Africa Mercy, like it was yesterday. Yet, it was 17 years ago in April 2008! I had been a nurse for just over 2 years, the minimum years of experience required for a nurse on the ward aboard the Africa Mercy.  That diagnosis for my first patient ever in Africa was the beginning of many “firsts.” Conditions I had never heard about or ever were even discussed in Canadian nursing school. Yes, I am American, but my nursing degree is from Canada. The vast sea of medical conditions to cover cannot be covered in a four year nursing degree.  Nor would we focus on diseases and conditions we were unlikely to see. Diseases of poverty, tropical diseases, and diseases simply caused by lack of access to medical care.

I went on to learn that Ludwig’s Angina had nothing to do with cardiac concerns or chest pain. According to the Cleveland Clinic, Ludwig’s Angina is a bacterial infection that starts in the mouth. It is a fast spreading cellular infection that makes it hard to breathe. It is a life threatening emergency. It causes swelling in the tongue, throat, and face. It often originates from an untreated tooth infection.  My patient had a bandage wrapped around his face from chin to forehead. He had 9 small drains in his face, constantly leaking pus, and requiring frequent bandage changes. I had never seen anything like it! All his suffering was from a lack of access to care and a dentist. His toothache could have suffocated him and taken his life if it hadn’t been for Mercy Ships. 

17 years later I found myself on D Ward, Deck 3, in the Africa Mercy hospital again for my first nursing shift as a ward nurse. D Ward remains the maxilla facial ward and I couldn’t have been happier to land there, in the middle of cleft lip and palate surgeries! Cleft lip babies are my absolute favorite. Well, club feet babies are pretty adorable as well. Make that ALL the babies are adorable, but back to the cleft babies. Their smiles before their lips are fixed are priceless and huge! Each bed was filled with an adorable patient. Some patients were waiting for surgery, happily driving little bikes, in their tiny hospital gowns, down the hallway waiting for their turn for surgery. Other patients were sleepy in bed post surgery with newly stitched up lips.  A few post-palate repair patients were crying because they wanted to eat rice and they are not allowed rice for a few weeks to protect the surgical site from infection if a piece of rice got stuck in the palate. We even had a few adults that never had access to care in their many years and were finally receiving cleft lip surgery. See this link https://www.mercyships.org/eta-cleft-care/ for stories and a video from our incredible communication team. The very surgeon in this video from 2016 is the surgeon currently operating on board. Some of the interpreters in the video are my current interpreters. Some of the footage was filmed in D-Ward! I hope to get some photos of me with my patients, but photo policy has changed over the years. 

 An absolute beauty of a little girl, maybe 3 years in age stared at me with deep brown eyes. She was wearing a puffy pink princess dress. She had a cleft palate repair a few days prior. She was getting ready for discharge. Her curly hair was in two puff ball ponytails on either side of her head.  The interpreters joked that her name was Moana, like the Disney character. She also just happened to be coloring a Moana coloring page. The Malagasy people have ancestral roots that are a blend of Southeast Asian and East African origins. Leaving some with a dark chocolate brown skin completion, others with cappuccino colored skin, some a light caramel color. They are all uniquely beautiful! This little girl had the complexion and dark brown eyes like Moana. She was a doll and my world felt complete to hold her in my arms.

I heard the interpreters yell, “Marche, Marche,” in French, which means “Walk, Walk.” The patients got out of bed and joined the nurses, interpreters, and their family member-caregivers in the hallway as the song “Waka Waka, This Time for Africa” by Shakira blared on the speaker one of the nurses held in her hands. Everyone danced and marched rhythmically down the hall. It was exercise time! No better physical therapy and blood clot prevention post surgery than to dance down the hallway together! I smiled ear to ear. I am out of shape and still have zero rhythm. I hadn’t heard this song since 2013 when I left Africa. The patients still love it. We walked back and forth, up and down the hall for around 5 songs. The goiter-thyroid surgery patients joined us from A Ward and walked with us. They are smiling despite having stitches and steri-strips around their necklines where goiters, once the size of huge mangos, melons, or even the size of American footballs filled their neck space, suffocating them as they lay down. Goiters are caused by a lack of iodine in the diet, chronic malnutrition in the diet, and effects from cassava, one of the main dietary staples in these regions, among other things. 

As if my memories made the song play, “I Like to Move it” from the Madagascar movie came on the speaker. I just smiled. Apparently, it was still a patient favorite, too. The deck department hotel engineer from the Philippines joined our dancing group as he passed through the hallway completing his duties. The hospital director from Holland-the Netherlands, who was my hospital director on the ship from 2011-2013 and just returned to volunteer with his wife, popped out of his office and danced a few steps with us on his way to a meeting. The eye team leader from Sweden, who happens to be my dear friend that I met in 2008, carefully walked a patient with eye bandages from the OR to the eye room where they would recover from cataract surgery. Out of breath, we made it back to the ward from our Marche, Marche and carried on with the shift. How thankful I am to be back onboard. This place is amazing.

The Second Edition of "5 Thoughts from Dustin"

Welcome to the second edition of “5 Thoughts from Dustin.” We hope you enjoy the inner workings of my calm, collected, introvert husband as he processes life on a ship, in Africa, serving as an electrician. Again some days his five thoughts are more like two or three. He doesn’t often volunteer his thoughts without me asking. Thus the gap in thoughts when I was on night shifts last week.  His thoughts are in black and my extra information is in (green). 

September 13th

1. I definitely prefer when we are not around tons of people. After taking Dustin to the local market for the first time. Mind you this was a CALM market. It wasn’t shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip people as in some of the West African Markets. 

2. My artistic crafting abilities are amazing! Many people wonder if we are allowed off the ship and what we do in our free time. A few weekends ago eight of us from the ship went to learn the art of papermaking from a local gentleman. He explained how he dries the bark from the local Avoah or Havoah tree. The bark is then cooked to soften it. The cooked bark is then pounded into a pulp consistency. The pulp is then spread into thin sheets on a wooden frame or canvas. It is decorated with flowers and leaves. Then dried in the sun. Dustin was hilarious and had all the gals with us laughing. He was the first to start decorating his paper and exclaimed, “My artistic crafting abilities are amazing!” As he threw pieces of leaves and flowers randomly on his paper and the rest of us painstakingly arranged flowers to attempt to make a beautiful creation such as the examples the papermaker displayed for us.  

3. I miss Idaho Pepsi. Wandering in town a few weeks ago, we had a Pepsi Sighting! Dustin was elated! Going weeks without any caffeine and working in the heat, was wearing on Dustin without his daily dose of Pepsi. We were wandering down a dusty street, turned the corner, and like a lighthouse shining the way on a dark night, I spotted a Pepsi logo! Dustin was so excited. We bought a few bottles to take back to the ship with us. The elation faded as Dustin learned the local recipe for Pepsi is not the same at his beloved Pepsi from home. They add fake sugars, sucralose and aspartame, which Dustin calls rat poison. They add these to regular Pepsi, not just diet Pepsi! He’s very disappointed. He tried a few bottles, they hurt his stomach. So, no good. 

4. I definitely need a haircut. I woke up from a nap to find Dustin in the bathroom trying to cut the back of his hair with his lanyard around his hairline to make a line to follow. Ha-ha. I offered to help him and go with him to a local place. He’s not yet up for that adventure. 

5. Who knew 7:30am is sleeping in? Dustin, thankful his body clock finally allowed him to sleep in until 7:30am on a day off, he had been waking up before 6:00am and didn’t need to. 

September 14th

1. I have a lot of food for thought. That’s all he said, nothing more. 

September 16th-September 19th- I worked my first night shifts in 7 years! Dustin got off easy as I didn’t ask him many questions those days as I was working and sleeping. 

September 19th

1. The thoughts were slow coming, so I asked a few questions to see if that prompted any conversation from Dustin. “Did you enjoy your day?” “I guess.” “What did you do?” “We played with the lifeboat some.” “Was that better than sitting in your closet all day?” “No, that would have been cooler.” “Oh, sweetie, we can’t win for you!” 

2. “I was trying to look for fuses in the operating room. Learned that a fuse would never work since the solenoid valve burned out a coil.”  “Was that fulfilling work?” “I don’t know. I was outside the entire time.” “What did you mean by that?” “I thought it was going to be a quick deal. It wasn’t.” “So, you didn’t go into the OR?” “ I didn’t have to.” “So, did you help solve the problem and trouble shoot?” Well, it was helpful that I was outside and could run for parts.” “So you were the gopher, gophers have a purpose too.”  After this Dustin told me the OR has Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. He spied them when helping down there with the electrical job. Reese’s are his absolute favorite. Dustin’s lunch snacks every day at home consisted of either a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup or a plain Hershey’s Chocolate Bar. We have had no sightings of either Reese’s or Hershey’s up to this point. The ship shop used to import them for crew to buy, but none to be found this time around. As a loving wife, I went to the OR office to get Dustin’s Gatorade bottle refilled with distilled water from the Sterile Processing Department. That’s how we are getting distilled water for Dustin’s CPAP machine. Had I known we needed to provide our own bottle for the distilled water before coming, I would have brought a different container. Alas, a cleaned out, empty Gatorade bottle works as well. When I was waiting for the distilled water to be brought back from Sterile Processing, I asked the OR staff if they still had Reese’s and if I could buy one from them. Sadly, they were all gone. I told them they are my husband’s absolute favorite and he saw them when on the electrical job a few days before. They said he could have had one; all he had to do is ask! 

September 20th

1. I wasn’t looking for it. Dustin’s response to seeing the end of a breastfeeding session live and in person on the side of the road. We were in a tuk, tuk, local transport, and I saw an adorable baby with their Momma. I waved, and then realized I saw a giant breast, the baby’s cute little face, and a sewing machine as the Mom sat in the dirt. This is VERY common place here. Breasts are not viewed as purely sexual here. They are nutrition. In West Africa, I saw breast feeding moms and topless moms frequently. This was the first time in Madagascar. I wanted to check if Dustin was okay. He first denied that he saw the breast. I assured him, he was not in trouble if he saw it. I didn’t know how he couldn’t have seen it. Then he admitted, he saw it, but “I wasn’t looking for it!” My sweet man. 

2. It was bumpy. Dustin talking about the bumps, humps, potholes, and weaving in and out of traffic, riding in the tuk tuk from destination A to B in town. I told him he liked four wheeling and off-roading, so we’re doing some of his favorite things. Although we were ON the main road. 

3. I hoped the tuk tuk was taking us where we wanted to go. Dustin was a tad wary that the driver of the local transport would actually deliver us to our desired destination. He did. 

4. My wife is an extrovert. I know Dustin loves to play card games. In the evenings on the ship, many gather to play cards and board games. Dustin was invited to play with a gentleman from South Africa and I told him to go. He wanted me to go as well. I told Dustin I would be very happy having a nap and a quiet evening in my cabin. But, I wanted Dustin to enjoy something he loves. So I went, so he’d go. Then he calls me the extrovert! 

5. I don’t know if I want to make friends. A reality of ship life, an ever revolving door of crew arriving and departing. Your 3 months commitment will not be the same as another person’s. Their two year commitment could end as yours is beginning. The challenge of embracing each day, where you, with the knowledge that we may not have tomorrow. But, self protecting knowing grief may come if you make a friend and then they leave. Shakespeare continues to provide the question to this: Is it better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all? I am going to love!  

6. We could take out the toilet paper and Kleenex from the bathroom and make it a giant shower. Dustin reflecting on the VERY small shower size and the fact that a lot of the water escapes the shower curtain at times. His solution. Why use your two minutes to fight keeping the water in the miniature shower stall. Just remove the permeable items and enjoy your shower. Everything else is waterproof! 

7. “Did it bother you that someone asked you what language was your first language?” “Nope.” My sweet, soft spoken husband has a great filter, he is an internal processor, and thinks before he speaks. Someone on the ship asked him today what his first language was as they were expecting him to respond faster.  

September 22nd

1. “Even in Africa a little rain must fall.” “Are you being poetic?” “I guess so because we were trying to work on a system that is like 400 volts.” “So what are you saying by this statement?” “It was wet. It wasn’t hot.” 

2. I don’t have many thoughts for today.

3. There’s a big empty box and it’s huge. “In your head?” “Yeah.” 

4. It will get easier sometime. 

5. Communication. In marriages, departments, the ship as a whole. I love hearing Dustin talk about the importance of communication. It is actually one of my favorite words. I ask him to communicate more with me, to others, for our business, explaining that a lot of tension and concerns can be easily avoided or maneuvered with clearer communication.  

September 23rd

1. I don’t have any thoughts yet for today (at 1025am).

2. “What are you working on today?” “Lights on deck 4.” “Well, does that feel good to be doing electrical work?” “Yes.” 

3. I found an area on the ship that’s hotter than the shop. (That’s where I was working today). ☺ 

4. What are more thoughts I could have? 

5. Profound thought. This is probably why I don’t write on my Facebook page. Because when the top of the page on Facebook says, what’s on your mind, I’ve got …Nothing! 

September 24th

1. It’s chicken strip day! The menu has been stretching for Dustin’s plain palate. He is thrilled when we have chicken strips! He was very pleased to have lasagna on the menu a few days ago. He grinned ear to ear and rated the meal 10/10 when we had hamburgers and fries! I gave him my portion to save for another meal. He was VERY thankful. 

2. Nice to see my team members happy today. He noted a pep in the step of his team members that he hasn’t seen lately. Happiness breeds happiness. 

3. This could be the calm before the storm. Dustin is noting the ebb and flow of his position. More relaxing days are not a bad thing when having to scurry on other days when things need rapid attention.

4. I wish my Scutie wasn’t sick. Over the past few years, when Dustin would text me or call me he would refer to me as Sweetie or Cutie. One day autocorrect got the best of us and wrote “Scutie.” A combination of Sweetie and Cutie. He has referred to me as Scutie since then. I have been sick since Sunday evening. There’s a respiratory bug going around the ship and it’s found me. I am more than just post night shift worn out. I am exhausted. Napping most of the day and sleeping at night as well. Coughing a lot. Bless my poor neighbors. Dustin comes in the cabin for a break and says he can hear me coughing from down the hall. Please pray for a fast recovery. I want to work and serve! Thankful for the window in our cabin. I have a precious, coveted view of the dock. We are in the middle of maxilla facial surgeries. I can tell this by watching patients come and go on the dock. This is an incredible patient population. To an untrained eye, one might not notice anything. But, after pondering for a second, one remembers it is hot; there is no reason to wear scarves this time of year. These scarves are not part of attire known for those from Middle Eastern religions. Behind those scarves are incredible humans, made in the image of God, but hiding tumors protruding off their faces, the size of cantaloupes, some bigger. Some patients do not have their faces covered. I love that they have felt a sense of peace, acceptance, and love here allowing them to feel free to come out from hiding and take their seat at the table of the human race. I asked Dustin if he saw the patient on the dock on Friday with a large tumor. I said, “it was big, wasn’t it?” He said, “Yup.”  See the VERY moving attached videos. Stories captured by our professional communication team here in Madagascar years ago. All credit to the communication team. Warning the videos show real images of humans with large tumors. Mercy Ships receives permission to share the story of patients as their surgeries are free and we raise money on behalf of patients by telling their stories. Part one and two of a maxilla facial surgery patient’s journey in a few years ago https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAjBo7ybCWA and https://youtu.be/I0cVIbIkR-0?si=c0M5Tisd8r0WmOYc

5. My pinkies are ridiculously short. They barely make it out of my coverall sleeves. I guess sometimes it may be better not to ask what Dustin is thinking about. Ha-ha. Yes, he has very short pinkie fingers. We measured them and compared them to my second toe. My second toe is longer. It appears Dustin is missing an entire knuckle’s worth of finger on his pinkies. I love him! 

Our Paper Making Host Explaining the Process	The Paper Pulp
More Paper Pulp	The Host was very kind and wanted to offer a hat for shade. I encouraged Dustin to wear it.
Our Art Work	After the Designs are in place, more water and paper pulp are added on top.
Dustin said his Mom would be proud of his work!	Some work done by our Host.
We were informed the paper in this market is not our Host's. It is a "knock off." Still beautiful!	PEPSI! PEPSI! PEPSI!  The excitement was short-lived related to the fake sugar additives in the regular Pepsi.
Tuk Tuk Ride!	The Tuk Tuk driver delivered us to our destination of lunch with friends near the beach. Dustin enjoyed fish.  I ate Zebu for the first time!