1 bucket, 1 bottle and no juice

Re-sterilizing gloves

Infrastructure in Nigeria is suboptimal.

 

When Larry went to the main teaching hospital for a lecture, he observed that there was a truck bringing water to provide for all the hospital’s needs…

In our guesthouse there was an intermittent trickle from the faucet until 4 days ago. We manage most days now with 1 bucket of water a day per person. This provides water for a bucket shower in the morning, water for hand washing and for toilet flushing. The great luxury is that it is warm when we pick it up in the court yard in the morning. In addition we have a bottle of filtered water for drinking. For N American standards this may seem limited, but we are still much better off than most people here. Please note, this is only the beginning of the dry season!

The electricity rarely comes on any more except at 2:00 AM. We were told that electricity supply is getting progressively worse. One woman said this morning:” You know, Nigeria is just not a maintenance prone society..”. In the guesthouse we are blessed with a generator that runs from 6:30 PM till 9:30 PM. Up till now we all had a few minutes of Internet access a few times a week at the Faith Alive Clinic. Last night 5 computers were stolen. A major problem for the clinic, a minor inconvenience to us. One of the beauties of this country is that people seem to be taking it in stride and seem to maintain their joy that comes from the Lord and not from possessions and conveniences…

Theo D Beels

11/15/08

Frowns to Smiles

Generations at Risk sponsored orphans (standing) at Almanah Rescue Mission

The faces of orphans did a complete 180 degrees when we played Simon Says and Went on a Bear Hunt with them , and told the Monkey/ Spider story.

 

I think that they were expecting to be bored and lectured to. There were smiles and laughter again in the room and it was a wonderful thing.

Looking at the number of faces in this room did not make me smile. There were well over 100 orphans ranging in age from 3 to 23. In Nigeria you are considered an orphan until you are married. The leader of the group asked for many things, not one thing on their list was very expensive and all of it was necessity items for a group of this size and age spread. There were quite a few that stood when asked if they were supported by MCC.

I wanted to give them more than what I had today. I thought about what I could do when I get home. I can’t send anything here. The cost of shipping items is nothing compared to what the recipient is asked to pay at the dock. The only reasonable thing to do is to support an Orphan through MCC or send money to Almanah Rescue Misson through MCC.

Sarah Sprunger 11/15/08

The morning devotional at Faith Alive

Each day at Faith Alive begins at 8AM. Before anyone is seen by the health-care staff, everyone listens to a devotional. The waiting room is packed and people listen to the “speaker of the day”. Christians and Muslims, men, women and children are all present and attentive to hear what God has to say. The devotional lasts for about 30 minutes…there is singing and dancing, a sermon, and a morning prayer. The session is translated into Hausa and English.

Faith Alive Support Group

Yesterdays sermon was on “a business transaction with God”. The example used was the story of Jesus meeting a Samaritan women at the well. Jesus asked for well-water and Jesus offered living-water in exchange. Jesus will demand things from us BUT he is always willing to return a much greater reward…he is not the greatest businessman!!! What are we being asked to offer up to Jesus? Will we be willing to accept what He has in exchange for us? It always will be an offer we can’t pass up.

People come to Faith Alive for healing. Spiritual healing comes before physical healing. Thank you God for being our healer. Please give me medicine.

Jim Friesen

Nov.12/2008

Walking…for the first time in ten years!

Drs Chris and Rochelle took me on a home visit about 25 miles out of town to see a perplexing neurologycase. Chris had seen this woman in the past as a favor to a statesman in Jos. This woman is 40-45 years of age and following the birth of her 5th child started with a shaking palsy. It first started with just a mild head shaking and then progressed to both of her arms. This has continued to the point that they have left her sitting on the floor of her hut with nothing to do for the past 10-11 years as they are busy out working in the fields. The sad thing is that she has no use of her arms and can’t even get a drink when she wants one. 2-3 times per day they carry her out of her hut and carry her to the outside latrine.

I sat with her on the floor to examine her and found that she had the ability to move her legs spontaneously. We decided to get her up to see if we could walk and to their amazement she was able to walk for the first time in 10 years!!! She may have been bent over but but she did take about 40 steps around her compound with assistance.

We also discovered that her heart rate and blood pressure were elevated.

We talked with several of the village woman including the 2nd wife and explained to them the importance of walking her several times daily,the need for socialization and sunlight,and sent the statesman back with medicine to help to decrease her heart rate,help with the spasms and multivitamins. We even drew them an example of a small table that they could place a water bottle beside her so she could drink at will.

We may never know what her outcome will be but hopefully when we show the short video that we took, to one of the neurologists at either Metro General or Cleveland Clinic, they can help her with a diagnosis.

I know this is a long note but they are going to also post it on the Mennonite blogg for the group so they have an understanding what all we are seeing and feeling. My hope is all who read this will contact Oprah and help to get Dr Chris Isichei on the show in April when he is in the U.S.

Jenny Ahl

Who says Africa can’t break your heart a second time?

Today was my third day at Evangel Hospital and it felt good to know the residents and interns a little. Today I got to truly be their attending staff. The morning started with two scheduled repeat C/S and I felt right at home in that role. I talked through the procedure with the first year resident and then he performed his 5^th C/S under my tutelage and it went well. He told me he suffered from a lack of confidence and I reassured him that it was an appropriate feeling at this stage of his training and experience. We reviewed how to do an op note and he seemed to enjoy the experience. I also staffed another C/S which the third year resident did with a medical student from Switzerland who had been there for three months. We reviewed the in house patients and all was well. I left my comfort zone at the women’s ward and headed to the main operating room. Today was “fistula day” in the O.R. V.V.F. means vesicle vaginal fistula which may mean nothing to you. When a young women (a girl actually) who is barely through puberty becomes pregnant and tries to deliver a baby when your pelvic bones have not fully developed, the baby gets stuck in the birth canal, The baby eventually dies in labor and is stuck in the pelvis. The head puts pressure on the bladder or rectum or both. This pressure causes the blood supply to these organs to be cut off and the tissue dies and creates a connection between the bladder and the vagina or the rectum and the vagina or both. Eventually the baby passes or is removed by C/S but the young women now leaks urine or stool or both out of the vagina. Due to hygiene she becomes unable to live in her home or village and is often divorced by her husband. It is a medical condition with devastating social ramifications. Evangel Hospital has an extensive program for these women. The have a residence for them which then gives them access to counseling, job training, and medical and surgical care. The women may live there for months. Having a series of surgeries and counseling. Their families may visit but it creates a new community for these women and offers them hope and eventually their life back. I got to see two operations by a very competent Nigerian surgeon who was a family practice resident at the hospital who was trained to perform the repairs. He was patient in explaining the procedures and demonstrated some aspects of the surgery for me. The patients were young women and it seemed so unfair that medical care could not be available for these young women to prevent this tragedy.

As I left the O.R. I heard a child moaning softly and uttering a muffled cry. There on the gurney was a chubby one year old boy. Yesterday he was playing around the cooking fire and there was a pot of boiling water over the fire. He pulled the pot over and the boiling water inflicted scalding burns over his face chest and upper arms. He was whimpering as they applied cream to his burns where the skin had already peeled off. His eyes were blistered shut and he was trembling with pain. There is no burn unit, no peds I.C.U., and limited treatment options. There he was, alone with the nurse changing the dressings. I know the surgeon there is very good and he will do all he can to help this boy but it was overwhelming to see a baby in pain and not imagine his future. At the same time, a ten year old boy was brought to Faith Alive clinic after a motorcycle accident. He had an area of swelling on his head and was having seizures. He had “road rash” on his head and seemed to not be able to move his right side. The parents were desperate and brought him in to the emergency clinic. They gave him Valium to stop the seizures and told the parents he needed a hospital and told them to go to the teaching hospital. The parents left to find a car to drive him to the next facility. There is no ambulance service or EMT’s – just frantic parents and a hired car. It was too much to process. I shut down. I did my 4 P.M. resident lecture on postpartum hemorrhage and caught the bus back to the guest house. The house was dark (no electricity) and so I climbed to the gazebo where I had greeted the sunrise full of promise that morning. I gazed out toward the hills and over the trees. The breeze greeted me. I sat quietly and tried to make sense of a seemingly senseless world. Why did these things happen to children? How could the world let this continue? Did no one care? No easy answer came. My heart ached. I pray to God I will never forget and I vow to somehow make a difference.

I’m alone now. I am typing in the dark by my “doggy” night light. The electricity is still off as is the water. Annoyances that somehow seemed significant a couple of days ago don’t any longer. The day is ended and I will sleep. As I drift off I will pray for the children of the world and turn them over to the One who never sleeps but holds His creation in his hand and speaks love into the heart of every forgotten and broken child.

Larry Kieft

Larry with children at Gindiri

The Sealed Envelope

Today I spent time at the counseling center. Patients come to the counselor for pre test counseling. There is a short history oWf why they want the HIV test and a short discussion. They enter the room and look very anxious about the visit. The counselor reassures them. They then go for THE test and return in 10 minutes to the counselor with a SEALED Paper. The results of this test can dramatically change their life. Many of them highly suspect they are positive due to their symptoms and other young women know they have had unprotected sex so want to know their status. he counselor then slowly opens the paper and reports- negaitve or positive. If positive they go to the doctor and if negative they receive counseling. The counseling for either restult is the ABC, A meaning abstinance, B meaning be faithful and C meaning condoms.

The first woman was 42 and had a husband and two teenage children. Her husband worked in Abuja. She had been feeling sick and suspected her results which were positive. During the interview her husband called and she quietly reported the results and agreed to get tested. She was sad and weepy. The counselor however told her to be positive, to stay with husband and to stay happy.

The others were young women who had unprotected sex. They were going into a new relationship and wanted the TEST done . They recieved counseling and left the room happy women.

It is amazing how they seem casual about this but it will dramatically change after the test, especially if positive. This center at Faith Alive sees about 75 or more people a day and there about 15-20 positive reports daily in only this clinic. Therefore, the math would indicate the problem is epidemic in Nigeria. However, they pray ,pray and pray with each indiviaul person to give them support and encourage them to take the drugs regular as well as good nutrition, rest, exerecise and a healthy lifestyoe ;

This opens ones eyes and heart to the Nigerian friends.

Jean Gall

Quote of the day

“It seems that there might be a better way of doing things”.

Lois Lyndaker

Trust

Our group rotates through several hospitals and clinics.

After morning report in hospital A, we were split up. I was assigned to the senior house officer on the medical ward. Being new to the place, I felt very much like a guest and I tried not to be my usual obnoxious and patronizing self. At the other hand, I did see some medical stuff that I did not agree with. My main role during morning rounds was transcribing notes in the medical record. The relationship felt somewhat awkward.

In the medicine clinic in the OPD, I took my assigned seat in the corner. During the subsequent hours, we gradually entered into conversation about the clinical problems that came our way.

After the last patient was gone, the young doctor came to me with several questions regarding his own health. I answered those as well as I could…I am glad that in one day it was possible to establish enough trust that made it possible for him to turn to me

Theo D Beels 11/11/08

Walking for the first time in 10 years

Village home based care visit

Skill Acquistion Graduation, Faith Alive Clinic