Many of us went out for the first mass screening event within the first few weeks of being here. We piled into land-rovers very early in the morning to meet the thousands of people waiting to be screened for surgeries; many of them having waited all night in line. Each crew member was assigned a different task such as pre-screening, registrations, escorting patients, running the children’s ministry, scheduling patients for surgeries etc. I was assigned to be a part of the prayer team. The prayer team is stationed at the end of screening to provide prayer and encouragement for those we unfortunately cannot help. Being more of a ‘surgical unit’ than an ‘emergency hospital’, we cannot help every patient who comes. The local hospitals do provide many of the services they need. The sad reality is that many of these people cannot afford to pay for the medical attention they need from the local hospitals. It was devastating to hear their stories, knowing that for many of them, this was their last hope. Some would just sit with us and cry as we explained to them why we could not help them. My heart broke for each one of them.
As the morning progressed, hopelessness turned to chaos. The desperation of those waiting at the gate became evident as a large crowd stormed the entrance gate. Trampling each other to get through, a ‘self-survival’ mentality broke out. As a result of this sad occurrence, one man lost his life and few others were rushed to the hospital in critical condition. (Those who were at the gate wrote blogs that give a very real account of the story. My friend Deb’s blog http://debsheartinafrica.blogspot.com/2011/03/absolute-desperation.html is a nurse’s story of the events.
The leadership on board the ship gathered as much information about the event as they could and re-planned for a new screening day. In the interim, patients who had been screened by the Advance Team (preparation team before the ship arrives in country) were bussed down from northern Sierra Leone as our first patients, many of them being children with bowed legs.
About 2 weeks later we were able to have another mass screening event. This screening was a GREAT success! We were able to book many more surgeries for the next few months of the outreach. During this screening, my role was to escort patients from the waiting areas to registration/personal history tables.
I really enjoyed this role as I was able to interact with a lot of the patients coming through and hear their stories. God is going to do amazing things here during our outreach!
Since being here, I’ve been busy teaching my wonderful Grade 4 and 5 class, visiting patients in the ward, going to church out in the community on Sunday, walking through the markets, watching Mercy Ships vs. local team football matches and visiting the beautiful beaches of Sierra Leone. Enjoy the snapshots!
My fantastic Grade 4/5 class
The beautiful beaches of Sierra Leone
2 of the local churches I have attended during my time here
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