Dear Readers,
I asked a friend of mine, Tracy, to be a guest blogger for the next two weeks to share her account of a recent medical mission trip she took to western Africa. I also asked her to share her testimony with us and why she goes on mission trips around the world.
About Tracy, RN
I grew up in a Christian home and heard the gospel from the time I was a small child. At one point during my childhood I realized that salvation was not something I could obtain just because I went to church or my parents were saved. I chose to put my faith in Jesus Christ, to believe that He had died for ME, and His sacrifice completely paid for my sins. After I finished high school, I went to a state university to study nursing. I started my nursing career on a telemetry floor and since then have worked in a cardiac ICU (Intensive Care Unit) and a general ICU.
As God worked in my heart through my college years and the years after that, I started looking for ways to serve Him with my life, and God opened doors in the direction of medical mission trips. I am so thankful that He did, and praise Him for the many opportunities He has given me to travel to several countries in Africa and Asia. It is wonderful to use nursing to care for the physical bodies of people while giving them the opportunity to hear the wonderful gospel of God’s grace that can save their souls.
Western Africa
“Thank You, Lord, for this opportunity to head back to Africa!” Those were my excited thoughts as I tried to pack a few last items into my already full carry-on bag and my backpack (my allowance for personal luggage since the medical supplies filled the checked bags). This was not my first trip to western Africa, and it was so exciting to see first-hand what God was doing in that part of the world. I boarded the plane along with a few other team members. The journey to our destination was quite long as it included a layover in Istanbul, and, after landing at our destination, a six hour drive across the border to the mission compound where we would be staying.
The sights and sounds of the busy capital were familiar to me as we began our drive. We passed many cars with bags of grain and other supplies piled on the roof to the point where it seemed surprising that the car did not collapse or tip over.
Other common sights and sounds included people packed into vehicles like sardines, the loud roar of tractor trailers driving up from the coast, and a combination of black smoke and dust filling the air. December falls during the time of harmattan, when winds whip up the desert sand and the sky appears dark from all the dirt in the air.
We arrived at the mission compound, and greeted our friends with whom we had ministered before. During our one free day to prepare for the busy clinic days ahead, we prepackaged medications in small zip lock bags to be handed out during the clinics, and had some much needed rest from our long flight.
The days that followed were filled to the brim with busy clinics which I will try to describe. Most mornings I was awakened bright and early by the sound of the call to prayer ringing out from the nearby mosques. How sad to think of so many who do not know the Savior, but how wonderful to know that He offers life to all who will come to Him. Also the sounds of roosters crowing, bats flying off the roof, and other birds in the trees filled my room as the sun just barely started to rise. Then we ate a delicious breakfast cooked by our missionary host, and had morning Bible study and prayer together. It so encouraged us to start the day in God’s Word as we prepared for the busy day ahead.
We held clinics in several different villages in the area, so some days involved an early rise in order to drive along bumpy dirt roads to the clinic site in the vehicles loaded up with the clinic supplies.
After arriving at our clinic site, we would set up for the day while the village people who had gathered would hear a presentation of the gospel from the pastor or one of the Bible students. What a joy it was to know that people were hearing about my precious Savior, even though I didn’t understand the language in which the message was being preached. In the church in one of the villages, this verse is on the wall above the heads of the people as they sit and listen to the gospel message.
For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Romans 10:13
After hearing the gospel preached, people are registered and given a ticket with a number on it. They are then ready to be seen in either the medical or dental side of the clinic. On the medical side the patients are seen first in triage, where vital signs are taken, then called over to see the doctor, and finally directed to the pharmacy where they pick up the medicines that are prescribed. While they are waiting throughout the day, Bible students and people from the church would share the gospel one on one with them.
My role varied from day to day, often I would start off in the triage line taking vital signs. I was unable to takes histories because of the language barrier, so the histories were taken by the translators who worked with the doctor. Some days local helpers were available, so I showed them how to take vital signs which freed me up to do other things. I found it quite challenging to show the helpers how to use the temporal thermometer by pushing and holding the button. Another huge challenge was showing them how to enter the vital signs on the Ipad computer, but we laughed together as we figured it out! It was a great learning experience for both of us as we worked together despite the language barrier.
When I was not in triage, I assisted in the pharmacy with counting out the medicines or handing out medicines for minor things that did not need the doctor’s attention (such as ibuprofen for body aches). I also learned how to say “One pill in the morning and one pill at night” in the local dialect!
Each day we saw about 100 patients in the clinic. That seems like a large number for one doctor, one local nurse practitioner, and two nurses, but there were often so many more waiting to be seen. We were only able to spend one day at some of the villages, so many people gathered. It was so difficult to have to turn people away at the end of the day, knowing that we couldn’t see everyone.
What a blessing to be able to work together with local believers and to witness their heart for reaching out to the people of their villages with the gospel. I thank the Lord for allowing me to go on this trip!
To be continued……..
Pamela's Nursing Reflections 