Well, only 2 weeks and 4 days are left until I complete my time in Impfondo. After that, I will be going to Brazzaville for a week with another missionary family and then catching my plane home. I cannot believe home is only a few weeks away! I am very excited about reconnecting with family and friends. However, until then, I am trying to make the most of my remaining time here and finish strong. You can pray for me about that!! I do not want my excitement about going home to taint my short amount of time left, because I know when I get home I will be missing it here like crazy.
Anyway, last week at work was BUSY. We had one staffing problem after another for multiple days in a row which resulted in me working what felt like a marathon of shifts at the hospital. Needless to say, I overdosed on vital signs and needed a day of prayer and meditation to recover. This week however, I am working in the community with Sarah Speer so it is great to have a change of scenery and do some new things. Right now I am at my house waiting for her to pick me up to go visit the property of the future leprosy center. Construction started a few weeks ago and I have not seen it since then, so we are going to check on the progress. It is a really exciting project, because this center will be a home for those leprosy patients who do not have homes and it will also be a site for dressing changes and wound treatments. Sarah has dreamed about this project for years and it is neat to see it take shape.
On Tuesday, Joan (roommate) and I were invited to our friend Michelle’s house for lunch. Michelle is a nurse at the hospital and she is a beautiful person inside and out. She is a really good worker and is so kind and friendly to staff and patients alike and she also looks like an African princess. Anyway, it was so fun to be with her at her house. It is one thing to interact with people at work, but being with them in their homes adds a sense of authenticity to relationship. That is one thing that is so great about working with Sarah because you get to be in peoples’ homes with them and interact with them in their element. That does bring challenges as well, because some people are really suffering, and they are alone and have pretty rough living conditions, and that is overwhelming. What do you do about that? I mean, I can breeze through for 30 minutes, maybe do a health assessment, say a prayer in English, and leave. Even though I have been here for 7 months, working at the hospital is still somewhat sheltering from the realities of life outside the hospital walls. It is a reality that Sarah has devoted herself to through giving time, energy, healthcare, and a listening ear. She one of the most selfless people I have ever met. That was confirmed yesterday as I assisted her as she carefully and thoroughly scrubbed and bandaged the feet of one her friends with leprosy. This friend had only stubs for hands and feet and had new sores on her feet because rats had gnawed on them during the night. That is Jesus personified I believe. Hopefully she will rub off on me as we spend these last few weeks together! Anyway, lots of questions and thoughts. But, God is good and I want him to continue to soften my heart to love people as Jesus did. He has done a lot of softening, but there is plenty more to be done.
