Trip Two: Week One! October 25-November 2

Praise the Lord - I made it back to the Africa Mercy in Madagascar! I am overjoyed to be back on the AFM surrounded by friends and to be rejoining the mission of "bringing hope and healing to the world's forgotten poor." The past few weeks were filled with uncertainty around whether or not I would be able to return due to the political unrest in Madagascar, but I made it back! I am thankful that some peace has been restored to the country, and I continue to pray for the government and that those in power will make decisions that benefit the Malagasy people. 

After departing Raleigh on Monday, October 20th, I had the opportunity to spend three days in Paris with my French Mercy Ships friend, Fanelie! She was a wonderful hostess and I loved seeing some icons of Paris including the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, and Seine River. We enjoyed catching up, eating delicious food, and getting manyyyy steps in each day. It was a perfect start to my trip! 

On Friday, October 24th, I flew about eleven hours from Paris to Antananarivo, Madagascar. I arrived around 11pm local time and was met by a Mercy Ships representative who helped me through customs, and then brought me and another Mercy Shipper to the hotel for the night. We had about 5.5 hours at the hotel before we needed to be back at the airport on Saturday morning for our flights to bring us to the ship in Toamasina/Tamatave (two names, same city). By the time I showered and rearranged my luggage, I ended up sleeping approximately 2.5 hours... I was just so excited to be (almost) back to the ship! 

Everything related to my travel went so smoothly. I am grateful for the many Mercy Ships representatives who coordinate the logistics along the way. When we landed in Toamasina on Saturday afternoon, we were met with sunshine and warm weather - a little different than the cool, rainy weather I remember from July! Madagascar is entering into summer now, so I'll have a different experience than the daily rain on my last trip. 

 

Ship Life

After a brief orientation and unpacking in my cabin on Saturday afternoon, I reunited with some friends around the ship. This time, I am living in a three-berth cabin. It is roughly the same size as the six-berth I stayed in before, and each person has their own little "room" in the cabin. It feels like a luxury compared to the cozy six-berth, so I have been settling in just fine! Even though 3.5 months had passed since I left the ship, it felt like I'd never left the AFM and the familiarity was so comforting. Later that evening, I met up in town with my Malagasy friends who work in the OR! We kept in touch while I was back in the States, and it was so wonderful to be together in person. I am looking forward to the next few weeks making more memories together! 

On Sunday, I joined a group going to a local beach to play sand volleyball, swim, and have dinner before returning to the ship for the 7pm church service. It was a beautiful day and I enjoyed meeting new friends and spending time together. 

After work on Wednesday, a group from the OR decided to go out for dinner at one of my favorite places in Tamatave, Darafify! We all piled in tuk-tuks and were entertained by the bumpy, windy ride to the beach restaurant. It is always nice spending time with co-workers outside of the OR, and this evening was no exception. 

I went for my first Tamatave run on Thursday morning with a fellow OR nurse! The combination of air pollution, humidity, and fighting off a head cold caused quite the struggle, but I was still glad to move my body. I am hoping for better Mada runs in the future, but I had to start somewhere!

Unfortunately, I fell victim on Friday afternoon to a nasty bug going around the ship. I was placed in isolation in my cabin from Friday evening until Sunday evening. I fought off boredom and tried to rest and recover as much as possible. Talking with friends and family definitely helped! Thankfully, I did not get as sick as some other crew did, so I am planning on returning to work rested and well on Monday morning. 

Surgery On Board

Monday was my first day back working in the OR! Because I was just on the ship in July, I did not have to attend the full orientation and was able to jump right back in. I am returning as the general surgery team leader, but that specialty does not start back until Monday, November 3rd. This week, I was able to ease back into the flow of things and help in other rooms when needed. I also filled in as team leader for two days in pediatric general surgery because the current team leader was not feeling well. I was thankful I got to work with my friend again, pediatric general surgeon Daniel Keese from Switzerland! We overlapped for six weeks earlier this year, so it was another great AFM reunion. 

 

Some responsibilities of a team leader include orienting new surgeons, ensuring all supplies/equipment are available, joining the surgeons on ward rounds on pre-op and post-op patients, preparing the room for the following day, and documenting information from each case in the online patient database. During my first trip, I filled in as team lead for a few days when needed, but there are still some things I need to learn and get used to... which will all officially start tomorrow! 

Patient Highlight

This is a new idea I am going to try and incorporate more into my blogs this time. I really enjoyed writing my blogs last trip and I received so much positive feedback from friends and family at home, but I do not want all the "fun" things I do and share to take away from one of the main main missions of why I am here in Madagascar. I believe the Lord has called me here with Mercy Ships to fulfill their mission of "bringing hope and healing to the world's forgotten poor" through my work as an OR nurse. Even though there are so many joyful and fun times on the ship, there are also heartbreaking stories from patients I meet who need the hope and love of Christ. I hope and pray that the Lord will use me to encourage others and shine His light in the darkness, both on the ship and in the community. 

I am hoping to use this space to share a patient story, "God-moment," or encouragement I experienced each week. 

OR Recap

In total, the OR saw 31 patients this week across the two specialties, maxillofacial and pediatric general, with a couple days of two "maxfax" rooms operating. Examples of surgical cases included parotidectomies, mass excisions, and herniotomies. 

All glory to God for a wonderful first week!