Riding the waves

Kalinda and I had been humming and hawing about going to Prune Island. It is a small island with one inhabitant (lighthouse man) that can been seen from the ship. Several new crew have arrived in the past few weeks. One of them wanted to organize a trip. Six of us agreed to go: two from Canada, one from Holland, one from UK, one from Australia, and one from US.

Margo and I gathered borrowed snorkel gear from fellow crew on the ship. It is rainy season and cyclone season now. This means you just prepare for rain but go about your normal business. Sunday morning when we awoke, it was pouring outside. We all agreed to proceed with the plans since we were going to get wet snorkeling anyway. We figured that if it needed to be canceled, the travel agent would cancel.

After waiting for the boat driver to arrive and prepare the boat, we were thoroughly drench. We all piled in the wooden boat and gladly donned our life jackets. As we headed toward the island, no land could be seen due to the torrential downpour. We were all very thankful for the life jackets. We prayed and laughed as we rode the 2-3 meter waves. The boat driver was excellent. He was an experience fisherman.

Upon arriving to the island, the rain had stopped. We hung our clothes to dry and went for a snorkel. We had heard from a group that went the day before the current was strong. We wisely decided to use the current for our favor. We walked up the beach a ways prior to getting in the water. The Indian Ocean here is so salty that you float simply by lifting your legs. So by lifting your legs and moving with the current, we were able to enjoy the fish without much physical work. When the current became too strong we would walk to shore. We would walk up the beach again and repeat.

Note half is grey and raining and half the sky is beautiful

After a few snorkeling "runs", we walked to the tallest lighthouse in Africa and second tallest in the world. It was 66 meters. The tallest is in France. Both were built by the French. The attention to detail was amazing. The view from the top was neat as well.

On top.

After a nice picnic lunch, some napped on the beach. Others walked; others snorkeled more.  We gathered our things, donned the life vests and pile back into the boat. We were expecting the ride back to the ship to be choppy as the afternoon waters are often choppy. The rough boat ride in the morning prepared us for the ride in the afternoon. It was choppy, but it was sunny. So being wet from the waves did not bother us. One of the boat drivers actually caught a 4kg fish. It was only then that it was disclosed that they too were nervous about the morning boat trip.

Monday mornings we attend community meetings to hear important information for the coming week on the ship. We heard that a cyclone was off the coast a good ways but was causing higher waves than normal which was causing the ship to rock more. Well, another adventure for the books with a happy ending.

A Challenge...Beauty

This week I was reminded in a presentation by the plastics surgeon Dr. Tertius of why I am here. Growing up in a Presbyterian church, I would quote this part of the Westminster Catechism."What is the chief end of man? To glorify God and enjoy Him forever." Well, that is nice big words and ideas, but how do we live this practically.  As I was listening to the presentation, I learned one aspect is to recognize beauty, love, and perfection.

God is beauty, love, and perfection. We are made in His image. Although the standards of beauty are cultural, universally, we respond to beauty, love, and perfection.  Whether atheist, agnostic, Christian, or any other religion deep down we respond. Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit created the universe with wholeness.  God said, "It is good." We react with joy, peace, wholeness, praise, wonder.

On the flip side, we react when we see ugly, unloved, broken. Deep down we struggle to look at it. It is not as it should be. It became this way after the fall when sin entered the world.

God is still in the healing, redemptive, loving, restoring business. He cares and longs for creation to be whole. One day it will be. In the meantime, some ways to practically glorify God and enjoy Him is to take the moments to stand in awe of the sunset, sunrise, mountain landscapes, flowers, stars, creation. To take the moments to recognize and tell someone that they look nice, beautiful, pretty when they do. To acknowledge the difficulty to look at broken, ugly, incomplete neighborhoods, people, cities.

Perhaps you are called to smile and wave at them, to sit a chat with them, to pick up trash, to share a meal, to give them a hug. Doing this requires the Holy Spirit working through you. Romans talks alot about living in the Spirit compared to living in the flesh. Our flesh wants to turn away, ignore, shun. God wants us to love the least of these.

Photo Credit: Mercy Ships

Photo Credit: Mercy Ships

Yes, I am currently serving with Mercy Ships, but you too are called to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. I pray this encourages you too to respond to beauty and the ugly, the wholeness and the brokenness right where you are now.

Photo Credit Mercy Ships

Photo Credit Mercy Ships

Perspective

This week I have been thinking about perspective. The combination of nearsightedness and farsightedness. If one does not have goals, purpose for anything in life is lacking. If, however, if one does not live in the present, one misses the simple meaningful joys of everyday. 

This week I had the opportunity to go with some crew members to the school for children who are deaf. It was one of the local ministries that Mercy Ships has come alongside while here. About 60 children attend the school. The sign language is Malagasy sign language. When we spoke, English was translated to Malagasy which was translated to sign language.

The children were divided into three groups according to age. I had the little ones. Our activities were two simple puzzles and connect four game. I gave each child a puzzle piece to participate. After completing each twice, we moved on to Connect Four of sorts. About 15 boys and girls were sitting in a semi-circle. I held the  "board" giving each one piece. They took turns placing the pieces into the board in random order. When all the pieces were in, I opened the bottom. The biggest laughs and smiles came watching the pieces crash. All was going well until one boy wanted more than one piece. The other children thinking it was a good idea began grabbing. When chaos ensued, I suddenly realized I had no way to communicate. I realized I had grown accustomed to physical deformities on face, hands, legs, chest, but forgotten about less physically obvious disablities.

One of the older students came to my rescue. Her name was Julia. Once the children were organized and "playing"began again, they were satisfied to play over and over until I got bored. We then began singing songs with motions like "head shoulders knees and toes." I was struck by the fact that the children were completely entertained by such a simple activity for so long. They can play with a tire and a long stick for hours as well. Many children in the developed world have lost this ability over the past few years. Unless they are encouraged to imagine and provided unplanned time to be creative, children do not know how to entertain themselves. Perspective: seeing things from far away. 

This is Julia. When arrived, we all received a sign for our "name." Most were a sign of a necklace or pony tail. Mine was a "J" sign on the nose. This was the sign Julia used. She was excited to meet someone else with her name. I was quite surprised myself as Julia is a "Vazaha (Foreigner) " name. She chose to help me with the young children rather than the activity for the older children. She wanted a picture with me.

This reminded me of when I was in first grade and met a Julia in the 8th grade. I thought it was so neat to have someone older than me with the same name. Simply by being older made her my hero. Last week, I was the older Julia making a younger Julia's day simply being me.  Perspective.

Photo credit Mercy Ships

Photo credit: Mercy Ships

Dr. Frank, the orthopedic surgeon who was here, often said, "See one, do one, teach one." When this is completed, you know how to perform the task. This is pretty much how I have learned here. After we had been serial casting clubfeet for a couple of weeks, Mercy Ships hosted a Ponseti Clinic for the local PTs and brace makers. The afternoon was the lab. I was teaching how to hold and apply a proper cast. Depending on which end of the spectrum you are looking at depends on whether or not I was an  "expert." I did know more than they did, but still have much more to learn.

Many of the little ones are becoming accustomed to the cast saw, xrays, and cast application. Some who used to throw big tantrums only whimper and are calmed easily. Their perspective has changed. They know now, that is truly does not hurt. Balloons and a pair of oversized gloves to pretend to be doctor also help. Glitter on the top of the cast (at least until it falls off) is also exciting.

Photo credit: Mercy Ships

Using headlamps to provide light in the dark warehouse. These were needed to see staples and sutures. (photo credit Mercy Ships)

Photo credit Mercy Ships

One of the few smiles I have seen from this sweet girl after new clean casts were applied complete with glitter.  (photo credit Mercy Ships)

Courage

Courage has been the theme of advent here on the ship. We looked at the different characters in the Christmas story and their courage.  What is courage? It is defined as the ability to do something that frightens you; strength in the face of pain or grief. 

We tell our patients daily to have courage. This often translates to not throwing a tantrum and screaming out of fear for a relatively simple procedure. As I was thinking about courage one day after telling a teenager they were indeed courageous, I was reminded of the large amount of faith and courage they have already just to be here on the ship. 

Although the medical treatment is free and meals and medicine and post operation care is provided for free, the patients pay a cost. A cost in time, transportation money, living away from family and friends for months, pain, and long road of rehabilitation.

The courageous steps begin when they decide to come to screening for the Africa Mercy. They have to step out, be seen in public, walk or travel for days sometimes, wait in long lines, coming with the hope of receiving hope and healing. 

Photo credit Mercy Ships

Photo Credit Mercy Ships

Courage continues when they agree to have the surgery.They have left all they have known to come stay on a big white ship. In the big white ship, they see locals and predominately different shades lighter skinned volunteers. Although communication and understanding of the procedure and rehabilitation is a priority here, it is sometimes not as clear as we English speakers think. It takes an incredible amount of courage to undergo surgery or have a loved one undergo surgery especially when you do not fully understand the ins and outs.

Photo Credit Mercy Ships

Photo Credit Mercy Ships

Photo cerdit Mercy Ships

Courage is also needed to get out of bed the first time, to move the involved extremity the first time, to have staples/stitches and pins taken out, to walk without crutches, have xrays taken, to walk with AFO, to negotiate stairs, to undergo painful stretching and dressing changes. 

Photo credit Mercy Ships

Courageous to return back home to a new life and place in town hierarchy. It is often months between when the surgery began when they return home for the final time. They have changed inside and outside. They are now able to step out and try new tasks and activities. 

Courage makes me think about Peter, one of Jesus 12 disciples, getting out of the boat to walk on water to meet Jesus who was walking on water. These past few years I have had several moments when I had to use courage. I am a weird mix. I enjoy and am comfortable with predictability, routine, knowns. I, however, get bored after awhile and need an adventure. I usually choose one that will require courage. It is not always easy. Circumstances do not always happen as predicted. I can say, I have grown, met wonderful people all over the world and United States, seen beautiful creation, learned new skills, tried new activities, tried new foods.  I could not do it alone.

In times of transition, like now on the ship, I find courage to face change, to meet new people, to try new activities and skills, to not be perfect at tasks by leaning on God. He is a rock, fortress, stronghold. He is unchanging. Leaning on Him (or clinging onto Him) gives us the courage necessary to get out of the boat of comfort zones.

The Other Side of the Iguana 

 The credit for this title goes to Dean, a fellow PT, while we were walking in the woods looking for lemurs last weekend. While on the walk, we saw many iguanas, fungus, carnivorous plants, frogs, and of course lemurs. A walk in nature is always a treat for me. Like many blogs, disconnected parts were in my head. After taking a photo of literally the other side of the iguana than everyone else, Dean said something to the effect of,  "One of the things I like about you is that you are not afraid to look at things differently. You look at the other side of the iguana." He gave me permission to use the title :) Sometimes I like being different; sometimes I want to be more like the chameleon camouflaging into the environment.

One of the interesting aspects of living on this ship is how everyone expresses and experiences the same circumstances differently. Yes, culture plays a part, but the way God created our brains to work differently and have different talents plays a part too. Working with children and adults who look differently physically fosters looking with a different perspective. One that is able to see the true person, to see past the deformities, to see their value.

Working with different cultures and ways of practicing medicine causes us to sometimes to change our perspective. The way we were trained or have been doing the task or recording the measurements may not be the best way. Sometimes, we need to see the other side of the iguana. 

Each patient the rehab team will be working with during their stay with Mercy Ships receives a thorough pre-operation assessment. One of the pieces is their goals. We are wanting a functional goal, but often get the "to been like everyone else." This is phrased in a variety of ways: to not be laughed at, to be able to wear a shoe like everyone, to be able to wear pants like others. Often with prodding we will be able to squeeze out a functional goal. This week one mom whose son had two fingers stuck together had been thinking about this for awhile. She responded that she wanted her son to be able to wear a wedding ring one day and to be able to count. Another one who has two thumbs on one hand wanted to be able to open a package. 

I often take these seemingly small things for granted. It is refreshing to have a different perspective. A reminder to be grateful for the aspects of life I take for granted. Often, I want to fit in the round hole, to see things the way others do, to be "normal". When I am reminded of the value and beauty of God in the variety of life, I am grateful we are different. I am glad we can look on the other side of the iguana. 

So as we enter this new calendar year, I pray you will be able to give yourself and others the freedom to be who you/they are, allow yourself to look at the other side of the iguana, to have courage to follow your God given dreams and desires.

Here are some photos of "the other side of the iguana" for most us in the developed countries.

Beautiful colors in the woods

Carnivorous Plant/Flower

There is sticky liquid in the bottom. This is what attracts, catches the flies and other insects, and digests them. When there are bugs present, the lid closes

Beauty even on the floor of the forest

Heading to market on the canal

One of the many fisherman we saw. The nets are the fish traps

Another heading to market one push at a time

This is a family heading to market. I like the red hat on the mother.