Unfortunately not all the stories from Mercy Ships are happy stories. This past week we had a patient who was admitted to have a facial tumor removed. It was a huge growth, right under his eye extending 4 or 5 inches. When the screening was done at the beginning of the outreach the doctors must have thought the type of tumor he had was one that they could operate on. However, they did a test when he got to the hospital and they realized it was cancerous, and it was growing just as far inside his head as it was growing outside. Unfortunately he couldn’t be operated on because it would actually decrease his life expectancy, with him having no chance to get chemo, radiation or anything else they would do back home. It was one of the saddest things I’ve had to experience here – letting him eat dinner, then sending him home. His hopes were crushed after months of expecting to eventually lead a normal life. Then there was a 21 year old who came to the ship to have a fistula repair. After going through the surgery and the recuperation period she had to leave the ship still "wet" - meaning the fistula wasn't able to be repaired, and she would continue leaking urine. These are devastating stories to hear, but I have to be hopeful and believe that although they did not receive the physical healing they were hoping to, they received some spiritual healing in hearing the message of Jesus. At home they are despised and outcast because of their afflictions, but here they are loved and cared for because they are children of God - and I hope and pray that they leave the ship knowing that this love and acceptance can continue through a relationship with Jesus Christ.
This weekend I went on a trip to a little place called Bab’s Dock. It’s actually the personal residence of a family that moved to Benin from Holland about 10 years ago. They open their home on the weekends for visitors. It took about and hour along a bumpy, wild dirt road. We then hopped on a boat that took us to this beautiful oasis! There were kayaks, a volleyball net in the water, hammocks hanging from palm trees, donkeys, a monkey, and a restaurant. I went with a bunch of women for a retreat. Saturday we hung out in the sun and went swimming. The water was the color of tea, but I was assured it was safe to swim in - something about the amount of iron not allowing parasites and bacteria to thrive. Next we were served a delicious dinner of beef stew with vegetables over basmati rice. We then had devotions and retired beneath our mosquito nets under the open sky. I’m hoping my malaria medication is working its magic because my net did not keep every mosquito out, and although I doused myself with plastic-melting deet I came back with some bites. Here are some pics of Bab's Dock:
