Day 5; At the Hospital

         The day finally came, and it came early!  I think most of us were awake by 6am; we were so excited!  However, the early rising turned out to be a blessing in disguise.  The white nursing hats, which look so wonderful in pictures and movies, are actually nightmares to figure out how to wear!  We were all trying to help each other out, but since all of us were more or less clueless on how to wear them, Dr. Catts and Ms. Poore had to show us how it was done.

            Finally everyone’s caps were straight, supplies were gathered, and we began our walk over to the hospital.  We had been spread out in the hospital throughout the various units.  When we got there, however, we all gathered along with the hospital staff for their daily devotions.  I can hardly describe this part of the day.  I can only say that I did not want it to end, and it was simply beautiful.  It was very pure and simple; they would sing and then pray.  It was strait from the heart, and it went straight to Jesus. I am already looking forward to the next time we can worship with them. 

            From there, everyone’s experience of the hospital became different.  Chelsea and I were assigned to be with the midwife.  We were able to help with the delivery of two babies.  One of the deliveries was very emotionally and physically difficult for the mother.  We were able to be with her throughout the entire process.  We prayed with her, held her had, helped her with her breathing, and were able to comfort and encourage her the whole time.  At one point, the midwife told her that it was going to be okay…God had sent her two angels in white to help her.

            In the women’s ward, Vanessa was able to connect with one of her patients.  The woman was struggling after she had her second miscarriage.  Vanessa was able to pray with her, and bless her to have children.  Both her and her husband were so appreciative, just like everyone here is when you offer them prayer.   In the pediatric unit Caren, Lina, Kayla, and Jennifer were able to brighten the children’s day.  In addition to helping the nurses with the medical responsibilities, they were able to play games with them.  One story that stuck out was that of a particular little girl.  At the beginning of the day no one could make her smile, but by the time we left a smile was radiating from her face.  The girls were able to invest their time into her, and show the love of Jesus to not only her, but also all the children on the unit.  None of them wanted to leave at the end of the day.

            Back at the house that evening everyone shared their experiences, and similar stories were heard from everyone.  Jennifer was administering shots, and the vial of medication she was drawing from lasted WAY longer than it should have.  Kaytlyn was left alone for a while in the medical records area.  (If you have never seen medical records in Ghana you will not really understand how overwhelming it can be).  She handled it like a pro though, and “just happened to find” the exact chart she needed on top of a random stack of charts.  Every person could tell similar stories to these.

            In devotions we talked about having a Christ-centered vision.  We do not want to miss opportunities to influence people’s lives with whom we come into contact.  Who is the person that God is calling you to make a difference in their life?  Our time here is so short, and we do not want to miss anything that God had called us to do.  We ended the evening by singing “Be Thou My Vision”.  It was the perfect  end to a wonderful day.

Abby Randall