“So how long have you been going to this church?” I ask my friend, Saa. “Well, it’s my mother’s church...” I nodded, “Oh, okay. So forever?” He just smiled at me. I followed him through the gate to his mom’s house. As I entered, little faces smiled at me curiously. Before I knew it a … Continue reading Thank God for Moms

Back home in Texas, a stay at home mom tucks her little girl into bed. Every night they pray for missionaries... and I am blessed to be included in their prayers. They talk about Mercy Ships and the work that is happening here. When it’s time for her daughter to present a missionary to her … Continue reading The Whole World in His Hands

I plopped down on a chair taking a rare opportunity to sit that day. Things are picking up now that we have two plastic surgeons instead of just one. Due to complicated wounds and dressings, plastic surgery patients stay longer. We had to open up another ward so everyone would fit! As I sat chugging … Continue reading This week…

That night I was feeling tired and generally worn out. It wasn’t something that I noticed much... after being a nurse for two years and working night shifts, it’s  pretty much the status quo. I was chatting with my patient and throwing away trash after giving medication. As I double checked my check list and … Continue reading I love you.

I absolutely adore babies. I love watching them discover new things. I love making them smile. I love their belly laughs and their tiny toes. Their poops don’t bother me. (Especially after becoming a nurse... adults make WAY more poop.) All that said, it’s easy to see why I was excited to visit the Casog … Continue reading The Weight

There is a weariness I have felt the last couple of years. Sometimes it was frustration with the busy-work in my job. Sometimes it was the strain of watching diseases like pancreatic cancer ravage my patients over and over. Sometimes it was the very simple and deep heartache of losing a patient I dearly loved. … Continue reading HOPE Center

“Can I pray for you? Can we pray together?” I never had a patient offer to pray for ME before... there wasn’t even anything I was upset or particularly worried about. He and I were just visiting and catching up like we always did, but he took my hands in his and we prayed together. … Continue reading With Him

So what surgeries are we doing anyway? Most of our patients have what we call “burn contractures”. At some point in the past they had severe burns caused by spilled boiling water, a house fire, or some other accident. Sadly, many people in Africa die from these injuries due to infection and limited access to … Continue reading Burn Contractures

“Farther along we’ll know all about it, farther along we’ll understand why, so cheer up my brother. Live in the sunshine. We’ll understand this, all by and by..” I sat quietly in the backseat clutching my small group leader’s hand trying to hold in the sobs threatening to tear out of my chest. This song … Continue reading Farther Along