Desperation and . . . Fresh Hearts

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Before the medical team started the second day of clinic at Abundant Life Faith Center in Freetown, Carol Carpenter, wife of Chiropractor Dr. Bob Carpenter, jumped into the fray to help our local partners with the registration process. Her valiant efforts did not go unrewarded as around 175 patients rolled through much smoother with fewer conflicts and a lot more efficiency.

Dr. Paola Velez noted after the first two days in Sierra Leone that there seemed to be more serious illnesses than in Ghana and thought that may have been why some of the people were so aggressive. Dr. Steve Nelson also noticed the overwhelming desperation of some of the patients. He stated, “I’ve never been in a country where there is NO [healthcare] system for the poorest of the poor.” He shared a story about a 31 year old woman who was totally blind in her left eye and losing sight in the other who simply cried out because she had no other option.

Another notable patient was a severely malnourished 9 month old baby sipping on a bottle of water. The team discovered that baby formula purchased locally, when it can be found, costs around $10 US dollars for about 5 days worth of milk. For most of the folks we saw this means that feeding a baby would cost much more than their entire month’s income if breast milk is unavailable.

Dorothy Nelson noted that the kids seemed to not have many material goods so they were really excited by the pencils and pens she brought and were eager to help set up and carry her crafts and games. She said that many of the children seemed hungry for touch and loved to laugh. She found herself doing lots of silly things with them to evoke laughter.

The most popular project seemed to be when she had the kids draw out the creation story and the things God created each day. The kids who lived near the church were impressive in their knowledge of Jesus and one budding artist even drew a great picture of the 12 disciples and showed it to Dorothy.

It seemed at the end of the day that the weight of the situation in Sierra Leone rested heavily on the shoulders of each of the team members. Sure we were tired, dusty and hot, but on top of that I think we had stepped into the desperation with the patients and felt the burdens they bore. Back at our place of lodging, it seemed everyone sought out a quiet nook to read Bibles, journal or talk quietly and process the day.

I Thessalonians 2:16-17 (The Message): “May Jesus himself and God our Father, who reached out in love and surprised you with gifts of unending help and confidence, put a fresh heart in you, invigorate your work, enliven your speech.”