It Seemed . . . That A Life Had Been Saved

Day Two at Fante Mayera was another busy day of seeing patients with the total nearing 260 yet again.

Entering the village in the early morning, we couldn't avoid noticing the long lines of women and children walking back from a nearby spring with containers of water deftly balanced on their heads. Upon arrival, we took a short walk to the water source and Sheila Leech saw in it great possibilities for a spring capture improvement. This, to prevent the contamination that occurs when people wade into the water source to fill containers.



Later, I chatted briefly with Mark Adu-Danso of HCJB Global´s partner, Theovision for a bit of the background that laid a foundation for the HCJB Global team's medical ministry. In Ghana, a national insurance policy is available for about eight dollars per year. However, in most of the village areas no one can afford that much. The area we have been visiting is the second poorest in Ghana.

The listening club in Fante Mayera is well attended by around 30 people, resulting in the planting of the Christian Life Mission Church. Mark said that our medical team is bringing "the act that backs up the gospel." He believes it will be a big help to Theovision's ongoing ministry.

A stellar example of this was how the medical team rallied around an extremely sick baby boy having seizures because of a high fever. Nurses Sheila Leech and Jessica McMillan teamed up and within moments cool water was sprinkled on the young child while he lay nearly lifeless and grey in his mother's arms. After medicines were administered, the mother moved was instructed to come back in an hour.

A bit later they returned and the change in the child was dramatic. His skin color was normal; his eyes followed movements and sounds, and he was sitting up and moving around. It seemed to my untrained eye that a life had been saved that day.

The team at the pharmacy tables were joined by Derrick Jeffers, Executive Director of Finance at HCJB Global. With bounding enthusiasm, Derrick jumped in and began counting pills. Our jesting about the finance chief or "bean counter" was quickly "countered" by Derrick's own humor. Holding out a handful of iron pills, he told us, "It's the iron fist of the mission finance department."

Dr. Fernando Espinosa shared another humorous tale from his second day in Fante Mayera. As he was treating a local woman, Espinosa happened to comment to someone, "I'm sorry." His patient immediately stood up. He looked at her in surprise and got her to sit down once again. Thinking she might have been upset, Espinosa once again apologized and the patient quickly stood up again.

It was then his translator noted that the English words for "I'm sorry" sound similar to the command to "stand up" in the patient's mother tongue.

photos: Steve Nelson