hospital closing

 Last weekend was a really relaxing weekend. With a group of divers from the ship we went to a nice beach and had a small dive trip. We went to the beach with full tanks and all the equipment we needed. First we had lunch and after that we put all our gear in a small boat and spent an hour and a half under water.

Later that evening we did a night dive, which was really cool too. There wasn’t a whole lot to see except some lobsters, crabs and small fish that were attracted to the bright lights, so it became a short dive, but still fun. The stars were even more amazing, because out in the ocean, there’s not a lot of light pollution :-D

The next day we went in again and it was even more relaxed since we knew our way around a bit better. My buddy Cassidy liked to look closely at things too, instead of rushing around, that was really nice. We had another hour and a half to look under every rock and between parts of the wreck.

The spot where we went diving was around a rock formation where a small ship had sunk. There was no place to really get inside the wreck, but there was a big diversity of sea life on the wreck and on the rocks around it. Corals, big and small fishes, starfish, sea urchins, sea cucumbers and snails from bright yellow, to orange, red, blue, purple, pink, brown, and combinations of all colors of the rainbow. It was amazing again to see how much life is under the water surface and how God loves to create beauty.

We slept in a tent, had a great outdoors shower and had hammocks and a beautiful beach to relax on after the dives.

 

We also had a big farewell party at the end of last week had. The theme was "Tell Papa God Tenki" which we hear regularly on the wards. It was a good time for all patients, day volunteers, nurses and doctors to thank God for all the good things that have happened during this outreach. Several patients shared stories about how their lives had changed. It was really a good time with the necessary dance : D

By the way, yesterday and today Ramatu had a very special dressing change. She is the girl that was in my ‘boot camp’. Normally she needs a lot of drugs to get her through the dressing change, the last two days she did not need drugs and she did not even cry. There has been a lot of prayer for her, so we are very thankful that she is able to tolerate the dressing changes a lot better now. We are very proud of her.

Yesterday my ward was emptied out. The few patients that were left, were transferred to other wards and they will be leaving Thursday or Friday. After that, the hospital is officially closed and there won’t be any patient care. It’s always a weird time, saying goodbye to patients and on Friday we’ll have to say goodbye to our day workers and in between there are a lot of nurses leaving, which means even more goodbyes.

Also news from the home front. It’s Saskia's birthday today! Congratulations sister!
Unfortunately, I learned that my grandmother was admitted in a hospital. Suddenly the distance between Sierra Leone and The Netherlands is very large.

Many thanks for your encouragements and comments!

Big hugs &
Blessings
Maaike

end of the outreach in sight

Hello all!

Time has gone so fast over the past weeks and it is definitely time for you an update.

Today was the last day of surgery. Next week, the hospital will still be open, but at the end of the week the patients are all discharged. Some patients simply discharged and better, others still with wounds that will be treated in a local hospital. Two of the volunteers who worked all year in the outpatients clinic, will continue to do wound care there.

Another joyful event for me was the arrival of my box filled with dutch yummy stuff, chocolate, ‘kruidnoten’ and the book that my aunt wrote. It seems silly, but sometimes those things from home are so familiar and are a treat!

The wards and the whole ship are starting to pack up. I'm really happy that my successor is now taking over a big part of my responsibilities on the ward, so I can focus more on the pack up process.

I'm also still working on the finishing touches put in the current report that we as team leaders to write. That's a big job and requires a lot of energy.

With the end of the outreach in sight, the season of farewells arrived. Yesterday Tom has flown back to England and today Kate left. There are many more going away in the next few weeks. Some people go on vacation, but most crew members are coming to the end of their commitment and moving on. That's always a difficult, emotional time.

A very special event was the marriage ceremony on the 5^th of November of one of the guys on deck and one of the volunteers from my ward. Somewhere in the beginning of the outreach they met each other and now there was a wedding :-)

Another couple, who both worked on board the past two years, will marry next week. Quite special to witness a true African wedding. Although it emphasized that I was not at the wedding of Joerie and Marjanne and won’t be able to go to the wedding of Christina and David. Mixed feelings. But I enjoy the special things.

I am also doing some pedagogical work. We have a girl in the ward, Ramatu, that caused a lot of unrest and seriously misbehaved in another ward. She is now in my 'boot camp' with strict rules, consequences for bad behavior and rewards for good behavior.

She is a very bright child and has a really strong character. It's nice to see how she reacts positively to this rigorous approach :-D

Today we had a little party on the ward, because it was the last day of surgery. Ramatu had to stay at her part of the ward, since she has an infection in the wound. She did so well today, so at the end I told her that I was very proud of her.
It was a real party with patients giving their testimonies and of course lots of dancing and singing. We can still see and hear that God is touching lives. It is a privilege to be part of this. And you have been part of it too, through all your encouragements, prayers and financial support! Thanks a million!

Big hugs &
Blessings
Maaike

 Vandaag gewoon een aantal foto's

ik hoop dat je ervan geniet!