Blog Update

We arrived safely in the states. We will be posting some blogs about our busy last week in Cameroon soon! Thank you all for your prayers!

Rainy Season

Maybe you are wondering about the weather here at Mbingo?  We are here during the rainy season.  Cameroon has 2 seasons, rainy season (April - October) and dry season (November - March).  When we were planning our trip here, I was expecting us to be in some really hot and humid climates.  Little did I know that the weather here right now is actually cooler than in East Tennessee.  The only place here at the hospital that I have seen air conditioning is in the operating room during surgery.  Where we are staying, we keep the windows open at night while we sleep, and some nights it even gets a little chilly.  I never expected that in Africa!  Today as I write, it is a consistent rainy day.  We have not had a day like this until now.  We have had rain throughout our stay, but it comes and goes quickly, but today it hasn't stopped raining much at all. I returned to New Hope Village this morning to give a devotion and sing for the people.  We also said farewell in chapel this morning to the Ipsen family (orthropedic surgeon and family from the states).  I couldn't help but think during chapel that this time next week it will be Melissa and me saying our goodbyes.  It kind of makes me sad to think about it, but that is a part of life that the ministry brings to the table.  Someone said to me today in reference to our departure next week, "I wish next Wednesday will not come." So, we know the love is definately mutual! My prayer before we came was that God would allow our hearts to be "peeled back" for these people, and I think that He has allowed that to happen.  Everyday I go to the surgical ward to pray for the little baby that had the shunt placement.  Today I noticed a sign on the nurses station door.  It read "If you have a vision for a year, plant wheat. If you have a vision for ten years, plant trees.  If you have a vision for a lifetime, plant people."  This quote has a lot of truth in it.  What are you investing in today? Think about it.  Thank you for your prayers! We love you all!

 Chaplaincy Department

 Medical Student that Melissa is teaching (left) & Hilda, a Nurse Practitioner student (right)

 At New Hope Village

The Ipsens, Stephanie (nutritionist), Lauren (nutritionist)

The group of people we eat meals with here...

Saturday In Bamenda

Yesterday Melissa and I along with our friends Lesslie and Theresia went to Bamenda, a bigger city nearby Mbingo.  Lesslie is my good friend that works in the Social Services Department and Theresia also works in that department with him.  On Saturdays, some of the hospital employees work until around noon, then have the rest of the day off.  We have heard stories about taking a taxi in Cameroon, but nothing could prepare us for our trip to Bamenda, which is about a 45 minute ride.  Melissa and I were told to get up front, so we at least knew that we would be sharing the front passenger seat.  My friend Lesslie got in the driver's seat, so I thought maybe he had rented the car or something.  When I asked him if he was driving, he said "No, I am passenger." So after everyone was finally in the taxi cab, we had 4 up front (2 in the passenger seat and 2 in the driver's seat), 5 in the back seat, and one riding in the hatchback of the little Toyota we were in.  The guy riding in the hatchback part of the car had to hold the door while we rode swiftly down the road to Bamenda.  I wish we could have gotten a picture, but we just couldn't move after we were situated.  It was an experience we'll never forget.  After we arrived in Bamenda, we went to the market to buy some fabric for someone to make Melissa and I some traditional African clothing by hand.  We shopped for alittle while in the market and a craft store, then went to eat at a place called "Dreamland Restaurant".  They served hambugers and french fries here, so we were pretty excited about that.  After our meal out on the balcony overlooking Bamenda's shopping district, we said goodbye to Theresia, and got in another taxi to visit some relatives and friends of Lesslie.  We stayed in Bamenda until dark, then caught another taxi back to Mbingo.  I told Lesslie to tell the driver that we would pay him if he didn't let anyone else in the taxi with us! Haha

Shopping District of Bamenda

 Theresia, Jeff, and Lesslie

Melissa, Lesslie, and Theresia

 Dreamland Restaurant

 Lesslie & Jeff

 Melissa & Theresia

 Lesslie's family in Bamenda

 3 week old baby girl and Melissa

Uncle Lesslie

C WARD

Hello all!  I just wanted to give everyone a quick update on the C Ward (what they call the Pediatric ward here).  We are booming that is for sure.  Lots of very sick kids coming in daily.  Right now I have a 7 year old male who came in yesterday evening with bacterial meningitis.  Worse case of neck stiffness I have ever seen which is a hallmark for meningitis.  If I even placed my hand on his neck he would scream out in pain.  He is currently receiving IV antibiotics and I am hopeful that he is on his way to recovery. 

Also, a 4 month old male baby was admitted two nights ago in respiratory distress.  The baby was transferred from an outlying hospital when they said there was nothing more they could do.  I have been very concerned about this baby because he simply has not been improving, but today I believe God gave us the answer as to why the baby has been so sick which is that the baby is what they call code status positive.  That is there way of saying HIV positive.  The mother had said on admission that she had just recently been tested and she was negative but she must have converted during pregnancy.  Now that we have this answer I have placed the baby on the appropriate antibiotics for a type of pneumonia patients with HIV get and I hope that in a couple of days the baby will be doing much better!  I thank God for this answer today I have been racking my brain trying to think of why this baby was not responding to the treatment I was giving and then God handed me the answer!!  He is so AMAZING!!!  Please pray for this family as I was counseling this family about the code status being positive the mother asked that Jeff and I please pray for them even after returning to the states so I ask everyone that reads this blog to please pray for this family that they will find encouragement in GOD.

On Thursday night I received a 9 year old male with cerebral malaria.  He was unconcious and had seized multiple times after admission.  I was pretty convinced he was not going to make it even with the best malarial treatment that could be offered.  However, this morning God showed me the power of prayer because last evening at the prayer meeting I had prayed for God to give this boy a healing and I believe we are on the way.  When I walked onto the ward this morning I found him responsive to touch and opening his eyes in response to his name being called.  Needless to say we still have a long way to go but I believe God is performing a miracle right before my eyes!!

I am going to include some photos taken on the ward.  As you look at each child's face please say a prayer for them and their families. 

Prayer and Praise Meeting

Thursday night Melissa and I were invited to a weekly bible study held at one of the missionary doctor's homes.  Dr. Bardin is a pathologist for Mbingo and his wife, Debbie, is a nurse for the treatment center.  They are a happy couple with the joy of the Lord on their faces everytime you see them.  They have been medical missionaries in South Korea and Nigeria before coming to Mbingo.  Debbie asked me to lead the music for the prayer and praise meeting.  The group usually meets for a bible study, but this night they had a prayer meeting with music throughout the evening. We heard people pray in English, French, German, and Pidgin. We prayed, then we would sing back and forth. It was an awesome time of fellowship!

Football & Clinic

A couple of nights ago, my friend Lesslie, asked Melissa and I if we wanted to go watch a football game.  When I say "football", I mean soccer, but like most of the world, Cameroon calls soccer "football".  It was great to see some of the hospital staff in this kind of environment.  Usually they have to be so serious, but during football, they have a great time and the spirit of competition is fun to watch.  I appreciate Lesslie inviting us.  It's good to have found a friend here who is a native that can guide you through your visit. 

Yesterday I had the honor to go with a medical team on a clinic visit a little less than 2 hours away.  Pastor Simon, the head of the chaplaincy department, and I represented the chaplains on the trip.  The road was fairly smooth until about 30 minutes away from the clinic, then it got alittle bumpy.  We bounced our way up the mountain on the dirt roads to the clinic.  I told Pastor Simon that people in the U.S. pay money to ride rides like this at amusement parks, but in Cameroon, it's free!  When we arrived at the clinic, the manager gave a tour of the small medical campus.  After the tour, we had bread and tea for our breakfast then headed over to the crowd of patients for singing, devotions, and prayer.  Pastor Simon gave a wonderful devotion from Isaiah, and then we went over to a private ward to meet with a man that had fallen out of a tree.  After our session with him, we went to the chaplain's office to counsel people one on one.  The people that we met with were mostly people with high blood pressure, anxiety, and anger issues.  One woman was harboring anger towards her brother, because he poisoned her grandchild and killed him.  Another woman had anxiety issues towards her son who is still living at home with her (she has 8 kids and is a widow) and everytime she asks him to do something, he says he doesn't have time. The worst cases that we dealt with were HIV cases.  The first HIV case was a woman, who has been infected for two years, and hasn't even started her first treatment yet because she can't afford it.  She could barely hold her head up when she talked to us.  She has three "pickens" (children) by three different men.  Her husband, the one that she has the first child with, passed away a few years ago.  The third child is by a married man from Douala.  It was a very sad situation.  She told us that she was a Christian and went to church, so we had prayer with her and tried to encourage her to work with the clinic to start treatment as soon as possible.  Pastor Simon talked to the manager about possibly getting her to Mbingo, but she still has a debt with the clinic.  Her name is Cecila, please pray for her.  Pastor Simon will be doing some follow up with her. The next HIV case was Judith, a shy young woman that seemed embarassed every time she opened her mouth to talk.  She wasn't infected with HIV, but her husband is positive.  They have six kids together and she has decided to sleep in a seperate bed.  The problem is that he doesn't like their sleeping arrangements, and wants to have more kids.  So we counseled her on bringing her burdens to the Lord, and casting her care on Him along with some other personal issues.  I talked to her about her communication with God.  I told her that when we pray to God and communicate with Him, we must also read His word to see what He has to say to us.  The problem is that she doesn't know how to read. My heart just broke.  Compassion just fills your whole being when you see these situations and you just want to take the person out of the situation and give them a better life.  Since she said that she and her husband were believers, we encouraged her to pray with her husband and ask God to give them direction for the marriage and family.  The last woman that we met with was Christina, who was probably between 50 - 60 years old.  When you ask someone older here what their age is, sometimes they just don't know because there is probably no record of their birth.  So you see alot of 50+ or 60+ on their medical records.  Anyway, Christina was struggling with hypertension (high blood pressure) because of her issues with being a widow, having many "pickens", and using tobacco.  After counseling her, we discovered that she did not know the God of the bible that we spoke about.  Pastor Simon, through a tribal interpreter, talked to her about who "Papa" (their name for God) was and how she needed forgiveness of her sins.  He asked if she wanted to pray to Papa, and receive Him into her life.  I couldn't understand all of the Pidgin and the other tribal language, but I noticed that the interpreter was talking then Christina would talk.  Before she left our office, she gave her heart to Papa and asked Him to forgive her sins.  Pastor Simon made sure that she knew of a church that is close to her home to go to and encouraged her to attend.  Christina's conversion made the bumpy trip up the mountain worth it! God is still in the saving business. Praise the Lord!

Football

The clinic

Clinic Staff

            

Precious Children

Yesterday was another sad day on the pediatric ward. Most of the patients actually are doing quite well, however, late on Friday afternoon I got an admission of a 9 year old child who couldn’t even stand up he was so weak. When you looked at the poor child’s face you could see how sick he truly was. His eyes were protruding from his head. After obtaining some lab work and doing an FNA of a liver mass that was seen on ultrasound he was diagnosed with Stage 4 Burkett’s Lymphoma. The mother reported that she had been to many doctors before coming to Mbingo Baptist Hospital, however, when she says many doctors she means a lot of traditional African medicine had been tried and local hospital clinic visits made. The people here wait to come to Mbingo until the illness has progressed so far that it is hard to do much because of money. They simply don’t have the money to afford much in the way of any medical care and every time I order any test I have to think can I get by without this because I know it may mean going without food for these people. After the diagnosis was made, the little boy was started on chemotherapy. On Monday, I had just finished rounding on the Pediatric ward patients when I was called to the bedside of this child. He was passing away and there was no human medicine that could be done to save this little boy. The family grieved both his mother and his grandmother however, they had an idea from the beginning that the little boy might not make it. After the initial mourning, the mother and grandmother became very concerned about how they were going to get home. They live about 2 hours from Mbingo and they had to figure out a way to get home by a cab. The catch is that here according to their customs the deceased must be buried in front of the home that their father has built. Therefore, the mother and grandmother were going to have to hire a taxi to take them as well as the mother’s deceased son back to their home. Can you imagine having lost your son and you have to ride back to your home village in a hot taxi cab with strangers in it and your deceased son sitting beside you? Words can’t even describe what these people live!!

Yesterday I also got an admission of a 6 year old boy who had finished his chemotherapy for Burkett’s Lymphoma in April. He came in with acute respiratory distress. After some initial assessments, I found that he had a huge pericardial effusion (fluid around the heart) that was leading to his respiratory distress because his whole right atrium and right ventricle (chambers of the heart) were compressed. Last evening a pericardiocentesis (drainage of the fluid around the heart) was performed which helped him tremendously. Right now I am waiting on a pathologist to look at the fluid to see if possibly the Burkett’s Lymphoma has relapsed or if it could possibly be tuberculosis. Please pray for this family and that an answer will be found as to why this happened and treatment available!!!!
I am including some pictures of some of the children on the pediatric ward as well as pictures from the NICU (the one baby a 28 weeker I see in the Nicu for right now is doing quite well). Please continue to pray for Jeff and me as we try to make the most of every opportunity we have while we are here that God would use us for His glory!!!

Chemsi a little 2 year old

Favour a little 2 1/2 year old

Ngong 6 year old boy with pericardial effusion and probable relapse of Burkett's Lymphoma

28 weeker baby Delphine he is so wrapped up you can hardly see him:)  It is a male baby they clothe in whatever they can find hence the pink.