Labor of Love May 2017 by Stephanie Williams on Scribd
Showing posts with label Mozambique. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mozambique. Show all posts
Monday, May 8, 2017
Monday, November 14, 2016
Short-Term Missions 2016
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| Amy Brewer from Texas |
In February, a loving nurse named Amy joined us. She is American and came for three months. She served faithfully in the clinic, helping with the day to day running of the clinic. Her help and impact on the patients cannot be understated. She was a blessing and I’m thankful she was able to come.
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| Gerrit and Herma from the Netherlands |
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| Marilize Jordaan from S. Africa |
In August, my nephew from the States came for several weeks. His name is Luis and is studying to be a physical therapist. Originally he hoped to help out with the clinic but again things were stalled in the re-opening of the clinic. So instead he became my personal assistant making even the smallest of tasks easier. I loved having him here and hope he can return.
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| Luis Hafen-Lopez from Texas |
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| Dave and Rudy from South Africa |
In October, a Dutch construction team came through and did a whirlwind of building and fixing, teaching and loving! These eleven men and women had such a beautiful impact on us. It was so hard putting them back on the plane. I seriously wanted them all to stay. I look forward to when they can return!
Look for a blog post about them in the near future.
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Co-Laborer.
When I look back at all the great gifts the Lord provided this year, the greatest gift by far is that of a fellow long-term laborer --Sheri.
For those who know her, she needs no introduction. You know how blessed I am and you might even be feeling a deep longing to see her again. Believe me, I get that!
To know Sheri is to love her. She is a prayer warrior and a confidant. She’s a faithful servant with a longing to glorify God. In the short time she has been here, she has encouraged me, prayed for me, and stood in the gap when I needed her most.
For those who don’t know her yet, she is a nurse from the States with a heart for the Lord. She specializes in wound care and is excellent at it. It’s beautiful to watch her work.
I love her. When you meet her, so will you.
And if you will... please pray for her.
- Health: she has been bombarded with health issues since she arrived.
- Language: she is struggling to learn the language and needs a breakthrough.
- Supernatural Rest: she is burdened with the need and struggling to not break under the pressure of doing.
- Transport: she bought a truck that needed some repairs. She needs transport soon.
- Finances: I’m not sure where she is financially, in all honestly. But as I type this, the Lord is telling me to ask you to pray for her. May the floodgates of heaven open and shower mana from heaven.
And please pray for other long-term (and short-term) missionaries to join us in this work. Right now, I see the need for many workers. Please pray the Lord of the harvest to send more workers!
We need:
- a general administrator or hospital administrator
- nurses, nurse/midwives, midwives, doctors, ultrasound technicians, pharmacists, etc.
- builders, superintendents/foremen, construction managers, engineers, etc.
- mechanics, handymen and women, general servant-hearted people, etc.
- preachers, teachers, church planters, evangelists, etc.
Is it you? If so... please tell you pastors and then contact me. If not you... please pray for God to send more laborers into the harvest. Thanks.
Saturday, December 26, 2015
Monday, November 23, 2015
Sunday, August 23, 2015
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Maternity Ward Observational
During my two week stay at the maternity ward as a clinical instructor, I had the opportunity to note some interesting cultural observations.
Day after day, I'd arrive at the maternity center with students in tow to find a number of first-time mothers in labour. Usually, the first-time mothers laboured the longest, while the multigravidas (aka: women pregnant for the second or more times) came much later in labour.
One G2 (aka: mother for the second time) came striding in, calm as the sea after a storm, only to discover she was fully dilated. She delivered (to my and my students dismay) while we were out of the room. It took her less than five minutes from beginning to end.
But labours like hers were not the norm. Most of the women who laboured and delivered there were first-time mothers-to-be. They arrived after the first or second contractions and then stayed until the baby was born.
For some this was quick. However more often than not, they were there for the long haul. One young girl (having more than likely braxton-hicks contractions) had arrived three days before. She had not had contractions in over two days, but she was not discharged nor did she seem interested in leaving. For the life of me, I am not sure why.
Several women came in at 1 or 2 cms dilated and chose to stay. The maternity ward was bustling but they did not seem to mind. They waddled around and watched as others delivered around them one by one.
When it was their turn to push, they were watched as well.
A lot of the first-time moms had hypertonic (aka: abnormally strong) contractions even though they were only 2 cms dilated.
After talking with the staff about it, I discovered that it was common for women to try and induce labour by drinking traditional herbs. These herbs cause painful and frequent contractions that don't always dilate the cervix. I saw similar things in the Philippines.
One nurse tsked their use of herbs, explaining that usually the ineffective contractions led to exhaustion, an inevitable referral to the hospital, and an (avoidable) cesarean for fetal distress.
I also saw things done by the staff that caused me to pause.
One nurse sutured a woman up without using local anesthetic. Naturally the woman cried out in pain with each stitch. Meanwhile the nurse yelled and berated her for making so much noise. I didn't stay to watch. I couldn't.
One day while evaluating one of the labours, I noticed her family had purchased cytotec. When I asked her about it, she informed me the nurse had insisted she buy it. The nurse denied this since she was already well advanced in labour. However when I inquired the woman's family about it again later, they presented me with the prescription the nurse had given her. I never saw what the nurse did with those drugs but they were certainly not for the woman who purchased them.
I also saw a nurse be given a 'gift' of a capulana (a traditional cloth) at one point. She hurriedly rushed to put it away in her purse as the gift-giver went back to her friend in labour. I had been told that such 'gifts' were expected by the nursing staff but I confess I was still disappointed to see it.
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Stitches?
The third birth I observed seemed normal enough to begin with. The mother was 27 years old and expecting her second child.
When we arrived, her contractions were strong and frequent but she seemed to be handling them well. Within no time, her water broke displaying a yellowish puddle of meconium stained fluid.
The nurse set up the room for the birth (which means she got a bed pan, some non-sterile gauze, and a birth kit and placed it at the foot of the bed). The bed pan was slipped under the mother's bottom and she was told to push.
She pushed for only 5 minutes for the head to be born. But then the nurse reached in and wrenched him out. The mother stayed quiet while the nurse literally pushed and pulled and twisted and turned his little body every which way imaginable.
Two minutes later, the nurse lifted his body free of the mother with a gush of more mec-stained fluid.
The nurse then injected her with oxytocin to precipitate the placental detachment, then started massaging her uterus.
She massaged and pushed on it externally until 4 minutes postpartum it popped out in a gush of clots and blood.
She placed the boy in his mother's arms and evaluated her tear.
There was a tear but it was not deep. At most i would have put it at a shallow 2nd degree. However, as the nurse considered it, I overheard her worry how she was 'out of stock'.
I thought nothing of it, until a few minutes later I watched her suture her up with 3-0 acrylic (aka: non-absorbable) suture material.
She placed interrupted stitch after interrupted stitch, burying the deeper stitched beneath the more shallow ones.
My jaw dropped in surprise and my legs snapped closed in horror... but I didn't say anything. How could I?
We were guests there. I could not make those kind of calls... nor could I criticize them in their work. But I confess, I worry still what those buried sutures might do. Perhaps her body just rejected them and the string fell out as they healed.
That is my hope at least.
Monday, May 11, 2015
Fit To Be Tied.
The next birth happened a day or so later.
The young mother-to-be was alone but apparently unconcerned by this fact. Not all of the labours have companions.
So as she laboured, I taught the students how to evaluate her contractions and take her history. She was 20 years old and expecting her first child.
She readily admitted to taking traditional herbs to prepare her body for birth... and even to start her labour.
Since her contractions were strong and frequent, the nurse decided to do a vaginal exam at 10 am. The nurse was VERY aggressive during this exam, manually dilating her cervix despite the patient's vocal protestations.
Afterward the nurse informed us she was 90% effaced but only 6 cm dilated. But after such forceful manipulation of the cervix, I did not think it true for long.
Sure enough, an hour later her water broke and she immediately got pushy.
In fact, there was no stopping her. So we called for the nurse.
The young mother was already fully dilated and wanting to push. The nurse tried to get her to focus and push effectively but she would have none of it.
All she wanted to do was scream.
One scream was so piercing and so long, it could have shattered glass.
After some negotiation, we convinced her that screaming like that was not actually helping. In her defense, she did really try to push. But each time she did, she would close her legs and withdraw.
It was going no where.
The nurse was not pleased and she argued with her.
She then tried to push again but ended up kicking the nurse and swatting her hands away.
The nurse was even less pleased with this behavior.
After more negotiating, the young mother confessed that she needed help controlling herself and requested that two of the male medical students hold her down while she pushed.
Yes. She wanted them to forcibly hold her down so she would not hit or kick the nurse.
So they did.
Mind you, they seemed more than a bit surprised by this. I don't think either one of them woke that morning thinking that they'd have to tackle a pregnant woman while she pushed her baby out. But you know... some days are surprising like that.
I soon found myself out of my depths and stepped away from the melee to watch at the foot of the bed. The remaining two students shuffled a step closer to me with each new scream. One (who plans on being an obstetrician) was wide-eyed and mesmerized by the beauty of it all. The other (who is unlikely to choose obstetrics as a specialty) kept hiding her eyes and furtively glancing my way for assurances that the woman was not in fact dying.
Meanwhile the young mother continued to scream and abuse the staff while pushing. The nurse, more than likely frustrated with the abuse, decided to perform aggressive perineal stretching. The baby was born quickly but caused a significant 2nd degree tear in the process.
The placenta was pulled from her body within minutes of the birth with strong cord traction. It was so strong in fact, that the cord snapped, squirting blood all over the foot of the bed.
The nurse decided to suture the tear before presenting the baby to the mother. The young mother screamed and fought the sutures just about as much as she did the birth, despite being anesthetized.
When the nurse finished up the stitches, she reached down for the baby's ankles, lifted her high in the air and presented her genitals for the mother to see.
The young mother whispered, 'a girl' to herself and smiled.
Then the baby was taken off to be wrapped and weighed.
The young mother-to-be was alone but apparently unconcerned by this fact. Not all of the labours have companions.
So as she laboured, I taught the students how to evaluate her contractions and take her history. She was 20 years old and expecting her first child.
She readily admitted to taking traditional herbs to prepare her body for birth... and even to start her labour.
Since her contractions were strong and frequent, the nurse decided to do a vaginal exam at 10 am. The nurse was VERY aggressive during this exam, manually dilating her cervix despite the patient's vocal protestations.
Afterward the nurse informed us she was 90% effaced but only 6 cm dilated. But after such forceful manipulation of the cervix, I did not think it true for long.
Sure enough, an hour later her water broke and she immediately got pushy.
In fact, there was no stopping her. So we called for the nurse.
The young mother was already fully dilated and wanting to push. The nurse tried to get her to focus and push effectively but she would have none of it.
All she wanted to do was scream.
One scream was so piercing and so long, it could have shattered glass.
After some negotiation, we convinced her that screaming like that was not actually helping. In her defense, she did really try to push. But each time she did, she would close her legs and withdraw.
It was going no where.
The nurse was not pleased and she argued with her.
She then tried to push again but ended up kicking the nurse and swatting her hands away.
The nurse was even less pleased with this behavior.
After more negotiating, the young mother confessed that she needed help controlling herself and requested that two of the male medical students hold her down while she pushed.
Yes. She wanted them to forcibly hold her down so she would not hit or kick the nurse.
So they did.
Mind you, they seemed more than a bit surprised by this. I don't think either one of them woke that morning thinking that they'd have to tackle a pregnant woman while she pushed her baby out. But you know... some days are surprising like that.
I soon found myself out of my depths and stepped away from the melee to watch at the foot of the bed. The remaining two students shuffled a step closer to me with each new scream. One (who plans on being an obstetrician) was wide-eyed and mesmerized by the beauty of it all. The other (who is unlikely to choose obstetrics as a specialty) kept hiding her eyes and furtively glancing my way for assurances that the woman was not in fact dying.
Meanwhile the young mother continued to scream and abuse the staff while pushing. The nurse, more than likely frustrated with the abuse, decided to perform aggressive perineal stretching. The baby was born quickly but caused a significant 2nd degree tear in the process.
The placenta was pulled from her body within minutes of the birth with strong cord traction. It was so strong in fact, that the cord snapped, squirting blood all over the foot of the bed.
The nurse decided to suture the tear before presenting the baby to the mother. The young mother screamed and fought the sutures just about as much as she did the birth, despite being anesthetized.
When the nurse finished up the stitches, she reached down for the baby's ankles, lifted her high in the air and presented her genitals for the mother to see.
The young mother whispered, 'a girl' to herself and smiled.
Then the baby was taken off to be wrapped and weighed.
Friday, May 8, 2015
Normal?
Her contractions were strong and frequent when I first met her. She lay on the bed and her mother held her hand.
The pain contorted her face and forced the occasional groan, but she didn't seem to notice it much. For the most part, she was surprisingly quiet.
So quiet in fact, that I didn't think she was even close.
As a 17 year old G1 (aka: primigravida or woman pregnant for the first time), I expected things to go a little slower. But her body had other plans.
Shortly after we arrived, her waters broke and she started getting grunty. One of the students informed the head nurse, who started setting up the room.
She started pushing before the nurse was ready, so I encouraged her to breathe through contractions and taught her how to push effectively.
The grandmother, looking a mixture of exhausted-relief, excused herself to the corner of the room and said nothing. Absolutely nothing.
The mother pushed effectively despite the five extra medical student faces huddled around her bed. She didn't seem to notice or care in all the pain.
The nurse on duty expedited the birth by doing perineal stretching and the mother remained silent. She pushed only a handful of times before the head was born. The nurse didn't wait for the next contraction, she just reached inside and wrenched the shoulders free. Again, the mother made no noise.
The baby was out less than a minute when the cord was cut. She too made not a sound. Just like her mama.
The nurse grabbed the child by both feet and swung her in the air, presenting her upside down for the mother to see. The mother smiled when she saw it was a girl, then dropped her head back on the bed in a rush of exhaustion.
The nurse lay the child on her breast and it mewed quietly.
Within 3 minutes after the birth, the nurse aggressively massaged the mother's uterus and applied traction on the cord. The placenta wasn't budging. She forced it harder and massaged even more aggressively.
This continued until the nurse found herself with a torn placenta (only 5 minutes postpartum) and decided to do a manual extraction. Reaching her right hand in up to her elbow, the nurse extracted chunk after chunk of the placenta from the uterine wall. Each time she reached in, she came out with chunks, clots and membranes.
The mother made not a sound.
Afterward, the nurse reached in repeatedly with non-sterile gauze to evacuate the uterus and vaginal canal of any remaining blood. But still the young, new mother remained silent.
Inside, I screamed for her. Inside, I cried out in pain.
For her.
How she remained so stoic... so quiet, I'm still not sure.
As I looked through the nurses' bloodied hands, several baffled expressions caught my eye. "What must these medical students be thinking?"
For many of them, this was their very first experience with birth. I shuddered to think that this was considered 'normal' in Mozambique.
Perhaps... it is normal.
The pain contorted her face and forced the occasional groan, but she didn't seem to notice it much. For the most part, she was surprisingly quiet.
So quiet in fact, that I didn't think she was even close.
As a 17 year old G1 (aka: primigravida or woman pregnant for the first time), I expected things to go a little slower. But her body had other plans.
Shortly after we arrived, her waters broke and she started getting grunty. One of the students informed the head nurse, who started setting up the room.
She started pushing before the nurse was ready, so I encouraged her to breathe through contractions and taught her how to push effectively.
The grandmother, looking a mixture of exhausted-relief, excused herself to the corner of the room and said nothing. Absolutely nothing.
The mother pushed effectively despite the five extra medical student faces huddled around her bed. She didn't seem to notice or care in all the pain.
The nurse on duty expedited the birth by doing perineal stretching and the mother remained silent. She pushed only a handful of times before the head was born. The nurse didn't wait for the next contraction, she just reached inside and wrenched the shoulders free. Again, the mother made no noise.
The baby was out less than a minute when the cord was cut. She too made not a sound. Just like her mama.
The nurse grabbed the child by both feet and swung her in the air, presenting her upside down for the mother to see. The mother smiled when she saw it was a girl, then dropped her head back on the bed in a rush of exhaustion.
The nurse lay the child on her breast and it mewed quietly.
Within 3 minutes after the birth, the nurse aggressively massaged the mother's uterus and applied traction on the cord. The placenta wasn't budging. She forced it harder and massaged even more aggressively.
This continued until the nurse found herself with a torn placenta (only 5 minutes postpartum) and decided to do a manual extraction. Reaching her right hand in up to her elbow, the nurse extracted chunk after chunk of the placenta from the uterine wall. Each time she reached in, she came out with chunks, clots and membranes.
The mother made not a sound.
Afterward, the nurse reached in repeatedly with non-sterile gauze to evacuate the uterus and vaginal canal of any remaining blood. But still the young, new mother remained silent.
Inside, I screamed for her. Inside, I cried out in pain.
For her.
How she remained so stoic... so quiet, I'm still not sure.
As I looked through the nurses' bloodied hands, several baffled expressions caught my eye. "What must these medical students be thinking?"
For many of them, this was their very first experience with birth. I shuddered to think that this was considered 'normal' in Mozambique.
Perhaps... it is normal.
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Multiparity
The last two weeks of May involved teaching at a maternity ward downtown. My job was to help introduce fourth year medical students to 'normal' birth. Much of our time was spent labour watching, timing contractions, evaluating fetal heart tones, and palpating fetal positions. However, we also got to do a number of newborn exams and assist in a few births.
One day we arrived to find a young woman occupying one of the labour beds. Naturally, we assumed she was pregnant (as her fundal height was marked), so I told two of the students to time her contractions. Ten minutes later when I came back to see how things were going, I was informed she was not in labour and that her babies were in the other room.
So I instructed them to get her obstetrical history instead.
The new mother explained that she was a 20-years-old mother of six. Earlier that day, she had delivered twins at home. She came to the maternity ward for the birth certificate but did not seem very interested in any other service. Since her babies (a boy and a girl) were cold and covered in sand, the nursing staff had taken them for evaluation and placed them in a warmer.
The mother explained that she had delivered her first child at the age of 11 and that her previous four pregnancies were simple. This was her first set of twins, however.
She didn't want to talk much about the particulars, so we didn't press her for more information. Although I know 11-year-olds can get pregnant, my heart hurts to think that this mother has so many mouths to feed and so much responsibility... at such a young age.
What were you doing at the age of 20?
Monday, May 4, 2015
Teaching
As I mentioned previously... during the months of April and May, I was invited to be a clinical instructor for a medical school in a neighboring city. The people I met and the opportunities this experience afforded me were equally wonderful and heartbreaking.
The first four weeks, I worked with nursing students doing clinical rotations in a busy hospital. The school gave me a white coat, a pen, and pointed me to the various departments. I was working in the pediatric department and the malnutrition center.
Needless to say, what I saw was...
Stressful: Each morning I had to rush from where I was staying (my commute was anywhere from 40 to 90 mins one-way) to get to the hospital in time for roll call. The hospital was crowded. The needs were overwhelming.
Disconcerting: The manner of teaching was very different from my own (educational) experience. I felt like I was wading eyebrow-deep in murky waters for the first few days. Every day brought new challenges with no cultural insider to ask if I was making a fool of myself or standing tall. Sigh.
Heartbreaking: No one forgets the gaunt and wasted face of a 8 year old boy dying of AIDS. It's hard to silence the wails of a mother who just watched her two year old die.
Fascinating: One day a 4 day old neonate was brought in to determine the sex. The genitals were ambiguous. After the examination the doctor explained the mother had an hermaphrodite. The news was not well received.
Overall, my time there was...
Exhausting: Most days turned out to be 10 to 12 hr days. Speaking all day in Portuguese was a challenge as well... mentally and physically.
Expensive: Though friends let me stay with them for free, the public transport was either cheap or inconvenient. Getting back and forth from work took an hour and a half in the morning if I went with 'cheap' (costing less than a dollar). But if I needed to get there quickly (30 minutes or so), it cost 8 dollars. Sigh.
Insightful: After two years of stories about policies and practices in governmental hospitals, I was finally able to see first hand that they are true. I saw corruption, neglect, abuse, and incompetence. But I also saw many who did not fit the mold and strived to do well.
Blessed: I was able to make lots of new friends and learn how the medical system works in this country. Often I was impressed by the caliber of medical professionals in this country despite the obstacles they must face to care for their patients.
The first four weeks, I worked with nursing students doing clinical rotations in a busy hospital. The school gave me a white coat, a pen, and pointed me to the various departments. I was working in the pediatric department and the malnutrition center.
Needless to say, what I saw was...
Stressful: Each morning I had to rush from where I was staying (my commute was anywhere from 40 to 90 mins one-way) to get to the hospital in time for roll call. The hospital was crowded. The needs were overwhelming.
Disconcerting: The manner of teaching was very different from my own (educational) experience. I felt like I was wading eyebrow-deep in murky waters for the first few days. Every day brought new challenges with no cultural insider to ask if I was making a fool of myself or standing tall. Sigh.
Heartbreaking: No one forgets the gaunt and wasted face of a 8 year old boy dying of AIDS. It's hard to silence the wails of a mother who just watched her two year old die.
Fascinating: One day a 4 day old neonate was brought in to determine the sex. The genitals were ambiguous. After the examination the doctor explained the mother had an hermaphrodite. The news was not well received.
Overall, my time there was...
Exhausting: Most days turned out to be 10 to 12 hr days. Speaking all day in Portuguese was a challenge as well... mentally and physically.
Expensive: Though friends let me stay with them for free, the public transport was either cheap or inconvenient. Getting back and forth from work took an hour and a half in the morning if I went with 'cheap' (costing less than a dollar). But if I needed to get there quickly (30 minutes or so), it cost 8 dollars. Sigh.
Insightful: After two years of stories about policies and practices in governmental hospitals, I was finally able to see first hand that they are true. I saw corruption, neglect, abuse, and incompetence. But I also saw many who did not fit the mold and strived to do well.
Blessed: I was able to make lots of new friends and learn how the medical system works in this country. Often I was impressed by the caliber of medical professionals in this country despite the obstacles they must face to care for their patients.
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Friday, April 17, 2015
A Roof-to-be
A Roof-to-be
Last year I planned to put a new roof on the clinic. But before I could arrange the details, my car engine exploded. Resolving my engine problems took precedence and then I had to leave for furlough.
By the time I had returned, the rainy season had made getting a new roof on impracticable as the rain rarely let up long enough to give me hope.
Well, now the rainy season is passed. Mostly.
In anticipation of this drier season, I got the funds together, checked around for the best prices, and ordered the materials. I was informed, at that time, that it would take 10 days at the most.
It has been almost a month.
I went in to the roofing supplier with questions and was told the equipment that cuts the metal roofing tiles is broken. All their orders are backlogged.
They could not promise or even estimate how long it would take to get the roofing.
Foolishly, I pushed and prodded for a time frame. They hedged and made empty promises.
So I wait.
Please pray that the supplies will arrive soon and that I can arrange to get the roof on in the next month or so.
I’m told it’s a week long process.
Only time will tell.
Please pray.
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Equivalencia Update
You know it’s an off week when you look down at your mud stained feet and wonder when you took your last shower.
Yes. You read that correctly. And when I say shower... I really mean bucket bath.
In the midst of my feet-inspired reverie this morning, mini flashes of strange and various adventures this week confused my counting and I had to start again.
Finally I determinde --with much self-incriminating horror-- that it has been 7 days.
One week since I showered.
Oh the shame!
It’s at times like this that I’m thankful God hasn’t married me off. Who would share a bed with such a stinker?!
So as I stop to type this out, imagine my grimy toe nails and greasy hair and laugh with me.
I have much to share.
In fact, I have so much to share. I’m going to do it in mini segments because, honestly, who has time to read diatribes on Mozambican corruption or shady mechanics?
I will start at the beginning though. The question is... which beginning?
The Maputo Adventure (and all that came after)
In my most recent newsletter I told you how I went to Maputo to talk to the US ambassador and various heads of departments at the Ministry of Education and Health. I won’t belabor those points again but I will add what has happened since.
The consulate staff has corresponded with me and told me basically their hands are tied. They can (and have) tried to address the delays in my equivalencia process on a more systemic level, but to no avail. They are even willing to make phone calls for me if and when it seems necessary. However, the extent of their influence is limited at best.
I believe them.
Moreover shortly after my visit to Maputo, the Ministry of Education director promised to expedite things (according to my helper in Maputo) but no concrete evidence to this fact has surfaced. She promised to have results by the end of the week. It’s been 2 1/2 weeks since then.
The cogs of bureaucracy move slowly here... if they move at all.
So the long of the short of it is... I must wait and pray. So, I wait and I pray.
The locals are chomping at the bit to see the clinic open. Eyes are on me. Not a day goes by that one of the workers doesn't ask me ‘how long?’.
Can I blame them?
I’ve been encouraged by some on my team to ‘just open it’ and to ‘forget getting government approval’. I’ve been told that the ‘law of love supersedes the laws of man’ and I’m commanded to just start healing people.
How can I argue with that?
Except... except... except, the Bible tells us to abide by the laws of the land. If we don’t abide by them we disgrace God and bring shame to His name.
How do I reconcile the two?
I tell my would-be encouragers that if I practice medicine without a license I can be arrested. No one seems to believe me. No one really thinks I’ll be thrown in prison or kicked out the country for ‘doing good’. But who wants to risk it?
What kind of Christian would I be to openly defy the government on such an important issue? Why put myself in such a predicament, especially in such a litigious society, so I can have the pleasure of handing out medicines?
Yes, the law of love supersedes the laws of man. But am I qualified to pick and chose which laws to obey?
But we are not talking about being forbidden to speak about Jesus or pray in His name. I’m not being forbidden to preach... I’m being told they need to vet me before I dole out malaria meds and catch bambinos.
To me... these are quite different circumstances.
Moreover, I must explain that my equivalencia is not the only thing holding up the clinic’s opening.
The three main issues blocking my way at the moment are:
Other issues come into play (such as my car is broken again!). But I won’t rant about that at this time. I will, however, promise to write about them all individually and in more detail in the days to come.
But please know... I’m tired and discouraged. I feel like a failure and daily want to give up. I could be inches from my destination... or I could be a million miles away. I cannot know for sure or clearly see what is next. Pray for me.
Please.
Yes. You read that correctly. And when I say shower... I really mean bucket bath.
In the midst of my feet-inspired reverie this morning, mini flashes of strange and various adventures this week confused my counting and I had to start again.
Finally I determinde --with much self-incriminating horror-- that it has been 7 days.
One week since I showered.
Oh the shame!
It’s at times like this that I’m thankful God hasn’t married me off. Who would share a bed with such a stinker?!
So as I stop to type this out, imagine my grimy toe nails and greasy hair and laugh with me.
I have much to share.
In fact, I have so much to share. I’m going to do it in mini segments because, honestly, who has time to read diatribes on Mozambican corruption or shady mechanics?
I will start at the beginning though. The question is... which beginning?
The Maputo Adventure (and all that came after)
In my most recent newsletter I told you how I went to Maputo to talk to the US ambassador and various heads of departments at the Ministry of Education and Health. I won’t belabor those points again but I will add what has happened since.
The consulate staff has corresponded with me and told me basically their hands are tied. They can (and have) tried to address the delays in my equivalencia process on a more systemic level, but to no avail. They are even willing to make phone calls for me if and when it seems necessary. However, the extent of their influence is limited at best.
I believe them.
Moreover shortly after my visit to Maputo, the Ministry of Education director promised to expedite things (according to my helper in Maputo) but no concrete evidence to this fact has surfaced. She promised to have results by the end of the week. It’s been 2 1/2 weeks since then.
The cogs of bureaucracy move slowly here... if they move at all.
So the long of the short of it is... I must wait and pray. So, I wait and I pray.
The locals are chomping at the bit to see the clinic open. Eyes are on me. Not a day goes by that one of the workers doesn't ask me ‘how long?’.
Can I blame them?
I’ve been encouraged by some on my team to ‘just open it’ and to ‘forget getting government approval’. I’ve been told that the ‘law of love supersedes the laws of man’ and I’m commanded to just start healing people.
How can I argue with that?
Except... except... except, the Bible tells us to abide by the laws of the land. If we don’t abide by them we disgrace God and bring shame to His name.
How do I reconcile the two?
I tell my would-be encouragers that if I practice medicine without a license I can be arrested. No one seems to believe me. No one really thinks I’ll be thrown in prison or kicked out the country for ‘doing good’. But who wants to risk it?
What kind of Christian would I be to openly defy the government on such an important issue? Why put myself in such a predicament, especially in such a litigious society, so I can have the pleasure of handing out medicines?
Yes, the law of love supersedes the laws of man. But am I qualified to pick and chose which laws to obey?
But we are not talking about being forbidden to speak about Jesus or pray in His name. I’m not being forbidden to preach... I’m being told they need to vet me before I dole out malaria meds and catch bambinos.
To me... these are quite different circumstances.
Moreover, I must explain that my equivalencia is not the only thing holding up the clinic’s opening.
The three main issues blocking my way at the moment are:
- a new clinic roof is needed but delayed.
- there is currently no water to the clinic and there is no way to determine how long it will be to resolve the problem.
- the AVARA document process is stuck. This is the document which allows me to buy medicines in bulk and for discounted prices.
Other issues come into play (such as my car is broken again!). But I won’t rant about that at this time. I will, however, promise to write about them all individually and in more detail in the days to come.
But please know... I’m tired and discouraged. I feel like a failure and daily want to give up. I could be inches from my destination... or I could be a million miles away. I cannot know for sure or clearly see what is next. Pray for me.
Please.
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Monday, February 9, 2015
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Thursday, August 28, 2014
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