To prove to you your destiny, it calls for us to chose this day

I start my shift in 30 minutes. At home, I would be making my lunch, brushing my teeth, and trying to get out the door in time to miss the parking garage backup. Here, I am lying in bed, not dressed for work, starting this post. I still won't be late. Benefits of living where I work.

Life has settled into a semi-routine here. Bootcamp in the mornings, crew meetings, work, dinner in the café, bible study Sunday nights, hospital education meetings Wednesday nights. Amidst all of that is time spent talking with friends, occasional outings off the ship, and trying to make my way through my endless reading list.

One of the things I had the hardest time adjusting to here was the pace at work. The patients here are much less critically ill than those at home, sometimes requiring little more than a few days of Tylenol after their surgery. I struggled with this being 'all' that I was called to here. As I voiced this in my quiet times, surrendering this desire to be needed, I was able to see the days were so full of moments that I have been called into.

It's walking down the hospital corridor on my night off to see where the drumming and singing is coming from. Then scooping up a baby and joining the dance party with 20 patients, their caregivers, nurses, and day workers as if this is normal.

It's watching a scared 4 year old transform from hiding under the covers in her bed, screaming whenever you come near, to the one who bursts into a smile and runs to you with arms up, ready to be held.

It's watching a patient see herself with a smile that looks like everyone else's after 24 years.

It's seeing Emmanuel's momma out on the dock at his follow up visit. Unable to understand each other, but her smile and her hug where communication enough. (Emmanuel was MIA, because he is a very busy, happy, healthy 3 year old now)

It's a team of nurses, who have only known each other for a short time, helping each other out and being there in those more critical moments (because we do have some of those).

It's that giving Tylenol around the clock after a cleft lip/palate surgery not only means a restful night, but is part of the start to a new life. A life where this small one will never know that they are different, will never be made fun of by their friends or punished by their teachers for talking funny, and will be able to go to school. And their parents will no longer carry this burden.

It's an email from a friend at home describing her recent hospital experience. How she saw Jesus, not in the critical tasks that the nurses were doing, but in their faces, in the moments that they were there to reassure her and comfort.

It's choosing each day, each moment, wherever I am to be all there.

"For we should rejoice in being seen, needed, loved- but it's not the foundation on which to build a life."- Melanie Benjamin

These are the moments on which to build a life.

Grace and Ebenezer are looking great!

 

Cool selfie with a roomie, Naomi,
before going out for a
Congolese dinner! Fun times :)
 

"The Best is Yet to Come" - Sevenglory

Come on down, down to the river

Last week, my ward was abnormally empty of patients, so I was floated down to the plastics ward. Generally, I am not a huge fan of being floated. It's out of my comfort zone; I don't know the people, the patients, or the routine. Here, flexibility is one of the lessons I am learning.

In this place, you are not left to figure it out on your own. It was a chance to get to know more of the fantastic nurses in our hospital and get to take care of another group of patients. Most of the plastics patients are burn contracture releases, though there are a few others such as syndactyly releases and debulking of tumors. Cute kids were everywhere in B ward. Some are the patients, but there are also little brothers and sisters of patients always underfoot, arms up wanting to be held. It is lively, with a teenage boy who insists on being called Michael Jackson, moonwalking down the aisles, dancing to Thriller, and ending every sentence with a wink.

This little lady occupied my lap for
an entire hour of ward church on
Sunday- she can dance :)

Saturday a group of us went to ride down the Kouilou-Nairi River that is not far from us. Several groups had done this before, so we made our reservation (and by we, I mean someone who actually speaks French, I was just along for the ride. Again, literally), convinced our friend Andrew to drive a Land Rover full of girls, and headed out to the river. We arrived at 10:30 for our 11 am reservation. We met the 9 am group that had yet to leave. TIA (This is Africa). Soon after, a third group arrived.

Of course, a group of 30 people wanting to ride down the river was "No problem, no problem" for them. After several rounds of boat shuffling, we were seated and waiting to go.

Our ride. And our chairs

 



The other boats chairs...

 



This was taken just before this boat leaned too far
to the left and almost got a bit wet...
they changed boats after that

For the first 30 minutes or so, I felt that any wrong move would tip us. After a while, the rocking and swaying became less threatening and the scenery was beautiful. The banks were lined with lush greenery, spotted with small villages of huts, with children standing on the banks waving. We stopped in one of these villages to walk around and we all got a chance to try sugar cane! It's....interesting.

 

Don't let those cloudy skies fool you- though I applied sunscreen, I still have a really nice tan/burn line from the tank top I was wearing!

 

 

Sunday afternoon we went out with a couple of our day crew members to a beautiful beach, farther than we would have ventured on our own. We walked along the rocks, which were black from all the oil, down to where several ships were wrecked along the shore. After we walked back, we were treated to mango juice in a café on the beach.

 

 

 

There is beauty in this place. Not only in it's beaches and landscape, but in it's people. The ones who want to show this place to us, who patiently correct our French, who care for the people they didn't know yesterday on the wards. Cette vie est belle

 

"Down to the River to Pray" - Allison Krause

Round 2

Sunday morning we had a second brunch. It included breakfast Stromboli, cheese scones, eggs, bacon, and muffins. We carb load well around here. 

I tried two recipes- one new recipe and a different version of one I have tried before!

During my exploring here, we have found many good bakeries/patisseries. I knew I could find good bread, so I wanted to try French Toast Casserole again. I used the same recipe (except I doubled what is written here, I had halved the original), I just assembled it differently, based on a couple different recipes.

Find yourself some good French bread. And some good friends to cook with :)

 



This time I spread half of the cinnamon, sugar, butter mixture on the bottom of the casserole dish, instead of just covering the top of the bread. This was a good decision.

 

Then pour the egg, cream, milk, and vanilla over the top. Next time, I would dip each slice of bread in the egg mixture before placing it in the dish, then pour the remaining over top. Most of the mixture was soaked up by the bread overnight, but dipping it would ensure it was all covered.

 



Cover the top with the remaining cinnamon sugar, refrigerate overnight, and bake!

 

 

The second recipe was from the PICU Gourmet cookbook, courtesy of my friend Brandon. Apples are abundant here and I may or may not have stockpiled quite a few in my room for snacks. So I decided to use them here. What we do not have are crescent rolls. So I had to make my own!

 

Apple Dumplings

 

- 2 large or several small apples, peeled, cored, and cut into wedges

- 2 cans crescent roll dough, or homemade dough (below)

- 1 C butter

- 1 1/2 C sugar

- 1 tsp cinnamon

- 1 (12 oz) can Mountain Dew (seriously! it's the secret ingredient)

 

1. Preheat oven to 350*. Grease 9x13 baking dish.

 

2. Roll each apple wedge (or 2 small wedges) in crescent roll dough, starting at the smallest end. Pinch to seal and place in the baking dish.

3. Melt butter in a small saucepan and stir in the sugar and cinnamon. Pour over the apple dumplings.

 

 

 

4. Pour Mountain Dew over the dumplings.

 

5. Bake 35-45 minutes at 350* or until golden brown and flaky.

 

 

Homemade Crescent Rolls

 

- 2 Tbs yeast

- 1 C barely warm water

- 2/3 C sugar

- 1 1/2 tsp salt

- 1/2 C butter

- 1 C boiling water

- 3 beaten eggs

- 6 C flour

 

**This recipe makes A LOT! I would halve it next time- I had plenty to make a batch of plain rolls as well**

 

1. In a bowl combine the yeast, warm water, and a pinch of sugar. Set aside. It will foam up!

 2. In a large mixing bowl, combine 2/3 C sugar, salt, butter, and boiling water. Stir until the butter melts and the water is cool.

 

 

3. Add the beaten eggs to the yeast. Then slowly pour mixture into mixing bowl.

 

 

4. Use a dough hook or paddle with mixer on a slow speed. Slowly add 6 C flour, about 1 C at a time. Dough will be sticky.

 

5. Cover bowl tightly with saran wrap or transfer dough to Ziploc Bag and refrigerate overnight. The dough will rise and firm up.

 

 

6. The next day, roll the dough onto a floured board. Roll so it is 1/4 in thick and cut into triangles.

 

7. Roll triangles up starting at the wide end for regular rolls.

 

8. Let rise at room temperature for 2-2.5 hours. They will double in size. (For dumplings, I left the triangles to rise on the counter, unrolled.

 

9. Bake at 400* for 10 minutes, or until golden and flaky!