Bravery and Hope

Africa Mercy in Dakar

Hey all! Glad you came to visit again. Today, I don't have any pictures of grand adventures. Instead, I have a story to tell you. While onboard the Africa Mercy, I am assigned to work on D Ward. This is the hospital ward caring for maxillofacial patients. What's that? Think cleft lip, cleft palate, facial tumors, etc. I have been blessed with the opportunity to care for these patients before and after they have surgical repairs.

For background, I have cared for patients from 3-years old to nearly 50. All have facial deformities that limit opportunities in life and may have isolated each from their community. Think isolation at the beginning of COVID, but for an entire lifetime instead of a year or two. In Senegal, the medical system is a you-pay. If you cannot afford to pay for treatment or live too far from a hospital, then your ailment will continue to be present. 

Enter Mercy Ships. Advertisement was circulated throughout Senegal that Mercy Ships was coming to serve the country with free surgery. To my understanding, the organization worked with local clinics and hospitals to spread the word as widely as possible. This meant that it often travelled by mouth from one village leader to another. 

One of our recent patients told this story. Her village leader called a meeting. In the meeting, the villagers were told that a group of white people were coming to Senegal to offer free surgical care to qualifying individuals. Most of the people scoffed at the idea, saying that it was a false promise or a fable. It couldn't possibly be true because white people never keep their promises. 

This woman (let's call her Jane) was in her forties and had suffered from noma when she was a child. Noma is an infection that occurs on the face. It spreads quickly through facial tissue and has a high mortality rate. Survivors are left with gaping holes where facial tissue has disintegrated from the infection. Jane survived the infection but was left with a hole between her nose and a missing portion of lip. In the village meeting, she chose to believe that Mercy Ships was indeed coming to Senegal and she was going to seek out help. In the meeting, she declared that she was headed to Dakar to prove the village wrong. Indeed, what more did she have to lose?

Jane found Mercy Ships! She was scheduled for surgery in 2020. Sadly, her surgery was cancelled when the Africa Mercy had to make the incredibly difficult decision to leave Senegal. But the ship returned and Jane was one of our first patients. There is no way to completely restore Jane's face, but she now has an incredible reconstruction of the area lost to noma. She is so excited to return to her village and tell her friends about the group that kept their promise, even two years later. 

I have heard similar stories from many of our patients. How brave they were to step out in faith, not knowing if there really was a surgical ship in Dakar. Travelling up to 18 hours to find out. Waiting two years for the ship to return. Now they get to step out of their past of deformity and isolation into a future of hope!

Now I want to ask you... If I told you that there was one who can heal your wounds, would you step out in faith? If I told you that there was one who could give you comfort and peace beyond comprehension, would you believe me? If I told you that you could meet that person today, would you choose to accept the invitation?

If the answer is yes to any of these questions, I would like to introduce you to the ultimate healer, Jesus Christ. Unlike the white people spoken of in the village meetings that never kept their promises, Jesus keeps every promise that He ever made. He offers us healing and comfort through choosing a life with Him. By understanding that each of us is a broken, sinful mess in our innermost person, we recognize our need for healing. That healing comes from accepting the gift Jesus Christ gave by dying on a cross. He died in order to cover our evil deeds with His blood. The hard work is done. Will you accept His gift? Will you believe His promise today? Will you declare that Jesus is you Savior right this very moment? I pray that you will step out in bravery. Tell Jesus that you are a sinner in need of a Savior and accept Him into you life. Walk into an eternal future filled with hope because you have chosen to follow Jesus!

Prayer Requests:

• COVID - it's a real pest
• Continually deepened friendships among crew
• That the ship would serve our patients and the country of Senegal well