You know you're in Africa when...

You know you’re working in Africa when:
You run out of the following supplied and must find alternative substitutes for the next 6 wks:
Gloves
10ml syringes
alcohol swabs
paper towels
20 gauge needles

You’re mixing up different milks you found on the street to make a high calorie nutritional supplement

You’re working 65hours a week without getting paid overtime…without getting paid at all

Your patients are served fish heads for dinner

You go to a trash littered fisherman’s beach on your day off to lay out, relax and enjoy “nature”

You not exactly sure what the name on the medication box is because its either in German or Italian or French or Swedish…

Nursing in Africa is, well…different. ☺

These last few weeks have been life changing. Literally. I recovered from malaria, which was slow and painful, but in the process met a boy that I really like! God’s timing is amazing.
Since fully recovering I have been working a lot of hours. We are nearing the end of the outreach, which means increased pressure on everyone to see as many patients as possible. People are running on empty so prayers for endurance and perseverance are appreciated. Besides running low on morale, we are running short on supplies as well. God is faithful and our prayer is that the patients that really need to be here will come for their surgeries. What do we do with patients who need follow-up care that we will be unable to provide?
I have been learning a lot about allowing God to keep us in His perfect peace if our minds our steadfast as we trust in Him...and truly resting in His authority.
“You will keep him in perfect peace, him whose mind is steadfast because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord is the Rock eternal.” Isa 26:3-4
“…we take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ” 2 Cor 10:5
How powerful that is, even when you are laying sick in bed, feeling lonely and miserable.

I leave in a couple weeks and am feeling slightly nostalgic. ☺ I have been so blessed by amazing friends here who challenge me in my faith, pray with me, share with me and have fun with me. It’s not often you can find girls with such similar hearts! If I have realized anything it is that we all come from broken pasts and times of rebellion and anger at God. The difference is, however, that although God allowed us to fall into a pit, He was faithful to help us be obedient in climbing out. Obedience sure isn’t easy, but the joy and peace that are rewarded are priceless!