Before we left the hospital that morning, in lieu of morning report, the physicians split up into prayer groups and went around the hospital to pray for the nursing staff. The hospital is going through a nursing crisis, with several nurses deciding to leave the hospital to go to government posts where they can make more money. I was with Rachel McLaughlin, an OB/Gyn here with the Samaritan's Purse post-residency program, Dr. Bergert, a gastroenterologist who is in his first term here, and Dr. Jarrett, an OB who has been here off and on for over 10 years. We started out praying for the nurses working in the ICU. It was a blessing to us, and I know an encouragement to the nurses, to come and pray for them while they were working. After we finished, we also prayed for the patients in our 6-bed ICU.
Soon after, Steve and I, along with the Hospice organizer and a hospital chaplain, headed out to the village to see the patients. People here do not have "addresses" so sometimes it can be tricky to find the person you are looking for. If you know the village area, and the name of the Chief, you can usually find someone who knows the patient. The Hospice team had visited all these patients before, so we had no problems. Our trip started on a sad note: we were supposed to see a new patient, but were notified that morning that they had already died.
There are about 70 patients registered with the Hospice program. We saw five patients during the course of the day. We came upon one of our patients resting under a tree outside. He said he used to work for the Kenyan Forest Service, and felt more comfortable out among the trees.
He has esophageal cancer, an unusually common diagnosis in this region of Kenya (3 of the 5 patients we visited have this type of cancer). Steve and I took some time talking with him and his family about his condition. The chaplain read some scripture and prayed. His family knew we were coming, and had prepared "lunch" for us, which consisted of a cup of freshly boiled milk.
It was amazing to see how we warmly we were received everywhere we went. The Hospice ministry provides ongoing support for terminal patients and their families, and the love of Christ shines through that. I heard several stories during this trip about patients, or family members, who were stubborn and ill-tempered, but came to the Lord through the continued love and service provided by the hospice team. I think our being there meant as much to the families as it did to the patients. It was a comfort for the family to know they wouldn't have to care for their dying loved one all by themselves. A young girl in the village really clung to me and would hold my hand anytime it was free! Steve teased me that I had found a village girlfriend. We were warmly welcomed and treated like family at every house we visited.
Because so much of the visit was spoken in Kipsigis, I did find myself feeling culturally isolated at times. But one thing that transcends any language is the eternal love of God.
That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.
--2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment