I can't think of a title for this post.

    As a volunteer nurse in rural West Africa for a majority of 2019, I think that technically, I fall into a very low tax bracket back in the States. While Uncle Sam may take pity on me this April 15th, I have to admit that never in my life have I felt so incredibly rich. 

    This week was the 5th anniversary of the Hospital of Hope. In my time here, I've continued to be impressed with all that it took to turn the vision of the hospital into reality. So much thought and work went into coordinating a massive effort to build, staff, and start the hospital. The team has persevered through heartbreak and struggle. And in the last five years, the hospital has served over 60,000 patients. God has been faithful and is at work here. There are so many stories of seeing God working and giving hope in seemingly hopeless situations. I feel incredibly privileged to be have this unique opportunity and to be a part of this team.

    

Staff of HOH at the 5th anniversary celebration (I'm on the right towards the back)

    I feel a little sheepish saying this, but most of my Togolese friendships have essentially been handed to me. God has provided relationships with neighbors and new believers and a flock of teenage girls and previous patients that are real and meaningful and extend beyond the language barrier. We had our sewing school/Bible study girls over for some games about a week ago. If laughter were currency, I could afford a Lamborghini. No one has ever had so much fun playing hot potato and duck duck goose. The more relationships I invest in, the more richly I experience this culture.  I still make cultural flubs all the time. The more I learn, the more I realize how little I have learned.

Our porch. This makes me happy. 

My mom and my African Grandma

   
   The most unexpected blessing of coming to Togo has been the missionary kids. On my team, all of the kids call the adults either 'uncle' or 'aunt'. I am Aunt Caroline. Now I know that most of them are instructed to call me that, but it feels right. These kids are thousands of miles away from their biological aunts and uncles, and with the small missionary community, I feel like I do get to step into the role of aunt. Earlier this month, I watched three of the greatest kids while their parents were out of town. Even after 5 days of saying no and enforcing rules, they still liked me (see pics below). We all live life in very close proximity together. It fosters a feeling of family and community that I never expected and is incredibly special.

   Sometimes I just want a big bowl of chocolate ice cream. Sometimes it's really really hot. Sometimes I get annoyed when our water and/or internet stops working. Sometimes I wonder what my life would look like right now if I had never heard of Togo. But when I think of how full and rich my life is, I wouldn't change a thing. 

-C-

The Normal

    A question that I ask a lot is "what's new?" It's a nice question, but if you haven't spent time with people in a while, maybe a better question is, "what's normal?" I frequently blog with the exciting or abnormal stories, but today I'm going to write about what's normal.

    Usually I work 2 full days and a couple of half days at the hospital per week. Since the graduation of the nursing students last year, we've had much better staffing ratios, but I could have anywhere from 3-12 patients on any given day. My favorite is taking care of the peds ward and getting to cuddle  and coo over babies. My least favorite is mens ward- they're just as needy and not nearly as cute. The day is always busy because even if my patients don't need anything at the moment, I use my extra time to restock or clean or organize. I still struggle with language barriers, but not nearly as much is outside my comfort level anymore. It has been so much fun to work alongside the nurses who graduated in June and are doing a great job as nurses. The amount of death we see on a day to day basis is something I'll never get used to. It's hard work in every sense of the word, but the ability to care for people is a special privilege in that way is something I wouldn't trade for anything. 

    When I'm not working at the station, I have a few projects to work on. The list of things I'd like to accomplish is so long, but making things happen within a large system takes time. I finished my training of new nurse aides. I did their final evaluation this week, and I'm pretty sure they were just showing off for me because they did so well. I am leading the yearly nurse competencies and skills day in March. I've drafted a nursing aide scope of practice. We are hopefully expanding our chemo program since the number of cancer patients and chemotherapy has increased. If that works out, I will be doing a special training with selected nurses who would be the designated chemo nurses. The policy manual is a continued work in process. There have been some shifts where I end up in the PACU. I was asked to do one-on-one training with a nurse aide who needs some remediation. There's a possibility that I could implement and train the nurses on standing orders in the hospital. These are all things I care about a lot and have fun doing. I very frequently feel unqualified and inadequate, but so far, God has given me the wisdom and ability. 

    On Thursday mornings, my roommate leads a Bible study with teenage girls from troubled backgrounds who are in a 3 year program at a sewing/hair/bakery school not far from our house. I have gotten to attend, build relationships with these precious girls, and teach my first Bible study in French (I have a long way to go!). After Bible study, I lead P.E. for the missionary kids, and it's a highlight every week. In fact, the MKs are just a highlight in general. I adore spending time with different families and getting to be 'Aunt Caroline' to 30 of the very best kids. 

    A huge prayer request is for my roommate Theresa. She was in a moto accident last week and had some damage done to her mouth. She is okay, but she had to return to the States to get dental care, and it is unclear when she'll be able to come back. Pray for her healing and a quick return. My other roommates are wonderful and are supportive, fun, and encouraging. They put up with me and my utter lack of domesticity and make my life better. 

    My social calendar is full. I visit  neighbors and old patients and play ping pong and work out and chat with my roomies and play euchre and go to movie nights and moto rides and go to bed exhausted every night. 

    God is so good. This is such a special time to be here. The opportunities I have are incredible and match me so well. I tell people that I am being stretched, and when I say that, I mean that I'm about to pull a figurative muscle in my spiritual, emotional, professional, and relational growth. Thanks for reading and caring about the normal parts of my life. Thank you for all your support. 

-C-