Home Sweet Home

The Lord allowed me to return safely last night, on time, with all but one of my bags, but fortunately the gifts for Jen and the kids did arrive, and the other bag will arrive in due time. I have already Emailed a response to Dr. Jean at Hope concerning some of our patients, and will continue to work with him from the States as is necessary. He sent xrays of Modey's femur, which is well-aligned, and appears to be healing well. All other pts are thriving and soon will be able to return home. I had an opportunity to review all of my pics from the trip with Jen this am, and hope to share these with as many of you as possible.

I'm not sure how to adequately summarize this trip in a manner that does the entire experience the justice it deserves.  I suppose that is why the Lord didn't ask me to be a full-time author.  I am grateful to all of you as my blogging family for your support and prayers, and for those of you who reached out to my family while I was away. Most of all, I am grateful to God for demonstrating to me the true definition of sacrifices of love, undeniable joy, and unexplainable peace.  It would be impossible to have left Guinea the same man that I was when I left, and for that fact, I am humbled. Hope Clinic, and the faithful staff, have left a lasting impression on my life, and I will remain faithful to do whatever I can, both here and upon my return there, to serve the Lord in whatever capacity He so desires. I have many goals-- to learn French, to coordinate the opportunity to bring laparoscopy and endoscopy to Hope, to take many of you with me in the future and let God completely transform your lives as He has done mine, but most of all, to remain diligent in praying for Hope and the nation of Guinea.

I am eternally grateful to all who have read and prayed.  God bless, Jeff

It's Time For Me to Fly...

A little music trivia quiz for you bloggers-- Who sang the the title of today's blog? There will be a prize for the first correct answer--on the blog! Well, we are in Conakry, arriving safely this am after driving twelve hours yesterday, and four more this am. I have had the pleasure of staying in the Westlake's apartment for the day which is overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. We had pizza for lunch, and then did a little souvenir shopping in the market. The plan is for dinner tonight, and then they will drop me off at the airport for my 11pm flight to Paris. The plan is for me to hit PDX @ 7:30pm, Wednesday nite. The Lord has been gracious these past few days, which has been evident in many sincere "goodbyes" with patients, clinic staff, new friends, and safety on the roads. This blog has been a direct avenue by which to stay in communication with family and friends, serve as a great reminder of my experiences while in Guinea, and hopefully, it has glorified God in the manner in which his power, grace, and love have been reflected in print. I am eternally grateful to all of you who have travelled with me and to those who have cared for my family while I was absent. Our Father will reward all of you for your faithful prayers. My hope is to get a chance to visit with all of you soon after returning home to give you a good report of the Lord's work in Africa. God bless, Jeff

Grace Like Rain

Todd Agnew has always been one of my favorite artists, and tonight, as the dark clouds moved in, and the winds picked up speed, and the pouring rain finally fell, after two and a half months without rain, his song, "Grace Like Rain" came to mind. Dan and I were honored this evening by the Hope Staff with a wonderful meal and many kind words and thoughtful gifts. I have always done poorly when it comes to saying goodbye, but this was much easier knowing that my desire is to return and serve again here at Hope. I rounded for the last time this am, and am happy to report that all of the pts are doing quite well. Dan and I took the time to take pics with the pts this afternoon, which was fun for us, and equally fun for the pts. So many good pics to share, with a story to support each one. Church this am again was very enjoyable with the music and attitude of the folks who love God openly without embarrassment. A pastor from Togo shared from Acts 1 and Romans 8, and very enthusiastically urged everyone in attendance to decide to choose the Lord. I believe 4 or 5 people made commitments to Christ today. Lunch was wonderful, and then we spent the afternoon hiding from the heat and packing. Grace like rain... I have witnessed God's grace here in many ways. The staff was incredible gracious in their interactions with me despite my inability to speak French. All of the patients are provided with excellent care and loved equally despite their ethnicity, economic status, or disease process. God continues to provide medical supplies, medications, and supplies necessary to maintain the physical plant here at Hope, that are given by many generous donors and contributors. Lastly, people are bowing their knees to the King of Kings and surrendering their hearts to Him. Hallelujah, and all my shame is washed away..." We leave for Conakry at 6am tomorrow for the two day drive. My flight leaves at 11pm Tuesday evening(3pm in The Dalles), and I should arrive home, Lord willing, at 7:30 pm on Wed evening. My heart is for our pts here at Hope, however my soul longs to be reunited with my family and friends. Again, I'm unable to express my gratitude to all of you who have taken precious time to blog with me and uphold us here at Hope in your fervent prayers. I will never be the same man or physician who arrived here in N'Zao three weeks ago, and for that, I am grateful.

Reflections on God's Goodness

Today was a fun day here that began with a wonderful breakfast. Rounds were enjoyable, as we have 12 pts in house, and all are doing well. I will miss having the opportunity to meet with grateful people that want so much to be loved and cared for. Lori was kind enough to let me tag along to the market in N'Zerekore and observe some grocery shopping and enjoy the sights and smells of the scene. The people here are genuinely friendly and also quite respectful. I spent most of the afternoon organizing a long Email for Dr Jean in order to allow his transition process here go as smoothly as possible. Imagine what it would be like to return to a service with 12 pts, not a one of them you had operated on! I hope to meet with him halfway between here and Conarky to express my gratitude to him for allowing me to come and serve from his office and with the OR crew that he has diligently been mentoring and training. Specific prayers tonight could be extended for many of my new friends here in N'Zao. Stephen and Lori Albright are my host family. Stephen is the current CEO here and is currently training another man to take over his position. Lori has the gift of hospitality and has "Americanized" many meals for me and Dan. She has been so gracious when I've not been on time for meals, and they truly have an open door policy. Their daughter, Hannah, age 9, has kept me on my toes with riddles and stories, and even allowed me to repair her lip laceration just a couple of days ago. Their plans are to remain until June of 2013, and then go on furlough. As of today, they are unsure of where the Lord will lead them, thus they would appreciate your prayers for their future. Dennis and Cindy Westlake will be taking Dan and me to Conarky on Monday. Dennis is the regional director for CAMA, the governing body for Hope Clinic. The plan is for Guinean nationals to take over the administration of the clinic, thus Dennis is training folks as well during this time of transition. They also will be going on furlough in April of this year, and are also searching for where God would have them serve. Please pray for them during this transition as well Jon and Anja Erickson have been more than generous to me during my stay. Jon is one of the two co-founders of the clinic, but spends most of his time now in the local Christian schools, and with evangelism. He has a heart for mobile medical teams, and is currently hoping to organize a team to travel to a remote area and do a little surgery. Anja is the clinical administrator here at Hope and organizes the medical education program as well. She is an extensive source of medical knowledge and has taught me many valuable things about tropical diseases in Africa. Please pray for this couple as they continue to serve here at Hope and abroad. Jairus and Adelaide Bohimbo are a very energetic couple whose love for the Lord oozes from every pour! Jairus is the nurse anesthetist here who is quite skilled, works well with pts who are anxious about surgery, and has been a good friend to me during my stay. He is a converted Muslim that takes advantage of every opportunity to share Christ with anyone who will listen. Adelaide is very busy here seeing new pts and organizing nursing education as well. They have invited us over for dinner on two occasions, and I have never laughed so hard while eating dinner. They are hoping to begin raising some financial support soon, and this is a matter of prayer for them. Please pray also for Jean and Jackie Yaraduono. He is the surgeon here, and Jackie is the head nurse for the Inpatient Ward. I have only spent a few hours with Jean, but enjoyed the fruits of his labor while working in the OR. Jackie is a wonderful combination of a sweet spirit, but appropriate firmness as well. There are many other fantastic people here at Hope who would appreciate your prayers as well. This place was the brainchild of two men, but the Lord, the Great Physician, oversees the day to day healing that occurs here. In a land that prides itself on cheating, bribery, and witchcraft, these people are truly a light in the darkness. I am grateful to the Staff for their support of me, despite the difficulty with my language deficiency. I will miss them all for a time, but hope the Lord desires for me to return and serve again. God bless, Jeff

For those of you who read Jeff's last blog about his kidney stone attack, I wanted to update you.  I talked to him very briefly just a few minutes ago before he went to bed.  The connection was really bad but we typed IM for a bit.  He is feeling better than he was in the OR today, but he still feels like another stone may be working its way down.  He is very sore and very tired.  Please, keep him uplifted in prayer as he rests this weekend, that he will pass this last stone before he begins travelling on Monday (our Sunday night).  Thanks for all of your support, laughs, and prayers for him.  I know he feels like you all were are part of seeing him through this time away from  home.  Love, Jen

Scalpel down, Gloves off, The OR is Silent

It is hard to believe that three weeks of work here at Hope have been completed. All in all, 72 consults, 30 cases, and hundreds of interactions with patients and families, has now been drawn to a close. I felt a slight tug at my heart as I gathered up my belongings from the OR and walked back to my room. For those who prayed for us today in the OR, it was evident, as we were able to efficiently and safely negotiate through 6 cases. The only hiccup was a 3 hr period of time that I suffered from a kidney stone attack. I was able to drink 4 liters of fluid in between cases, and shortly after Jon prayed for my pain to be gone, the stone passed... It's nice to know I got something else from my father besides my ravishingly good looks! We have 12 surgery patients in the hospital over this weekend that are all doing well at this point. It will be good to have some time with them this weekend prior to my departure. Jairus led one of our pts to the Lord during his hernia operation today-- spinal anesthetics are amazing! It will also be sweet to have time to collect my thoughts prior to leaving Monday, catch up on lost sleep, and thank everyone here that has made my stay enjoyable. There were no times of loneliness here for me, as everyone wrapped their arms around me and made sure I was doing well. It will also take me a few days to contemplate my experiences here, and fully understand what God has done here at Hope. The OR crew expressed their gratitude to me for being willing to come and help them treat many sick folks. I will miss them dearly, and hope to be given the opportunity to serve again with them in the near future. Many of our pts are anxious about my departure, but I have assured them that Dr Yaraduono will care for them well, and that Jairus is not going anywhere, anytime soon. There is a small possibility that Dr. Yaraduono will arrive this weekend, which would smooth the transition process significantly. You might ask, "What miracles did you see today?" I can say that I observed a man turn his back on his Muslim upbringing and his beliefs, and surrender his heart to the Lord. After spending a few weeks at Hope, I understand there is nothing more dramatic or exciting than a lost soul being saved from certain death. Tonight is pizza night, and frankly, I could eat! Thank you all for your kind words, faithful prayers, and the love you demonstrated to my family during my absence. The blog will remain active for a few more days, until my return, but God's leading in my life and the strengthening of my soul will live on, for I cannot desire anything else but to be in service for the Lord. God bless, Jeff

Cuttin from Sunup to Sundown

We had another great day in the OR today! We began around 9 am after morning devotions and rounds and were able to get 5 cases done, including a repair of a wrist fracture that required us to think on the fly and modify the original plan. Almost every bed is full now on the Inpatient Ward, and we have 6 cases to do tomorrow. We didn't finish until 8:30 pm tonight, and the crew was still laughing and having a great time. Not a single complaint all day! I have been caring for a 70 yr old Muslim man for the entire three weeks I've been here. He arrived with a blood sugar of 475 and bilateral thigh abscesses with fasciitis. He was in early stages of septic shock. I remember looking around for an ICU bed when I was asked by the medicine physician to consult on his case. He required 48 hrs of resuscitation and then we took him to the OR to evaluate the extent of his infected legs. I explained to him and his wife that he may have infection into the bone, and require bilateral leg amputations to save his life. We drained over a liter of pus from each thigh and stripped most of the fascia( muscle covering) from his thighs. We were all a little solemn when we discovered the scope of his problem, and I was honest with his wife, that he may not live to see the sunrise. The next morning, I slowly walked up the hill to see if he had survived the night, and found him sitting up in bed, smiling and eating breakfast. He must have said "Thank You" a hundred times. We have taken him back to the OR four more times, and I'm pleased to say that he will be ready for skin grafting next week--Thank you, Dr. Jean-- and is walking all over the clinic grounds. I found out later, that the staff here thought I was crazy to take on his case, believing he was too sick to care for here. I had no idea that I had a choice whether to refuse him care and send him away. Of course, because of the language barrier, I was oblivious to this chatter, and I have been told by many of the staff that they are sorry for doubting God's power to heal this man. Truthfully, I probably was foolish to agree to care for him, but God was faithful even when my judgement may have been less than optimal. He doesn't need us to heal, he just needs us to trust Him. I have a few specific prayer requests for those of you who have been praying for us here at Hope. The first is for tomorrow, as we push the envelope to help many folks in the OR. The second, is that Dr. Jean will arrive here safely on Monday, and not be overwhelmed by the large Inpt census I have left in his care. The third, is for safe travel home that will begin on Monday, with a two day drive to Conakry, and then 29 hrs of flights and layovers to arrive at PDX Wed evening @7:30 pm. Lastly, despite the fact that this blog will become dormant a few days after returning home, continue to pray for the staff at Hope Clinic as they continue to treat a predominantly Muslim population of patients and witness to them about Christ. I am asking God to help me understand his will for me and whether I should return to Hope to serve or be willing to go elsewhere. Selfishly, I can't wait to return here to serve! Again, thanks to all you Blog Dogs, your prayers are reaching across the pond to this humble Clinic! Jeff