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Where Did I Leave Off
The children here have quickly learned that I feed and entertain when they come over to the house. My little friend always brings friends over to color in the only coloring book I have. I also have a few movies that watch. Most of them are only in English or French subtitles, but they absolutely love them! I have noticed that people are up and living life early in the morning. I can hear the children singing at school before 7 o clock. Here in Cameroon, they do something that is called “beeping” another person. This means that they call and hang up if they don’t have credit on their phone. My family friend Bahana calls every morning. He told me that it is just a way to say hi. It’s really sweet, I just didn’t expect him to call at 6:30 or 7 am… people don’t dare to call that early in America unless its an emergency. I am thankful because I don’t have to pick up the phone. Sometimes Kalda does call that early and I DO have to pick up the phone because he has something clever to say or to tell me that I need to come to the hospital… those are rare days.
The other day I spend a long time in the Cashier’s office with Avava. We just chatted about life and love. I asked him about his fiancé and he blushed. I always laugh at him because he comes across so serious, but he says the most ridiculous thing sometimes. He wanted me to eat some of his gato, but I was full from the breakfast I had earlier so I said “no thanks” (by the way, you don’t say that here when someone offers you food). He continued to tell me in a serious tone… “Elissa, I will never eat at your house if you don’t eat some of my gato now, it is important.” Wow… it was pretty serious, but I laughed and he broke down too. I tell him to CHILL OUT sometimes. He is learning to relax more.
I have been learning more and more French. I can have a decent conversation… I’m not sure if I’ve said that already. I can understand it way more than I can speak it though. The other day I was singing a Celene Dion song called “From This Moment On”. I wanted to tell Zara a line from the song so I learned it in French. “Jai’tem Jusque la mort”. It means, I will love you until I die? When I said it to her, everyone in the ER heard, so now they say that to me all the time! It’s a bit of a joke.
The hospital is booming with patients. I did rounds the other day at 8:45 pm. I go to the hospital at night to check on patients I have seen. The one I am checking on now is healthy, but hates me. Whenever I get near him he screams bloody murder… sad day. There was one room that was shut and we tried to get in but the woman couldn’t seem to open the door. Kalda just started leaving, but I wanted to see if I could get in. I ended up climbing through the window… it worked, but they looked at me like I was crazy (and laughed). I have had a lot of laundry to do lately, and doing it with my hands takes even longer. I have to set a whole afternoon just to sit down and scrub. Thank goodness Isaiah is here to help me with most of it. I thank God for him.
Recently, after talking to my mother for only a few minutes on the phone (don’t worry dad?), she told me that I need to start praying for the gift of tongues. That is my main prayer along with healing hands recently. I have been trying to work as hard as I can at the hospital, and soon it will get really crazy because the main nurse is leaving. God is providing though… The doctor from Congo is coming at the moment the other nurse is leaving.
There is one verse that I read and think about a lot. It is important for me and also for the workers at the hospital. It is tough sometimes because everyone has their own opinion, and it can affect the way we treat each other. I want to be able to show some light on them, and make them understand that it is not about who is better than who, but if God is present in the Hospital. He needs to be amongst the staff and patients if our Hospital is going to be different than other hospitals. God is working slowly to make us ONE BODY and give us a reason to be working there. He has been the ultimate healer, and everyday, we need to be focused on his plan, not our own.

“So then, dear brothers and sisters, be firm. Do not be moved! Always be outstanding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 COR 15:58

PS. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!! (don’t worry, I’m a host of 20 people coming to eat at my house, I’ll keep myself busy)
Posted by Elissa

The Winds of Change…
Update number 7 from a student missionary in Koza, Cameroon
Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Slowly, the hospital has recognized my potential and the fact that I want to help in any circumstance. I’m often at the hospital in the afternoons, even when it is not my time to work. Usually Kalda, the main nurse, calls me to come help with something or to observe a disease. He teaches me everyday about medications, diseases, and physical exams. I’m thankful to God for him because it is helping me retain the information I learned last year from school. That was one of the reasons I was hesitant for leaving school. God works in mysterious ways. I’m happy to say that I have been doing IV’s on a regular basis and I don’t miss?. I have also started doing IV’s on children between 5-6. I’m still not quite ready to do a blind IV in a malnourished infant. One day… It is a good feeling having the confidence from the hospital workers and myself to accomplish things like that. I love my teachers back at school, and they helped me tremendously with moving me forward in my education… but it is definitely nerve racking knowing that someone is breathing down your back when you are doing a practical exam. Here at the hospital, they don’t mark me down a point if I forget to put the tape in the right place? I am grateful for the education I’ve had, because it has helped me do better here in Africa for sure.
The Emergency room is the main place I work, although I am almost in every other section throughout the day. This is the place where everyone comes in for emergencis, of course, but also for administration. I like working in the ER because I get to see ALL of the patience. I don’t miss anything. The other day, Kalda called me into the hospital to check on a man who had fallen into a coma. I didn’t know what the case was, but I had a feeling Kalda knew and wanted me to diagnose him. As I walked into the room, the man was breathing abnormally and had blood running from his nose. I checked his eyes and they were bloodshot. His conjunctive was pale as well so he was loosing a lot of blood. Kalda asked me what the case was, and I guessed that it might have been a stroke. He knodded his head, but I could tell I was wrong. When we left, Kalda was putting his gloves way infront of him like he didn’t want to touch anything else with them. I asked what he had… Dengue Fever. It is extremely contagious. I wish he would have told me that before. Well, the man died the next day because the family refused to give him treatment. Its life… and we can’t do anything about it.
I’m happy to say that soon the Koza Seventh-Day Adventist Hospital will have a Doctor… for 1 month. He is a surgeon so I’m hoping to get in on some sweet action. I don’t know when he is coming, but the Administrator says soon. There are already people lined up for him to see. I’m excited and anxious to see C-sections, colostomy’s, and surgery on an appendix. These are the things we can’t do at the moment. I was walked from Maternity to the ER one day with Kalda. A woman called over for me to check her. She said she had abdominal pain. Kalda gave me the stethoscope to check her abdomen… then we left. I asked him why she wanted me to check her and not him. He told me that she thinks if a white woman touches her, she will be healed… well I hope I don’t see her again because I don’t have that much power (I wish).
There are many people who are patients in the hospital who call me Madam which means I’m married. I would correct them, but there is not point… I would probably just confuse them more. Also, many patients are starting to call me Doctor. I think its because I’m one of the only ones besides Kalda who wears a stethoscope? Yesterday, a man who I have been starting to get to know came into the ER asking about his wife’s case. He asked me to come see her. I came and looked at her, and then checked out her charts. She was positive for HIV. I didn’t know who gave the counseling, so I ended up telling him and giving him counseling about his wife. It was pretty intense because he told me that he was going to leave her if she had HIV. I hope things turn out for him. Also… it was the first time I heard of a patient dying back in Nigeria who I had gotten accounted with. The first time he came in, he had severe case of kidney disease. Is legs were very swollen to the point where he couldn’t walk. He refused to be admitted so we just waited to treat him. Finally, he started to get better, but he didn’t want to stay in the hospital. A few weeks later we heard that he was just walking down the road, and had a sudden attack of Apnea and died. He always came to the hospital and found me to talk to me. His burial service was yesterday. I pray for his family.
If I didn’t think I was going to do anything other than work at the hospital, I have been accomplishing more things as well with the church. I was playing guitar the other day at home and I got a call from Avava. He is the accountant at the hospital. He is also the music coordinator at the hospital. To make a long story short, I joined him one afternoon to teach the group an English song, and now I’m the co-coordinator. I teach music lessons with the group!!! This kind of thing is my favorite! Its so much fun? We even dance when we are singing… although I need to get better at it because I can’t multi-task while playing guitar. We are singing “There is a Treasure” and “Holy is the Lord”. I’ll try and record it so I can show people when I get home. It’s a hoot!! Avava kinda threw it on me without warning. I was just planning on playing guitar once. Now I have to think of warm-up exercises and melodies for Bass, Tenor, Alto, and Soprano. God is doing great things.
Everything is going wonderfully over here. I miss America and all of my loved ones. My goats are getting bigger, but now they run to me when I come home. They are starting to know that I won’t eat them like everyone else will do here. I am the one who gives them food… and they love me? The other day was extremely exciting because I got a package from Walla Walla University. I opened it that morning brought the Collegian (Walla Walla’s newspaper) to work for people to see. It was a slow day, so we read many articles. I loved seeing the people I know back home? There was one section in the paper that talked about “How to know that He/She likes You”. Kalda was looking at it and said, “Oh! I found something interesting”. I caught him later looking at it again?. We have the greatest time in the hospital. Today we played basketball with crumbled paper and a container for medical waste. It’s probably not the best when the ER is busy, but it is so fun when you are bored. Another day I wanted to bring raisins to work for everyone because it was going slow. I was walking out the door to run home, and Kalda threw his motorcycles keys in my hand. He said, “Take my moto”…and I said “do you really trust me that much?” It was the most hilarious thing. For some reason I have lost my ability to balance on a motorcycle. I got the hang of it and quickly went home… people were definitely staring.
As you might know, I have been living off of money that the administrator gave me for a computer I bought for him in America. It will not last me long, and I still need donations for my travels here as well. Thank you for all of your help in supporting me. My parents told me that my church has been raising money for my mission over here. Praise God for servants of God! I’m appreciative of my church everyday. Thank you all for helping me live my dream in serving God. I’m forever grateful. I have the most amazing people in my life… that’s you!

OCT 29, 2010: Another Baby died. This is a poem I made today when I was thinking about the death.
Deticated to the Family who lost their child.

Life is so precious
Breathing in and out, each moment
But without a though, its gone
No one is prepared

Do I think that maybe
My life will be gone tomorrow?
Why would that thought cross my mind?
It is unimaginable

A little baby has no time to think
Sin takes over… and that’s it
Without a movement or a cry
They are forced to accept

Give it a second, it’ll sink in
There goes another one, my heart breaks
I am now thinking of my life
Oh how precious each breath is

So don’t close you’re eyes before you thank God
The gift of life He has given
The gift of salvation
It’s worth everything!
Posted by Elissa

From http://cameroonmissionary.blogspot.com
www.missiondocs.org

Hello friends and family, as with the other emails these messages are from a student missionary currently in Koza, Camerooon
Friday, October 22, 2010
It Intimidates Me
It intimidates me… It’s the hardest thing I have to face every morning. When I think of dealing with it, I literally become paralyzed. I tell myself I can’t face it, not today… and sometimes I don’t. As I stand there watching it, I finally muster up the courage, and I do it. I jump in. The moment I reach the bone shattering water, I scream a little inside. You’d think that I would get use to the shower after being in Africa for a month, but I haven’t. This experience happens to me everyday, unless I truly can’t handle it, and I just wash my hair in the sink. It is actually quite humorous how much fear I have of taking a shower? I hate cold water…
Well, where did I leave off last. I know some of you have been wondering where my blog went. I am still not sure because as I’m writing this post, I haven’t even gotten on the Internet. I write all my emails offline because I don’t have Internet in my home. I have to drive an hour on a little moto taxi that, after taking the trip, I have to rest my but because the roads are so bad. There are rocks the size of half dome in the middle of the road (little exaggeration?). Now that my blog is online again, I have figured it out!
Funny/Sad experience happened since the last time I wrote. You know how I got goats? Well, when I was at work one day, the gate must have been opened by someone, and my goats were gone. For two days I was looking all over for them, and actually praying that they would come back. I left it up to God to bring them back home… a ridiculous thing to ask. Well, they showed up yesterday! They were just chilling in a field right outside my house. I don’t know what it is; I have so much love for these goats. They are my one and only pets here, and I can’t loose them again. Interestingly enough, I actually though about it the other day, how much God loves us, and we continually run away from Him, but He patiently waits, or goes out searching for us until one day we show up. I love these goats so much. How much more does the Heavenly Father love His children! WOW.
I have now delivered 4 babies, 3 beautiful girls and 1 handsome boy! I will probably never see deliveries this intense in America. As I’m trying to get the baby’s head out of the cervix, the other nurse is pushing on the woman’s stomach trying to help the baby come out. Others are holding her legs apart, and I’m trying to reach around the baby’s head to conclude a fast delivery. Relieved, I haven’t delivered any underdeveloped baby, but I have heard more than occasionally of a woman who has a miscarriage, abortion, or has an underdeveloped baby because of the sickness and disease here. Malaria destroys a lot of people’s lives here. After being here for only two weeks, my housemate, Catilin Cuenca, has malaria. She has taken the week off to rest, and she is starting to feel better. I feel like her mother because she isn’t taking the Advil for her headache unless I’m forcing her to. One day, I was telling her about the consequences of not taking Advil and that I would really like her to take it she said… “Thanks Mom”. Well, what can I say, I don’t want her to get sick enough to have an IV.
I have been doing random odd things everyday. I pretty much go from one section of the hospital to another every hour or so. The other day I helped measure pregnant women’s stomachs. I’ve also still been helping give IV’s as well as taking blood tests. It’s the same thing mostly every day. This week especially has been rough though because 4 kids have died in the Emergancy room… its only Wednesday.
I had the amazing opportunity to say 7 verses from Psalms 122:1-7 at church… In French! I practiced and practiced, but the morning of Sabbath I was still confused with some words. I didn’t know what to do because no one in my house could help me and I didn’t want to make fool of myself. I just did my worship normally, and when I was about to open the French Bible to practice, a boy randomly came to my gate. I invited him in, and he helped me with all of the words I was confused about. He was an angel in my book. I read the verses, wondering if anyone even understood me, and surprisingly enough after church, people were impressed with what I accomplished. Praise God. Its kind of funny… whenever I go to church, since I don’t understand the songs the pastor or anyone else is singing for that matter, I try to secretly look at one person’s mouth, and try to pronounce the words… the problem is, they end up looking at me, so I have to change people every few seconds. Its difficult to sing the songs, but the melody is familiar a lot of times. They sing many hymns.
When I thought of coming here, and after hearing that there was no doctor, the only thing that was on my mind is the fact that I might have to be the doctor. I didn’t realize that if I got sick, there isn’t a doctor to take care of me! Right when I was close to freaking out, Katie told me that there are American doctors about 3 hours away if I was desperate for help… that calmed me down a bit.
The electricity goes out once in awhile (I walk around with a candle like it’s the 1800’s), and sometimes we have to cook outside on the fire. Other days, I do my laundry (so much easier in America with washing machines… it takes me hours to do one load), but its an adventure that I won’t be able to have back in America. Everyday brings new insights for me, and a chance to learn more! I have started to have a system every day of praying for 10 minutes, asking God to reveal His Will to me this year. Recently I went to my mamma’s house (Zara), and she told me of a project that she has been praying about for quite sometime. She wants to build a shelter for woman and children who do not have a man to take care of them, or a home to live in. We have been praying sincerely, weeping sometimes because of the suffering that people have to go through. This project is going to be what I focus on this year, and maybe even when I go home. I need help in raising money for a shelter, and getting people together to build it. Right now, it is not going fast, but we are continually on our knees to see what God has to offer us. I prayed one day and God opened my eyes to this verse: “For our momentary, light suffering is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison because we are not looking at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen. For what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.” 2 COR 4:17,18. We will stay faithful to this verse, and trust that God has a plan.
So this has been my experience so far, with so much more in-between that I can’t write or this post will be WAY too long. I’m praying each day that God will bring a doctor here… the other day a woman was in labor, and we had to send her away because the baby’s hands were coming out first, and we are not allowed to do C-sections. CRAZY! If I were at the hospital I would have said, “screw it… take that baby out, whatever you have to do!” But… who knows where the mom had the baby, maybe on the side of the road. Please keep praying that a Doctor would be willing to give a little bit of his service to the people here in Africa. Thank you for listening to my stories… A Bientot! (I’ll se you next time)

Posted by Elissa
From http://cameroonmissionary.blogspot.com
www.missiondocs.org

Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Many Stories to Tell
Since I haven’t been able to use the Internet for half the time I’ve been here, there is a lot to write about my experience. I don’t really even know when I left off. I have been in Koza, Cameroon for about a month now. During my stay, there have been days with no water, days with no electricity, days with no gas, and days with all three! Its an epic journey that God is bringing me on… one of patience and grace in times of need. I will try to fill you in on the things that I’ve done since the last time I wrote (I’m sorry its been so long).
I have been surprised in myself. I have missed home a lot, but God has kept me sane. The moment I stepped into the hospital, I made immediate friends… even people who didn’t speak English. God has allowed people in my life that have been more than generous. Taking care of me when I thought I wouldn’t have food. Helping me bargain in the market. Giving me French lessons when I was thriving off every French word they spoke to me. I am truly blessed to be here. I am glad I didn’t have high expectations. Its always better that way because every little thing that happens in my life, I thank God for!
You might be wondering what I am actually accomplishing at the hospital since I’ve been here so I’ll fill you in. The first week I got here was rough because of the time difference. Staying up all-night and wishing I could sleep during the day at the hospital. I’m pretty sure that the hospital workers thought I was a zombie. I’m an African now! I eat African food that our housekeeper cooks, and I wear my clothes at least three times during the week… it makes the most sense that way. PS: The American food that I have learned to make is spaghetti, ice cream, chips, and other things. It takes so much longer, but well worth it! I absolutely love seeing different people during the day, and try to have a conversation with them in French. It is still hard because the main language is French here, yes, but there are also many other local languages. Mafa, Arabic, and others. I’m sticking with French at this time… can’t do too much more.
My job here at the hospital is wonderful. Some days it’s a little slow, and other days it’s crazy! I wonder around to each different section throughout the day. We have five different sections of the hospital. Pediatrics, Adults, Emergency room, Maternity, and Lab. Of course… I have stuck mostly with the Emergency room because that is where everyone comes through. It’s where everyone gets administrated, and also those we have to send away because we do not have proper treatment for them. We need a doctor… but they do work really well with what they have, I’m impressed. The hospital workers are realizing slowly my potential. I’m in everyone’s business trying to have opportunity after opportunity to learn everything that is medical. They are ok with it too! My nursing professor would be happy to know that I am digging in the nursing drug book trying to understand the drugs to administer for each patient who comes in. I have diagnosed many!:) They also call me when they need me to put an IV in, and I get right on it, and have not failed every time thank goodness. I was able to give a malnourished child an NG tube. During the process he had hate in his eyes for me, but I’m sure if he could talk to me, he would be thankful for the treatment we gave him. I also have done many tests. Malaria, Typhoid, Urine, Stool, and Donner blood type. Its amazing to watch blood through a microscope, or check the blood type manually. Clara, the lab tech, laughs at me because I’m so so interested every time! I have given a child oxygen, and put proper medicine through IV when needed. I am proud to say that I have delivered three babies successfully! They were all females and all beautiful? One baby had trouble getting through because the opening was too small, but it was still a beautiful cone head baby;). I have sad news though…
One delivery that I wasn’t the doctor for, but I helped with, there were some complications. The mother had malaria, and a few weeks before the nurse didn’t find a heart beat. The baby came through the opening with his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck. We delivered him, but he was not breathing. It was the first time I have ever done CPR, and it was an innocent little child that hadn’t been in the world more than a few minutes. I kept saying “come on baby, come on baby, you can do it”. Finally, the doctor stopped giving oxygen, and I kept giving compressions. I swear I could have done it all day, but once I felt the baby getting cold, I knew it was too late. I wept… I didn’t know something so small could go through something so traumatic. The baby was trying to survive. There were moments where he took deep breaths, but it was like it could get air. I went over to the mother after I had my moment to pray and thank God for my life. With tears in my eyes, I leaned over and whispered in her ear, “Desole, Due se avec tua” which means “I’m sorry, God is with you”. That was probably the hardest day here… but things happen for a reason.
I’d like to have to know that Caitlin here, and we have been having a grand time together! You won’t believe this… We bought baby GOATS! We treat them like dogs and it is the funniest things. We only have had them for 1 day, but they are definitely pampered. They cry a lot, and I feel bad because they want their mamma. They were destined to die anyway, so that is my excuse for saying that they will be fine. Today we found out that Caitlin has malaria… I am trying my best to be there for her, but what she needs is a lot of rest, water, and food. Our housekeeper had malaria too… Thank God I haven’t gotten it yet. I’m trying to take care of myself but I have to expect the worst.
I hope that this is sufficient enough information to let you know what I’m doing and how my life is going. I don’t know when the next time I’ll get to Internet, but soon I’m going to Maura, and Caitlin and I will buy an Internet key. I miss all of you back in America! Please continue to pray for me, I still need it! I have lots more to say, but I don’t want to bore you. Bonne Joune! (Good Day)
Posted by Elissa

From http://cameroonmissionary.blogspot.com
also see www.missiondocs.org