March 14, 2011
Whew! What a whilrwind of 2 days! As I write to you from Hotel Mont Febe in Yaounde, Cameroon. As I ponder on yesterday's travels (ie. the scrambling before departure), it's a wonder I made it here! Let me first tell you how I came about joining HTI's medical/dental mission to Cameroon.
I attended the annual Global Missions Health Conference in Louisville, KY this past November. This was my 2nd time at the conference. I knew I wanted to make connections with a medical mission group while there. On the last day of the conference, I stumbled-upon Dr. Dan Wiklund at the Health Teams international booth. He engaged me in conversation about the work of Health Teams international, and invited me to join he and his team during their annual trip to Cameroom. Dr. Wiklund's dynamism and warm welcome grabbed my attention, not to mention the great opportunities to learn new skills in medicine and dentistry on the field! A nurse working at the booth greatly encouraged me to pursue the trip, affirming that she had phenomenal learning experiences working with Dr. Wiklund on previous trips!
Upon returning from the conference, I prayed about the opportunity, and inquired more about the trip. In early December, upon returning from working in Haiti, I determined to join the group and made it known to the missions committee church. Their supportive response to my plans further affirmed my decision. In addition, Dr. Wiklund's dilligence in communication (I can't tell you how MANY emails I received from him between December and March 13th!), "filled me in" on every detail of the trip! I have not yet worked with a medical mission leader more thorough and communicative than he, and one who managed to pay such great attention to both the mental and spiritual preparation and growth of his team members! I highly reccommend mission trips with Dr. Wiklund and HTI!
As for the whirlwind of my travel experience, I was up until 3 am Saturday night arranging my things last-minute as always. I got up @ 8AM Sunday morning, only having 4 hrs of unrestful sleep as our clocks were forced to "spring forward" Saturday night. I still had last-Minute "affairs" to take care of on the computer and with packing, and completely missed church (felt terrible about that)!
My dear friend Grace arrived at 1:15 to take me to Dulles airport. She helped me organize a few things in my luggage then began moving them to her SUV. At that time it was probably 2pm... we were supposed to leave right @ 1:30! I was falling behind no doubt... Then, to add to the chaos, the wheel of my carry-on piece completely snapped-off! I needed the carry-on for my personal belongings as the two check-in pieces were filled to the brim with medical supplies donated by my hospital (thank you St. Joseph's Medical Center!).
Thankfully, I had another carry-on, though much smaller than the other, so I had to leave some things behind and do a complete rearranging of my things! A video recording of what transpired in my neighborhood parking lot as Grace and I scrambled to unpack and repack everything, would certainly have made millions on America's Funniest Home Videos! What a mess! Grace was the PERFECT friend to handle the situation with me, helping me keep my cool the entire time, and moving quickly to help me get it together! THANK YOU GRACE! You're AMAZING!!
We FINALLY left @ 2:30 for Dulles, and Grace's navigator was estimating a 1.5 hr trip! I was SOOO late for my 5:15pm flight! Somehow we miraculously arrived in 50 minutes! I made it to my gate towards the end of the boarding period, praising God as I found my seat, for helping me make it despite my disorganization! He is soooo good!
I met my team members during our connection in Paris. We are 16 of us all together, 14 coming from Washington state. I switched seats to find more space during our flight to Yaounde and happened to sit next to one of the administrators at the Cameroon embassy in D.C. who was travelling to Younde for a conference on human trafficking. He was pleased to learn that our team was travelling to Cameroon to serve the underserved. The embassy, apparently, was looking to encourage such activities.
Visibility over Cameroon was very poor as we approached the airport for landing. Its no wonder that it felt like a sauna when we disembarked from the plane! It took a while for us to get through customs... two stops. One to check our yellow fever vaccination cards, the other for visas/passport control. Thankfully, all our luggage came through unscathed!
Upon exiting the airport, we were greeted by Pastor John and Kathy N'Goh, the full-time missionaries who helped organize our working itinerary and would help lead our team. They have been serving in Nimbe Cameroon for over 14 years, and continue to serve while both their children are studying in the U.S. WE also met our cameroonian team members: Jean-Marie and Pastor Peter (translators), Franklin (translator and driver), and Jean-Paul (driver).
We loaded most likely over a TON of luggage onto into a little old bright green mercedes-benz van that resembled a squared-off VW bus! We all travelled in a 15 passenger van (on it's last leg) and the N'Goh's SUV. Made it to Hotel Mont Febe around 6pm. Eat, swim, sleep was our agenda for this evening... Already liking the food... Fresh papaya, pineapple, watermellon... I may have trouble dieting here! We have an AM orientation meeting tomorrow morning before we leave for the city of Yoko, within Cameroon's central province. "A demain!" (French for "See you tomorrow!")
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Cameroon update
Whew! Had a whirlwind of a day today, washing clothes, packing, spending time with relatives.... I need more time to edit the posts I was working on throughout the trip.
I'll try to post them tomorrow.
Overall, our trip was a great success thanks to great leadership, phenomenal teamwork, and ultimately by the grace of God!
I must say i that I worked with a phenomenal team of medical and dental professionals, who served the villagers of Cameroon with all their hearts and readily shared the Love of God with all whom they encountered.
I have lots of stories I'm anxious to tell you... Looking forward to posting tomorrow!
Lydia
I'll try to post them tomorrow.
Overall, our trip was a great success thanks to great leadership, phenomenal teamwork, and ultimately by the grace of God!
I must say i that I worked with a phenomenal team of medical and dental professionals, who served the villagers of Cameroon with all their hearts and readily shared the Love of God with all whom they encountered.
I have lots of stories I'm anxious to tell you... Looking forward to posting tomorrow!
Lydia
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Safe in Cameroon!!
Hello everyone!
After travelling for over 24hrs, my team and I, along with all of our luggage (thank God!) arrived safely in Cameroon yesterday evening (Monday 14th). We stayed at Hotel Mont Febe last night, and are now about to leave for the first leg of our journey to Yoko, a remote area north east of here (at least i think so).
Health Teams International has conducted annual medical/dental trips to Cameroon for the past 15 years. Dr. Dan Wiklund, our team leader, specializes in Dermatology, Internal Medicine, and received his diploma of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene at the London school of tropical medicine. This is Dr. Wiklund's 10th trip to Cameroon with HTI. He has served in the remote areas of Mongolia, Tibet, India, and South America to name a few. We have a LOT of seasoned short-term missionaries in our group. One of the family medicine doctors has been on 57 mission trips (he's in his 30's)!! I'm thankful to be working with such a seasoned, God-centered team.
I am greatly looking forward to bringing physical care to people who have no access to it, but more importantly that we will bring spiritual healing through prayer with our patients and sharing with them the hope of the Gospel! Please pray that the God would prepare the hearts of every person we encounter.
We will run a medical/dental clinic in Yoko for 4 days, followed by a clinic in Ntui for about 3 days. We drive to Ntui today, 2 hrs drive on paved roads, followed by another 2 hrs on rough dirt roads. We will stay over night in Ntui, and work on organizing our clinic supplies and bagging pills this evening. We'll hit the road again first thing tomorrow morning. Our drive to Yoko will be 200km of dirt roads! Pray for our safety!
Our clinic schedule will be largely as follows:
0630 AM devotional, testimonies from 2 members each morning
0700 Breakfast
0830 Clinic
1700 Return to Hotel/Motel
1930 Dinner
2030 Evening meeting
We're hitting the road now... will post again probably at the end of this trip w/ my daily updates saved on file, unless i find an internet cafe.
After travelling for over 24hrs, my team and I, along with all of our luggage (thank God!) arrived safely in Cameroon yesterday evening (Monday 14th). We stayed at Hotel Mont Febe last night, and are now about to leave for the first leg of our journey to Yoko, a remote area north east of here (at least i think so).
Health Teams International has conducted annual medical/dental trips to Cameroon for the past 15 years. Dr. Dan Wiklund, our team leader, specializes in Dermatology, Internal Medicine, and received his diploma of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene at the London school of tropical medicine. This is Dr. Wiklund's 10th trip to Cameroon with HTI. He has served in the remote areas of Mongolia, Tibet, India, and South America to name a few. We have a LOT of seasoned short-term missionaries in our group. One of the family medicine doctors has been on 57 mission trips (he's in his 30's)!! I'm thankful to be working with such a seasoned, God-centered team.
I am greatly looking forward to bringing physical care to people who have no access to it, but more importantly that we will bring spiritual healing through prayer with our patients and sharing with them the hope of the Gospel! Please pray that the God would prepare the hearts of every person we encounter.
We will run a medical/dental clinic in Yoko for 4 days, followed by a clinic in Ntui for about 3 days. We drive to Ntui today, 2 hrs drive on paved roads, followed by another 2 hrs on rough dirt roads. We will stay over night in Ntui, and work on organizing our clinic supplies and bagging pills this evening. We'll hit the road again first thing tomorrow morning. Our drive to Yoko will be 200km of dirt roads! Pray for our safety!
Our clinic schedule will be largely as follows:
0630 AM devotional, testimonies from 2 members each morning
0700 Breakfast
0830 Clinic
1700 Return to Hotel/Motel
1930 Dinner
2030 Evening meeting
We're hitting the road now... will post again probably at the end of this trip w/ my daily updates saved on file, unless i find an internet cafe.
A note about Haiti
As some of you know, I had the opportunity to serve in Haiti a second time with Samaritan's Purse, working in their Cholera Treatment Center from Feb 19-26th. I had a busy week working night shifts at the Cite Soleil cholera center, had the opportunity to visit some local orphanges, learned a bit about SP's housing projects, and even had a chance to squeeze in a trip to a nearby beach!
Thank you to those who donated medical supplies, scrubs, and children's clothing for this past trp! Everything I brought was such a blessing to the people!
There's a lot more I'd like to write about the trip, and intend to do so in the very near future. Upon my return from Haiti, I had two VERY busy weeks preparing for a mission trip to Cameroon, doing house projects, working, and hosted a hose-warming (added too much on my plate once again). When I have free time this week, I will write and then proceed to post my blog entries!
Thanks for your patience!
Thank you to those who donated medical supplies, scrubs, and children's clothing for this past trp! Everything I brought was such a blessing to the people!
There's a lot more I'd like to write about the trip, and intend to do so in the very near future. Upon my return from Haiti, I had two VERY busy weeks preparing for a mission trip to Cameroon, doing house projects, working, and hosted a hose-warming (added too much on my plate once again). When I have free time this week, I will write and then proceed to post my blog entries!
Thanks for your patience!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Back from Haiti (Pics)
After a non-stop week, I returned from HOT Haiti to COLD Baltimore late last night. I've uploaded pics to a web album you can view:
Haiti, February 19-26, 2011
Please contact me if you have trouble viewing the pics.
I'll be writing more about my experiences this evening and tomorrow morning. Thanks for your patience and understanding!
Lydia
Haiti, February 19-26, 2011
Please contact me if you have trouble viewing the pics.
I'll be writing more about my experiences this evening and tomorrow morning. Thanks for your patience and understanding!
Lydia
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Return to Haiti
Whew! What a day! Left the house at 4:25 AM after preparing all night and not getting any sleep... My dearest roommate Michele was gracious enough to drive me to the airport at that ungodly hour!
I looked like a carpetbagger checking in at the ticket counter this morning, with 2 HUGE nearly overweight suitcases filled with donations and two hefty carry-ons. (The way back home is always so much easier!) I remember the lady at the ticket counter stating, "Your booked for business class all the way," and in my daze, not quite understanding what she ment, until I found myself sitting in a large, luxurious 1st class seat! What a delightful surprise! Not quite sure if I earned it as a frequent flyer, or if 1st class was all they had left when Samaritan's Purse booked my flight... Either way, it was a welcome surprise, and my first time flying upper class!
I was able to dose-off a little easier in the comfy chair the first flight. I had an even cooler reclining chair on the flight from Miami to Port-au-Prince that could lay almost completely flat! I didn't sleep too much on that flight, however, as i got to chatting to the volunteer worker next to me... a Dentist from Georgia.
I was once again greeted by the intense heat and humidity of Haiti, stepping off the plane, and the jubilant tunes of the "Western Union" welcoming band at the airports entrance... I'll post pics of them later.
The airport luggage claim area was flooded with volunteers from all over the place. The airport had a few new updates, new working conveyor belt, turbo hand blow dryers in the restroom (toilets still clogged), and an awning to shade passengers outside the airport. It was nice to see these small signs of progress.
I met Jesse, a paramedic from Baltimore (we had no idea we were in the same group until we landed in Haiti), Dawn a nurse from Georgia, and two Physician assistants. All had come for the first time to work with Samaritan's Purse, and were asking me questions about my first experience. I happily filled them in.
Tent cities looking much the same, or even more run down since November. I noticed new billboards for various Presidential candidates... way more than our usual republican and democrat candidates!
We passed a grown man walking completely unclothed on the side of the road. I had not seen this before... a shocking reality of how desperate the people still are here.
When we arrived on base, I had to pinch myself... couldn't believe I made it back! So excited to have one last opportunity to serve here before starting school full time.... This week will fly fast!
Judy, the new "greeter," gave us a VERY warm welcome to the base. She gave a tour for the new-comers and briefed us on the work schedule. I will be working night shifts at Site Soliel once again, starting Sunday night, leaving me time to attend church tomorrow... and go to the beach! (i've never been!)
The Site Soleil Center has 45 patients as of now, and Bercy has 15. They had a spike in patients last week due to rain, but it has been dry lately, causing the numbers to come down again.
I'll try to post more tomorrow! This head needs some sleep... Good night!
I looked like a carpetbagger checking in at the ticket counter this morning, with 2 HUGE nearly overweight suitcases filled with donations and two hefty carry-ons. (The way back home is always so much easier!) I remember the lady at the ticket counter stating, "Your booked for business class all the way," and in my daze, not quite understanding what she ment, until I found myself sitting in a large, luxurious 1st class seat! What a delightful surprise! Not quite sure if I earned it as a frequent flyer, or if 1st class was all they had left when Samaritan's Purse booked my flight... Either way, it was a welcome surprise, and my first time flying upper class!
I was able to dose-off a little easier in the comfy chair the first flight. I had an even cooler reclining chair on the flight from Miami to Port-au-Prince that could lay almost completely flat! I didn't sleep too much on that flight, however, as i got to chatting to the volunteer worker next to me... a Dentist from Georgia.
I was once again greeted by the intense heat and humidity of Haiti, stepping off the plane, and the jubilant tunes of the "Western Union" welcoming band at the airports entrance... I'll post pics of them later.
The airport luggage claim area was flooded with volunteers from all over the place. The airport had a few new updates, new working conveyor belt, turbo hand blow dryers in the restroom (toilets still clogged), and an awning to shade passengers outside the airport. It was nice to see these small signs of progress.
I met Jesse, a paramedic from Baltimore (we had no idea we were in the same group until we landed in Haiti), Dawn a nurse from Georgia, and two Physician assistants. All had come for the first time to work with Samaritan's Purse, and were asking me questions about my first experience. I happily filled them in.
Tent cities looking much the same, or even more run down since November. I noticed new billboards for various Presidential candidates... way more than our usual republican and democrat candidates!
We passed a grown man walking completely unclothed on the side of the road. I had not seen this before... a shocking reality of how desperate the people still are here.
When we arrived on base, I had to pinch myself... couldn't believe I made it back! So excited to have one last opportunity to serve here before starting school full time.... This week will fly fast!
Judy, the new "greeter," gave us a VERY warm welcome to the base. She gave a tour for the new-comers and briefed us on the work schedule. I will be working night shifts at Site Soliel once again, starting Sunday night, leaving me time to attend church tomorrow... and go to the beach! (i've never been!)
The Site Soleil Center has 45 patients as of now, and Bercy has 15. They had a spike in patients last week due to rain, but it has been dry lately, causing the numbers to come down again.
I'll try to post more tomorrow! This head needs some sleep... Good night!
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