Niger

Just received an email from my great friend John Francis. He is working for two weeks doing surgery in Niger which is about the poorest country in Africa. This is probalby his fifth or sixth visit to this hospital, and he has been going there throughout his training. This is his third visit as a full fledged (but young) surgeon.

Excerpts from his email with my comments below:

Walked back through the ER on the way home and noted Jeanie, a doctor who worked in Nepal and in geriatrics in the US for many, many years - admitting a teenager with meningitis. The gal was seizing just before we arrived. She was going to do a spinal tap, but the lady kept squirming in her semi-conscious state. ... She wasn't used to doing taps (which I suspected but didn't want to say so), so I let her try first. She had the right spot, just not in far enough.

I put it in and we collected a cloudy (infected) sample for the lab. She thanked me for coming by and assisting. It's always easier when someone is around who has done it before. Probably why so few people become missionaries, or do anything like that at all. It is uncomfortable to do things, or attempt things, when you've not seen it in years or don't have someone to show you the way.

There are no "old" missionaries here to show anyone the way. There are no "old" doctors here. They lost a complete generation of "missionary" doctors when Ceton, Davies, and Townesend left.

I feel like a fish out of water here so many times and in many, many circumstances. Yet, when I look around me, I find that no one else seems to know what to do either - and in some cases I'm the only one who recalls there was something that other's could do in the past. I may not recall it perfectly, but at least I know something was done. Scary.

So as we walked out I passed through the Surgery end of things to make sure there were no problems. A lady, admitted by another doctor last night, with a small leg infection had died during the three hours between my rounds and coming back from church.

I had seen her briefly, noted she had a mild "burn" on her leg which they were treating. Felt her leg, noted a little edema, and told them to continue her medicine. No fevers, mild pain. NO evidence of sepsis. Dead in less than two hours after I saw her.

I have no idea why.

There was no sign of anything that would have killed her - even a severe leg infection would have looked worse than when I examined her. She just gave birth to twins two weeks ago, and the only thing I can think of is that she had a blood clot in her leg which broke loose and killed her after I left.

It should be the absolutely smartest, most competent, and caring of physicians who come here to work. And they should stay! Even with all my training and background I figure I have less than a 1/10 of what I need to know to even come close to even being partly helpful. I am not joking.

It is frustrating that what these people need are human beings who know God, know how to communicate, know medicine inside and out, can examine and care for the worst of the worst patients on a daily basis, and have the wisdom to work with people to effect change in their lives, and relationships, and communities.

It really bothers me that the poorest of the world have to put up with the likes of me while the "best" doctors in the world sit at home sipping their tea and saying "I could never do that... it's beyond my 'comfort' level". I don't think it is their "medicine comfort level" quite frankly. I rather think they are scared of finding out just how wholly inadequate and inept they really are while hiding behind their degrees, nice houses, academical accolades, and "professional" life!

Why should a lady die because I walk by without catching what was going on? Yes, there are the people I can help, have helped, and there are those who are grateful that they are going home today and would have died two days ago. Yes there IS good occuring. Yes I am helping some people. But it is so much less than what could be done! People are suffering, and those who are best able to help them are sitting around playing with life!

What happens in eternity? Proverbs 24:10-12

10If you falter in times of trouble,
how small is your strength!

11 Rescue those being led away to death;
hold back those staggering toward slaughter.

12 If you say, "But we knew nothing about this,"
does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who guards your life know it?
Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?

...but if you say..... I am more convinced than ever that Jesus was serious when He said "Pray the Lord of the Harvest to send out laborers..." God knows that there are very few who are willing to go, and those few won't go without prayer sending them.

I'm glad I can help a little here right now. But they really need someone in this country who knows what they are doing, knows the people, knows God, and can work with the strength of ten people, even a hundred. I don't know men like that. Honestly, I don't. I just take on one patient at a time, and death still beats me.

God is God. That I know well.

And people are people. We are all clay, whether we like it or not. And I recognize the "clay" part pretty well.

Very grateful to know men like Adolph and Ceton. Men who have given their hearts and the clay of their lives to serve the poor here. It seems foolish to me to even consider working here, even for two weeks.

They need incredible surgeons, physicians, nurses, evangelist, teachers, builders, architects, acountants... people who are gifted well above their peers. It is very humbling to work here, especially when you realize how inadequate you really are.

John is a talented surgeon. He is caring and tells it like it is. If he is overwhelmed, anyone would be, gifted or not.

That email strikes me straight to the heart. Why should I be sitting here, wasting the strongest years of my life in biking and enjoying myself; in a place where my skills are for the most part redundant while there are folks literally dying for the lack of what I can do? Because I haven't felt the "call?"

What more call do we need? Just knowing the problem makes you responsible.

I can only trust that I have sought the Lord whole-heartedly, and this is where I have been placed...for now. I don't understand it, I didn't expect it, but I am certainly enjoying it, and feel blessed beyond belief.

Could I still feel blessed working my tail off in a stinking third world hospital, feeling like a drop in the ocean? I would hope so, but you never know until you have been tested do you?

Heavy stuff on the blog today, eh?