Orthopedic Surgery

 Many different kinds of surgery happen on the Global Mercy. If you look at their website or social media you will see tumor on faces, hands stuck in a fist from a burn scar, people who have hernias, and then my favorite orthopedic. This is kids ages 4-10 who have bowed legs or knocked knees. This is in general from one of two different diagnosis's: Blount's disease or Ricketts. Blount's means they were born with weak bones that can more easily bow. Ricketts means it is a dietary deficiency, especially in the first few years of life. These hallow bones bend more and more as they get older, under the weight of their upper body. Whichever is the mechanism for injury, Sierra Leone has a lot of kids with bent legs. We are able to do surgery on approximently 60 each year we have come and every time there is a waitlist. 

These kids are outcasts of society. Mercy Ships sends people into villages and shows them pictures of bent legs and often the answer is no, they don't know anyone like that, because they are hidden away. I have met so many children who have never stepped foot into a school. They don't know how to count, write their name, know their colors. Some are slightly better off and help with chores around the house, but never to be seen by anyone who is not part of the family. Stories of fathers who have left families because they think the child is cursed. 

I'm always amazed by how functional from a physical therapy perspective they are when I meet them. They can stand on one leg, go up and down stairs, do squats, etc because they have to to survive and keep up. When I ask about goals (what is rehab without goals??) the #1 is always "to not be mocked by neighbors" and #2 is "to go to school". 

Both last year and this year I feel like my heart grows by 50 kids. I no longer have just my 3, I now have 53. :) Their triumphs are everyones triumph. Their frustration is mine too. They scream in pain and in fear. So much fear... how would you feel being stood up with two legs in casts all the way from foot to mid-thigh? We blow bubbles, sing songs, and show love and attention to them in all the best ways. My heart wants to burst every time I am at work. I am exhausted at days end, but in the best way possible. I truly believe this is what I am called and equipped to do, and living in that space brings so much joy. 

Doris

Aminata

Please be praying for me as I not only help legs get straight and strong, but more importantly love these kids and their parents and hopefully point them toward Jesus in the process. 

Let me know if you have any questions. As always, we are so thankful for you support 

Black Tax

I was sitting across the coffee table from Sophia as I was learning about her life in Nigeria. "Black tax" she said, was what held many Africans back but also was the social security net for families.

"Black tax" is the common term used for when African expats who have moved abroad are obliged to send a portion of their income to their families back in Africa. Especially the oldest, usually son, must do this. 

This is a tax on that person's ability to save, build up wealth, buy a home, or otherwise move up, ecomically speaking. It's similar to when parents pour all their time, attention, and money into their kids' education hoping and praying that they can one day go to college. 

As I (Jeff) oversee the finances of the ship and lead our crew bank (where crew can receive donations, save money, withdraw local currency, and use it for basic supplies like a toothbrush or a soda), I see the way money is handled. Africans and those from the Global North act, treat, and use money very, very differently. 

It is not a tax from the government. It is a societal and familial tax. Because if you have even the slightest amount of money, you're expected to share that when someone asks. You must say "yes". 

This is why it is common that, when you get paid or somehow get a windfall of money, you immediately go out and buy bricks for your house or some other physical asset. You've converted your cash (an asset) into another asset — bricks, wood, fuel, roof material, etc. Then, you have no money and, thus, you can say "Sorry, I don't have any cash".

So while we in the West may feel the squeeze as we need to take care of our children and also our aging parents, it is still quite a bit different here where there is no governmental social security income, medicare, or other safety nets — you are that safety net.

Helped by George in the dark

When the weather is not terrible (i.e., the smoke, pollution, and Sahara dust) I enjoy a morning jog up into Freetown — usually 5-8km. This morning a Sierra Leonean was also running, caught up to me and began a conversation. Jeff is not a common name here, but it is still easier than many other Western names.

I was running solo which is rare, and so when a Sierra Leonean came up alongside me, I was a bit apprehensive but I knew the route, it was well lit, and there were other runners behind us. So we started talking, as strangers around here do. Being white, you are automatically popular. People want to know a white person, say hello, and practice their English. Also, Sierra Leoneans are also very friendly. So we jogged and in basic English and Krio over the next two kilometers we got to know each other. He runs Monday-Saturday and does not run on Sundays (I didn't understand if he is a Muslim or Christian). He is at college and plays football (soccer, in America).

While jogging back to the ship, I kept thinking "I was looking forward to a solo run and to enjoy the semi-peace of the morning with all the honking from kekes, cars, and large diesel-powered trucks chugging up the hill blowing out plumes of dirty diesel exhaust out their sawn-off tailpipes." Nope. Not today. He wanted a conversation. So then I thought, "God, why did you place this person next to me?" and then I remembered the proverb "a cord of three strands is not easily broken." I pondered that for the next kilometer.

Then I suddenly tripped on the concrete and while I likely would not have fallen, George instantly grabbed my arm to stabilize me with his lightning-quick reflexes. "Tenki ya, George!"

I had my headlamp on, my florescent green/yellow shirt, and while I was not concerned about getting hit by cars, I misjudged jumping off the 18 inch curb and did not see the lip of the concrete in the morning twilight. Sierra Leone is in the Northern Hemisphere, so it is still winter here — if you can call 79º Fahreinheit at 6am "winter". The sun had not yet risen at 6:40am.

I guess my lesson and takeaway is that sometimes there is goodness that comes from strangers in the dark. We're taught to always be on our guard and to not talk to strangers, and while that is still a very good and important approach — especially in raising up our kids! — it may happen just to prove that there can be goodness and beauty in this broken, impoverished, and needy world in which we live. 

I later looked up the full passage for the proverb in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 and smiled.

Two are better than one,
    because they have a good return for their labor:
10 If either of them falls down,
    one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
    and has no one to help them up.
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
    But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered,
    two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Lines 3-6. Ironic for my morning. Right?

While not this morning, here is what my typical route looks like in the afternoon:

Usually about 80-84º F and 80-85% humidity.