Today I was doing a pre-admission for an orthopedic surgery kid. Severely bowed legs on a 9-year-old girl and an exhausted looking mama. I measured her knee flexion, how bent those legs actually are, how long she could stand on one leg, and all of the other measurements. At the end of all the measurements I do the patient and caregiver information section and explained what surgery will look like, that she will wake up with 2 plaster of Paris casts on her legs, will do exercises, learn to walk again, have the casts removed after 3 months and then once again learn to walk. Total time at Mercy Ships is a 4–5-month commitment from this child and mom, which is time away from her other children. I asked mom if she was ok with this and understood the commitment. Her Answer:
"What choice do I have?"
She went on to explain that without this operation her child would continue to be in pain, not be able to go to school, not get a job someday, and be a burden to her family. Mercy Ships being in Ghana is her miracle. Being selected amongst the 250 kids who wanted this operation is the miracle. She asked where I was from and was amazed that I came all the way from the USA, for no money, left my husband and children so I could help her child. I tried to convey (through a translator) that it was the joy of my life to be here. What a gift.
This all reminded me of a song I heard recently called "Days God Gave". Here are the lyrics from the chorus:
Hold on to these momentsThey're flying by so fastTake the time with the ones you loveLike a chance you can't get backMake a million memoriesSo when you're old and grayAll the faces in those photographsSmile back at you and sayYou didn't let the days God gave you get away
I will continue to look at pictures from my little over 2 years on this ship and know I didn't let a single day God gave me here slip away. I used the time I was given well and had the most amazing interactions and conversations.
1.5 weeks to go until I return to California. I plan on using every hour I can to God's Glory.