The Red Earth of Africa….

In April 2009 on the plane ride from Johannesburg, South Africa to Benin, West Africa we stopped in Brazzaville, Congo to pick up more passengers. It was in this stopover as I sat staring out of the window wondering how I had found myself in West Africa that a lovely South African called Beth approached me to ask if I was heading to Mercy Ships in Benin. She proceeded to sit down and in her lovely friendly way put me at ease instantly as we chatted, I was so grateful for this encounter because as she headed back to her allocated seat the plane began to fill to the brim with African people and culture shock set in. Since that day and throughout my time on Mercy Ships she has been an incredible blessing and on many occasions I believe my angel.

Beth left Benin a week before my time on the ship was finished to come home to Cape Town, South Africa which is why I have had the opportunity to explore more of Africa on my journey home to New Zealand.

I was born in South Africa in the Northern Transvaal so it is very exciting to come and view some of the country that I have grown up hearing about for the first time. The adventure began on the 7^th of November as I arrived in Cape Town to find freezing temperatures, winter at my toes along with the realization that I have actually forgotten what it feels like to be cold! Despite the rainy, freezing conditions of Cape Town I had a wonderful few days discovering the beauty of this city, climbing Lions Head and driving out to Cape Point. The views and sights are spectacular here and it did not take me long to realize why people are drawn to this country.

On the 12^th of November we took a flight from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth where we drove on to Grahamstown, where we were picked up by Beth’s brother and taken to the Kwandwe Game Reserve in which he works as a Ranger. The next afternoon as we began a tour in the Game Reserve vehicle which is specially designed to climb difficult terrain and we were given strict instructions not to stand up as the animals are very used to the vehicles and see them as an unthreatening object; however as soon as you change the shape of the vehicle they no longer recognize it as unthreatening. My eyes were truly opened to the beauty of wildlife as we witnessed two lionesses searching for their four lost cubs, a black rhinocerous (which is very rare), a white rhinocerous and her 3 month year old baby, a cheetah, zebra and lots of buck and warthogs.

It gets very hot on the Game Reserve and the best sightings of animals are usually early in the morning and late afternoon so the next morning we were up at 5am. I loved every minute of the drive and marveled at the stunning landscape and rich red earth of the African soil that covered the 22,000 hectares. The trip started off hot on the trail of two lionesses (different ones from the previous day) and a male Lion. He was magnificent and I now understand why they call him King of the Jungle, I was awestruck. We followed him further down the road until we came across a teenage elephant who was keeping an eye on his herd and thoroughly enjoyed selecting particular plants from the area. He decided he wanted to let the Lion know who was really the boss and after some trumpeting and ear flapping he charged the Lion in full stampede, who ran away with his tail between his legs. Maybe he is not the King of the Jungle after all?

After this excitement the rest of the morning was filled with amazing eagles and many different kinds of birds, monkeys playing in the trees and zebras with their lovely stripes. I was a little disappointed about not seeing any giraffe however as we packed up back at the lodge I prayed that we would see some before we left the Game Reserve; and on our drive out we came across a herd of fourteen-it was a fantastic ending to incredible wildlife.

Our next destination was Barkley East to visit Beth’s family who own a large amount of farmland in the area. Along the way I saw Township’s (African communities) covering the land that lay beneath the towering mountains. I caught only a glimpse of the poverty as we drove past each settlement yet it was enough to stir my heart once again for Africa and I saw many similarities to West Africa flashing before me as I saw their need so clearly evident. It occurred to me that South Africa (in those parts) is more of a third world country than people realize.

The breathtaking sights at Barkley East were mindblowing and it was the combination of the surrounding mountains (one which is a volcano), the lush farmland, valleys and magical sunset that warmed my heart to the place (despite the freezing temperatures). Snow was forecast, regardless that they are heading into summer here and I was slightly nervous we may be stuck there for the remainder of the trip! Meeting Beth’s Afrikaans family over a real Afrikaans braai (where I did not understand a word) was a great treat and an opportunity to witness some true Afrikaans culture.

One lovely night in Barkley saw us on our way to the community of Maclear to visit a University friend of Beth’s who owns ten dogs, the house and noise level was impressive! After a good nights sleep she took us out to a farm which was an hour out of town to meet some friends of hers who encouraged us to go and visit the waterfall on their land. Words cannot describe how lovely it was as we headed through bush and behind the waterfall in caves that had naturally formed-I felt refreshed by the sight and crisp air surrounding us.

Driving down the Garden Route was a special experience as we were able to see Lagoons, the sea and forests all along the way. After one night in Storms River we went for a walk out to the Tsitsikamma Forest National Park across swingbridges and in the sunshine. After 8 hours of driving that day we arrived safely in Cape Town where the journey all began. There were so many moments where I thought life could not get any better than this and then another great blessing would come our way-I feel so rich (no not actually financially) in my life right now but in my heart:)

After an indescribable time….Kenya, Uganda here I come.

Saying Goodbye to West Africa...

I am in disbelief that one week ago I said goodbye to Mercy Ships and a group of people who have become my family over the past 6 months. As I walked down the gangway I was amazed to find the nervous girl who walked up the gangway 6 months earlier is a distant memory. I was given the nicest farewell from everyone and I was filled with saddness to say goodbye to friends who have been there through some very challenging and incredible lifechanging moments.

The past two months have been a blurr-almost an entire new level of life. With the end of the Outreach insight, people are weary and the workload has increased due to the large amount of surgery that still needs to be done. Patients are waiting and hoping they will receive the surgery they lined up for at the beginning of the Outreach...hoping that they will have their disfiguring tumour removed before the "Big White Boat" sails away. We are so blessed to still have the basic medical supplies at our finger tips that so many hospitals in Africa do not possess; however with the end in sight there w

ere a few occasions that arose where certain items that were longer available. Towards the end of my time there were many days that I would walk into the storeroom praying; kno

wing that we did not have anything remaining of what I

required. It is amazing what you can find at the back of the cupboard if you search for long enough though or items that just "turn up":)

It was lovely to hear the familiar New Zealand accent that came with Dr Alastair Yule a month and a half ago, all the way from the deep South. It was wonderful to hear news from Dune

din and talk about Doctors and nurses we both knew. It dawned on me how much easier life is when you speak the same language-he would tell me what he needed and I understood instantly; I know have ten different names for each instrument and prod

uct.

The hardest week of my life and time hit a month ago in a combination of events. On the Mon

day two of my close friends on the Ship were put into the ICU with malaria, it was one of th

ose moments where you are extremely grateful that your temporary home is a hospital

ship with adequate medical equipment, medication an

d skilled staff. Everyday that week was a 12 hour day in the Operating Room with major

operations and I scrubbed for 6 hour cases daily-it still feels like such a priviledge to be

apart of removing massive tumours and incredible reconstructive surgery. There were definately many moments in the operations that week where I felt like my nursing skills were being really challenged. Nights were taken up with visiting the ICU and after leaving the Operating Room at 7pm on Wednesday night I was paged at 9pm for an Emergency Operation. It was a patient who had been operated on that day and had a large thyroid removed which had began to bleed

post-operatively. I was Senior I

ncharge so I had to organise the Operating Room, equipment and staff. There was one p

oint I distinctly remember thinking "I can't do this, I am not experienced enough or skilled to be doing

this" and then all of sudden I realised I was already doi

ng it. After getting to bed rather late that night I decided to not join the running group in th

e morning at 6am. At 7am Thursday morning my pager went off and minutes later as I arriv

ed at the OR I was informed that one of our crew had been hit by a motorbike while they were out with the running group that morning. The bike had come out of nowhere and hit him at full speed, he had a laceration on his face and was already

almost unrecognisable; so as they started to x-ray him I began to prepare the OR for surgery as we were unsure what we would be operating on but we were certain that we would be operating. We are so blessed on the Africa Mercy to have a C-Arm X-ray machine and a CT mach

ine (one of three in West Africa). Everyone on the Ship was praying for him and to our amazement there was no neurological or internal damage and no broken bones. It is still a

mystery to me that he survived but I am so grateful, we all are...I think a miracle occ

ured that scary morning.

For the past four months I have been going out with the Palliative Care Team once e

very two weeks and visiting patients in Cotonou. I have ha

d the pleasure and priviledge of visiting Adele often. A beautiful Woman who has an incredibly disfiguring

tumour which has been growing for years; two days before I left the Ship she passed away. Her death was expected and came with a comforting knowledge that she was ready and

there is peace in knowing she is finally no longer in pain; however I still felt a deep saddness for her daughters and grandchildren. She carried such an incredible presence and so often I left her house inspired and encouraged ,which I know many others agreed they felt.

The Palliative Care Team have also been running the Burkitts programme, which work

s with children who have a particular type of cancer that can be treated successfully (in many cases). One of the struggles can be that as the symptoms of the disease begin to disapear the parents decide to stop bringing the child for treatment and it reoccurs. One small boy called Luc has captured my heart, the treatment has worked incredibly well and the results have been so encouraging and uplifting to my heart. Luke had his first day of scho

ol just before I left the Ship.

I spent another wonderful Saturday at the Exodus Orphanage completing the B

unkbeds project. On our second visit we took more screws to fasten down the planks of wood (so they won't get stolen for firewood like they did last time) and we took 13 new mattresses and bedding for all of the

beds also. The children mobbed us and we had a great time making t

he beds up with

them, they were all very excited. I was filled with a deep sense of relief and joy just knowing they will no longer be sleeping on the cold concrete f

loor at

night.

Once w

e had taken care of the hard work, Sarah and I pulled out the balloons and chalk we had brought with us and had a fantastic time showing them some games we used to play in our childhoods:)

So at the end of my time in West Africa

what have I learnt and how have I changed?

Although I

know there are many more lessons to learn and many will come with reflecting on my time in the future months I have observed that some key perspectives I once held have changed. I have realised lately that I have become more "African", they are such "People focused" people and I can see I place more importance on my relationships with people from being here. My time is often filled more with relationship than "tasks" which I am enjoying.
About a month ago it dawned on me as I stood in an operation that was going longer than we had planned I have come to the place where I no longer count the hours of

work left in the day. I have always enjoyed nursing and working in theatre and I know I ha

ve been incredibly blessed with the exceptional people that have taught me,

looked after me and encouraged me. I feel though that since being in West Africa my enjoyment in my nursing has increased, maybe it is because of the different culture I am serving in...whichever reason it is I know work till the work is done and I love it.


After many frustrating moments, operations and questioning my purpose in Africa I finally realised there comes a time when you just need to Let go and Let God. You want to bring improvement and hope to every person who has a condition that is limiting their quality of life. That desire is naturally there however there comes a point where you have to accept that not every person can be helped and you need to hand them back...this was a hard lesson to learn with a few tears shed along the way.

I did not realise money had began to affect the way I think until I came to Africa. The revelation dawned about 3 weeks after I had arrived and I was standing in the Operating Room-it was 7pm, the operation did not look like it was going to end anytime soon and I automatically caught myself thinking "Oh well at least I am getting paid overtime" and then I realised 'Oh hangon I'm not getting paid anything!'. In horror I recognised how my thinking and value on time and work had become completly focused on how much I was earning. My attitude and perspective towards money has changed a lot since I arrived here, I am still aware of how money is required and necessary in this life however I feel as though a grip has come off my thinking in regards to money. I'm sure my perspective will continue to change throughout my lifetime:)


Many people come to Mercy Ships and Africa thinking they will make and bring a change and are often suprised when they are the ones who change the most. I believe I do fit into that statement, I came here hoping to help and also hoping to become a better person...I have been pleasantly suprised-I think Africa has changed me, I havent changed Africa.

On my last night on Africa Mercy I was sitting with a good friend and expressed my confusion "I don't understand why I was born into such an incredible family, a comfortable lovely home and a wonderful country and there are people at the end of the dock living in rubbish and sheds made out of scraps...It puzzles me why I was chosen to be born into such blessing?". Their response has been resonating in my heart since...they said "Melanie the reason you were not born into that family at the end of the dock is because Africa needs you and the Western world needs Africa...they need you to take their stories back with you". Something awakened deep within me as the truth of 6 months unfolded before my eyes...I need Africa more than Africa needs me. I feel as though I have found the place I am supposed to be at this point in my life...I feel so content.

This journey which has changed me and brought many revelations would not have been possible without many amazing people supporting me throughout this time with kind words, financial support and prayers. I am so grateful to everyone and there are simply no words to express my appreciation and to tell you the truth without your help I know I would not be here...I may be the hands but everyone behind me is the body:)

I thought it only appropriate to end my final blog of West Africa for 2009 with the news...that may not suprise many who have been following my journey...that I plan to return to Mercy Ships next year 2010 in April for 5 months...this will all go ahead if I am able to fundraise the money to come back again. I will continue my blog so if you would like to stay in touch and hear of my future plans I shall keep you updated the best I can:)