7 months in Madagascar. Rich and Beautiful. That’s what it
has been.
It’s been a topsy turvy few months and if I could pick out a
few things that I’ve tried to learn along the journey, this is what they would
be…
Live in Heaven – you have access to EVERYTHING you need
Be Un-offendable – you can afford it
Dream big – NOTHING is impossible
Yours to carry – not mine (burdens)
Don’t listen to monsters
It’s Jesus I serve – no-one else
I could expand… but… I don’t know if I need to. It all comes
down to love… to having an understanding who I am a daughter of… to knowing the
life of freedom that I am called to… to living as someone who knows they are
LOVED. I haven’t figured it out yet but I am thankful for all the ways He has
allowed me to love – the opportunities to express my Father’s heart. It’s been
a tough few months – but I am thankful for the journey that it has brought me
on and for the rich and beautiful places it has taken me.
The repaired cleft lip smile, the sweet giggles of those
whose obstetric fistulas are now closed, the running feet of those once bent,
the waving arms of the ones that were once crippled by terrible burns, all
those who have been empowered with knowledge, with love, with the tools to do
what they were made to do… the pure joy of the market seller whose smile
broadens when my eyes meet hers, to those who have so much to share, whose
hearts are so rich and beautiful beyond compare, to those who know what it is
to hope, to trust, to love even when they have so little in terms of ‘stuff’… to
the endless sea of lush green rice fields, to the mountain peaks and rainforest
galore, to the jumping lemurs and to the sweet sweet tastes of your plentiful
fruits – mangoes, coconuts, litchis, apples, bananas, pineapples, oranges,
limes, passion fruit... strawberries even!. Madagascar you are rich and
beautiful and it has been a joy and an honour to serve you and your people!
One of my beautiful friends got a few people on board to
summarise our last few months here in Madagascar and I think she’s captured it
really well… (see if you can guess which my line is J ):
Psalm
136 – The Africa Mercy version
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good… His love endures
forever.
He opened up an entire new region of
Africa unexpectedly… His love endures forever.
To Him who equipped us for the task… His
love endures forever
Who brought us through the mist of the
unknown and rough seas… His love endures forever.
And kept us safe in our precarious
berth… His love endures forever.
To Him who kept us safe from tropical
storms… His love endures forever.
Who provided all of our water…
His love
endures forever.
His faithfulness confirmed His promise
in ways seen and unseen…
His love endures forever.
Who connected our paths with the right patients…
His
love endures forever.
He saw us through every surgery… His
love endures forever
To him who heals bodies even when
surgery or medicines fail… His love endures forever.
He healed every wound… His love endures
forever.
Who restores movement to contracted
joints…
His love endures forever.
Whose presence filled our Hospital
causing infections to vanish, new skin to grow and left hearts overflowing with
hope… His love endures
forever.
During stress filled times, He answered my every page… His love endures forever.
To Him who provided our largest HOPE
center ever!... His love endures forever.
He saved lives through training! … His
love endures forever.
Who provided a way for us to minister to
orphans, the elderly, prisoners, the deaf & disabled… His love endures
forever.
To the ONE who created the colourful
richness of harmony in the music of Madagascar and blessed us with a day crew
that sings praises while they work…
His love endures forever.
And opened the floodgates of the
internet…
His love endures forever.
For the everlasting supplies of fruit
& veg…
His love endures forever.
For the day when the cheese came…
His
love endures forever.
To Him alone who created all the
lemurs…
His love endures forever.
Who provided a close friend at just the
right time…His love endures forever.
He kept us safe in 3 different countries…
His love endures forever.
To him who alone does great wonders… His love endures forever.
Let us give thanks to the God of
heaven.
His love endures forever.
And so I find myself nearly on my way home – 7 months of
surgery and it’s time to pack up this floating Hospital and let it sail again. My
heart is full and I can’t wait to be a part of the adventures that are planned
for our next 10 months here in Madagascar this August. From a hugely expanded
health education program that will span the nation, to setting up a Regional
Fistula Centre that we hope will leave a lasting legacy that will bring hope
and healing to thousands of women in Madagascar, to a Ponseti clinic which will
treat 100s of young children with club feet… not to mention the 12 towns around
Madagascar that will be visited by our teams to find patients that need the
help of our usual array of life transforming surgeries on board or the many
many rich and beautiful spirits that I will get to share life with… friends, patients
and colleagues… I truly cannot wait!
But first, I look forward to seeing some of you back home…
Until then… live as someone who is LOVED.
Rich and beautiful. His love endures forever.
KWW xx
