| Kelly plays for the women’s soccer team here at Mbingo, and they had a match this past Saturday. About 5 minutes into the match, Kelly fell after striking the ball, falling on her hand. Good news: she scored a goal, bad news: she broke her arm. |
What did God provide after that? Well, our next-door neighbor happens to be an orthopedic surgeon, Dr Nana. He was able to align the bones and place a splint. Thank you Dr Nana! To complete her treatment, Kelly will need surgery. So we’ll be headed back to the US shortly, with surgery scheduled next week.
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| Kelly keeping her sense of humor |
Needless to say, this has been quite stressful, physically painful for Kelly, and a little discouraging. My personal rock-bottom moment was the point I realized my beautiful wife would need surgery. Literally 2 minutes after this news, just when I thought, “Okay God, this is all I can handle,” the phone rang. Surely it was just another person calling to check on Kelly…..no. It was the children’s ward calling telling me that they have a 10 month old in respiratory distress with a foreign body in the airway. In all of my specialty, these are the most precarious situations. I was in disbelief at God’s timing. In the midst of Kelly’s pain and getting the kids to bed I told Kelly that I had to go or this child would die.
As I hurried up to the hospital, I simply reminded myself as I prayed, “God, you equip me for all the work you have for me to do,” knowing that both of the telescopes I use for this procedure are currently broken. Plans A and B were already used up before I even arrived. Then I saw the nurse carrying the baby as she ran down the walk into the OR. We don’t have oxygen tanks at Mbingo, so when the nurses transport children, they literally run from the children’s ward to the OR where they can re-start the flow of oxygen. By God’s grace, our team was able to remove the foreign body (a piece of plastic) from the child. The baby girl is doing just fine now.
Though I first thought I was simply being kicked while I was down, I easily see how God spoke to Kelly and I. We can hear God saying, “I have prepared good works for you here to do. You are supposed to be here. Press on toward the goal.” Kelly and I are so thankful we have the privilege to serve the poor and the sick here in Cameroon.
It’s hard to reconcile our privilege and wealth as I take Kelly back to the US for top-notch medical care, while we continue to serve the poor in a hospital that doesn’t even have oxygen tanks. While we go from one extreme to another, I continue to wonder why such disparities exist and how Christians should respond when Jesus teaches us to treat others the way we want to be treated. In a way, that’s why we’re here. I want my wife to have good medical care, therefore I’m here providing medical care to those in need. Kelly and I can’t help but feel all the more thankful and motivated to serve here.
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| Marlis helping out, since Kelly can't hold the baby. James is loving it! |
Please pray for Kelly’s recovery, her ability to care for our 3 month old, and for a safe trip home and surgery. Thanks to an incredible support team of friends, family, James Island Christian Church, and Samaritan’s Purse.
