The Stolen Soul

The time was 12:45pm. We were nearing the very hottest part of the day. With temperatures soaring above 100 and humidity thick enough to slice, I was glad we were nearing the end of the line of patients waiting outside the clinic. Needless to say when Tenning told me about a sick girl in the neighboring village Grimol, I was less than excited about taking the hike. We wrapped up clinic, grabbed a bite to eat and were on our way to Grimol by 2:00pm. We arrived at the compound with the said sick woman and were immediately offered chairs to sit in and swarmed with children all vying for attention. After 5-10 minutes of polite conversation, we were shown into the room of the sick woman. There in a dark corner lay a 20 year old girl shaking, dripping with sweat, too weak to even sit up or roll over on her own. One look told me that she was very sick. Upon questioning the mother and other people in the compound, I was surprised to see what little they knew about this girl’s symptoms. They could only roughly guess that she had been sick for five days. Some said she had vomited, others claimed she had not. Some said she was eating, her mother said she had not eaten in three days. Immediately I suspected malaria and was surprised when this test along with typhoid fever were both negative. I went down several different medical routes and gave the medication along with thorough instructions on what she should eat, drink and to send for me if anything changed.

The next day I went back to check on her and she was no better. Still thinking she has malaria, I decided to treat for it in spite of the negative test. Not only was she just as sick as before but her mother, the one woman who had been caring for her, had left for several days to go to Bissau. The young woman had not eaten or drank anything and her medicine had not been taken. I was shocked and very angry. Why was no one taking care of her? Why had no one fed her? Why was no one giving her anything to drink? Why had no one given her the medicine I left next to her mat? There are at least five other women in this compound. I had talked to these women! I gave them instructions! I told them how important it was to give her clean water and food! Why was everyone ignoring this young woman? I stormed home and quickly cooked food and mixed up several bottles of oral rehydration solution and headed back to Grimol.

Thank God the malaria treatment worked and within one day there was marked improvement. I continued to bring food until she was able to cook for herself. Five days later this young woman and her mother come to the clinic. At this point she was still very weak but is definitely out of the woods. This is when I hear the whole story.

When this young woman first started with high fevers and vomiting, the mother took her to the Jambakus (Witch doctor) The Jambakus looked at her and “consulted the spirits” and then proceeded to tell the mother this: “Your daughter’s soul has been stolen by a sorcerer. She will die in five days. If anyone tries to save her, they will make the sorcerer angry and he could steal their souls as well.” The mother quickly stated, “Now we see that this is not true.” A torrent of emotions hit me at that moment. Anger! How could the Jambakus condemn her to death like that? Grief! How could a mother be in such bondage to darkness that she would leave and let her daughter die? My heart cries when exposed to such evil.

This is not a lack of healthcare problem. This is a lack of Jesus problem.

With all the Christians in the world, how has one not made it to Grimol? Wasn’t that the final command of Jesus?

I was so blessed to be raised in a Christian home. I say from a young age I felt a “call” to missions. I didn’t know if it would be foreign... or stateside… or what it would look like, but I knew I was going to be a missionary. I really couldn’t imagine doing anything else. Looking back, I am not sure if it was a call… or simply a decision to obey what I was taught from the Bible.

If I understood correctly, there really wasn’t any other way to be a Christian. I watched my parents work daily spreading Gods love, counseling, pastoring and introducing people to Jesus. I grew up watching my parents serve Jesus and grow the Church. In my mind being a missionary wasn’t an option. I knew that if I were to take my faith seriously, it meant radical obedience to the Bible, and to the command: go and make disciples.

When Jesus promises us abundant life (John 10:10) or commands us to love our enemies (Matt 5:44) we obey. We believe that these were written for us. In Matt 28:19 Jesus said “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations”. How can we take this command to “go and make disciples” and turn it into a calling? Why does one need to be “called” into missions? Isn’t this a matter of obedience?

I have exactly one week left in Guinea Bissau. When I look at returning home I cannot escape the question: Why am I so blessed and others not? Why was I able to go to school and get a medical education? Why was I introduced to Jesus as a child? Why did I always have enough food and access to medicine?

God has given me all these wonderful blessings not so I can simply have a good life living the American dream. He has blessed me for his glory. He has blessed me richly so that I may be able to spread his love to the nations. He has blessed me to show mercy and compassion to the sick in Guinea Bissau.

May I never disconnect God’s blessing from God’s purpose.

An African Folk Story:

One day a cow, goat and dog all got on a toka toka (public transport van) The  adjudante (man who collects the money) came around and the cow paid. The dog however, only had large coins so he asked for some change. The adjudante did not have the correct amount of change and said “wait until the goat pays and then I will use the goat’s payment to make correct change you.” Unfortunately at the next stop, the goat quickly disembarked and ran away without paying. This is why when a car passes by, the cow just stands there, the goat runs away and the dog chases.

Interesting fact: the number one cause of motorcycle/bicycle accidents I have encountered has been cows standing on the road.

Interesting question: Jon was talking with Mamadu (late 20s) about western movies that he had seen. Apparently Chuck Norris (Chika Nordi) has made it pretty big here. They were discussing his obvious strength and skill. With all seriousness, Mamadu asked “why hasn’t Chuck Norris taken over America yet, to rule it?”

I never cease to be amazed at this different world of Africa. However, the object of my amazement continually changes…. It changes from being amazed to see a cow/goat/chicken/pig walk into a house…. To being amazed that I am not amazed at seeing a cow/goat/chicken/pig walk into a house.

Jon and I have exactly one month left here in Catel. Sometimes it’s hard for me to think about leaving other times (mostly when the heat gets the best of me) I can think of nothing else but leaving. With no replacement yet found to run the clinic, leaving is very hard. It is hard for me to leave a task uncompleted. Ask Jon… once I start a Sudoku puzzle… it is almost impossible to persuade me to stop until it is finished. I feel that leaving now is dropping a project right in the middle. The clinic has been started, it continues to grow in both what we can treat and number of patients daily. Tenning is learning so much but will have two years of school before he can officially run the clinic on his own. I keep asking God what his plan is here….This clinic is obviously desperately needed.  Is there no one to take this responsibility off my shoulders?

Then I am reminded. This is not my project. The clinic is God’s project and he knows how to take care of what is his.

“God does not call us to be successful; only faithful” –Mother Theresa

Meet Sadja

One of Jon and I’s constant companion and good friend is a twelve year old boy named Sadja. Sadja comes from a family of 13 children, three wives and one husband. His family is Muslim so he is not permitted to come to church, but attends Bible study and frequently comes over to read the Bible. He eagerly absorbs any Bible teaching and is excited about loving God. We have been continually impressed with the maturity level of such a young boy.

Sadja has an incredibly compassionate heart. One day when He came for a visit I was battling a high fever and vomiting. He noticed I was feeling pretty miserable in the intense heat, and asked what was wrong. I told him I was sick and immediately without hesitation he placed his hand on my head and began fervently praying for my healing. I wasn’t instantly healed, but my spirit was lifted beyond explanation at this display of passion and faith.

Sadja with his orange tree that planted
 when he was 10 years old. He waters
and cares for it daily

Sadja  states that he wants to work every day and save his money so that he can go to school to be a nurse. He often watches/helps me in the clinic and has become quite good at dressing changes. One day as Jon was watering the orchard, he followed him from tree to tree singing a song he wrote that went something like this: “I want to go to America with my good friends Jon and Annette, pack me in your guitar case” He spends his morning working in the cashew orchard and attends school in the afternoon. He often enjoys helping Jon with the many different work projects around the mission. He speaks several languages and we are amazed at how much English he has picked up in the last months. Sadja is quite the hunter and can show you how to smoke a ground squirrel or a giant rat out of the ground.

 I asked Sadja if there was anything he would like to tell my friends and family in America, and he said “Jon and Annette are my very good friends, please pray for the work in the clinic and the church.”

The new clinic building

The new clinic building

The clinic work continues to go well. We have a prospective building!!! We are hoping for a construction team to come in January to work on the many necessary renovations. Currently it is pretty much a shell so we are hoping to add a floor, ceiling, finish the walls, and add solar electricity and possibly even plumbing! We have been doing much paperwork and hope to have our official license soon.

With the monsoon season starting, I have seen a slight increase in malaria and am bracing myself for more as the rains increase. There has also been a sharp increase in machete wounds. I was puzzled until Tening explained that this was the time to start clearing the rice fields with the machete as the primary tool. Buying supplies and medication continue to be a constant struggle. It is not uncommon for West Africa to be completed exhausted of certain medications. Even large hospitals are completely out of some staples like Ibuprofen and de-worming medication.

Please continue to pray for the Church in Guinea Bissau. Pray that God would lead EMM to the right person to continue the work in the clinic when we leave. Pray that people here would continue to experience a thirst for more of God and his Word.

Meet Alura

Alura and his Mother in front of their new home!

I would like to introduce you to Alura and tell you his story.

Alura is 18 years old and currently an employee of the mission. He works hard in the orchard watering trees. He has the heart of a worshipper; sitting next to him Sunday morning, his joy and enthusiasm are contagious.

His life has definitely not been without hardship. Alura is epileptic with some mental dissability. His mother is blind. In this culture epilepsy is viewed as spirit possession.  Him and his mother were expelled from their compound and currently live under a mango tree. This is possible during the dry season, however it is fairly miserable when the rain comes (1-2 weeks from now)
 In spite of the physical handicaps, him and his mother have worked hard to harvest their small cashew orchard, and to make mud bricks for a new house. With the help of family and the mission, they will soon put the very last piece of zinc on the roof! Thanks to a new pill box/organizer, persistent reminders and weekly clinic appointments, he is now taking his medication regularly and his seizures are controlled. If you would see him today he has an (almost) constant smile on his face. He is very excited to move into his new house.

Church men helping to split palm trees for the roof

The inside of Alura's new home

“Poverty keeps people in moral equilibrium. Keeps hard-working families virtuous, sets limits to their desire for possessions, preserves humility in personal relationship, encourages them to be industrious, and nourishes hope.

I say “poverty” not misery.

Poverty is the happy medium between two curses. The one is wealth, which is nearly always the fruit of exploitation, injustice or extortion. The other, misery is evidence of an evil deed committed by you or a result of the sins of others." -Carlo Carrette

Here in Catel, I am forced on a daily basis to face the fact that I have much more material possessions than every person I see here. Sometimes I feel guilty, other times I don’t.

It is a constant struggle for me to find the line between misery and poverty. I often find myself applying my silly western ideals to this small village. They simply do not fit. Who says that you must have a closet full of clothes and a nice computer to have a good life?

“To have what we want is riches, but to be able to do without is power” – George McDonald

A world without television, internet, running water, electricity, cars, refrigeration…. The average American would not know how to manage, yet this is the life here in Catel and people here are happy. Don’t get me wrong. There is much suffering and misery. Lack of healthcare, mothers losing on average 1-2 children, lack of food, poor/non-existent education programs… these are all real problems that need addressing.

However, when I think of all the different small villages of GB who have never heard the gospel…. This is when my heart starts to race; this is when I feel a strong sense of urgency. This is an emergency. This is true poverty.

I pray that these stories and pictures would not evoke feelings of guilt, but they would instead raise up a sense of urgency; a realization that all is not right with the world and a yearning and striving for change. 

No, I don’t think everyone should be a missionary to Africa. But I believe as Christians, we are all called to care.

Psalm 82:3-4a

  “Give justice to the poor and the orphan;

      uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute.

  Rescue the poor and helpless.”

Alura with his new home

A Time For Celebration

I am always interested in seeing how different cultures celebrate. Unfortunately there are very little celebrations in Catel. Because of the poverty, most people cannot afford weddings. Birthdays are not recognized or celebrated. (I mostly get laughs when I ask how old people are in the clinic) Funerals are the main events in Guinea Bissau.

Easter was a time of celebration for the church in Guinea Bissau. It started Thursday evening when Beryl led a “Last Supper.” We took communion while thanking God for his sacrifice on the Cross. Each person had a chance to share what Jesus’ death meant to them. The insights into what Christ’s death means for a person in Catel were truly inspiring. I wish you could have been there.

Saturday, the church women spent all afternoon cooking up a special dish made of rice, bananas, sugar, peanuts and peanut butter. Not my favorite but Jon enjoyed it and they love it.

Sunday morning the excitement was contagious. Beryl started the service with a film from the Gospel of John depicting the resurrection.  We watched the film THREE times. Each time it played you would see men, women and children sitting on hard wooden benches leaning forward with excitement. We then spent over an hour singing about every praise song we know. I’m sure Jesus was just smiling at the exuberant faces singing to him oh so loudly. When you have many people in a small space, with 100+ degrees, singing with arms raised to Jesus…  the aroma is horrific... BUT the atmosphere if sacred.

Coming out of incredible spiritual bondage, the Church of Catel truly understands and appreciates the freedom in Christ. I have learned so much from them.

The rest of the day was spent “ junbia” (Kiriol for hang out) at different compounds and roasting cashews. Which then led to a small episode of red, swollen face, itchy, angry skin reaction to the cashew smoke….. not fun… but a couple prednisone later and all is well again. (Benefits of having a pharmacy right in your bedroom)

I hope all of you had a blessed Easter. My prayer was that you would all be able to truly celebrate the incredible freedom we have in the cross. 

May this freedom never be taken for granted!

Help From a Distant Land

Cashew season has begun. Cashews are the main crop for GB and most people here have large cashew orchards. Cashew season is full of long days in the orchard collecting the nuts. Americans do not know what they are missing when it comes to cashews. Attached to every nut is a delicious juicy amazing cashew apple. They are only good for about a day once picked, so they are quickly eaten or made into a delicious sweet, tart juice.

Clinic in Bisseral

The last four weeks have been very busy with different medical teams visiting. We had two Doctors, Ron and Troy, and two Nurse practitioner students Jamie and Danielle, here for one week. This was spent traveling to different far out villages to have clinic days. We developed a pretty efficient system with Jon handing out numbers, getting vitals and main complaint and then we had three different patient care areas and a pharmacy. With this system in place we were able to see up to 60 patients a day. We were overwhelmed at most villages with many patients and sadly had to send people away at the end of the day.

This child was much more
cooperative than others

The second team was Dr. Ron and five of his medical students. They spent two weeks doing physical surveys in Catel and other villages. Measuring malnutrition, malaria and many other health indicators, we hope to take this data to the village officials, presenting the problems and helping to implement change.

With the coming of the teams came many much needed supplies! Jon and I’s bedroom is now also the most well stocked pharmacy in GB. We have everything from cough medicine to Malaria treatment.  The clinic is now also able to test for HIV, Syphilis, Malaria, TB and Typhoid fever.  Before this I was only able to advice them to travel to larger villages to be tested. Lack of finances to travel and then pay for a consultation and tests often kept people from seeking further care.

However, with the ability to test for HIV, I also have the hard task of telling individuals that they have HIV. Two weeks ago we diagnosed my friend and her five year old daughter with HIV/AIDS. The hopelessness these people feel upon hearing this diagnosis is right there with a death sentence. I cried. In one weeks time we diagnosed three people and a possible fourth with HIV/AIDS. 

Theoretically AIDS treatment is available in Guinea Bissau. This being said, no one in Catel or the surrounding area knew anything about this. So last week we took my friend and her daughter to Bissau (capital city of GB) to hunt out a treatment center. What we found was better than I even hoped for!  A very well run Aids clinic offering the latest in testing and medication. Thank God!  Even with free medication, testing and consultations, the patient dropout rate is very high. Patients get tired of taking medication and turn to traditional medicines, or they don’t have the money to pay for the trip to Bissau every month. 

Some days it is hard for me to keep going. I look at these people with real sickness, real problems, real suffering….. my heart breaks. I know they deserve so much better than a simple nurse with a cupboard and a bench. Please join me in prayer that God would raise up more medical doctors and nurses for Guinea Bissau. 

A Funeral In Guinea Bissau

Several weeks ago there was a death in Catel. No one knew the exact age, but I was assured she was “very old and needed to die.” In Guinea Bissau, when there is a death of an older person, the funeral is a celebration as opposed to the mourning of a younger death.

                The woman was the grandmother of a youth in the church. Jon and I were invited to the funeral so I grabbed my camera and we set out. Once again my eyes were opened to the extreme bondage gripping Catel. Upon arrival at the funeral, the spiritual darkness was thick enough to slice. I immediately felt extreme heaviness. The drums, the dancing, the chanting, many rituals to worship the dead…. people continued to pour in. A little after we arrived, young men placed the body on a sort of bush stretcher and took of running down a dirt path. Hundreds of people ran after them chanting, drumming and dancing.

                It is believed in the that the spirits of the ancestors live at the door of each house. They ran with the body to each relatives house and lifted the stretcher up, holding it at the top of each door so that the deceased can communicate with the ancestors to see if there was any foul play (curses) related to her death. The deceased is also supposed to communicate her coming and see who should take care of the family now that she is gone. After several hours of running from hut to hut, the procession arrived at the house of the witch doctor. He told them what sacrifices needed to be done and how they should proceed. After many more rituals, they laid the body to rest right outside the front door. Jon and I walked home, however the constant drumming and chanting over the next five days continually reminded us of the surrounding darkness. Later that night, a woman came to the clinic with a gash on her head from a large beam in the house falling on her. Over the next several days, many animals were killed, many people were drunk on palm wine and many fights broke out.

                According to the animistic belief, it is so important to give your ancestors a proper funeral because the belief is that they have much power over your life. This often causes the family to go into great debt. So many animals are slaughtered and fed to the 1000 people, when it is all over the family goes hungry.

                Please pray that there would be freedom from this darkness in Catel.