Lots of 'FIRSTS'

Hello friends and family. Sorry for the long delay since my last blog. It's been a bit busy with things here in Makeni. A lot of “FIRSTS” for me - some good, some not so good, but all for God's glory. I'm sure there will be more to come. 

It took me to move to Africa to attend my FIRST Chrism Mass. It was so beautiful and fun. I met so many people whose names I will never remember (the name thing is not a first, that's a daily event for me 😄) The gentlemen in black I assume are their version for Knights of Columbus. It was pretty cool.

I experienced my FIRST big holiday being without my family. Thankfully Sally was still here and we had a quiet and lovely day. We went to Mass at the church near the hospital with some of the Sisters. It was a beautiful Mass and the longest Mass thus far - over 3 hours. The kids that received their Sacraments the day before, presented Father with a song/dance and a gift. It was very fun!! Sally made it through, but needed to rest afterwards. There were no filling and hiding plastic eggs and spending the day with my family eating Honey baked ham. Instead we watched “Jesus movies” and talked about our traditions. 

Due to some medical issues that could not be figured out here in Sierra Leone, my amazing housemate & friend Sally left back to America to figure things out so that she can return when she's better. The drive to the airport is a six hours round trip! She left on a Wednesday and arrived on Thursday, tired but safe and now her new journey of finding out what is happening begins. Please pray for her quick recovery and return. 

Right after Sally left, we welcomed a new missionary Nancy Maglorie. She will be working at the University of Makeni so she is living on campus - their apartments are very nice, I might be a little jealous. It's unfortunate that she won't be so close but it's just over 1km to where she's living. We're already planning on taking trips and venturing out of Makeni and seeing Sierra Leone, God willing. Our friend Sheku helps me find my way and takes me to.the market when I'm in need of different things. He is the FIRST person I introduced Nancy to. I had never been to the university so he picked me up and we went to visit Nancy and take her to dinner.

Work continues to be a source of joy, happiness and learning as well as my biggest challenge and source of frustration and even sadness. It's been a while since I worked “on the floor”. I'm used to “treat ‘em and street ‘em”, or get them stabilized and transfer them to the appropriate floor/department or in the case of my last nursing position, to the appropriate hospital. Administering timed medications, recovering patients after they have surgery, WRITING all notes and recording medications (they don't have an electronic medical record, everything is on paper - downtime 24/7!) There are a lot of things I have to dig out of my old brain and hope I'm remembering it correctly. 

Since my arrival at Holy Spirit hospital, I've taken care of a few acutely sick patients. Most of whom have most likely suffered some sort of stroke.  Because the hospital doesn't have a CAT scan, the doctors can't know if it was a “bleed or a clot”. You would treat these two things very differently. With my medical knowledge and the condition of the patient's deterioration, I knew that these patients would most likely not survive. With God's hand, and close monitoring, I was able to keep them alive through my shift but then all but one, passed away on the next shift. I was able to teach some of the students and staff the different things to look for in stroke victims, signs that they would want to look for both improvement and deterioration in the patient. One of them actually was able to be discharged with ongoing physical therapy and close monitoring. I was so thrilled that he recovered - Praise God! But with that being said, my last acute patient was not as fortunate and went home to be with our Lord. She was my FIRST to pass away. I remember the first patient who passed when I started working in the medical field as a secretary nearly 30 years ago. I remember my first patient who passed when I became a nurse. And now I will forever remember that lovely soul and her family. May God grant her eternal rest. She was the FIRST, I'm sure there will be more. It seems that death is much more common here than in the U.S. - it is another thing that I will need to get used to unfortunately, but I know and pray for them as they are passing, or as they are recovering.

Sorry for bumming y'all out. I never want to end these on a negative note so let me tell you about a fun FIRST that happened last night. The Expats will have game nights, movie nights, or other gatherings and I had yet to attend one for various reasons. But last night they were offering a screening of the movie Hail Mary at one of the local libation establishments (i.e. at a local bar). It was a movie I was wanting to see before I left home but it hadn't been released to the theaters yet. I asked my friend Sheku if he would be interested in seeing the movie with us or at least willing to give me a ride there and home afterwards. He said he would like to see the movie with us so we joined several other expats and locals and watched the movie at Kiva's bar. It was SOO GOOD!! I highly recommend it! They had fresh popped popcorn, wings and other snacks. Because of the electricity being out earlier in the day, the beer was warm but having lived in Germany back in the 80s, I had experienced room temperature beer so I decided to indulge even though it was not cold. Thanks to one of the Italians that live on the same compound that I do, I did NOT have to experience my FIRST bike ride home after dark. She gave me a ride in her car!! Riding on a motorbike in the dark was a FIRST I'm okay not experiencing unless I have to! 😄

I'll end this by asking you all to pray for all of the missionaries and volunteers that are trying to make a difference all over this big beautiful world. God bless you all and thank you for your continued love, support and prayers.

Much love and many blessings to you all!

Kathy

 

Don't Say the "E" Word

 

In the Emergency Room and throughout the hospitals in the US, there is a word that is taboo!! It’s the “Q” word!! For those of you who are not medical, the “Q” word = “quiet”. I have literally interrupted a patient or family member in mid-sentence to stop them from saying, “Wow, it’s so _____ tonight”. Then they are educated on the consequences of the word they were about to use. 😀 I hate even putting it out there into the universe. You would never think that a bunch of educated adults would be so superstitious!! Don’t even get me started on full moons!! I digress.

 

Anyway, Sally and I have made a rule that we will not say, even in celebration, “Electricity” just to keep the bad electricity ju-ju away. As I mentioned in my previous blogs, the “E-word” is currently one of my biggest challenges. Being the American I am, I have tried to record the outages to try and figure out if there’s some rhyme or reason to when it’s off and when it’s on. No such luck. I shared this with Sally and she just smiled at me with the look of “oh, pumpkin, you’re so pretty”. She told me she used to do the same thing but finally realized that there are no scheduled outages - except in June for 3 weeks. Hopefully by then I will have really given it over to God and live like my motto - “It is what it is” or in Krio “A-do-bear” (spelled phonetically) To understand and accept that I am not going to be able to control this and just need to bear it along with everyone else around me. I pray I’m getting better but there are times when I am reminded how very blessed we are in the United States.

 

This past week I was sorta like a real nurse. My second struggle is how very different they do nursing care here than what is done in the United States. Most of the time I take a breath, close my eyes, say a prayer and do what is requested of me. But there are other times that my crotchety old ER nurse comes out and I mumble under my breath and probably roll my eyes but I’m trying very hard not to do that. When I stop and take the very few seconds to process what’s being done (or not being done), I do understand, sort of. I know that it’s going to take time for me to become comfortable with it all. I am so very grateful for Sally. She’s always willing to let me voice my thoughts and feelings and then help me process it. She has little nuggets of wisdom and experience that she shares which is very helpful. Thank you Jesus for my sister Sally.

 

Speaking of sisters, the neighbor kids will yell out, “Sista, sista” and wave to us. Or we are called “Porto”. Apparently most white women are nuns (sistas) especially because we live on a compound that has a convent on it. And the “Porto” is short for Portuguese who were basically the first white settlers to Sierra Leone so that’s what white people are referred to as. I hope that we get to go to Freetown (the capital on the coast) sometime soon. There are museums and other historical sites that tell the history of Sierra Leone and the people here. They are wonderful people, very kind and welcoming.

 

I’m excited to start taking some language instruction. The priest that helped Sally, who also lives within our compound, completed the courses he was teaching at the university and will now be able to help me learn the language - if an old dog can learn new tricks. I’ve been trying to listen closely at work and a lot of my colleagues are good at helping me translate when I speak to the patients/family members. I think my struggle will be with the accents, I just need to train my ears better.

 

That’s all for now. Thank you for your continued prayers and support. I love being able to talk to and message my friends and family back home. Feel free to drop me a WhatApps message - my new number here is +232 76 290769. Or you can try FB Messenger but I don’t check that as often. There’s also email: kathykois@gmail.com

 

Much love and many blessings to you all!  XOXO ~ Kathy

First Week In Salone

My first week in Sierra Leone = Salone is what most people call it.

Well right out of the gate, the very first thing I want to put out there, is that Sally Rojas is my hero! She has been so kind and compassionate! She's been watching over me and checking in with me several times a day to see if there are words/questions in my head that are not coming out of my mouth. Sometimes they are hiding in there without me even knowing. I appreciate her knowing that those are living inside my puny little brain. Many, many thanks to Sally and may God continue to bless her sweet soul! 

Okay, back to my week. The flights themselves were uneventful & all of my bags arrived so that's a huge win! I had no problems with customs and was able to move through without a glitch. When I got outside however, trying to connect with Sally was a slight problem that didn’t have to be if stupid Verizon didn't lie to me and tell me they didn’t have any coverage in Sierra Leone - because they do!! 😔 There were several nice men who were eager to help and take me where I needed to go. 😄. I respectfully declined and then Sally walked up - I nearly jumped into her arms. It was already dark by the time we got loaded up and left, I was bummed because I couldn't really see anything along the way. But I did enjoy the snacks and water that Sally brought for me. Got home late and went right to bed. 

Day One:

Got up, took a shower, met a priest - Fr. Dominic (Vicar General to Bishop Bob John). We're invited to a special Mass tomorrow. There is a Cardinal from Italy here touring the different countries in the area. Father was very excited. I know it's always a big deal when a Cardinal comes to town. Especially to a small town like Makeni.

I tried to start unpacking and quickly realized that I needed some sort of bins or drawers for my clothes. My room has what is equivalent to a coat rack with an area for shoes. I have no hangers yet but I did bring my travel clothes line which is helping. I draped my pants over the rod and then hung the clothes line around the top. I have shirts in the clips and I've left the dresses in the travel bags for now. I need to exchange my dollars for leones and to do that I need to meet up with the Monsignor John D. who is the head of finance at the hospital - he knows a guy who will give me a fair exchange rate. I guess if I tried to do it even at the bank, I would be cheated because of my color/nationality. 😕 Until then, I'll make due until we can get what I need. There's a lovely lady that works at the hospital that will take us shopping to get what I need as well as a new couch or chairs tomorrow (the ones in the house have seen better days) after we get back from the Mass at the Cathedral. Everyone I have met here is so gracious, welcoming and kind. I don't know how Sally did all of this and figured things out on her own. She said she looked at it as an adventure, as if she was left on an island and had to figure out how to make things work. Captain Jack-Sally!! 🏴‍☠️

I started to become a little nauseous so I had a small bit of food & water and decided to take a nap. I felt much better afterwards. I woke up to the smell of food cooking. Auntie-P was making dinner. She's the nice lady that we employ to help with food preparation and laundry. I am so grateful again that Sally has this all set up! 

Dinner was great - chicken, rice, carrots, celery and PLATANOES!! (fried bananas, something I enjoy alot). As Sally and I were talking about the electricity, how often it goes out and when, how to pay the bill, etc. It went off, like it was listening and wanted to give me an example. 😆  Fun fact, during the dry season (what we're in now) it goes out basically every evening around 6pm and remains off until after midnight 🥵😭 Needless to say, I am not fan. We have a rechargeable fan and God bless Sally for letting me use it in my room when we go to bed or I would never be able to sleep even for a few hours. She doesn't sleep with her windows open due to concerns about someone trying to reach in and take whatever is in arms reach. Because of the heat and no electricity, I moved everything away from the windows and will be leaving them open. Only Stretch Armstong would be able to reach in far enough to touch anything! 😆 💪🏼

The rest of the week:

The Mass was very nice. When we arrived and were shown to our seats towards the front, there was music playing. Sally said there's only one level of volume here and that is “Loud” which definitely was the case that morning. It helped me wake up from our early morning chaos. I looked over and Sally was giggling quietly. I asked why she said, “the music”. Then it occurred to me that they were playing old western spiritual hymns. I hadn't even noticed. She said she had never heard anything even a little bit similar at any Mass she's been to. It reminded me of my parents so I was enjoying it. Then they broke out some secular Alan Jackson music which we both started laughing but sang along! We didn't stay for the festivities that happened after the Mass.

The drive to the Cathedral at 6:45am was quiet and uneventful but when we were being brought back home - oh my goodness!! The streets were packed full of people, motorbikes and cars, it reminded me of the demolition derby that I attend every year with my work friends! But thankfully there was no blood nor destruction, I thanked God for that! I’m finding I pray a lot more here than I did at home. 😆

When we got home from "shopping" for furniture after meeting up with a local nurse at the hospital. She's in charge of the women's department (OB/GYN). I don't want to do that ever again if at all possible! 😳😄 The woman was wonderful and so nice but we went at the hottest part of the day because we couldn't get a hold of the driver and other such things that are very normal here. 😒 She was a lovely person and helped me buy a trashcan for my bathroom (never realized I would need assistance with something like that). Amazon has ruined me. I'm not a fan of shopping at Walmart or any storefront shops, the way we have to shop here is definitely something I'm going to have to get used to and figure out how to do. I'm not much of a shopper anyway let alone a bargainer - my son-in-law would agree I do not know how to haggle - but unless I'm willing to be bled dry, I'm going to have to learn. Thankfully I was smart and brought a full water bottle and other possible necessities! I'm pretty sure I was the "whitest" person on the street in all Makeni that day or possibly ever! 😂 I've included a picture. That neck fan is the best thing man has ever created!! We weren't able to find furniture for the living area but Sally got a mattress. 

I was exhausted after a full day of extreme heat and waiting around. I never realized that waiting around could be so exhausting. Sally said I could sleep in and get up whenever I wanted the next day. She learned that some boundaries should be in place when it comes to me and sleeping, especially since sleeping through the night is not an easy thing for me because of the heat. I finally got up around 1pm after some sort of alarm was going off. Turns out it was a box that alarms when our electricity credits are running low. She showed me how to process the payment and then get the ref# they give you and enter into a little bitty box up on the side of the porch! 😳 Even if I was brave enough to stand up on the small wall where it's located, I'd never be able to reach the box to enter the number! Short people problems. That definitely sounds like a “Sally job” and when she leaves, she said the nice gate guy would probably be happy to help. I'm sure I'd fall and break my hip!

My first days at the hospital:

We've spent the last 2 days at the hospital. The driver arrives between 7:40-8:30. Every Wednesday there is a morning Mass at 8:30 at the hospital but since this Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, the priests will all be busy at the schools. The Sisters have Mass at 6:30am in their chapel at the compound so that's what we will be doing. Please Jesus let me sleep tonight. And if not, like my coffee mug says, “I'll offer it up” - ‘tis the season, right?!. 😁 Oops, electricity just went out. Aww well, whatta gonna do?

I met too many people to remember but everyone was so kind and welcoming. I spoke briefly with Dr. Turay, who is the medical director, very kind human and very personable. Sister Nora the “Matron” at the hospital (CNO), again very kind and very welcoming. I met Monsignor John D. who is head of finance, Francis the charge nurse and SOO MANY other people. The campus is bigger than I expected. There's a team from the US that arrived and are performing surgeries, and supplying care and other resources free of charge for people in the area. It's been in complete chaos with people wandering around everywhere and lined up in the halls. The US team were anxious to speak with us to see if there was a possibility that Sally & I might be able to assist if we weren’t needed elsewhere. Unfortunately we have yet to be able to help them, I hope we get to before they leave. I’d love to see what and how they do things. I had to apply for a new visa - this one allows me to stay more than three months and volunteer at the hospital. I also need to apply for a residency card. We learned that the cost of this card went from around $20 to over $300 in the last year. Looks like most governments love to charge for random bureaucratic paperwork!  What sucks is that this is an annual fee. 🙁

There are many things at the hospital that are very different from our US hospitals, understandably so. I will NEVER complain about health care in the US ever again! I won’t go into details right now. I’m still trying to wrap my brain (and heart) around it all. 

I don’t want to end this with a downer statement so let me share a few other things I’ve experienced or words of wisdom that people have shared with me. A very sweet friend was wishing me a happy Lent and referred to my three years here as a “Three year Lent”. I thought that was very meaningful. I knew this was going to be difficult and I was going to be WAY out of my comfort zone, but I know God has my back and He cleared the path for me to be here. Normally we give something up for Lent or add something to our lives that will bring us closer to Christ our Lord. I have decided that this mission, my time here and what I do and don’t do will be my sacrifice for Him and His will for my life. I know I’m not going to want to play along all the time and I’m sure I may even pout and possibly throw a temper tantrum in the next three years but I know that I will be receiving so many blessings and graces through it all. And I pray that those blessings and graces will overflow to those around me and those I love.

I want to end with SALLY ROJAS is my HERO!! One of the best and biggest blessings God has given me thus far!!

Love to you all! Keep those prayers coming! Sally was a prayer calendar too. Hers is on the refrigerator, mine is on my Google calendar.

 XOXO ~ Kathy 💛

P.S. There are two dogs on the compound who eat all of our table scraps. And today I learned there are also two little pups but I haven't seen them yet.

The Road God Wants Me On

I would like to preface this with a warning - I write like I talk. I'll try to stay focused and precise but I am a . . . squirrel!

After spending more than three months in Los Angeles, continuing my discernment and receiving formation at the mission house, I am back in God's country (Colorado) and loving every minute of being near to my wonderful family and friends. I can’t lie, the formation process was not easy. And there were times when I asked God if this is truly where He wanted me to be. His answer was always "Yes”. If you're wondering if I have a special cell phone that God uses to tell me what He wants from me, I don't. But He does use people that He puts into my life, to help me understand what He wants from me - a big shout out to my fellow mission house mates - I am so grateful for them. Mary had the Angel Gabriel, which would be so cool but I'm good with how He decided to do things with me. 

As the day draws nearer that I'm going to get onto a plane to leave for three years, my heart grows heavy thinking about the things I'm going to miss being gone; like my oldest grandchild's high school graduation, SOO MANY hockey games from two of other g-kids, my youngest granddaughter leaving elementary school behind and becoming a young lady, along with others mile stones, birthdays, etc. And though my heart is heavy, I know this is the road God wants me on. My loving family is great about being supportive and loving on me as much as possible before I go. With technology what it is, it won't be like it was when some of the LMH veterans had it - waiting anxiously for that letter or very rare phone call. I'm not sure I could have done that. Like it says in Esther 4:14, “You were created for such a time as this”. Thank you Lord for allowing me to do this on the downhill part of my life where we now have WhatsApp! 😄 BTW, that’s how y'all can stay in touch with me besides these rambling blogs.

Please pray for me and the other missionaries that will be leaving for Ghana & Dominican Republic, as well as those already in service.

P.S. I’ve included a few pictures of people and things that I will be missing while on mission. Shout out to my oldest daughter Vanessa and her hubby for taking my pup Siena.