La Sonya

Well this is it. There’s just tomorrow left here in Bere. Today I went to give the TB meds and Anatole already was. So no hospital work for me today. So I came home to get started on my henna. I’ve hennaed my feet :o) I’ve wanted to ever since my good friend Terri Lynn had hers done when she left Mali after a year there. So my ama volunteered to do it for me. It’s a long process, hours of just sitting. But I’m rather glad for it. I get to sit here with my famil for 5 or 6 hours. What a great day it will be. So I’ve been sitting here remembering things like the time I played in the field with all the neighbor kids teaching them fun American games. Or the time my famil was trying to teach me/ask me if I wanted to shower. Or the night we danced out under the stars. Je suis eh bloque. I’m blocked. Another memory of a drunken proposing fisherman. Really couldn’t ask for a better last Sunday.

I had a great 25th birthday! Bonnie, our only female horse gave birth sometime before 7 am on the 22nd of April, my birthday!!! It’s so cute! I took a picture of it then Esther emailed it to James and Sarah. Sarah called almost right away so she could get the scoop on him. Then in the evening Hans, Monica, the dental asst, and I went to visit Levi. He’s the chofure (driver I hate spelling French). It was so nice; we ate beef, rice, my fav salad –cucumbers, tomatoes and onions. We drank tea and milk; hmmm it was all so good and relaxing. A lovely birthday dinner. Then for our party we went down to Bendalay to eat raspberry crumble and salsa with chips. The raspberry crumble was a backpacking meal that Liz donated for the party. We played African pictionary where everyone wrote 5 things to draw from Tchad. We had a blast. They all chipped in to buy me an Arab dress made in the market. I love it! I had no idea that that was what they were going to get me. I love it, I just need to go get

It’s one week till I turn 25. Whooow. Where’s all the time gone? 25. We pick checkpoints in our lives when we’re kids – 16 drive, 22 be cool in college. 25 – what did I think I’d be doing at 25? I thought maybe be studying in Spain or just finishing my long college career. But I’m pretty certain it never crossed my mind to be here in Africa fighting for the Light of God to shine here. Guess what I’ve just done? One week before my 25th birthday I’ve shaved my legs for the first time in over 7 months ;o) It’s easy because I wear no shorts only scrubs and skirts. On the chance that Liz did see my legs she would comment that it was good I shaved, when in fact she just couldn’t see my leg hairs! I was just blessed with soft, light, fine hairs. Thank you Jesus! 3 Weeks and I’m in Europe with mom! Think of the fun we’ll have! I’m so glad she’s able to come after all. I’ve always wanted to travel somewhere like this with mom. She’s going to love it! One month from today I’ll be on my way

0600 (Saturday) went for walk with God and had diarrhea 0700 rush to house to use restroom 0715 fell asleep on couch 0900 go to Sabbath School 1000 leave before Sabbath School is done and realize I don’t feel so good 1200 Temp: 101.1 F 1300 lay on Ann and Rich’s couch in Bendalay 1330 scale says 165 1500 eat stew 1520 poop stew 2100 want to die I feel so bad 0023 (Sunday) discuss with Esther and Liz possible treatment options (assuming I have Geardia) and ability to still go to N’djamena 0430 wake up again at house with fever (oh so hot) and diarrhea 0530 decide officially to not go to N’djamena. Hard choice but there’s no rest stops on the way 0853 dozed at Ann and Rich’s 0900 scale says 160 0959 understand better the ruthless evilness or geardia or whatever it is I have 1000 temp: 100.5 F 1315 shower in real shower, wash and shampoo hair, ahh 1426 eat two pieces of toast 1500 poop toast 1510 scale says 160 –barely 1835 temp 98.0 F 1900 Took two Tylenol PM 0300 (Monday) w

Days are ticking by! I was really ill on Monday. I’m assuming it was heat stroke from my afternoon activity with Liz and Esther. I had an awful migraine. I could barely stand to open my eyes all day. I took meds all day but they didn’t help. I should have been guzzling water but that was making me nauseous and I was fighting fever all day too. So all day I would rotate from the middle room to sit on the shower and spray my legs, arms , neck and head with water to sitting/laying by the toilet to laying on the couch in the living room because there was more airflow. The only time it didn’t hurt was after I slept and didn’t move but one I moved it was done for. Then around 7pm Liz gave me Tylenol PM and boy did that help. I was out like a light and woke up in the middle of the night with no pain! Yesterday I felt tired and a bit of a throb, today the same thing except not as bad unless I turn a certain way.

So much for my goal of writing everyday for at least 15 min . . . My last month here in sunny Béré, Tchad. Moving on. I’m still working on believing it my self! I guess I’m allowing myself to dream more and more about returning home. I’ll be stepping off the plane in Atlanta, Georgia on May 15 at 6pmish. I hope to then stop by Taco Bell for a bean burrito then I plan on stopping at McDonald’s for a vanilla milk shake mmmm, sounds good doesn’t it? My ticket home has been changed and I get to stop in France for a few days. It’ll be Esther and I who leave first. We’ll be escorting Dr Eckvall and his Asst with us to the airport then they’ll go on home and L’Esther and I will explore France a bit with my Mom! We’ll be going from Paris to Geneva because that’s where Cristina, one of the short term volunteers who was here for 6 weeks lives and she’s invited us to her house to visit. My goal is to relax, explore the country side, relax, climb the Alps, relax, get my hair cut by a Frenchmen, re

Dusk was here and I was awkwardly chatting with two men who stopped by my compound to . . . I guess talk to me? Not sure, but I welcomed the interruption of someone from the hospital arriving asking me to come to the bloc de oporatiour to help with an operation. What a way to start the Sabbath, with a Friday night surgery. It was an intense operation. His stomach was septic we had to do several bowel reconstructions, which cuts out dead intestines and puts it together again. The intestines were blown up like a balloon. To bad he waited several days to come in. To bad it was a roasty toasty OR that didn’t have AC, only a regular circulating fan, and was filled with 1 surgeon, 2 assistants, 2 anesthetists, and 1 circulating nurse and 1 sick person. It was all caused by appendicitis. The surgery was long for many reasons. The guy was a drinker so we gave a whole lot or ketamine to knock him out and even then he was tense. We kept finding more bowls to fix. When putting the bowel back in

When I sleep outside on the mat in our compound I think Mowgli (my dog) assumes we’re having a sleepover at his house since he’s no longer aloud in mine. He used to sneak in my hut at night and when I would come home late he’d be inside when I opened the door. But then we went to Cameroon and he would still go in my hut only then he’d be stuck! So he got in trouble with Mathieu! Anyway now with the heat we have moved out of doors he’s happy again. I’ve rolled over to see him looking down at me waiting for me to pet him, I’ve woken up to him eating something that stinks. Last night I woke up and we were sharing my pillow then I woke up later and my legs were his pillow then again later we were mashed side by side. He’s a good dog and our sleepovers are fun!

I’d been afraid recently that when I got to camp I wouldn’t be the same. I was afraid I’d be tired all the time, that I wouldn’t be able to be in charge of programming the way I should and that because of being here I wouldn’t care as much. It’s awful being tired like that at camp and I was/am afraid I will be. Liz had wanted to have a VBS for a long time because we’d been sent so much stuff for kids but it’s seemed like recently I haven’t had the drive or passion to help with it. Everything just too different and I’m already so tired all the time. So she worked with Noel, the terrorist turned hospital chaplain. It was decided that we’d go down to his house to have it. This meant we’d have to walk down to Bendalay and back every night. The first night, Monday, was a big culture shock. A camp prog dir I have my ways of doing things and taking over if things get out of hand and chaotic. Well this was so far out of my league and comfort zone that I didn’t say one word, especially because

“Love the Lord your God, and love one another. Love one another as He loves. Love with strength and purpose, and passion and no matter what comes against you. Don’t weaken. Stand against the darkness, and love. That’s the way back into Eden. That’s the way back to life.” -Redeeming Love pg 462 This was a very humbling weekend. I read this quote on Friday night with big plans to love people the following day. Have you ever tried to do that? It seemed so simple in theory but I’m afraid I didn’t do so well in practice. We had been invited to our friend’s home on Saturday evening. It’s a home where three of the nurses live. They’re friends of ours that we’ve visited before. I found out about the invite while waiting to go on the platform at church. So mentally in my head I started planning on it. During the late afternoon Liz, Esther, and I started out on a small adventure to a HUGE tree I’d wanted to climb for awhile now this tree is exhausted. It’s your

What seems like a long time ago I wrote about dead fish handshakes. Well those fish have been rejuvenated and there is no such kind of handshake anymore. There have been mornings when I’ve been in the greeting line after worship and my hand has been rung out to dry. It was squeezed so hard. Then somehow it got to be a jolly good joke with some of the nurses and other staff to see how hard they could actually squeeze Sonya’s hand! The dead fish I once complained about have long since “passed away”. I guess that means I’m welcomed here as a friend. Even if I do have to revert to kicking Deighbe’s shins to let go of my hand that he’s squeezing to death!

March 22 Hello my name is Sonya and I must be PMSy because I am grouchy. I don’t want to help anymore. I don’t want to be called at random times to work in the OR I just want to leave. Since Thursday I’ve worked a whole lot in the OR. I enjoy being exhausted but I don’t enjoy not getting to do my plans. I definitely couldn’t do this if the girls weren’t here. Here’s a confession. I want to be sick because then I wouldn’t have to work. I could be here and not worry about anything. It’s bad I know. I might have malaria, but who wouldn’t be exhausted with all this working, my stomach only hurts a small little bit, nothing to out of the ordinary. But I’ve felt bad before and didn’t have it. Plus part of me wants to be really sick. Help me Father. I am sorry I just want to run away. I just want to be miserable, why? I’m not real sure. 26 March It might not have been that long since I last wrote but it feels like ages. Both Mowgli and Petit Chen have been sick. Mowgli first then Petit Chen,