Blog Post 10-10-12
Hello Everyone!
I hope all of you are keeping warm, as
I am writing this in a sweatshirt and a steaming cup of tea. It's
hard to think that less than a month ago I was profusely dripping
with sweat in the humidity of Papua New Guinea, praying for a soft
breeze to sweep by. And I will probably be saying something similar
when I go back in January- Australia's summer. But there's nothing
quite like fall in the northwest, the trees slowly morphing from
green to autumn red and yellow with the crunch of leaves under your
shoes.
I first off wanted to say how blessed
I've been to travel through Oregon (and Washington) on a “farewell
tour” to say goodbye to friends and
family before I leave in
January. I received so
much TLC (Tender Loving Care) while I was
there and the many blessings of meals and laughs- it was delightful.
Thanks also to all of you who have graciously watched the videos and
photos and listened to my stories, expressing interest in what I'm
doing, your prayers, advocacy and generous donations! I CANNOT do
what I do without all of you. THANK YOU SO MUCH for standing with me
and being an extension of what I am a part of on the other side of
the world. God bless you!
So last time I left you, I was living
in our first village (Aroma) for 2 weeks in Gulf Province. We then
hopped in a covered truck (with benches- WOOT WOOT!) and rode the 7
hours to Port Moresby to reunite with the other half of our DTS
(Discipleship Training School) joined up with the Medical Ship in
Port Moresby.
(Due to the fact that the ship can only
hold 50 people including crew, volunteers, kitchen staff, etc... at
one time, our school of 24 split into 2 groups and would alternate
locations; Team B in the village, Team A on the ship for 2 weeks,
then switch).
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| Brian and his mom in Aroma |
Before I advance to the next adventures
on the ship, I was recently reminded of a tender story I would be
delighted to share with you.
Brian is a 4 year old boy that we had
the great privilege of meeting in Aroma. We first met his mother
during women's fellowship the last wednesday we were in the village,
but we also encountered Brian when our team performed dramas in the
village and played games with the other children along the beach. I
hope you can see by his smile he is a boy full of life, his laugh
reminded me of the squeal of sheer delight of a child embracing the
purity and simplicity of childhood.
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| Women's Fellowship, praying for Brian |
The other women in the fellowship
requested we pray for Brian and his mom during our prayer time, as he
was experiencing extreme pain of a suspected broken arm after falling
out of a tree a few days before we arrived. Reports of his condition
concerned us as we were told he wasn't sleeping and would often
scream out in pain being touched or moved. In the U.S or any other
western country, tylenol, ibuprofen or similar painkillers would be
given to ease the pain, however the high cost and limited
availability of the medications weren't an option for Brian.
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| Mel, our ER nurse and Brian |
We bowed our heads with heavy hearts
for this young boy in such distress and agony and cried out to God
for His Father's heart to touch this young guy and to help us help
him.
By the second week of our residence in
the village, we began to see more of Brian as his pain was
decreasing. Mel, our ER nurse from Canada, was able to assess Brian
and determine that his arm was almost certainly broken. As a team,
with three nurses, we discussed different ideas of how to help him
and what we could do. Since the fall occurred before we arrived, our
best guess would be that the bone would be beginning to set in
improperly and cause him significant pain and adverse affects in his
future. Therefore we determined he needed to seek further medical
attention, that we were unable to provide for him.
Three days before we were scheduled to
leave Aroma, we arranged transport to travel and reunite with the
ship.
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| Team B heading for the city! |
Helen, our leader informed us that since we (as a team) were
paying for transport (it wasn't public) we could invite Brian and his
mom to travel with us to Port Moresby to have an x-ray of his arm at
the hospital! We were absolutely thrilled and delighted to have such
an answer to prayer. It's interesting to note that God knew Brian
would break his arm and need help. And even while we were praying on
the blue tarp that acted as the floor of the church during women's
fellowship, God had already sent an answer: us. We were there at the
right time and had a few nurses to assess the suspected break, and
as a team, the available transport to get him to a proper medical
facility.
Brian was such a trooper and brave little guy; he sat on
his mom's lap for the 7 hour bumpy ride to the city, sleeping
occassionally.
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| The bumpy ride to Port Moresby |
We loved having him along and smiled at his delight at
the “lollies” when we shared our oreo rations with him. He was
a particuarly good sport when the trip was delayed by a few break
downs and a tire blowout. When Brian and his mom were gathering their
things to exit the vehicle, I was so thrilled they made it the city
where he could receive the medical care he needed. In that moment,
however, I felt a pang of grief in my heart and tears welled up in my
eyes as I watched them go. This precious little boy who delighted us
with his bright eyes and smile, had charmed his way into my life and
stolen my heart. Even though I'm not a mother, I was amazed at the
capacity in my heart to love that darling boy, wanting to shower him
with hugs and make silly faces together; yet I was facing the stark
reality that I likely wouldn't see him ever again.
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| Brian with his homemade sling |
It's so curious to me that I boarded a
plane and traveled thousands of miles, across the world, with the
mindset to help and serve Papua New Guineans. During those two weeks
in Aroma, our team performed dramas, taught health education, led and
spoke at church services- which is all wonderful and much needed.
Nonetheless, that simple act of my team being in the village at that
time, assessing his arm and providing transport was all in God's
gracious plan to care for Brian- and had more impact than any other
church activity we participated in. I didn't anticipate that
assisting a 4 year old child and his mother would impact my life so
significantly. As I reflect upon this event, I realize it was worth
it- Brian was worth it: the mud, the bugs, the heat, the travel, lack
of conveniences.... It was all worth it, for a 4 year old boy to know
that his Father in heaven deeply cares about him and desires to love
him and be a part of his life.
As you can tell from the beginning of
this post, this story wasn't what I was intending to share with you.
But I was reminded of Brian and eager to share this with you, since
so many of your thoughts, hearts and prayers were with me while I was
in Papua New Guinea.
I hope you enjoyed reading this and
that you felt that you were there, that you were a part of this story
because you are: you are a direct extension of what I am a part of. I
cannot do what I'm doing without the love, prayers, and support of
you back home. Thank you!
If you have any questions or would like
to be more involved, I would love to hear from you! Feel free to
email me at
christyp20@gmail.com.
Love and blessings to all of you,
Christina
