Gifts - thank you

Three years ago I resigned from my consultant job in Paediatric Cardiac Anaesthesia and Paediatric Intensive Care to work full time for Mercy Ships. And what an incredible journey these last 3 years have been, emotionally, professionally and spiritually. And it is not a journey I have travelled entirely alone. It feels like many of you have travelled with me through a kaleidoscope of different contributions. So it is a shared journey because your help makes it possible.

Emotionally, living without a salary is a strange phenomena in today's world and I have found the experience very humbling. Clearly it is impossible to raise your own living costs, but with the support of family, friends, organisations and other charitable donations who give in many ways it has been possible. And over the last three years I have been frequently moved to tears and humbled by people's gifts. A friend of mine recently wrote a blog about gifts and she quoted this definition:
Gift [gift] noun
1. Something given voluntarily without payment in return, as to show favor toward someone, honor an occasion, or make a gesture of assistance; present.
2. Something bestowed or acquired without any particular effort by the recipient or without its being earned.

Often people's gifts have come at just the right time, when I am struggling, or wondering how something will work out, or simply feel exhausted and in need of encouragement. The gifts don't have to be large or even financial, sometimes a simple cup of tea or glass of wine, a short chat, has lifted my spirits in ways some of you wouldn't even know. A timely email has the same effect. I thank you as friends for every gift, large or small you have given.

Professionally, many medical colleagues of mine have also given me additional gifts. Gifts of encouragement, good advice, and metaphorically speaking, you have held my hand part of the way. We have shared the joys and the trials of teaching and training in low income settings, we have wrestled with the difficulties and tried to make a difference. You have stretched me and introduced me to people who have challenged and shaped my thinking. And you continue to support me, and encourage me to think about the future and the inevitable question, ‘what will I do next?’

Spiritually, my faith in God who can provide and who can do the impossible has grown beyond measure. I have seen God provide for my needs, financially, emotionally ,and I have witnessed many miracles in the wards of our hospital. Translators who couldn't speak a local dialect being able to speak it to a certain patient who needed it but not to others, a lady with a vesicovaginal fistula which was not amenable to surgery was prayed for and her ‘leaking’ stopped, someone else who was HIV positive was prayed for and then said to be HIV negative, several intensive care patients have gone from being medically speaking ‘at deaths door’ to suddenly extubated (off all life support machines) and back on the ward in less than 24 hours – phenomena I have never seen before. Also, individual crew members coming to the ship have seen their own lives transformed through prayer and encounters with the love and power of God. Not to mention, the God-inspired ideas that I feel I have had. Ideas that have defined the creation and the current strategy of our healthcare education program. The favour we have had with contacts at home and abroad. I see Gods’ hand at work everywhere and I am grateful for your gifts – your prayers that open doors in the heavenly places and afford protection and strength to continue.

But it hasn't all been easy. I can't say I have loved every minute of it. There have been tough times. I miss family and friends, I miss playing golf, sailing, simply walking down the street alone and sitting in a café, I even miss running in the cold and rain. Living and working in a small community isn't always easy either, relationships are easily strained and life can feel very intense.  I shared a room with two others for two years, but now have my own room which makes huge difference, but others I work with and rely upon are not so fortunate.

However, as a Christian, I believe that since God has called me to work with Mercy Ships he will  provide whatever I need (physically, emotionally, spiritually, financially, professionally) because that is what the bible promises. And that truly, has been my story.  I have witnessed God provide through so many of you in a miriad of various gifts. Gifts….those things, ‘given voluntarily without payment in return, as to show favor toward someone, honor an occasion, or make a gesture of assistance; bestowed or acquired without any particular effort by the recipient or without its being earned’.

Whether you believe it or not, The bible says we are all made in God’s image, so it doesn't much matter what you believe, you, each of you do in fact exhibit parts of God’s character  - generous gift giving for one. I know – I have seen it and experienced it from you.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart, and I wish you a very Happy New Year, and may God bless you more than you expect or deserve.

Christmas - An event for everyone

This is how Christmas seemed to the shepherd:

There were sheepherders camping in the neighbourhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God's angel stood among them and God's glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Saviour has just been born in David's town, a Saviour who is Messiah and Master. This is what you're to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger. (Luke 2:8-12 )

'God's angel stood among them and God's glory blazed around them'. Every Tuesday morning at 7.30 we gather in the operating room corridor for 20 minutes / half an hour of devotions. This is a time where we sing some songs of worship and then focus our attention on God, his character and his love for us. It is a bit like a longer version BBC Radio 4 'thought for the day'. Every week, the discipline of doing this and committing ourselves to God really moves me. 30-40 beautiful people from all around the world, working in our hospital, all volunteering to serve those less fortunate than themselves. Many of these folks have given sacrificially to come, and have left their own families behind to be a part of our ship family for a few weeks. The other week as I looked at our group I think I saw an angel. Actually I think I saw more than one. As I looked at our group of people, I saw hearts shining, overflowing with love, literally radiating the love of God. Some were burning brighter than others, not because they were actually brighter but because the others seemed covered somehow.....so their light couldn't shine. But as I continued to worship and praise God, I saw the covers being lifted off, it was as if somehow the sound of our praises caused the covers to be removed allowing the lights in their hearts to shine. And I was reminded of this passage of scripture, God's angel stood among them and God's glory blazed around them, and I wondered if God's angel was indeed among us, and glory blazing around us. Blazing with such intensity that we were literally transformed by it, so that his presence in us made our hearts shine. No matter who we were, or what we had done, or not done, his glory transforms us. He saves us from the things that cover us and continue to drag us down. He saves us to make us beautiful and radiant. It was a great and joyful moment to catch a glimpse of the treasure inside each person, even if was buried deep within and covered.....it could be uncovered.

And that is what Christmas is all about. 'A great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide'. It is a free gift for everyone, regardless of race or religion or wealth or status. The gift of a saviour.......and not just to save us from our sins......Oh no, no, no.......there is so much more to the Christmas story than that. I am talking about something more tangible, more credible. The gift of a saviour to save us from whatever we actually need saving from. Think about it: Matthew was a tax collector and he was greedy for wealth and status, Jesus saved him from that desire 'to have and accumulate' and gave him freedom to give and be generous. Mary was a prostitute, trapped in a situation she probably didn't chose for herself and didn't want to be involved in but circumstances had forced her into. Jesus saved her from the guilt and shame, and gave her freedom to be a women allowed back into society again. Lepers were excluded from society, considered less than human and with no hope of healing. Jesus healed them and gave them back the right to be considered human.

A saviour has just been born and the shepherds were told, 'this is what you are to look for, a baby wrapped in a blanket lying in a manger'. This phrase makes me wonder, what saviour has just been born in your town, close by, waiting to save you? What do you need respite from this Christmas? For the shepherds they didn't exactly expect their saviour to be a baby in a manger.......so as you look for your saviour this Christmas, be ready for the unexpected, be open minded, and let God meet you with his angels and show you his love in the form of his son, your saviour who can rescue you from whatever is troubling you this Christmas time. For the shepherds, salvation was in the form of a baby wrapped in a blanket lying in a manger, I wonder, what unexpected form will your salvation take this Christmas time?

I pray you will see his angels appear to you and his glory blazing around you and you will find the Saviour you are looking for.
Happy Christmas and peace to you.

Surgery starts tomorrow

It is over 5 months since we saw our last patients. Problems with Ebola in West Africa and then engineering difficulties with our ship propellers caused a prolonged long delay and multiple changes in our schedule. But now the waiting is over. At long last, the Operating Rooms are cleaned and ready. Nurses who had been re-deployed to serve in the dining room and galley have swapped their red ‘kitchen’ uniforms and now wear their more familiar blue, pyjama-style hospital  ‘scrubs’. Everything is ready – surgery starts tomorrow.

Three little children are tucked up in our hospital beds. Our waiting is over, and tomorrow theirs will be too. The wait for surgery they never thought they would have. Some are too young to understand. They are simply smiling, enjoying the attention of the nurses, playing Jenga, or blowing bubbles. But their parents know what the future holds. Their eyes hold the wait of expectation. Anticipation of hope, waiting to be realised. Is this really true? They almost dare not believe it. Their child with crooked legs, or twisted feet is about to be given the chance of living a normal life. A free surgery, that will free them from growing up crippled. A future that looks different simply because they will look different.

 Eyes and hearts are full of expectation tonight. And it is not just the patients and their care givers. My heart is full too. I love what I do. I love giving out of what I have been given, to play a part in transforming the lives of adults and children here in Africa. But I won’t be giving any anaesthetics tomorrow – I must wait a bit longer. I have some wonderful anaesthesia volunteers who will take care of the operating room for the next two weeks. My job is to take part in a strategic planning conference on-board and help define Mercy Ships focus and growth for the next few years. Then next week I am in the US for a similar meeting with Lifebox (www.lifebox.org). I love the strategy and planning, it fills me with hope for a better future. But I also love the patients I get to serve here – so truly I am excited to hear their squeals and giggles fill our hospital corridors. Tomorrow, 3 children and 4 adults will get surgery they couldn’t otherwise have had. Just like the grace of God – everything we offer is for free - all our surgeries, all our medications, all the food (for patients and care givers) – everything, even my time, everything  is free.

How did we find these patients?

We have had a week of screening: approx 4200 people showed up. 2588 were seen by a rapid assessment ‘pre-screening’ team (I did that one day); 697 had a history and more detailed examination; and 369 were give appointments for a pre-operative surgical appointment and 204 placed on a waiting list

Our hospital is ready - we are so happy