I"m back in the Hammer!

August 19, 2004

WOW. I"m starting to get overwhelmed.
God, you are cool and I'm hanging onto ya! ;0)

I am very very happy to be back in Canada, and back in Hamilton. If felt bizarre to be back, but it truly feels like home. I don't know what to do with what i've seen, heard, smelled and experienced, so i ask for your forgiveness in advance if i cease to make sense in the next year.

I am on my 'Chinese-productivity-work-mode'...behaving like a mad woman efficiently (or maybe not so) organizing my 2 month absence from my home 'office'...paying bills, changing addresses, re-hooking up phone lines, registrating for school, trying to buy a car, etc... i woke up at 4:30am today to get going on my day. Yes, beware, i am abit psycho, but i can't function in chaos.

the next 2 weeks will be crazy as i begin school on Monday and then try to move out of my place in the process...but most of all, i am thankful for God's great mercies, the way He moved in my life these past 2 months, and hanging tight onto Jesus as I begin my 2nd yr of med school. Thank you all for your awesome support! i'll get to see some of you soon!

'Be still and know that I am God'...THANKS GOD!
s

ostriches and desert, the Kuvales are cool!

August 10th, 2004

We’re back from Virei! Wow, was that ever amazing! We trekked literally into the desert in our rugged Land Rover and reached Virei on Friday night. Pitched a tent and spent the night…then at 6am had a bible study on Worship with the church congregation and promptly left around 9am to make contact and find the Kuvale families that had recently moved about 70km away from Virei (where there’s grass for the animals).

It took us about 3 hours to go over river beds and more terrain (there were actually very diverse landscapes, shrubs, trees, sand) and we met up with 2 different settlements. Man, that was so cool! They are the most friendly Angolans I’ve met with to date! I love their clothes and their lifestyle. We spent most of our time with the 2nd group of mixed Kuvale and Muwhila people and their chief. Mostly, we sang and told them about Jesus and visited and then did some medical consults before leaving.

Then on Sunday, we had lots of singing in church (I love their harmonies) and visiting. On sat night, Becky and I spent our time just singing out into the African sky and entertaining the curious children. We figured out that they probably had never seen a Chinese person before, so they found me either strange or funny or both! I love the kids…they would laugh everytime I tried to speak Portugese or their tribal language and they even managed to learn some English (that I tried to teach!).

Then on Sunday, as we were driving back to Lubango, WOULD YOU BELIEVE IT? We were driving, and suddenly this flock (?) of ostriches (BIG AND FAST) started running next to us and then we saw 4 ‘springbachs’ (deer-like gazelles) and then some dykers (‘bambi’ in portugese) and a lot of birds and I even saw a giraffe (but they promptly told me it was a tree) ;0)

Today, I asked for a ‘day off’ since we did a whole day of surgery yesterday (Monday), and having just come back on Sun night, I’m exhausted! I leave on thurs morning!
I love you all! Oh yes, and thanks so much to Jason and Jess, Todd and Bree (bree, did you get my email?) and the others who offered a ride, I’m good for a ride, will see you guys soon!
s

Treking into the Desert to visit the unreached...

August 5, 2004

So I wrote this message earlier today only to have it disappear into cyberspace….aiyah….

Anyway, I was just saying that tomorrow, I’m excited cos Becky, Dr. Karen Hendriksen (did I mention that this is the THIRD McMaster Grad doc here in Angola!!! Go MAC!) , and a few of our Angolan friends (pastors/church ppl) will be trekking into the desert (is it desert or dessert? I never know) to visit with the ‘Kuvale’ ppl in a place called ‘Virei’.

The Kuvales are a nomadic, unreached tribe who still very much are living their traditional lifestyles, so I’m excited to observe and learn about them as we spend Friday-sun visiting and in fellowship. You can pls pray for safety on the road and trip (about 6-7 hours each way) and for favor and friendship as we seek to understand them and share how awesome Christ is! (plus, we’ll be ‘camping out’ in the desert, so you can pray for all that stuff…you know…critters and stuff…hahah!)

You know what? Then on Monday, It’s my last day of surgery (which, I’m actually starting to enjoy more), and then it’s wind down time…time to pack and say goodbye (so sad)…I leave on Angolan airlines on Thurs to Windhoek (I decided to not go to Etosha to see animals, mainly due to cost, and secondly…how fun is it to see lions and giraffes by yourself?) and spend till Monday in Windhoek, Namibia. I”ll reach Canadian soil on Tues, debrief at the SIM headquarters on Wed morning, then I’ll be free to go home! (if I can find a ride, that is…;0)

Well, that’s about it for now. I”ve had a pretty relaxing week so far…spending more time studying and reading up than actual clinic/OR time, which is great! (cos it’s been pretty intense till now).

Love you all!
s

It's out of this world!

August 2nd, 2004

Dear Everyone,

I feel like I owe each and everyone of you a huge and incredible THANK YOU for uplifting me in prayer, in email, and in thoughts!

We came back from 'the bush' on Sat, and it remains one of the most incredible experiences in my life. What we saw and how we worked and the friendships we made was simply profound.

We basically woke up at 6am and worked till like 11pm. Surgery after surgery, consult after consult...heart-wrenching case after another...'headectomies after headectomies'...

We saw ample evidence of the war enroute (6 hour drive at least) and also at the hospital, as it was in the area where bombs and fighting happened. (even held my pee during the drive there cos i didn't want to have to get out to pee if there were landmines around...)

ANd guess what? I think i can say to myself that by God's grace, I would give myself the 'most improved' award in surgery! hahahhaha!! ;0)

Well, so much to say, but i don't want to hog email time. THanks again for all of you, to Bree, Simon, Sean, Hengz, Heather (!) all of you who have taken the time to read and think and love. I'm thinking and praying for all of you back!

I only have about one week left and I think I"ll be spending around 3-4 days seeing giraffes and lions in Namibia! cool, eh?