Wrapping up..... but not forever

I wanted to write a post to wrap things up from the trip, and give my perspective on being back in the States for a couple of weeks now.

As of two weeks ago, Jeremiah and I made the journey back home to the States.

We spent our last few days in Cameroon enjoying our time with newfound friends, playing Pinochle with the Snells, and trying to get as much in at the hospital as possible. In the last week I think helped with about 5 C-sections in 3 days. yesss! We said our (tearful...on my part) goodbyes, and left the place that would change our lives forever.

I wake up every morning missing Cameroon. This is no exaggeration. This trip for me was not some sort of emotional high, or mountain-top experience (although it did involve a lot of mountains, both literally and figuratively), but it was more than that. Cameroon in my mind represents the greatest month of my life, hands down, for several reasons:

I saw God in the eyes of those Cameroonian people. Just look at the picture of that little girl with the big eyes. Something about them, how could you not love that? I enjoyed sharing in the life of every single person that we met there. I loved learning about their families, their dreams, their lives. And they were always so eager to share with us. No one even hesitated in welcoming us into their homes, their bible studies, their soccer games, their OR.

God shaped my thinking that month. I think differently about life now. I realized again how much bigger the world is than my little self-contained bubble. My life is not just about me, and it shouldnt be anyways. What reverse culture shock it was to come back to the states, to get thrown back into American culture. I spent a month without my cell phone, without my car, without my typical American 22 yr-old girl's day to day worries...and I loved it. How refreshing it was to wake up in the morning and not think about ....what outfit I was going to wear that day, or how much money I could make if I took this other job, or who's going to win America's Next Top Model this season?! (ok...I really havent ever woken up completely distressed about who is going to win a tv show....especially that one. Im not going to say I dont love that show, though...). But instead my thoughts were about what patients we would see that day, what I could bring to the children's ward that they would like, and how I couldnt wait to hang out with Elvyn and get to know her better. My month in Cameroon was about other people, not just me. I was a part of something bigger than myself, more important than me, and that is what changed the way I think. That is how it is supposed to be. And that is hard.

Please pray for me. I want the things I learned in Cameroon to stick. Already it is as if there is a war in my mind between how I thought about things, people, myself, before I left for this trip, and how I was thinking about things while I was there. I am still processing how I need to balance these thoughts and live my life accordingly to what I learned. It is a difficult thing, but I want to be a good steward of what I learned. I want the rest of my life from this point on, the decisions I make, the direction I move in, to be about this bigger picture, not just me. On that note....

Cameroon also represents a time where I was able to use the talents, interest in medicine, and compassion for people that I believe the Lord has given me in a full time, every single day- kind of way. It was awesome. Completely fulfilling. To me, medicine is a ministry, a way to reach people and touch them and show them love in a very practical way. There is something about seeing a person who is hurting physically, just looking them in their hurt filled eyes, and then helping them. Healing a wound, saying "Ashiah" to them, healing a spirit. It becomes the same thing. God is using physicians all around the world to bring His love to hurting people through medicine. How cool is that. It makes me want to be a part of something like that even more.

If you have ever been to a foreign country, especially one close to a third world country, you know that what you see there changes you instantly. You dont have to spend a month in a place like that to realize how good you have it. It is hard coming back to the states where I have tons of clothes, money, and infinite opportunities at my fingertips (all by the grace of God, I am so thankful for how blessed I am). However it is hard to balance that with the fact that people around the world, my friends, have next to nothing. What do I do with that? How do I process that in my mind......Half of me wants to just give up everything I have and move over there tomorrow, and half of me wants to stay here and prepare myself to go help out with something over there when I have something more to offer. I am still trying to figure this out: because in my mind, once you have seen something like that, once you have experienced it, you are responsible for it. I know God didnt allow me to travel halfway across the world to experience and see the things I did - just to come back and sit on my butt, enjoying my perfect little life in blissful ignorance once again. I am now accountable for what I saw, and responsible to do something accordingly about it.

So what do I do with all of this? Cameroon did change me to the point of making some decisions. Again, please pray for me. Pray for Jeremiah also. I cant tell you what a blessing it was to have someone to share all of this with first hand. We both are thinking about these things at the exact same time. Both of us are considering medical school again. Pray for that. We want to search out God's plan for our lives. Pray for that. The people of Cameroon need to be shown the love of Christ, as do all countries throughout this world. I want to be a part of that somehow. Just please continue to pray for God's direction in our lives.

Once again, I want to thank you all so much for your amazing support throughout our trip. I truly saw what the body of Christ is supposed to look like in you. You encouraged us beyond what you even know just by reading this, praying for us, emailing us. Thank you.

AND NOW!!! Pictures!!

Try this link... http://picasaweb.google.com/RachelTeat/Africa

I posted pictures to an online Picasa album. Please let me know if it doesnt work.
Be prepared: There are a lot!!!


Love you all!
Rachel

Last post from Cameroon

It is Sunday afternoon, and I am sitting here writing my last blog post from Africa...sigh. We are leaving today around 1:00 pm to travel to Bamenda, then the rest of the way to Douala pending no Cameroon controversy tomorrow. I am planning to post a few more pictures and wrap up a few other details I never gave once I get back to the states and have time to sort through things.

Our last few days here have been spent with mama and pappa Snell :), our Cameroonian friends made here, wrapping things up at the hospital, and just trying to enjoy the time we had left. Friday Jeremiah and I went to the market after work at the hospital. We have been praying for rain the whole time we have been here (its the dry season, and literally everything is covered with a coating of red dust, and the rainy season is supposed to be spectacular).... well let's just say we got what we wished for. We got monsooned. One minute we were shopping in the market for things to take home, and next thing you know, it was a downpour. I am talking the biggest raindrops I have ever seen, all at once with no warning. In 5 minutes flat, the streets of the market were flooding with a current of water that was so fast, we had to jump up onto a ledge to keep from getting caught up in it. It was great. I'll post a picture or video for you to see. Having it rain like that was just such a small thing, but it really meant a lot to us to see it for some reason.

Saturday we went up to visit the orphanage up the road. We played with the children for a while (they really really love for you to "take their snap" (take my picture). If you ever visit a third world country and you love kids, bring your camera = instant popularity with cutie kids whenever you bust that thing out :). Jeremiah played soccer with his team one last time. He bought two soccer balls for them (which is a big deal to them because its very hard for them to afford them). They loved it, and were so happy. They even said they had been praying about needing a new soccer ball. So they played their final game, gave Jeremiah a jersey (aww :) ), it was very memorable.

Jeremiah and I tried the market again yesterday, and got rained on once again! :) Not as bad this time though. We had our friends over for dinner last night, Yvonne fixed pizza to share with them! It was great to just hang out and spend time together before we have to leave.

In medical news, I have become the C-section queen around the OR. I love them! I think I got to help with 5 C/S the past 3 or 4 days I have been at the hospital. Jeremiah has been in on some gruesome ortho stuff, and we have also each done a few hernia surgeries. Looking back, I cannot believe some of the stuff I have been able to help with, seen at the hospital, and learned in the time I have been here. I realize what an incredible opportunity this was, and how blessed we have been to actually be a part of it. I cant believe I have been helping with surgery, and I LIKE IT! I dont think anything will ever gross me out again after this. If any of you are interested and wont get too grossed out, I have some really awesome pictures and videos I can show you or send you sometime of some really cool stuff in surgery.

Well I better go finish packing, we are leaving in a few minutes. It has been hard to say goodbye to our newfound friends here, especially my friend Elvyn. Maybe I have written about her before. She is 22 also, and we became very close in the few weeks I have been here. Its hard to say goodbye to someone knowing you may never see them again. But we are planning on keeping in touch through email.

I know I have said this a million times before, but i want to say thank you so much to all of you once again for your prayers and encouragement to me throughtout this trip. Also thank you to those of you who made it financially possible for me to come here. This trip has been lifechanging, and I am so glad to have been able to share a little bit of that with you through this blog. I love you all very much, and I am so thankful for you. So thank you again!

Keep checking this, I promise to put up pictures and more stories as soon as I am able.

LOVE
Rachel

Nearing the End.......... :(

Once again thank you so much to everyone for all of your prayers and encouraging emails and comments, I am so thankful for them! You have no idea how blessed I have felt to know that you are all praying for us, and that you take the time (even if you dont know us very well) to write a quick email to let us know you are thinking about us. What a testament to the love of Christ you have been, I feel very loved.

I just wanted to let all of you know that we will have to be leaving the country earlier than expected, as soon as this weekend. :/ Because of the instability of the country, recommendation of the US Embassy, issues with our visas, and the safety of traveling, Jeremiah and I will have to leave Cameroon this weekend/early next week. The Snells will stay for a couple of weeks more, as Dr Snell is filling in for the attending surgeon at the hospital who isnt returning until then. I am heartbroken to have to leave, but I am trying to remind myself that there is a reason for everything, and the Lord has a purpose for all of these things happening. It is out of our control, which is probably a good thing, because I know neither Jeremiah or I would leave if there were any way possible to stay. We are both so thankful for the time we have had here, we both remind each other that the best way to leave a trip like this is wishing you didnt have to. That is a sign of a great trip. Plus it only makes us want to come back even more someday. This has been the most amazing experience I have ever had, and I am just very thankful to have been a part of something like this. I am excited to see everyone again when I get back, but I have never wanted to be somewhere more than where I am at right now. I have never been more content or fulfilled or purposeful or peaceful, even in the midst of all of this around us.

Please continue to pray for the people of Cameroon in all of this.

Love you all, Ill keep you updated on our last days here.

Update #3

In an effort to not write a novel every time I post on this blog, I am just going to try to start writing some quick updates!

Over the weekend, the strikes subsided a bit, and we are hoping it will stay that way. There are rumors that the riots will resume this week, so we are just keeping an eye on the situation and trying to make an informed decision about the whole thing. Please keep the country of Cameroon in your prayers, as well as our team if we have to leave the country early.

Today was a great day. I got to help with a C- section this morning! It was amazing, I was literally in awe as Dr Ndasi just reached in and pulled out this little baby! (sorry if that was a graphic description of anything any of you women have ever experienced....makes me even more not ready to have kids for a long time ha :)

I also was able to visit and get to know some of our patients outside of rounds today, it was a wonderful experience. Some of their names are "Comfort" and "Blessing". What cool names. Just straight to the point. :) Once again, it is becoming more and more of a joy to me to get to know people better on more than just a medical level. I also visited for quite some time with my newfound Cameroonian friends, Elvyn, Emma, and Yvonne at their house. They let me help them make Jama Jama (I have no idea how that is supposed to be spelled), which is one of the main Cameroonian dishes here. It goes with Corn Fufu, which is basically a big ball of Cream of Wheat without the creamy. It looks like you are eating a baseball, and tastes like.....a baseball. It has no taste. at all. But the Jama Jama are made from leaves and add a little flavor. Jeremiah has been playing soccer with all the locals pretty consistently. Everyone here calls him "Jerry" (hahaha), and they LOVE having the "white man" play with them. He actually hold his own out on the field pretty well, they are impressed!

The Snells and Jermiah and I have become like a big family (ok not big, there are just four of us). Even people around town always ask me if Yvonne is my mother. I ususally just say yes, half because it is too hard to try to explain things to them, and half because she is like my adopted mother on this trip! We have a continuous rivalry of Pinochle(yes, that is how you spell it- I googled it) with the guys (girls are up 4-1). Hey there is another new thing I have learned to do! And get this- I have even been learning to cook a few things. Dont laugh too hard. Its true! I cook, I run, I am helping pop babies out....what is happening to me?! :)

Thats really all for today. Once again thank you so much to everyone. I have been getting email after email from people, and I cannot tell you how much it means to me!! I am so encouraged to get emails and comments from you, it means a ton to know that you are praying for us, especially during this time of unrest, so thank you!!

Love you all,

Rachel

......I guess that ended up being a lot longer than I anticipated, once again. oh well :)

ALSO: if you want to check out the Snells' blog, its :markandyvonnesnell.blogspot.com

Africa Update #2

An update on life this week in Cameroon! It has definitely been an interesting one.

I want to start out by saying thank you so much to everybody for all of your prayers, emails, and comments. You have no idea how much it means to me to know that people actually care enough to read this thing. That you are interested in all that we are doing here makes me feel very loved and encouraged. So thank you! You are all so wonderful and I am very thankful for you.

To start off with, things at the hospital have been amazing! I feel like I have learned more in the past two weeks than I did in two years of school. A full fledged, hands on experience will do that to you, and Jeremiah and I are both so excited and thankful to be able to be a part of this. Medically, the most interesting cases we have seen have been an ileal conduit (turning part of a woman’s intestine into a new bladder), the removal of a massive goiter the size of a softball, a complicated gunshot would, and a BKA (below the knee amputation) due to gangrene.

I am really enjoying getting to know all the surgical residents and the OR staff (good thing, since we spend all day every day together). I have been especially encouraged by Dr Ndasi, the resident I am shadowing. On our rounds on Wednesday, I watched him share the gospel and lead a woman to the Lord who he had just recently performed a c-section on a few days before! It was so refreshing to see him so boldly share the love of Jesus with her, and what an encouragement it was to me to see him care for his patient not only in a medically, but spiritually as well.

Let me tell you a little bit about why I am completely falling in love with Cameroon more and more. The people here are amazing. In my mind that is where the heart of a country lies. Every morning we walk to the hospital in our scrubs and lab coats, and every single person we pass on the way into the OR says “good morning”, or “thank you doctor” as we pass. (I know they must be really confused when they see me, a white girl who looks 16 years old, wearing scrubs, and being a doctor wannabe :). We start off every single morning in the OR by devotions and singing with the whole OR staff, then work our way around the wards with the residents visiting patients. The Cameroonians have this word they use, “Ashiah”, which does not translate into the English language. Its significance is huge. When we first came into the country we were told this is the single most important word we should learn in the alternative to English they speak here, Pidgeon English. “Ashiah” has several meanings. It means: I am sorry for you, I have compassion for you, I wish you well, I care for you. As you can imagine, this word is often spoken along the wards of the hospital, and has personally come to me a lot to me.

I cant tell you what a joy it has been to get to know some of the local people. Last Sunday, we attended a “Singspiration” at the church, which was basically the Africa version of a praise and worship service. Picture extremely colorful African dresses, loud singing, dancing, genuine praising the Lord, and dozens of cute African babies. This two hour service put any American worship service I have ever attended to shame. The joy of the Lord was overwhelming, filling the entire place. I was just in awe of the enthusiasm and heartfelt worship of these people, and was just loving it even more since I had a cute little guy on my lap the whole time named Junior. As you can imagine, I was in pure heaven.

Now, those of you who know me might be in shock when I let you know this, but I have been running every day since being here in Africa. (Im not kidding) Jeremiah convinced me to come running with him, and although I protested A LOT at first, I have actually come to really enjoy it. Dr Snell runs with us now, we run up and down the mountainside we live on, and through a village where Jeremiah has started playing soccer with some of the local guys (they really love seeing his “white man belly” Hahaha). I guess we are really entertaining to everybody around here, because every time we run, all the people on the road and in the villages run out of their houses to yell “hey white man is making sports!” to us, and then die laughing. I mean, I guess white people running are really funny…… ??? :)

On a more serious note, I want to ask you all to be praying for our situation here in Cameroon in light of the recent conflict going on in the country. There is now a travel warning in effect to all US citizens put in effect by the US Embassy to those in the country. I am copying and pasting a portion from Jeremiah’s update letter, because I think he explains the situation very well:

The week has also been a bit stressful as a result of Cameroon's recent civil unrest (which I'm sure most of you know about by this time). About a week ago, taxi drivers nationwide went on strike in opposition to rising fuel prices. This apparently was just the catalyst for uprisings over a number of other problems, including political controversy, food prices, and police injustice. Although we are quite safe in our small mountain community, the situation is quite severe in the larger cities and is affecting the nation as whole. Travel warnings have been issued and the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Embassy here have requested that American citizens leave the country as soon as possible. However, the roads are blocked and closed and we are over nine hours from the airport, so travel is not much of an option at this point. Originally I was to depart by myself in about nine days, but we are now planning to travel as a group if at all possible. We must also consider that the hospital here needs Dr. Snell to be present as he is filling in for a surgeon who will not return until late March. Please be in prayer for our team as we will be making travel decisions sometime next week. Also pray for the country and people of Cameroon and that this situation will be resolved quickly. If you would like to read more, you can google "Cameroon news" or look at the following State Department website: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_4165.html

Please keep us in your prayers as we are experiencing some of the effects of what is happening in the country (ill give you more details later). None of us want to leave, yet we are trying to make smart decisions regarding our safety. Please also pray for the people of Cameroon, I know how much all of them are worried about the effects of these events on their country.
Sorry this was so long, and again, thank you so much for caring to read, and keeping us in your prayers. I will try to update this more often as I get the chance. If you want to email me (and please do because it makes me day), the email I am using is rachelteat@gmail.com. Email Jeremiah also (so he doesn’t feel left out...hehe) at jeremiahmatson@gmail.com.

Thank you so much again, I love you all!
I love Africa!
Rachel

PS: the person in the picture of the surgery with Dr Salia is me! Weird huh??

First African Update

WARNING: this is really long…sorry

Africa is amazing. It is nothing like I thought it would be, and everything I thought it would be. That sounds really cheesy, but its true. I cant believe I am here, I still really cant believe it. We arrived this past Monday, after a very eventful 2 day journey to get here. Jeremiah and I left from L.A. very early Sunday morning, flew to Chicago, then to Brussels, Brussels to Douala (Cameroon). On our flight from Brussels to Douala, a riot broke out on the airplane as we were trying to take off (something involving a Cameroonian who didn’t have adequate documentation, escorted off the plane, much to the dismay and anger of about 75% of the flight passengers) luckily the situation was resolved or at least subsided, and we were on our way to Cameroon. We arrived in Douala Monday afternoon, which is one of the main cities of Cameroon. We stayed the night to avoid trouble on the roads, and left early the next morning for a bumpy and long 7 hour bus ride up the mountains to Banso, where we will be living for the next couple of months.

Banso is a very small town in the mountains (about 6000 ft) of Cameroon. I honestly don’t know why they thought to put a hospital here, it is not a large city. Most of the people live in small houses (Americans would hardly even consider it a house), on the sides of these mountains. We arrived here early Monday evening, where we quickly changed and experience a full fledged Cameroonian meal with all of the other residents and missionaries who‘s spots we are taking. The very next morning we woke up and were at the hospital at 6:30 am. Dr Snell assigned Jeremiah and I each to a different resident surgeon at the hospital, and we made rounds with them all morning, and then were immediately escorted into surgery, about 8:30am. Wow. Talk about culture shock, new experience, jetlag, and me being more nervous than I have ever been. They scrubbed me in and up to the table we all went. My very first surgery, ever watching, ever participating in. It was a left tibia fracture repair. The man had shattered his leg, and we were inserting a rod from his patella all the way down to his ankle to repair his bone. Mostly I just helped clamp and suctioned, and kept the blood away while the surgeon inserted the rod. The next surgery was on a man who had osteomyelitis of the left humorous (which basically means a big infection inside the cavity of your bone that gets so infected that it pusses out your arm. Ouch.). That one was a little more gruesome, as we couldn’t find the source of infection and had to open up even more of his arm than expected. Dr Nbasi, who I am assigned with, was quite frustrated and stressed because it was so difficult to keep the radial nerve intact, so the surgery took a lot longer than expected. The next day I helped with a hysterectomy, in which we also found a massive tumor growing. I watched Dr Snell remove an ovarian cyst that day the size of my head. I have a newfound respect for surgeons. That job is HARD, and they deserve every penny that they ever make. I have even more respect for surgeons that practice in a foreign country like Cameroon, because they put all the hours and stress and concentration into their job without all the perks of the American lifestyle, glitz and glam. It is really hard work standing there for hours, concentrating as hard as you can, sticking your hands inside someone’s body, retaining and recalling information you learned years before that will now make a difference in someone’s life.

I cant tell you what an experience this has been. And its only been 4 days. I kind of feel like I am in the twilight zone. It is unreal that yesterday I pulled a lady’s uterus out of her abdomen and held it (plus a tumor) in my hand. What?! I would never ever be able to do any of this in a million years back in the states. I had one of those movie moments yesterday when I had my hands in this lady’s belly holding clamps back for the doc like “ wow, I am helping do surgery, and Im in Africa” Wow. I am so blessed. I just really cannot believe I am here. I am gaining such valuable experience here not only medically, but lifelong experiences as well. I am learning a different way of life here. I feel so blessed and honored that the Cameroonian people would let someone like me come into their hospital and help out and watch their surgeries (especially since I have no medical experience except EMT, and biology class. ha), welcome us into their homes, and let us live with them. I am truly starting to see God here. Last night we had a bible study with all of the residents and OR techs. It was amazing to see them worshiping and praying so fervently for one another, for the patients, for us. We worship the same God, across the continents, and that thought keeps blowing my mind. If you could only hear the way they sing hymns, with such passion, enthusiasm. Even their singing is convicting. I am so excited to continue to find ways to see God here in Cameroon. I truly feel like this is where I am to be right now, and Im excited for the remaining weeks ahead. Jeremiah is a butthead and he smells bad. Just kidding. I just wrote that because he is standing here snooping over my shoulder. Sorry to ruin the mood. Anyways, another thing I am really thankful for are Dr and Mrs Snell, the people who took us on this trip and made it possible for us in the first place. They are becoming like family to us already, (Ill tell you more about them later….lets just say they are quickly earning one of my most favorite couple awards EVER……besides you mom and dad:).

Basically, there is just a whole lot to be thankful for. And a whole lot to pray for. If you think about it, please pray for us as we are working at the hospital, for our health, wisdom for the surgeons in surgery, that we would learn what we are supposed to here and come back changed. But even more than us, please pray for the Cameroonian people, especially the ones we see at the hospital. It is mind blowing to see how poor they are, and how much they not only need medical care, but spiritual care as well. One little thing I forgot to mention is how the doctors pray over each patient before beginning surgery. That is such a little thing, but such a huge testament to the mission of the hospital here. I miss all of you, but I am so content here, and excited for the time we have left. Hope you are all doing well, I love all of you.

I love Africa!
Rachel

Getting Ready to Go.....

FIRST POST!!

I have to be completely honest. I have never been a big fan of blogs, and I vowed never to write one because.....
1. I am a horrible writer
2. Any deep inspirational thoughts people usually write in their blogs probably wouldnt make sense anyways.
3. I have probably already told everyone in my life anything I would write in a blog...

HOWEVER. Somebody suggested to me this might be a good way to keep people up to date on my trip to Africa, and I have to agree! So please bear with my horrible writing skills, lack of internet connection, and unexpected happenings as I try to keep you in touch with our experiences in Cameroon.

OK. So to begin with, let me fill all of you in on what exactly this trip is all about, and what we will be doing over the next 6 weeks.

The CMDA (Christian Medical and Dental Association) started a hospital in the little mountain town of Banso, Cameroon
(http://www.cmda.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=PAACS&Template=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm&ContentID=4915)
This hospital is staffed by teams of doctors, RNs, and medstudents from the US, and is also used as a teaching hospital for the Cameroonian doctors. I am part of one of these teams. We will be living at the hospital compound for 6 weeks, working at the hospital assisting Dr Snell, the surgeon who is leading our team. I am looking forward to seeing what capacity I will be serving in the hospital as well.

I am especially excited that one of my best friends from college, Jeremiah Matson, is going as well. We went through the whole pre-med program at Cedarville University together, and he has been living out in Mammoth California working as a phlebotomist and a ski instructor (his lifelong dream fulfilled haha :) A special thanks to him for making this trip even possible for me.

Please pray for our team as well as the rest of the volunteers at the hospital as we try to serve the people of Cameroon through medicine. As Jeremiah just said to me recently, we are all very excited about what we will experience and get to help with medically, but more importantly, we are excited to show people the love of Christ through medicine. That is our goal. And I hope I can give you at least a little picture of how we are doing that as I try to post in this blog.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support as I have prepared to go on this trip. I cannot wait to see how the Lord will use us there, and how He will use Cameroon to shape our lives as well.


Love you all,
Rachel