Some of the beautiful people I've seen!

"Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know, know, know He holds the future, and life is worth the living just because He lives!!!!" :D

One week left. Just a few pics of patients that I visited yesterday!! 





One of our patients doing well at the Hope Center.....love this girl!

Michelle and two of our long term patients who have now been sent to the hope Center.

The little boy on the right and I have a blowing kisses game! I blow him a kiss and he catches it and puts it in his pocket, then he blows me a kiss, I catch it and put it on my cheek....then he gets really embarrassed and saw awwwww:) So cute!

This is one of the cleft palate babies waiting for surgery.

Komla is the boy I blow kisses to. He has been with us for a long time because he had a burn that had completely contracted his leg into a bent position so that he couldn't walk without a cane to hop with. Today I played soccer with him and he was running after the ball using both legs. He still needs prayer for continued healing but the Lord has brought him so far! I'm going to miss this kid!

This little boy had a hernia that was repaired.

After this picture the little boy dropped his mango in the dirt....rubbed it around, and then picked about to stuff it into his mouth before a few of us swooped him up and stopped him:)

I don't know this girls story but she has a sweet smile!

This boy said he wanted to marry me.....so I gave him the thumbs up ;)

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Home is where the Heart is........

Home…..

I only have three weeks left here in Togo and I’m realizing that I’m going to miss this temporary home of mine. My translators, co-workers, roommates, and some patients have shared some of our highest and lowest points together and have become a small family because of it. When you cry, laugh, and dance with each other (African style of course) it feels like home. There are certainly reasons I’m looking forward to going back to Michigan, but all of these people here whom I love will be missed greatly.

Challenges on board….

Life here in Togo is certainly not always easy, and my body has taken quite a beating with the heat. Even right now I’m lying in bed covered in an itchy heat rash that deprived me of almost all sleep last night. The hospital is still at times confusing and the language barrier with even the translators can be taxing. The other night I had a patient who only spoke a special tribal language, so in order to communicate we had to use three people. I spoke in English to my translator telling him what to say, he then spoke to a family member of another patient who knew the tribal language, and the family member then spoke to my patient in his language….whew. You have to get creative around here at times! A few days ago I had an English speaking patient so I was able to sit and chat with him for a long time….it reminded me of doing nursing at home. All of us nurses joke about possibly forgetting to talk to the patients when we go home and just using crazy gestures instead…J

People here on the ship come and go. I had my first friend leave on Sunday and then my bunk mate left on Monday. You find that you just have to enjoy the time you have with them and pray for them when they’ve gone. We all tell each other….. “we’ll catch up one day, and who knows, maybe that day will be in heaven.”  It’s amazing to see how the Lord is working in each person’s life and how similar or different it is from my own!

Prayer : here are a few things I’d really appreciate prayer for.

     My friend Emanuel left on Sunday to help prepare things in the next country Mercy Ships will sail to. This will be six months of hard travel, translation, and communication with government officials. He was telling me how tired he was last year when he did this and I promised to pray that the Lord would strengthen Him and give him wisdom as he goes! Also, be praying that the next country would see Jesus and the gospel of His love expressed through this team going ahead of the rest of us.

   Also, pray for the patients we have here. There are some who have infections in their wounds that are making it difficult to heal. There are some patients who are here with illnesses that have made them outcasts in their homes and villages. Pray that Jesus who is our healer would work in the lives of each person and that they would come to know this Savior who can heal not only our physical bodies but our hearts and souls as well if we ask Him to! Would they come to know “peace that passes all understand” (Philippians 4:7) which can only be found in Him, regardless of our circumstances!

  I love you all and will see some of you very soon.

Because of Him

Beth

Adorable baby girl I got to hold!

playing with patients in the Hope Center! The Hope Center is a place where patients stay when they still have to have dressings changed on their surgical sites but aren't really needing enough care to stay in the hospital on the ship.

This picture was taken by a two year old who loved the camera!

This girl gave me the biggest hugs....loved it!

The mother of the little girl I'm hugging!

More beautiful faces!

Both of these girls are my roommates! The one on the left was my bunkmate who left Monday...I miss that girl!



This is Emanuel! He was the first person I met on the ship and just left Sunday. Our talks were so encouraging...and he's hilarious too!



nine in a Taxi......TIA(this is Africa)! Gotta love it!

Chris took this pic of us shoved in the taxi.....you get to know each other really well that's for sure ;p



This is right outside of my room where we all congregate to talk about the day and get online!



Another walk today right after it rained....it was muddy for sure!

Some of the locals saw Andrew and I walking down the middle of the road that was wall to wall traffic and super muddy...so they did the african thing and told us to jump in the back of their truck! fun times!

motos behind us in the truck!

Loving the break from mud but had to get out a few mins later because the traffic just wasn't moving...oh well it was fun for a time!

Under the Mango tree....

Some of the things that have happened in the last two weeks……..

ORPHANAGE : Went to the orphanage on Saturday and played with the children. There are 35 children there who were taken off the streets by a woman who saw a need and decided to meet it! They are all so adorable, and I actually kept their attention long enough to complete a whole puzzle before they grabbed my hands and rushed me off to look at the chickens and goats they raise. Even without talking you can communicate so much….we had a blast playing and laughing together!

Claudia my roommate showing off her picture skills!

                ZIMMY JONS: Things in Togo can be quite cheap. For under two dollars you can take a Zimmy Jon, otherwise known as motorcycles, to the market and back. These have become my new love and I ride them as much as I can! The drivers weave in and out of traffic at very high speeds and no we don’t wear helmets, but the feel of the wind in my hair and being close enough to touch the cars we’re passing is such a thrill. Last time I rode one the driver kept telling me that he loved me…oh bother…TIA (this is Africa).

FUFU: is an African dish that is made out of yams which are mashed and made into a big ball of dough. They plop the dough on your plate, cover it in sauce, and you dig in with your hands…..it’s delicious. The last time I had Fufu was at a local pastor’s house. It was all fine and dandy and I actually felt that I was mastering this new dish until I got a mouth full of bones from the fish that were in the sauce. Everyone laughed as I tried to spit out the wad of bones onto my plate.

WALKS + RUNS : Going for walks or runs outside the port we’re docked in has been a favorite for me. You meet so many interesting people and see lifestyles that are so different from what I know. The other day we came across a man named Dodgy crocheting boxers and bikini tops. I have a lot of gifts I want to bring home but not sure these will make the list;)

MANGO TREE CHURCH: Two Sundays ago I went to a small Church that met under a mango tree. They have such a passion and desire to give of everything they have, their money, their talents, time, etc, to serving the Lord! They encourage each other, pray for those who are in need, and take care of the poor among them! You see in them a desire to be the hands and feet of Christ here on earth….after all, if we are made new in Christ, our lives should be different than the rest of the world, and the way we love should show that we are loved by Jesus and changed by His love!

                There is so much happening here every day. One month has flown by and yet I feel like I’ve been here forever. Praise the Lord for the many times He’s given me grace or strength when I had none!

Zimmy Jon drivers!

Michelle after her first Zimmy Jon ride...she loved it!

 



Dodgy the crocheting man!



Street Art

Some of the things you see while walking!

some of the amazing girls I go shopping at the market with!

and it begins.......:)

One week has passed and this is the third time I’ve started writing this blog post because I haven’t really known where to start. You come to a new place, you’re surrounded by hundreds of new people from 32 different countries, doing tons of new things, and your emotions are all over the place. How to even being to put my thoughts down? Well, here goes….:)

One of my favorite things to do this last week was going to the juvenile detention center. There were 16 kids in a cement room, the youngest being 5yrs old. We played games, where I was made very proficient in bouncing a soccer ball off my head! We spent time praying with each child in the cells and had a mini Bible study! Laying on the dirty cement floor during one of the activities we had, my nursing mind started reeling with the thought of germs, but I’ve found that the love Jesus gives, and the love we have for Him is enough to spur us on to do some pretty crazy things, and I’m learning to love it! Those kids made me laugh so hard and I learned several new handshakes as well….watch out Michigan I’ll be bringing these home with me ;)

                This week I also started working in the hospital, we call it the Ward. I work in Ward A and already I’ve seen enough Inguinal hernias to last me a lifetime. I’ve had children from the age of 4 thru adults. There are ten beds in a room and I usually have 5 patients. All Charting is done on paper and all medications are mixed per the nurse. We wash and reuse everything. The patients lay in the beds while the family members have mattresses under the beds where they spend the night. Children of patients or parents of patients mill around our small ward at all hours. We have a worship service and mini Bible study every afternoon, but there are so many other times where people break out with drums and dancing. Translators work every shift to help us communicate discharge instructions or post op orders to each patient. These translators are just wonderful and I’m slowing getting to know them all better. We pray at the beginning and end of every day and before each surgery!

                Went to the market today with some friends! We met up with about five Togonese guys and they took us all over the market. I bought a postcard with a giraffe on it…which made me happy. Tonight we had dinner at a French restaurant where at the end of the meal they lost power. Thanks to the good old I-phone with its flashlight app we were able to finish eating….haha.  We are in Africa for sure! Church on Sunday was a highlight as well, people dancing and Amens shouted from all over the room. Such a Joyful group of people. Kevin my new friend here on board from Togo said” the Togonese people can’t just stand and clap, they have to worship God with everything they have!”

                If you made it thru this post congrats! Thanks for all the encouragement and prayers. I love and miss you all. My emotions have been all over the place but the Lord is teaching me to trust Him in all things. Such a hard but worthy lesson that won’t end in Africa I’m sure!

                Deuteronomy 31:8

⁸ The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

BEAUTIFUL AFRICA!

I'M HERE!!! Arrived 9:30pm last night after a very uncomplicated 24hrs of traveling praise the Lord. I was able to unpacked, meet my wonderful 5 roomates who all happen to be nurses as well, shower, and then went to bed! There are people here from all over the world, 32 countries to be exact. We had a tour of the boat this morning and I'm realizing it's going to take awhile for me to find where everything is. They have so many amazing things going on from Sunday morning services held in the room with the patients to a relay race across Togo just for fun. My new friend Michelle is a nurse from Australia and we both arrived at the same time so we're figuring out the place together. Everyone is so sweet and welcoming.....reminds me of my Munson and Access family back home! Michelle and I keep looking at each other and saying.."I can't believe we're in Africa"! Thanks to everyone for all of the encouragement and support. I love you all! May the Lord be glorified by everything that takes place here and may His love that changes people flow through us to every person that we meet!

In approximately 9 ½ days I’ll be boarding my plane for Togo, Africa! I’ll be honest it may not be until my heart starts pounding with the sound of suitcase wheels rolling through the airport, or I take those first steps on to African soil that it finally sinks in…I’m leaving!

 Each time I go to the store I pick up a few more things, toothpaste, deodorant, my last purchase was made tonight and happened to be a yellow journal. I’m hoping I go against all of my past tendencies and actually write in it…haha!

 Just as a quick update to everyone who has been asking……My fundraising has brought me about half way $1570.00! God is so faithful to provide and He has blessed me so much through you all!

Also, a few things you can be praying for when you think of me. One is that the Lord would give me the confidence and ability I need to do new things whether medical or not. Also, that He would give me a servant’s heart, willing to help in any way necessary! Mostly though…pray that He would receive all the Glory and praise for everything taking place!

Philippians 4:6
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Love you all!                     here's the journal...so many pages:)

   

                 Hello all of my wonderful family and friends!  Over the last year the Lord has caused my heart to become even hungrier for Him, and for a life that serves Him whole heartedly.  He has been reminding me that this world is my temporary home, and the only treasures that last are the ones we store in heaven with Him.

 I have been working at Munson Hospital for four years now and have loved every minute. Not that it has been easy, that is actually very far from the truth. However, I’ve been blessed to be able to minister to people at times when they are hit with some of their lowest points in life. It is in those moments, when we come face to face with the fact that we are not invincible, that we realize we can’t do it alone, we need a Savior who saves us in the darkest parts of our lives, who is with us in the loneliest moments, who loves us when we find it hard to love ourselves, and gives us the strength to have joy in the midst of it all.

I applied for Mercy Ships over a year ago and it is just in the last few months I’ve been accepted to join them in their ministry in Togo Africa for two months. Mercy Ships is a Christian organization which has a ship that they use to sail around West Africa. The ship has been turned into a medical facility which can be used to hold up to 78 patients and houses six operating rooms.  Their mission, “Mercy Ships follows the 2000-year-old model of Jesus, bringing hope and healing to the world's forgotten poor.” I personally will be working with patients postoperatively. I will also have opportunities to join them in ministry in the village on my days off which may include spending time in orphanages, jails, etc.

This opportunity excites my heart! We are called to love like Jesus, who loved us first. This love might look crazy to those around us but He is worth it….deserving of it! Coming face to face with Jesus changes people….! We are the hands and feet of Christ!

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. ¹¹ If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. “

I Peter 4:10-11

                I’ll be posting a blog while over in Togo bnicola.blogspot.com. If you could remember to keep me in your prayers I would be so thankful! Also if any of you want to partner with me financially I’d be so blessed! This trip is going to cost about $3000.00 depending on flight costs. I placed a Donate button on the side of my blog you can use if you'd like to support me in that way! Lord willing I’ll be there from March 9^th till May 7^th.

                Each one of you has been a part of my life in some way over the years. Thank you for taking the time to read this and get excited about what God is doing in Michigan and in Africa. May He receive all the Praise!

Love you all!

Beth Nicola