Saturday in Guinea

It’s 10:30pm in Guinea. I just had the fullest day since my return. The day started at the Riviera Hotel for swimming and pizza with the OR team. Next up was a phone call to a very good friend in Florida. Then a trip to Niger market to purchase fabric with Leanne and Evelyn. Back to the ship for a quick shower and dinner. Then I went off to a music night at the home of an American embassy employee with the ukulele club. I tried dates and Turkish delight for the first time. Now I’m home. Such an awesome, fully satisfying, adventurous day. Enjoy the photos!

Love
Michelle
Philippians 1:20

Inside Niger market

I was blessed to take these photos because people here do not like having their photos taken

Handmade herdie gerdie (I have no idea what the real spelling is?)

Guinean man playing the kora (again with the spelling? This is a harp like instrument handmade from a giant gourd)

song

Where a flash mob of folks spend five minutes all writing on the same topic and then share ‘em over @thegypsymama.

This week, the word is song.

GO

Today is the official last day of surgery on the Africa Mercy for the Guinea field service. I’m on call and had the privilege of scrubbing the very last surgery of the field service. Our patient had a very large mandibular ameloblastoma removed back in January. His lower jaw was replaced by a metal plate. Sadly, the bone graft he received did not take. So today, we opened his face up to scrape out the bone. They will have to try to redo it some year in the future. But on the bright side, all the loose skin was removed and shaped up so his face will be looking better overall. I got to suture the left side of his face closed. I’d show you the photo, but it’s a bit gnarly. All in all, a happy ending to the 2012-2013 Guinea field service. Along with us, I’m sure the angels and saints in heaven are singing a song of praise to God for his amazing goodness, love, and mercy to all his creatures great and small!

STOP

Love… Michelle
Philippians 1:20

Also linked up with Spiritual Sundays.

a sweet donation story

While I was home in the states, I wanted some fun new surgical hats. Anybody who works in the OR knows the uniform is a bit plain. About the only way to dress up is to wear a fun surgical hat. I’ve always gotten my fun hats from KimKaps. When I went to the website, I discovered she likes to donate her hats to missionaries. I bought two cute new hats. Then I sent her an email telling her about Mercy Ships. She replied with a generous donation of ten free cute hats! The following photos represent those gifts. I would like to say thanks to Kim Larson for her gift!

Love… Michelle
Philippians 1:20

Jen from Colorado and Mel from New Zealand show off their cute new KimKaps

Tina from Germany looks stylish cleaning OR 1

Dr Sean the anesthetist from Utah looks handsome in a purple guy hat

Moise from Guinea watches surgery wearing his stylish bicycle hat

Dr Diane doing a hernia repair in her cute heart hat

Umu and Fatmata, nurses from Sierra Leone sure know how to wear their cute hats!

And me. I love my cute KimKaps!