Hope Center

Every Sunday morning, crew can go to the Hope Center for church with the patients.  The Hope Center is the local "house" where the patients go before and after surgery, if they are not from Lome.  There are quite a few patients recovering from surgery and still need out-patient treatments from the nurses here on the ship.  Also, there are babies and mamas from the infant feeding program who are being monitored by Jess until their surgery.  I enjoy going to the church at the Hope Center, mostly because it is an opportunity to interact with the patients, that I do not have otherwise.  It also seems nice for the patients to interact with their future nurses, so they have a familiar face when they come to the Operating Theater on the day of their surgery.

 

But, as you can see, the main reason I go is to hold and cuddle all the babies.  And most of you are not surprised by that!  The great thing about Africa is the mamas love to see other people loving on their babies and hand over their babies to be cuddled quite freely.  When I am at home, I certainly can't walk up to random mothers at church and take their babies to hold!

This is one of the babies that I held on the unit in the hospital quite a bit before her mother got discharged.  Her mother had surgery and brought the baby with her to the hospital.  It was nice to see them both again.

As you can see, the church facilities are not fancy, just a tarp and some chairs and benches.  It can be quite hot, but we have been lucky that there has been a breeze.  But the Church doesn't need much to worship… 

"For a time is coming and has now come,

 when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and the truth,

for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks."

John 4:23