Kabinash's story

One thing I enjoy during my mission trip is listening to stories of nationals.  The other day, our team went out for lunch with two Ethiopian coworkers Asrat and Fikre. Over the yummy dishes at the restaurant called "Melting pot" (no, it wasn't really like the melting pot in the U.S.. but nonetheless) we heard a story about the lady named Kabinash.

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Can you imagine being abandoned by your loved one?  How can one believe in "unconditional" love after experiencing imperfect, conditional love and being overwhelmed with despair again and again? Kabinsh is young Ethiopian woman from a rural village near Addis Ababa. Asrat and Kay (an American woman with whom our team is staying) first met her during a women's bible study offered at an Ethiopian church.  Kabinash's husband left her after having a child. She remarried, then had another son. Her new husband left her shortly after. Again, she married another man. She had her third son. Then soon. her third husband left her. Now, in her late 30s or early 40s, she is a single mother of three young boys.   She had no money or places to stay.  She would go beg for injera (an Ethiopian staple) door to door. Her depression was so severed that by the time she met Asrat and Kay, she had already obtained a "poison" which would help her commit suicide.   As Asrat and Kay both listened to Kabinash's story, Kay couldn't help but to share about God's unconditional love for her... but having been mistreated and betrayed for so many times, Kabinash wouldn't be able to believe it then.

After the bible study, Kay thought about options to help Kabinash. Kay called up her friend Fikre asking "how much would a goat cost? I want to buy one for Kabinash so that she can make some money by selling goats' milk."  Fikre's answer was "That wouldn't help. The people from the village where Kabinash is staying wouldn't drink goat's milk."   After talking to Kabinash, Kay found out that Kabinash is skilled at cooking and baking. However, she didn't have any means to buy ingredients for injera, an oven to bake goods, or special bucket (cooking bowl?) to start her "business."  Then, Kay asked Asrat to go to a market to find an estimate of how much everything would cost for her to start the business."       $60. Kay decided to help out. Within a 2 weeks Kabinash's injera and her baked goods were the most popular ones on the street. They would sell them out every day.  Soon, she bought a cow from the money she earned and then put her kids to school.  Soon after... she was able to accept God and share how God had provided everything for her to gain back her life and hope.  As Kay said, "$60 completely changed her life."

It has only been about 2 years since Asrat and Kay first met Kabinash.

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Kabinash's life story can teach me many lessons. I like it because it shows the importance of working with nationals or those who are familiar with the culture of people that one is reaching out to. If Kay did not consult Asrat regarding goats, she would never knew that buying a goat wouldn't have helped Kabinash make money. The story also teaches me how God can maximize whatever the gift that one has. It's amazing to hear how $60... a money that I could easily use to buy a new pair of shoes or a text book can turn someone's life in such a dramatic way.  I also liked how Kabinash used her talent, cooking skills to serve and support herself. Lastly, Kabinahs didn't forget to give God a credit for her success in her "business."  I hope that I will use my gifts and resources wisely to bring glory to God.

I had a nice weekend. This weekend was a celebration of Ethiopian Epiphany here in Addis Ababa. There were tons of people outside wanting to see parades. Each Orthodox church brings its own replica of ark of covenant out from church to the center city then back to the church. The roads were closed all over the place as these arks move from place to place.

On Saturday, we went to the "second nicest hotel" in town, Hilton. We had a nice lunch and an ice cream there. It was like a resort with many swimming pool and a bar. I even spotted a group of Japanese tourists. They seem to be everywhere! I saw  Japanese sightseeing back in Papua New Guinea too. My friend suggested me to go up and speak to them in Japanese... "welcome to Ethiopia. Where would you like to go for lunch?" pretending that I am their tour guide.... but I didn't.

I attended International Evangelical Church here in Addis. There were about 150 people during the 1st service that we attended. It was a good mixture of Africans, Americans, French, Ethiopian ......   I even spotted a few Asians. Speaking of Asians... I have been recognized as a Chinese wherever I go nowadays.  Many Ethiopian simply says "China" "Chinese" "Ni-hao" when they see me on the street.  Asrat, an Ethiopian friend with whom we have been hanging out told me that I should be honored. People here think quite highly of Chinese.  There aren't many Asian population here but I was told that many roads are being constructed by Chinese workers. People like their work ethics and intelligence.  Asrat told me to just smile and wave when people call me "Chinese" .... . I am actually Japanese though....  =P

From Ethiopia

I arrived here in Addis Ababa a few days ago and slowly getting used to being here. Dr. Amy Hayes is a family medicine attending from Oklahoma. I met her in Papua New Guinea and has been a good friend and a mentor. We are staying with a missionary couple McNallys here in a missionary house which is located  right next to Canadian Ambassadors' residents. The house is gated and watched by two Ethiopian guards around the clock.

Addis Ababa is a beautiful and chaotic city. I feel safer here than in Papua New Guinea for some reason. Perhaps, because people look more civilized and similar to us Westerners. My favorite site so far is seeing herds of goats and roaming around between the sea of traffic.

It has been pretty cold here being 8000 feet in altitude. I don't have any symptoms of altitude sickness so far. Running here would be a good marathon training.  The temp gets down to 40s at night and  I am wearing 3 layers. My circadian rhythm is off after traveling 30 hours too. I am thankful that this week is still a preparation week. We have been visiting a few hospitals to set up appointments for tour and teaching for next few weeks.

Yesterday, we went to a fistula hospital. Obstetric fistula is basically a hole between vaginal tract and bladder or rectum. It can happen when a woman has an obstructed labor and was not able to receive an emergency care such as C-section. Women with fistula suffer from fecal and/or urinal incontinent and are outcasts from their villages and families. The fistula hospital here in Addis receive women from all over the Ethiopia. Some women are waiting for surgeries while others are recovering.   We set up an appointment to go back there with the rest of the team and I am looking forward to hearing individual woman's stories then.

Last night, an internal medicine resident from Chicago arrived here. We are now a team of 2 doctors and a medical student. An obgyn doctor and a nurse will be coming in a week. The clinics will start next week and we are busy getting all meds ready.

Miracle of Prayer: PNG

We attended a bush church a few weeks ago and heard a marvelous story. We would like to share it with you. This is truly what Christmas is all about:

This story was told by a Bible College graduate that had gone to the Nazarene National Women’s Conference in Pt. Moresby in October and heard a testimony from a woman that lives in the Sepik area of Papua New Guinea. The Sepik area is in a very swampy area of PNG on the North Coast. The woman had heard about the conference and wanted to go, however the airfare tickets to go would be expensive. Her husband was not a Christian, but she decided to ask him if she could go and also ask him if he would give her some money for the plane ticket. After prayer and fasting she approached her husband with her requests. He listened and then presently forbid her to go, so she decided to pray about it. She also decided that she would start saving some money just in case he should change his mind. After all, it was January and she had ten months to pray and ask God to change his mind.

Each time she went to the market to sell something she would save a few toea (one toea is about 1/3 of a penny). She didn’t want her husband to know that she was saving for the trip. In her mind, she thought she was helping God out. So, she hid the money in a bag in the ground. She kept praying, and when it got close to time for the conference she once again asked her husband if she could go and would he give her some money. This time he said, “Let’s go and get our canoe and go out to fish in the morning. Whatever we catch you can take to market, sell and use for a plane ticket.” She then told him that she had been saving some money, however she didn’t have enough. So he told her to bring the bag of money and go fishing with him.

They climbed into the canoe about 6:00am the next morning. By noon they had caught not even one fish. Her husband became very angry and asked for the bag of money saying that he wanted to count it. Instead he threw the bag overboard and it dropped into the water. The woman became frightened. What would her husband do next…push her overboard? She then said to her husband, “I am your wife and I will stand by you and do whatever you want to do.” Her husband calmed down and then said, “Let’s continue to fish until the evening.” All of a sudden their nets were full of fish. They fished until 6:00pm and had caught so many fish that they couldn’t even get them all into the canoe. (Sound familiar)

When they arrived on shore her husband told her he wanted to go get a smoke and for her to go sell the fish at the market, but he instructed her to save back the biggest fish for to feed their family with. So she picked out one of the fish and put it in her home and then she went to the market and sold all of the rest of the fish. When she arrived back home she started to cut the fish that she had brought home. She had trouble cutting it and realized that inside the fish’s belly was the bag of money that her husband had thrown overboard the canoe. Her husband was so amazed by the large catch of fish and the money in the belly of the fish. He asked her to call her pastor to come to their home. When the pastor arrived he asked Jesus into his heart. He then allowed his wife to go to the conference and she testified at the conference of the miracle that God had given to her family and the power of prayer. II Corinthians 15:58 tells us to stand firm….our labor in the Lord is not in vain. 

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Douglas

I am now back from medical mission trip to Papua New Guinea.

Douglas was one of the most memorable patients that I met during my 2 month-stay.  He was a 16 years old guy who goes to high school in Mt. Hagen. He enjoys studying and playing soccer. In PNG, students have to take exams to get in to 6th grade, 7th grade and so on...  Only a small portion of children get to the high school level education. Douglas was in his 12th grade I believe. He was surely a smart, gentle and polite man.

I still remember that day when I first met Douglas. On that sunny afternoon of early May, he entered the room where I was having my afternoon clinic. He came in with "2 week" history of abdominal pain and "growing mass" in his abdomen. He said how sometime, pain is severe that he would wake up in the middle of the night.   As I examined him, I did notice a ~ 8 cm solid mass in his right upper quadrant.  It didn't take for Dr. Bill and me to do ultrasound and came up with a devastating diagnosis - hepatoma (malignant tumor of liver)....      He and his mother were Christians and we all prayed to lift everything in God's hands.   

During the following few weeks, I did see Douglas back in clinic. He came in to get more medicine for pain and again, I remember Dr. Susan (pediatrician) mentioning that only God could decide how long he could live. He hoped that would be years and not months. That afternoon, Dr.Susan and I suggested mother not to take Douglas out from his high school semester just because he has "terminal" illness. We prayed for his best.

I encountered him once again in a few weeks as I was walking through the internal medicine ward. He was admitted because of uncontrollable nausea and severe pain. He still looked o.k and still recognized me and talked to me for a while as I tried to stop by at his bed side at the end of each day.   I did get to meet his biological mother as well as the other "mother" (ie second wife to his father) as well as his siblings during my frequent visit to his bedside.  I remember his mom saying how she has a "faith that God can heal Douglas."  I made my best attempt to pray in Pidgin... but there are no words that I could come up with besides "yu mi pray..   papa God ... lukim thispela family, make thispela man strongpla algeta time...... in nem belong Jesus... Amen."

On one Saturday afternoon, as I was walking back to the mission station after tubing down the river.. I bumped into Douglas' mom. She was on her way back from doing laundry in the river. I asked how Douglas had been doing... she said he went out to river to play. I was happy that he could get some break from the hospital ward.

Douglas's symptoms seemed to be stable.  I discharged him home during my last week of stay in PNG. His nausea has gone, he was eating well... the only his complain was his abdominal pain. I sent him home with enoguh supplies of morphine, paracetamol, and reglan (I believe....). I told him to come back for outpatient clinic in 2 weeks.   I knew that I was going back to the U.S. so, on that day, I said my official good-bye to Douglas and his family. I encouraged him to keep doing what he enjoys and to eat whatever he wants to eat.

I left PNG shortly after.  On my departure day, I had a same flight with Dr. Bill who was traveling to U.S. for a short visit. While we were waiting for our plane at Kakamuga airport in Mt. Hagen, we happened to bump into Douglas' father. Dr. Bill chatted with him for a bit and told me that his dad seemed to understand the prognosis of Douglas although his mom may not completely understand the seriousness of the situation.

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Yesterday, I received an e-mail from Dr. Elizabeth, a PNG doctor who lived next to my guest house. She let me know that Douglas passed away last week. 

I prayed to God that He would be the comfort for Douglas' family. I prayed that more people in Papua New Guinea would truly come to know Christ and embrace His love for them quickly yet at His timing...    It is devastating because I saw lots of deaths in such a short period of time. People deteriorate so quickly yet naturally because there are no advanced cares there.

As I close my eyes, I can still see Douglas' disappointed face which he showed on that first day .... when Dr.Bill said there was no surgery for his cancer.  I feel blessed that I could be a part of his life as he continuously showed me what a brave young man he was as he lived his daily life with his illness. He never complained.  I am thankful that God allowed me to see the glimpse of what a palliative care is like in developing countries... lessons that I would never learn unless He allows me to travel that far.  

May God's blessing and comfort be with Douglas and his family. May God keep using those doctors and nurses in Kudjip Nazarene Hospital.

Someone once said that doctors do not "save" lives... but they "prolong" people's lives so that they may earn more time to be "saved."  It is so true.