Dr. Jennifer Wilson

Our day began with morning devotions under the gazebo with all of the NEA staff. The pastoral staff sang two beautiful songs for us, testimonies were given and Dr. David Mensah gave another inspiring address. He wanted us to know that our mission of medical, surgical, dental and eye care to Northern Ghana has had unspeakable proportions. He described an enormous ripple effect as we have been steadfast about saving lives over this past decade, and concluded with a text from Galatians 6:9 that encourages us all to not grow weary in doing good for at the proper time we will reap a harvest.

It was hard to get everyone to breakfast as Peter the artisan returned with another gazebo full of goods. Our suitcases are full and Peter is one happy man.

The rest of the day was spent cleaning, taking inventory and packing away our equipment for 2019 under the skillful direction of Joan, after which leftover medicine and supplies were organized for distribution to the local health care facilities.

Tonight we had a feast under the stars with all of the NEA staff, translators and volunteers along with their families. There were well over 200 of us. The children were over the moon with excitement. Our expat team were sporting new outfits, thanks to Esther and her seamstress team that made 34 outfits in total. A cow was killed and the kitchen prepared a wonderful roast beef dinner.

We were all surprised when David announced that the Chief of Yaara travelled to Carpenter in order to see our team off. Chief Joseph gave a beautiful speech asking God to give us the proper thanks due for our sacrifice. He asked that the Lord send us home safely.

The NEA team presented each of us with a fresh jar of NEA’s organic peanut butter. David asked us to tell our families that they are loved by NEA every time they eat it. The music and dancing began after which David called each team, along with our translators, to the stage for a dance-off. It was quite a sight. The prize was given to Nana Tibalakala (Dr. Mensah) and his brother Nana Yaara Kooko (Yaara Chief Joseph). Their dance was so fantastic. The children’s’ performance was definitely runner-up. It was a perfect end to our mission.

There is an African proverb that states,

If you wish to move mountains tomorrow, you must start by lifting stones today.

This team of Ghanaians, Canadians and Europeans lifted a lot of stones over this fortnight, and the mountain of poverty and ill health was moved just a little bit more. It has been an honour and a privilege for us to serve NEA, and we return home having gained much more than we have given. We return home better than when we came as the lives of our brothers and sisters in Ghana have been imprinted in our minds and on our hearts forever.

All eyes are on the Leyaata Hospital that will be built on these very grounds over the next two years. Our collective vision of sustainable health care is almost here. This is the biggest mountain that NEA has ever considered moving but we are committed to cheering them on towards their vision and assisting them in any way we can. Please help us.

On behalf of our team and all of the patients we were privileged to serve, I want to sign off by thanking God for all he has done.

I want to thank NEA for inviting us into this partnership.

I want to thank our leadership for their wholehearted commitment to every detail of this mission.

I want to thank each and every member of this outstanding 2018 Ghana health team for the unique role they played in making this mission an overwhelming success.

And finally, I want to thank all of our family, friends, donors and supporters who have made it possible for us to come alongside side the people of Ghana for such a time as this.

Let us never grow weary of doing good. Let us never grow weary of doing good. Amen.

This post is one in a series of Ghana Health Team 2018 Updates. You can subscribe to receive these updates by email.

I know there are many wonderful definitions of teamwork, but what we witnessed on the NEA compound today redefines the word for many of us.

We knew it was going to be a big day and we were ready.

After breakfast, we gathered for a team photo under the surgical tree, and with fist pumps and well-wishes we were seeing patients and operating by 7:30 am. Each person on our team and on the NEA team did everything imaginable to support one another in caring for as many patients as possible. The kitchen staff even kept a 60-cup coffee percolator going all day in case anyone needed a pick- me-up. (I noticed Dr. Carlye and Dr. Charlie had four mugs on their desks by the end of the day.)

Those of us who have been to Ghana before noticed a marked improvement in the health of the population that today’s clinic served. Health is improving in this area around Carpenter thanks to NEA’s sustainable development, and it was noticeable to us. What stood out to me more than anything was that almost all the women were carrying purses today. It sounds like a strange thing to notice but in the past, I have rarely seen women carrying purses, as usually they use their skirt or a little black plastic bag to carry their belongings. Today, I saw purses. We did still see many diseases of poverty, such as elephantiasis, dysentery from drinking dirty river water, HIV, skin ulcers, and one case of severe malnutrition but overall, the health of this area is improving significantly.

Every team saw a record number of patients today, and by the time we gathered in the dining hall for dinner at 7:00 pm Kim informed us that over 1000 patients received care today. Our surgical team smashed their target of 300 procedures. Despite all teams reaching unexpectedly high levels of productivity on this mission, our medications, anaesthetics, supplies and eyeglasses did not run out. I am reminded of the story in the Bible about the multiplication of the loaves and the fishes and in fact, some of us were specifically praying for this miracle to occur.

There are many wonderful stories to tell of the individuals that we had the honour of serving today but there are two stand-out moments for me.

Emmanuel is the 13-year old boy who is in charge of the Monopoly Board that I mentioned earlier in the week. Today he found his way through the crowds to my chair and informed me that he was having trouble seeing the blackboard at school. Off to the eye clinic with a VIP wrist band he went, returning an hour later with a trendy pair of donated eyeglasses. These glasses will impact his ability to receive his education. (And to excel at Monopoly.)

The second memorable moment for me was when a young woman we had looked after on our first mission in 2007 came with a special thank you. It is a long story of how she was helped, but now, eleven years later, she returned as a successful businesswoman and wanted to thank our teams past and present.

At dinner tonight, Abraham expressed his opinion that the success of this mission is due to the fact that we are all brothers and sisters now. It is so true that the unity and friendship between our Ghanaian team and expat team has elevated our teamwork to a very high level and this unity allowed us to accomplish what seemed impossible. With God’s help, along with the support of so many friends and family and colleagues in our home countries, we have accomplished the objectives that NEA has given us and in doing so, we have gained much more than we have given.

Tomorrow we will gather at 7:30 am with all of the NEA staff for a final devotional time in the great gazebo. After breakfast there will be few small surgical and laser procedures whilst the rest of us clean, inventory and pack away all the clinic supplies for 2019. Leftover medication will be divided up and distributed to the local health clinics. Gifts will be given and gifts will be received. And then we will party. An end of mission celebration is planned for tomorrow evening and I’m told that food preparation for this celebration has already begun.

It has been a great day and we are truly, truly thankful for every moment of it.

Today was one of those days that is hard to put into words so I will let the pictures tell the story of the health care that was delivered on the NEA compound. The only station I “forgot” to visit was the eye clinic and that might have something to do with the fact that temperatures rose to 45 degrees in there today.

I’m told that the little girl we prayed for with cerebral malaria last week was seen running around the grounds today. As she played, two other kids were on their way to the hospital as their care exceeded what we could provide. One had complications from a snake bite and the other was in a sickle cell crisis. Our colleagues at that hospital were alerted and prepared for their arrival.

Despite a record number of cases that included 11 children and an add-on emergency, the surgical and anaesthetic team beat the medical team to dinner for the first time in history. They are amazing!

It was a very long and challenging day for every single team member, but together we accomplished our objectives and are in great spirits. There was much joy and much laughter when we finally gathered for dinner well after 7:00 pm.

We can hardly believe that tomorrow is our last clinic day and look forward to doing everything we can to ensure that together, we finish strong, finish well, and give our best the to people of Ghana.

This post is one in a series of Ghana Health Team 2018 Updates. You can subscribe to receive these updates by email.