Mamma and Baby, Photo of the Week

This week's photo of the week comes from Terry Hake who is serving with her husband in rural Njinikom, Cameroon.  She is serving as a teacher in local mission school and her husband is a family practice physician caring for patients at St. Martin De Porres Hospital.


"The other day I was coming through the hospital compound and there were two mamas standing and visiting.  Each woman had a baby on her back.  What a lovely sight, it just brings a smile to your face."

Photo of the Week

Each day, I am blessed to receive photos from around the world of our mission doctors and their patients.  I thought I should share these wonderful photos with you each week as part of Mission Doctors’ Photo of the Week.

To kick this off, I wanted to share this photo of Dr. Crystal Cunningham.   Crystal is a general surgeon serving short term with Mission Doctors this summer.   She hit the ground running last week, preforming surgeries before recovering from jet lag. 
 
In this photo, Crystal is praying before preforming surgery with the staff at St. Martin De Porres Hospital in rural Cameroon, as they do before every surgery. 

Please join us in praying for the success her time in Cameroon and all of her patients.  

What a trip it was!

It wasn’t a long trip – but it was packed full with an impressive amount of visits, contacts, hugs, tears and laughs. Greeted at the airport by my dear friend Sr. Xaveria we headed out to Padre Pio Clinic for the night, and followed it in the morning with a meeting with Archbishop of Bamenda, Cornellus Esua and the honor of Mass at the Cardinal’s private chapel in Douala celebrated by Archbishop Esua and the Cardinal. On to the 8 hour drive by the ever reliable Bo’Paul – (father of Paul) who has been driving for the hospital for 20 + years! To say that the car was in good hands is a great understatement – also known as Henry this driver’s infectious smile and laughter can only be met with same.

Arriving at Njinikom, Martin de Porres Hospital, after the obligatory stops half way to purchase pineapples and papaya, I was greeted by music, hugs from the many sisters and Jim and Terry Hake who began their three-year assignment this summer and two of our surgeons who were serving short-term, Bill Walsh and Magued Khouzam.

Over the next 10 days I had the opportunity to attend daily Mass with this wonderful group of faith filled people, to make rounds with our doctors, observe surgeries, witness both tragedies of loss and miracles of recovery. Coming home my heart is filled to near bursting with the faith and friendship, with joy and love and I know that I am so very blessed to have the opportunity to be a witness to this amazing ministry of healing.

We are preparing a new web site for MDA and we decided upon a phrase to put under the title of the organization that I believe does a wonderful job conveying just what this is: Mission of Healing. Partnership of Hope.

Please keep all these wonderful people in your prayers – know that you are in theirs.

A special bridge of healing...

I leave this week for Cameroon - of course this starts with spending quite a few hours sitting in airports & airplanes to get to Douala (I think it is 30!) - an overnight at Padre Pio Clinic and the next day a rather long drive to Njinikom in the Northwest - to St. Martin de Porres Hospital.

So, I began taking malaria prophylaxis, packing my bags which will include some medical reference books requested by Jim and some Tupperware requested by Terry Hake, and a bag of Peanut M&M's - the required take along for mission visitation!

I am really looking forward to this trip. I will meet with the Archbishop of Bamenda and the Bishop of Kumbo. I will have the opportunity to visit our overachieving bloggers Jim and Terry who recently began their three-year assignment and Dr. Bill Walsh who will be completing a one month surgical mission. I will also see my old friend, Sr. Xaveria Ntenmusi, hospital matron. Sr. Xaveria and I have been communicating since the 1980's when she was at Shisong Hospital and other mission doctors were serving there.

Without the hard work and dedication of Sr. Xaveria, St. Martin De Porres would not be able to invite our doctors and other doctors from around the world to provide life saving medical care and the necessary training for local staff.

Sr. Xaveria is just one of our partners in Africa and Latin America. It is this partnership, working with the local community to build sustainable health care that makes our organization and the selfless work of our doctors possible.

Partners here that support, and partners there who receive - a special bridge of healing!