Goats and Sheep

Last week someone spoke to us about goats and sheep, how sheep are creatures that need to be led and shepherded. They are unhappy outside the flock and are slow learners that tend to fall into the same pits several times before they learn to avoid them. This is what God is comparing us to: Sheep.

But he never makes the comparison in a way as to disparage or scorn us. What he wants to say is that we need each other, we often make the same mistakes and we do need someone to help us find our way. And He wants to be our shepherd. It is his desire and his heart to help us make wise decisions and to lead around all the potholes in the road and prevent us from falling into the ditches we've found ourselves in far too often. But the shepherd does not only help his flock to stay out of trouble, he also leads them to water, speaks to them and tends to their needs. And not only does he care for all of his sheep, but he has declared several times that he especially cares for the weak sheep, the broken ones and the ones that have been ill-treated and neglected. That is my shepherd, one I am proud to belong to.

Sometimes I behave more like a goat though. I get stubborn and hard to lead. I'll run off to go climbing a rock and I'll gore others who get too close or appear to compete over the same space. When I finally get tired of the climbing and the fighting I can hear the gentle whisper of the shepherd calling me to leave the scene and to come and stay close to him, allowing him to clean up the wounds, feed me and teach me. That is usually when I realise I'm a sheep after all, slow to learn and constantly making foolish mistakes. When you are with someone with a gentle spirit and a loving heart it doesn't take long before you realise that you have a long way to go...

But even a slow learner is teachable, and thankfully, this shepherd is a creative teacher with a lot of patience.

All Love

Welcome to Ward B

I work on ward B, an oprthopaedic ward treating kids aged from a few weeks old up til the age of 15. The surgeries and treatments these kids come in for can be very complicated, and I don't think I realised how extensive some of our surgeries can be. At the moment we're treating a lot of kids from Sierra Leone who had their first operation in 2011, now coming back for more surgery. When you're dealing with comlicated untreated conditions, you realise 10 months isn't a very long time. Being a nurse, working with children is quite different from working with adults. Adults are more reasonable when it comes to keeping still during wound care; they rarely kick and scream whenever you try and take a dressing down. Also, for most adults looking away is enough to survive needles, and me having to wipe away tears is a rare occasion. Adults aren't as easily comforted with stickers and balloons though, and it takes a lot longer for their tears to turn into laughter. Holding these kids in my arms, making them laugh at my silly dance moves and knowing I get the honor of helping them through a difficult but significant part of their lives, it leaves me with a warm fuzzy feeling inside... even if it brings the sweat out carrying casted kids up the stairs from deck 3 to deck 7, and sometimes my arms go a bit numb from holding them for a long time (at that point it's a good idea to put them down). Whenever their faces lit up as they see me, I bet my own face shines 10 times brighter. It's my pleasure and a big honor to work with these children and their families.

All Love