Safely home

I arrived safely back to the states yesterday afternoon. My dad picked me up from the airport. I will post some more pictures and details from my last week in Angola in the next few days. Thank you for your prayers and support!

Heading back to the states

I am heading back to the states tomorrow morning. I will again be going via Luanda, the capital of Angola. I have a 12 hour layover in Luanda, then I fly to Frankfurt. I only have a three hour layover there, and then I fly to Dallas. I should be arriving around 4:30 pm on Saturday, God willing.
I go home with many mixed emotions. It will probably take me some time to process everything I have experienced and seen during my 4 weeks back here. I will write more then. I would love to talk to you more about my trip so let me know if you would like to get together! I have lots of pictures and some videos as well. I am very grateful for the prayers and e-mails. The Lord has used you to encourage me and He has heard your cries for the Angolan people as well. Thank you for your support!

Urgent Prayer Request

Please pray for a 9-month old little boy. He came in with fevers, diarrhea, and vomiting for two weeks, and a bad cough for one week. The parents also mentioned a history of seizures. He has malaria and the chest x-ray shows pneumonia. I've started him on anti-malarials, antibiotics for pneumonia, and oxygen. Pray that he makes it through the night. His O2 sats are in the upper 80's. We do not have ventilators here to help him with breathing. Pray for wisdom for the overnight nurses taking care of him tonight.

Update #3

I want to share a few stories about some of my patients:

E.M. is an 18 year old who most likely was affected by tuberculosis at a young age but did not receive treatment until 6 months ago. Those who have tuberculosis here are sent to Tchamangala for 6 months of treatment. They stay there, so that the staff can directly observe them taking their medication each day (DOTS). The tuberculosis was treated, but it had already destroyed much of his right femur head and pelvic joint; so much in fact, that he has been using crutches and has not been able to put weight on his right leg. The only operation that can be done here in Angola for him is a fusion of the hip joint which would allow him to walk on it and bear weight. Sadly, this means he will not have any movement of the hip joint. We did the operation yesterday and he seems to be doing ok so far. He says he is in a lot of pain, and has "tenturas" (dizziness) from the pain medications he is on. Before the operation I had the opportunity to share a little about God and he wants to know more and would like to read the bible. You can pray for him as he recovers from surgery in these next few days. I have also asked the hospital's chaplain, Pastor Moises, to come with me next time I chat with him. Today he smiled as I placed a bible on the table next to his bed. He also shared with me that he would like to become a teacher.


P.K. is an 8-month old little girl who came in vomiting and not eating who turned out to have a WBC of 300,000. We think this is most likely leukemia. We started her on Prednisone and her count went down to 48,000 so we are hopeful. We sent her to the oncology hospital in Luanda, the capital of Angola for further treatment. Pray for this sweet little girl.


L.P. is a young girl, maybe 15-16 year old, who sustained trauma to her birth canal while giving birth earlier this year. This trauma caused an abnormal connection, a fistula, between her bladder and vagina. We fixed her fistula a few days ago. Please pray that the repair is successful! Also, pray for her life decisions and choices in school, marriage, and child-bearing. Pray for God to guard her mind, heart, and spirit. Pray for the young women of Angola, so much seems to be against them.

A.T. is the sweetest little boy ever. He sustained a femur fracture when a motorcycle hit him! He will likely be discharged this week, praise the Lord. He has a lion toy and a tiger toy that he plays with, and yesterday he was super excited because he received a toy guitar from his mom.

Thank you all for your prayers, e-mails, and support. I am really encouraged by your notes! The time in Kalukembe was really busy, we did 46 procedures/surgeries! Plus 100+ clinic visits AND saw the patients on the wards! I then got to take a day off on Monday and went to the beach which was super nice and relaxing. I went with Sheila (Dr. Foster's sister), Rebecca (an 18 year old who is here in Angola who will be studying to be a teacher next year and hopes to return to Africa to work with children), a Dutch family (he teaches at the seminary here), and four men from Holland (who were here building a house for pastors who will be attending the seminary). It was a sweet time to appreciate God's creation and for fellowship.

This is my last week here in Angola. Please pray for wisdom in taking care of critically ill patients and small children. Pray that I would use my time with the nurses working on the wards to teach and encourage. Also pray that I would be obedient as God calls me to pray for patients and share with them about His love and sacrifice. I am writing this by candlelight because we do not have electricity so I will have to end here before the computer battery dies!

I will be back in USA on Saturday afternoon.

With love in Christ,
Marcela.

Heading out to Kalukembe

Yesterday we had an older man come in after 4 seizures and with an altered mental state, no fevers. When he started to wake up, he was very combative and then informed me that he usually drank 6 beers a day but that yesterday he had not. I figured he was going through withdrawal symptoms. Dr. Foster then came by and recognized the man. This man has been a pastor for many years and though he may have drunk in his early years, there is no way he drinks currently. We started him on anti-malarials, and it turns out he had cerebral malaria. I have yet much to learn about how disease and what diseases manifest here in Angola!
I went by and saw him today and he told me about Jesus. He told me that He is the son of God, and that He has saved him. He is such a kind, sweet old gentleman. He laughed and laughed when I told him all the things he had told me the day before. I get excited about getting to worship our Saviour with men like him for all eternity!
Tomorrow I head out with Dr. Foster, Maryan (a medical student from Holland), and Chikukuma (our anesthesiologist) to Kalukembe, a 200-bed rural hospital that is run by nurses. They usually line up many surgeries and difficult cases for the few days we are there. I will be there until Saturday evening. I am excited because they have a maternity ward with lots of deliveries! :)
Thank you for your notes and support!
In Him,
Marcela.

Finding me a husband

Just kidding! But today, the women in the ward asked how old I was, and how come I wasn't married yet. When I answered that I was 25, one of them spoke up and said that she too was 25 and that she already had three children! They said that next time I come to Angola I must have 10 children...hahaha. One of the nurses today offered to introduce me to her 26-yo "doctor" brother.
They are calling from the ICU, later!

Update #2

Thank you so much for your support, prayers, and e-mails. Last week was very difficult for me because three of my patients passed away.
One was a 26 year old who took some traditional medicine that caused liver and renal failure. Another was the 11 YO girl I wrote about in my earlier post. I had given strict instructions to continue bagging her and checking her O2sats while I helped Dr. Foster in surgery. In the middle of the surgery I heard the mourning/yelling that occurs here in Angola when someone dies. The nurse told me it was time for her to go. I became very angry at this response. I need to ask forgiveness from this nurse when I see him. The last one, a 15 month old, died before I got to the hospital on Saturday morning, from amoebic dysentery and dehydration.
By Saturday night, my heart was very broken. I cried a lot.
Please pray for the people here, for physical, emotional, and spiritual healing. You can pray for strength for me and for His touch and love to be seen through the workers here.
Thank you Courtney for sending this Psalm. It reminds us that He is FOR the oppressed/sick/hurting/abandoned.
Your prayers are much needed and appreciated!

Psalm 146

Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

Put not your trust in princes,
in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
on that very day his plans perish.

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;
who executes justice for the oppressed,
who gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets the prisoners free;
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the sojourners;
he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

The Lord will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord!

In Him who is ALWAYS faithful,
Marcela.