First Dress Ceremony!!

Already our hospital is almost full and our women’s ward is running at full capacity! Praise the Lord! This means we have had more than 25 women who have already received surgery!! Our women usually arrive the day they get surgery, have surgery, and then recover in our wards as we monitor for leaks and make sure they are recovering well. These women have catheters (tubes that go into the bladder to drain urine) for around 10-14 days while the site heals and then we take out the catheters and make sure they are able to retrain their bladders to pee again. So far 5 of these women have gone through the whole process successfully!
This past week I got to be a part of the dress ceremony that we put on for all the women on our ward who have had these successful surgeries. The patients who are stable enough to go attend, as well as the nurses, doctors, day crew, and any other crew members that want to attend. As you can imagine, it can be quite packed! The ladies are then given a new dress from Mercy ships and get all dulled up in the next room. We start off with some songs and dancing and then the women make their grand entrance. Like a bride being seen for the first time, they enter, faces shining and confident. It was quite emotional to see them and tears quickly sprang to my eyes throughout the rest of the celebration. One of the women joked that she has never worn a dress like this, and would never have been able to afford something like it. She said her husband will not be able to recognize her! After we sang a few more songs and danced a little more, they got a chance to share a bit about their journey and how they came to Mercy Ships. These women range from 15 (sometimes younger) years of age to 60 years of age. Some have been suffering from this condition all the way from 1 year to 20+ years. It was incredible to hear how so many of them felt so much love from everyone at Mercy Ships and that they could really feel God’s presence here. One lady said that “because of that love, even before getting the surgery I was already healed.” Another said she went from hospital to hospital, from doctor to doctor, with no success.  Many urged her to go to a witch doctor as well, but she refused. She had faith and hope that Jesus one day would heal her, and she said “by the grace of God, today I am healed.”

It is hard to put into words the emotions and inspiring stories I see daily here at Mercy Ships. These ladies journeys are full of suffering and times of hopelessness. But their strength and courage make them some of the most beautiful people I know. I am so honored to be a little part in their story and witness the healing of not only their bodies, but their emotional and spiritual healing as well.






PS: We have permission to show these photos from the patients and it has gone through Mercy Ships careful screening process as to not breech confidentiality. Enjoy! 

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