A Section of the Anglican Journal Bishop’s Message and Announcements
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Around the Province Pages 5, 6
Obituaries Page 7
Food for Thought Page 7
Faith and Worship Page 8
October, 2010
Medical Mission in Uganda Teaches about Diaconal Ministry by Rev. Susan Page REGINA Rev. Susan Page is permanent deacon at St. Luke, and is a registered nurse who teaches nursing at SIAST, Regina campus. The focus of diaconal ministry is service. Serving is different than helping or fixing. Helping is based on inequality; it is not a relationship between equals. We serve others because they are holy, creations of God, not because they are broken. Service should be the work of the soul. I went to Uganda in July as part of a medical mission with the idea of helping the people there, but came away with the knowledge that helping was not as important as serving. I was invited by Dr. Joseph Buwembo (a parishioner at St. Luke) and some other North American physicians of Ugandan origin. The team included two surgeons (one of whom was Dr. Buwembo), three general practitioners, a pre-med student, a student resident anaesthesiologist from Kampala, Uganda, and me as the only nurse. We spent a week performing surgeries in an impoverished hospital not far from the border of the Democratic Republic of Congo. In Bwera Hospital there are not enough beds for the patients, so most of them slept on the floor or outside on the grass. The hospital has so little equipment and supplies that we wondered how their one doctor manages to perform any operations at all.
The team physicians had brought supplies such as gloves, gowns and surgical equipment, so we were able to complete 31 surgeries and several more minor procedures on the sickest patients. I am in awe of the two surgeons. They managed very difficult and intricate surgeries with none of the amenities they would have in North America. I know that several lives were saved in the operating rooms that week, and many of those were children. I did some teaching with the surgical nurses at Bwera, as they were not even counting sponges and instruments to make sure none are left in a patient's abdomen. We constantly reminded them about surgical asepsis, to prevent postoperative infection. They did not scrub their hands before surgery, and in fact the soap was hidden. We convinced them to leave some soap beside the sink, but to ensure it wouldn't be stolen, they drilled a hole in the soap and hung it from the tap. I had to remind myself that even soap was a rarity in this place. Nurses here often complain about the time spent charting (recording information) for each patient. In Bwera Hospital, there was very little charting. They would write a patient's name and age in pencil in a little notebook. When a patient was discharged it was erased so they could reuse the paper. However, if the patient died it was a different story. Usually the charting went like this: "This poor soul has passed to eternal life with Jesus. May the Lord bless them and have mercy on them. They
photo courtesy of Susan Page
Rev. Susan Page (front left) and Dr. Joe Bwembo (centre) both of St. Luke's, Regina, take a break with some of the nurses at Bwera hospital in Uganda. Susan and Joe were part of a North American medical mission team which provided equipment and expertise in the impoverished area. will not be forgotten. Lord, remember me too when you come into your kingdom." That was my biggest surprise the absolute faith of these people who have very little in the way of material possessions, but an absolutely unshakeable knowledge that God will take care of them in this life, and in the life to come. I learned a lot about faith from the people we served in Bwera. Happiness for them has little to do with what they own, but with family, friendships, and with faith in God. They never eat without
prayer and many of their day-to-day activities are surrounded with prayers. My trip helped me focus on my diaconal ministry in the church. The prayer of St. Ignatius of Loyola explains this to me. "Teach us good Lord, to serve you as you deserve; to give and not to count the cost; to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil and not to seek for rest; to labour and not to ask for reward, save that of knowing that we do your will." Let us respond to the call of God and the church, and do the same.
Summer Memories
photo - Kevin Weedmark
Children enjoyed a giant inflatable slide on the St. Alban church grounds in Moosomin.