morning time and prayer...

mornings at the centre are my favorite times. we arrive from the team house by 7:30 usually. the admin office is usually opened by terri. i dump my stuff into a chair and grab the coffee pot. it's quite a commodity around here, and so it's the first task of the day. that done, i run off to the morning devotions held by some of the staff for the patients. we sing songs in krio, and clap to all different rhythms. i have several favorite songs, one of which i have copied here:

tell ah, tell ah ten-ki
tell papa god tenki
tell ah, tell ah ten-ki
tell papa god tenki

wetin ee do foh me
teh papa god tenki
wetin ee do foh me
teh papa god tenki

the devotional time ends with a time of prayer, and i love to hear prayers in krio. florence, our official/unofficial counselor is a pastor's wife, and she prays with the most fervent spirit. filling her prayers with scripture and thanksgiving. we have begun praying with each of the patients going into surgery that day. today we prayed with a fifteen year old and an eighteen year old, both absolutely petrified with fear. honestly, sometimes i struggle to understand how such things can happen. when i see such young girls, i realize that we are really treating a symptom but not the problem. fistulas are still happening, and frequently.

yet i notice every morning after the devotions and after the times of prayer that one of the most amazing things about prayer is that no matter who or what you are praying for, you always end up feeling better. even with these girls, and the whole country of sierra leone and all its difficulties, there's a peace in my heart and a confidence in god's abundant love. it's the mysterious blessing of prayer...