First day blogging......

So I have been thinking about blogging since it was recommended to me by my daughter in law, Sophie, my pastor, Steve, and others.  I'm not sure how interesting it will be but it will record what happens in the realization of a dream that I have had for more than 2 years and that is to live In Angola and provide medical care in the area of Hospice.  I'm not sure how this will take form here but am praying that the dream will be a reality.


First let me review the past that has brought me here.  My husband was working as a rotator in another area of Angola. This means that he worked 28 days in Angola and then came home for 28 days.  This he did for 3 years.  I had been working in hospice in the East Bay of California and realized that if I had learned only one thing......it was that life is precious and short.  None of us knows how long our life will be so we must make the most of it.  Living apart was not what either of us wanted to do.  


In September 2008 the opportunity came for my friend, Faye Higashi, and me to come to Cabinda, Angola and meet with community and health officials to see the possibility of starting hospice in Angola.  We had two weeks there meeting with the Evangelical Church of Angola, the local hospital, many local clinics, and the Ministry of Health to see their responses to the idea.  The idea of end of life care and palliative care was a new one here.  The head doctor at the local hospital put it this way, "We have been knocking on the door of the Ministry of Health asking for help with all the patients that are abandoned at the hospital at end of life and here you come wanting to start this program.  Yes, please come".  Apparently what frequently occurs is that families come to the end of their resources.....emotional and financial...while caring for a dying family member and bring their family member to the hospital and leave them there.  It is usual for the family to provide food at the hospital and pay for the medications and stay with their loved one during the hospitalization.  When they are abandoned there, the hospital must absorb all of this and it adds pressure to their limited resources. 


After the two weeks of meetings and fact finding, we presented a proposal for the project.  No response came. But the dream would not die in me....


My husband was then offered a position to come as a resident in Soyo.  This was very exciting because living here could allow the realization of the hospice program. 


Finally, last Saturday 2/5/11, after nearly 27 months of waiting, I arrived here.


I have lived in many countries in South East Asia for most of my adult life.  I must say that this is the first time I have felt a "call" to come to a place.  The other places, where I loved living and was able to make a difference, did not have a recognized call there.....but perhaps it was because I wasn't listening or because God uses whatever means to get us where He wants us to be.  It is quite amazing to me though to feel a hearts pull and then have to wait such a long time to realize the dream.....I'm just glad that I'm here.