I’ve been here 10 days now, and spent last weekend on call at ELWA Hospital, the 55-bed facility that SIM runs just outside Monrovia, Liberia’s capital city.
The news here is good — the Ebola epidemic really seems to be coming to an end. But in the health care setting in particular, its effects will be felt for many months to come.
Many outward changes have been made at ELWA due to the Ebola crisis.
All patients, staff and visitors now enter the hospital compound through a single gate where people must wash their hands with bleach and have their temperatures checked before entry.
Bleach is everywhere throughout the hospital.
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All through Monday, my heart was heavy from the losses of the weekend.
I think my co-workers felt the same way. But as we sang hymns and prayed during morning devotions on Tuesday, we experienced a sense of unity and a release of our sadness.
During the song “I Surrender All,” the person leading devotions encouraged us to take the challenges we faced and the feelings that overwhelmed us and surrender them to Jesus, who loves us and shares our grief as we do this work in His name.
It was just a relief to lay it all down at the feet of Jesus, restoring my spirit to be ready to care for the next patient who needs our compassion and concern.
