Western Jurisdiction 
United Methodist Volunteers In Mission

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Congo~~why in the world would anyone want to go to the Congo??? This question was one I constantly had to answer when I told people where I was going in May of 2002. When I said I was going back this August-September, people just shook their heads and smiled. I have been fortunate enough to be chosen to participate in a Volunteer in Mission with the Pacific Northwest Conference of the Methodist Church as a registered nurse. Our mission was to give the first medical care to the refugees from the war torn areas of the Congo and villages in the bush where medical care is non-existent. The refugees live in an 8 x 8 compartment in an old concrete wear house with no electricity and no running water. The lack of clean water and proper sanitation is the main cause of many diseases.

Crying is not an option there because you are working so hard in poor conditions and unbearable heat and humidity. There are always exceptions to the rule and I experienced that exception. A woman was brought in by a friend on each arm because she was too weak to walk alone. This woman’s diagnosis was terminal breast cancer with metastasis. All we had to give her was Tylenol for pain. There are no controlled drugs available there. When I thought of my friends who have conquered beast cancer and the ones who are currently battling the disease and all the treatments and pain medications available and this poor woman would die in excruciating pain, I lost it. The Congolese nurses and doctors could not understand my tears because there they are so used to pain and suffering.

This was only one of the many people we saw—a young girl with tuberculosis—not in her lungs, but on her beautiful young 15 year old face. I was fortunate enough to work with her for an entire week. She was admitted to the “hospital” for treatment. In their hospitals, the patient must supply even the most basic supplies. There is a raw plastic mattress, no linens, no food unless it’s brought in by the family, no medicine unless they can buy it, no nurses except for a minute or two a day. It’s dark and dirty and depressing!!! This young girl never complained no matter what I did to her. Oh, how I wish I could bring her to the United States for treatment and plastic surgery for her disfigurement!

There is beauty in the country and the people. The flowers are a result of the tropical environment and their sunsets are equal to any of ours. They are a people of unbelievable faith and hope for a better future.

This suffering, this faith and this beauty is why I went and had to return. There are many ways to help our fellow brothers and sisters through out the world. This just happens to be my choice.