Togo 2010 - Abi and Jen's Blog - and update on willing and able...

We arrived in Togo early sunday morning, rather behind schedule, having frustratingly been delayed in Libya (where we are in a small riot) for 5 hours and Nigeria for 2 hours. Thankfully, this time I travelled to the ship with 3 friends; Richard and Victoria who are in my class at dental school and Jen who is a medical student, so we passed the time playing medical hangman and managed to sneak into first class to have sleep and massage on the luxury chairs, so it wasn’t too bad.

This week has been very busy with screening, a full operating list, a few emergency patients to squeeze onto the schedule. It is great to be back and am loving the max-fac surgery and seeing old friends.

It is also great to share the ship experience with people from my London life - Rich and Victoria have been in dental clinic and are loving it! They have both seen hundreds of patients and pathology that we have previous just read about in books.

Jen is doing well, though working in the hospitality department, we are trying to get her medical experience wherever possible, this week she has been practising taking blood from her friends arm (or in some brave cases both arms).

We now have a few days off for Easter, so are doing some dentistry revision, but mainly table tennis, reading on deck and a spot of swimming : )

Aissa will be traveling to the Mercy Ship next week. Accompanied by her uncle, (Jean) and a missionary, (Sarah) they leave Meskine, Cameroon on 12th April to fly to Douala (in the south) and then fly to the ship in Lome, Togo on the 15th. Please pray for safe, direct, smooth travels and then for the operation itself, which will take place on the 19th, by Dr Gary Parker and Dr Tertius Venter.

We are also in the process of making arrangements for Regina, Deve, Cedric and Namina at the moment. For more info please see:

http://www.willingandabel.org.uk/

to make a donation please see:

http://www.justgiving.com/willingandabel