Very special

I got to be a part of a really special moment this week.  One of our patients has cancer in his hip. His name is Aragow.  Unfortunately, it's inoperable, and there is nothing we can do.  We work very hard to manage his pain, but its very difficult with the medication we have available. The sisters are not licensed to carry many narcotics.  This man cries out often.  Especially when the sisters or I are in the room because he knows that we are the only one who give him pain medicine.  I know that some of it IS real pain, but some of it is attention seeking as well. It's really challenging to be charitable to him sometimes.  I can only imagine that the other men in the room grow very tired of his noises and carrying on.  The other day, I went into the room, and it was eerily quiet.  It's never quiet in that room.  When I went to his bed, he didn't look good. His face was swollen, and his voice was very weak.  Even though he often drives me crazy, my heart went out to him.  I sat with him a while, and one of the sisters came in.  She noticed that he wasn't doing well either.  She called one of the workers, and we decided that we were going to pray for him.  The worker clapped his hands, and immediately the room went silent, and everyone joined in praying for Aragow.  It was so beautiful to see all the men praying for this man.  Even though he is often the cause of huge disruption in the room, and is a very difficult person, they all cared enough to pray for him.  It was so special to be a part of it.  If nothing else, we were able to show Aragow that he is loved and that he is worthy of our time and care.  I was concerned that he would pass away quickly, so I watched him very closely over the next few days.  He has been quieter and a lot more patient with us and the workers.  He seeks our attention less, and I'm more willing to spend extra time and care with him when he doesn't demand it all the time.  It's amazing how much more peaceful that room has been since our special prayer time!
I would like to say that I'm getting excited for Christmas, but I"m not.  It's hard to get excited about Christmas, when there are NO signs of it around. It's really weird because it IS a mostly Christian country. I don't think the weather helps, but I've been kind of confused by all of this.  I went to mass on Sunday, thinking we would celebrate the first week of advent, but we didn't.  THAT really confused me.  THEN, I realized that we have been 2 weeks behind in the liturgy since I got here.  Not only in Ethiopia, do they have their own calendar, their own time, but they ALSO have their own Christmas.  They celebrate Christmas on January 7th (in our calendar).  By this point, I shouldn't be surprised! ha ha  So, as a result, I have to wait 2 more weeks for Advent to start, and then maybe things will get a bit more festive around here.  I'm thankful that I didn't start seeing Christmas things in Oct, like we do back home, but I'm hopeful that there will be SOME decorations or sign of Christmas soon.
I tried again to post photos, but the internet connection is so choppy, they can't download.  I"m getting my computer at the end of Dec, so I"m hopeful to share some pics with you then.
This post is short, I know. Its been a very full week, and I have a TON of stuff to do.  Please continue to pray for me. I"m exploring the possibility of working with a small NGO here after my volunteer time with the sisters is over.  Still trying to work out the details. Please pray that God would open or close doors as He sees fit.
Have a blessed Advent season!