I checked on my bags on Royal Air Maroc before I went to bed last night & it still showed “unable to track”…I was disappointed, sent Doug all the info & screen shots in case he could reach them by phone as I had been unable to call. I chatted with Terry (my roommate from Australia) before bed & she is delightful…she is both a midwife & also a case manager of communicable diseases. She also volunteers for the WHO & has gone all over the world with them. She too has 4 children & 2 grandchildren. I woke up at 3:45 am…not quite sure why but managed to go back to sleep sometime before my alarm went off at 0545. Fortunately for me Whitney from Child Life brought several pair of her “hospital blue scrubs” so she gave me a pair & I had “new clothes” to wear today.
It was dark & cool in the morning so I was glad I had my jacket from the flight. I prayed this morning for the ability to stay positive in my uncertainty with my belongings. I think what is hard is being in a new totally unfamiliar environment without any “familiar” personal items – pajamas, clothes, all my normal mission supplies. I have felt very “out of sorts” but done my best to stay positive and full of faith.
We had breakfast at 6 a team meeting at 6:30 & left for the hospital at 6:45. The hospital is only about a 15 min drive away & the screening stations & flow had been well organized yesterday. When we arrived as is typically the case there were many families already waiting & a tent for them to wait in. There were also LOTS of big rugs on the ground in the intake area. I was asked last night at the team mtg to be one of the “gatekeepers” a role I have had on several missions so I was fine with that. The alternative was to do lab draws which really seems like a torture chamber sometimes.
At about 8:30 Gayle thought maybe we should drive out to the airport. I wasn’t convinced that would help but thought that maybe if Nour (the local PC who speaks the language) could call that might be a better place to start. Nour called Royal Air Maroc & confirmed that Gayle’s luggage was arriving at 12:40 pm & she should hear from them within 2 hours after that. While she was on the phone they told her that “it just popped up” that my bag was located in Paris – I was ecstatic…I think the unknown was how I allowed some doubt creep in & just knowing it was located I gave her a HUGE HUG. They told her it would be in Agadir tonight at 8:50 pm. I know that many people pray for me & our team on my mission & I always feel those prayers. I know MANY people have been praying for me to have my luggage located & returned to me & this felt to me that my prayers & others prayers had been answered. So THANK YOU to all who have prayed for me. I felt a huge weight off of my shoulders & it allowed me to give all of myself to screening today & to the patients & families. Even if I couldn’t get it until tomorrow morning that would be ok at least it was “found”.
I went thru the day fully engaged, helping wherever needed & being one of the gatekeepers. They had a very organized & color coded system for us to identify the patients as Priority 1-5 – I LOVED it & the 4 of us there worked really well together. We saw SO MANY precious kids & I took quite a few photos with patients & their moms. Many traveled 12 hours from Casablanca & some traveled 24, 36 or 48 hours on buses….that made me appreciate air travel in spite of lost luggage 😊
They always have a 10 am coffee break & we stagger so we don’t ever leave a station unattended but boy do they take these breaks seriously….lots of coffee & pastries. Then lunch was at 1 pm & again like my last mission in Morocco we had Tenjin for lunch s\chicken cooked in the special pot – it was pretty good which I appreciated since I didn’t have my typical protein bars or peanut butter.
Bathrooms are also very important to me…and the ones in the screening area were rather rustic “squatty potty’s” but the Pre-Op & Post Op areas are in a brand new building built by or for the princess of Morocco & they had decent restrooms so it was always worth the walk. I am told the bathrooms in the surgery & PACU areas may not be too nice…we will see.
The patients here are largely Islamic in varying degrees – some do not wear any head coverings, other wear more western clothes with a headcover, some wear more traditional clothes & a headcover & some are in full Burkas with only the eye slits.
By 1:30 we had screened 122 patients & at the end of the day about 5:30 we had screened 248 patients in total for the day. I am not sure how many more we expect to screen tomorrow & the Clinical Coordinators already starting to place patients on the schedule for Monday & Tuesday of surgery week. A cute little girl wandered into the Gatekeeper area & I smiled at her & she took my hand & walked me out to her mom. She was #210 & her name was Chourouk & she was 3 years old. We took a photo together & her mom was very sweet. I knew they would be on the schedule & told them if she had surgery I would take good care of her afterwards.
Gayle went to the airport at 4 to get her bags & she got them – Hooray & confirmed that my bag should arrive tonight, We had a special 20th Anniversary Dinner tonight so 2 of the local girls too me to a store called Marwa & I bought a dress to wear for $35 US. It’s actually one I think I would wear at home! I didn’t get shoes & thought I could wear my converse I have. We got ready for the dinner & I was hoping to get a cab to the airport from there & go get my luggage….the dinner was at a very ‘”fancy house” & far away from any cabs so I quickly knew that was unlikely. Plus we didn’t even get there until 8. I waited for 8:50 to come hoping shortly thereafter I would get a text confirming th arrival of my luggage & by 10 pm nothing….I called Doug & asked him to call & he called me back with the news that my bag never arrived in Casablanca & if it never got there it couldn’t get to Agadir. I was now distraught & figured it must still be in Paris? I got the US phone # from Doug & was able to get thru & he called to but neither of us got anywhere so while I’m not back to “square one” of it being “lost” it was found in Paris so it does exist & then who knows why it never traveled to me. By this time it had been a long day from 5:30 am-10:30 pm & while the party was going on I again felt a bit “lost myself” 150 team members here & I am the only one without any personal belongings. . I was longing to be in my own PJ’s with one of my snacks tonight but that didn’t happen. I think being tired doesn’t help matters & Doug escalated it to a supervisor so I am back to simply exercising faith & praying again for divine intervention and a sense of peace in “when” it will be returned to me & hoping it is soon.
In a weird way though the mis information helped me today to be fully engaged & present in the mission & I hope to be able to do that again tomorrow & also perhaps get some more good news. Right now I need some good sleep! Missions bring a myriad of challenges, physically, emotionally, socially, spiritually and I am working on my resiliency & being “up for the challenge” because they also bring me some of the greatest experiences of service, kindness, compassion & selflessness. Keep the prayers & positivity coming – I truly appreciate it.
I am also so very mindful of so many other friends facing much more significant challenges of personal or family health and that also gives me some perspective that is valuable. I also always say that thinga always look better in the morning after sleep so I am planning on that too! Good Night it’s nearly 1 am here but I needed to get this all down in my blog as that helps me process it all too!
PS I didn’t post this blog last night for 2 reasons – I didn’t want to walk back to the lobby where the wifi is – it is quite a hike & I was worried it might sound like I was having a “pity party for myself” Then my Morocco Miracle came via text message this morning that my bag was in Agadir!!! I know it must have been moved by angels overnight. The airport if 45 min away so I will go with one of the OSI volunteers – we can’t travel alone – it’s like having an LDS Mission companion! and in a few hours I should have my bag!!!!
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