Dorina

As I write this from my cabin on the AFM, a place that has truly felt like coming home, I find myself reflecting on the last few weeks of travel and ministry. Before I share more about my time back in Madagascar, I want to share about my time in Ghana.

I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to return to Ghana, a place that continues to teach me so much. There is always something to learn when we are willing to embrace the unfamiliar.  It opens my eyes to new cultures, new perspectives, and deeper glimpses of who Jesus is.

I had the privilege of serving alongside two familiar colleagues and a team of four OB-GYN surgeons from the United States. Together, we performed approximately 20 surgeries in the townships of Winneba, including myomectomies and hysterectomies. While it was challenging I found myself falling in love once again with surgery. 

What impacted me most were the women we cared for. I was deeply moved by their determination, resilience, and courage. Many had lived for years with untreated uterine tumors, enduring significant pain and hardship while also facing the heartbreaking reality that these conditions had affected their fertility I was amazed by the severity of some of the cases we encountered. Some women had more than 17 individual fibroids embedded within the walls of their uterus, while another woman was carrying a fibroid weighing nearly 12 pounds, so large that it was beginning to impair her ability to breathe comfortably.  Despite these challenges, they carried themselves with remarkable strength and hope.

Their stories reminded me of the privilege it is to serve in healthcare and the importance of access to surgical care. They also reminded me that courage often looks quiet and ordinary.

One of the unexpected joys of the trip was reconnecting with a familiar face, a colleague I had served alongside over the past year in Madagascar. There is something so special about serving across nations and cultures where you encounter people who have shared a meaningful chapter of your life. It was a beautiful reminder of how God weaves together our paths and builds a global community of people united in service and purpose.

I look forward to sharing more soon about what God has been doing here in Madagascar and the adventures that have already begun since returning to the AFM.