Beauty

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.  Proverbs 31:30

One of my coworkers gave me a card before I left for the ship that included this Bible verse. She so sweetly said that she thought the verse described me.  What a compliment!  But, I told her it's something I feel I need to work on.  Before I left for Africa, I started to realize how much stock I put in my amazing good looks and incredible charm.  I'm kidding, people!  Though, I truly noticed that instead of trusting in the Lord, I was trusting in my quick wits, ability to make friends, education, work experience, and average appearance (after 20 minutes in front of the mirror and an arsenal of beauty products!).  According to this Bible verse, beauty and charm are not things that should be praised.  My life should be praised for fearing the Lord, and not because of my outward appearance.

Now that I'm here in Guinea, I've been thinking about this a lot.  Our hospital takes care of many patients that have been ostracized for their appearance.  They have cleft lips, facial and neck tumors, lumps in odd places and too often, they live with the results of devastating noma infections. (For a brief description and some fairly graphic pictures of noma, please click here: nonoma.org).  D ward is currently taking care of a woman who is completely missing her upper lip, palate and nose.  Can you imagine? 

So many of our dear patients have spent a lifetime with a scarf over their face and have missed out on getting married, having families, gaining employment and making friends.  They have lived on the outskirts of society.  They have been told that they are demon possessed or that they are being cursed for something they've done.  These patients have been judged and rejected for one reason- the way they look.

Sometimes my American girlfriends and I would talk about the pressures that society places on women to look_______ (fill in the blank- skinny, beautiful, athletic, sexy, funny, well dressed).  I used to think that the obsession with one's looks was a "first world problem."  After talking with these patients, I have realized that beauty matters everywhere.  It is no different here.  Apparently, it was no different in Biblical times.  Looks and charm matter in society.  

The good news: God doesn't care about these things.  Instead, He brings our deformed and disfigured patients to the ship.  The hospital staff looks them in the eyes and smiles at them.  We include them in card games, in conversation, in crafts and community living.  We tell them they are beautiful.  The patients interact with one another in a special way, because they are suddenly accepted by a group of people who have had similar experiences.  After years of rejection, the doctors, nurses and staff get to show them that they matter.  Seemingly overnight, the patients start to laugh, smile and play. 

Recently, I took care of a young man who told me that he dropped out of school because he had a noma infection, and he was made fun of.  After his father died, the only work he could find to support his little sister was at sea.  Now that he had surgery, he told me that he could work in the city and spend more time with his sister. Mercy Ships was able to change his life.  Truth be told, most of the patients don't look 'normal' when they leave, there is only so much that surgeons can do.  So, I don't think it was solely the young man's changed appearance that made him think he could find better work.  It was a change in his attitude and confidence.  By showing our patients the love of Christ, we help them see themselves in a new way.  We can show them, through our actions, that society doesn't win- beauty is not the most important part of life. 

So what about me?  I think my priorities are shifting.  I am working more and more on representing God instead of my own strengths.  My appearance doesn't seem to matter to me as much.  Though, sharing a tiny bathroom with five other women is a guaranteed way to stop spending so much time in front of the mirror! It has been humbling to be part of the physical, emotional and spiritual healing taking place on the wards.  Every day the patients are teaching me a new lesson in kindness, love and true beauty. 

             

Favorite part of the day: everyday from 2:30-3:30, nurses take patients to

outside to Deck 7 to socialize and spend time together.



They are incredibly accepting of one another

 



One of my beautiful patients!