Students for International Mission Service (SIMS)

Madagascar
by Keith Wresch, sophomore, School of Medicine

The name sounded exciting and enticing, which was why I volunteered to go to Madagascar. My first day at Andapa Adventist Hospital confirmed all that, and more.

I joined the surgery crew and the procedure was supposed to be simple„untwisting a twisted bowel. The doctor asked me if I wanted to assist, and of course I agreed because I wanted as much experience as possible.

The operation, however, was not as simple as anticipated.

Upon opening the abdomen we were greeted with what looked like a writhing snake and an awful stench. The bowel was swollen and had started to rot, so the doctor decided to remove a portion of the bowel.

Five-and-a-half hours later, and covered with blood and half-digested intestinal contents, we finally closed up the man.

At that point I wasn't sure what I had gotten myself into. In retrospect, the surgery was a good initiation. After that, nothing bothered me and to my surprise, I had rather enjoyed the surgery.

Madagascar fulfilled my expectations and continually provided me with surprises. Things rarely went as planned. I learned, however, to expect the unexpected and just go along with how plans materialized.

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