My nursing skills were put to the test when Nathan told me he wanted some help doing the dressing changes on a small boy who was burned when he fell into the cooking pot. The first time I saw this little one, I was so worried about his health and preventing infection, that I barely saw his beautiful face. His mother told us that the wound had been stinking that day, so she put cassava leaves on it. When we removed the dressing, I found a burn that went from the fingertips to the elbow and all the way around each finger and his forearm. It was covered in a green substance that I felt needed to be removed. We soaked Kunde's arm, while he responded in the way that most toddlers respond to fear and pain, by screaming and resisting. As a nurse, I am accustomed to doing such procedures in a clean environment with sterile technique. Having been to Cameroon before, I knew that sterile technique was not just a luxury, but an impossibility. Still, I wanted to do all that I could to reduce the possibility of infection. We got as much of the cassava off as we could and redressed Kunde's tiny arm.
We did a few more dressing changes and finally handed the care of Kunde's burn off to his parents. They did a good job at caring for his wound, and a few days later, I saw him walking around without a bandage.
On Easter Sunday, Pierre showed up to lead the Baka in a few songs and prayer. We were just participants in this activity and took no leading role. Kunde's father, Ebele, began praying. Though I couldn't quite understand his words, I was struck with the passion of his prayer. I was told later that he was praying for Kunde. He thanked God for the healing that his son had already experienced and asked for continued healing. Personal prayers like this are new for the Baka. I hope that many more will pray like this as they begin to see their prayers being answered.
Later on that day I saw Kunde out playing with the other kids. I approached him and called him to me. I was greeted by a precious and genuine smile. The wound looked great, and the only open skin was a portion of his hand where he fell and the tender new skin got scraped a little. I am sure that Kunde is completely healed now. Praise God for his healing power. I can't wait to see that sweet smile again!
