I’ve always known I was going to Africa, I did not know why, but I knew. Although I am a licensed Registered Nurse, I thought I was going to Africa to work in an Orphanage for a few weeks. On the other hand my husband, Gary Beall a veterinarian at Springboro Veterinary Hospital really never pondered a journey to Africa. When I came home and told him in 2011 I was going to Swaziland, a country ravaged with AIDS on a mission trip with Southbrook Church he said very supportively “I totally support your decision but I probably won’t go” I really wasn’t surprised, so I began making my plans. That was in December of 2010 and he has been to Africa three times now.:) The second year our adult children, Chip and Nicole accompanied us to both the orphanage and the bush. That was a special and unforgettable trip. A trip we will cherish forever. Bringing your family on a trip like this was taxing but life changing for all of us.

Although neither of our objectives was to do Nursing or Veterinary Medicine in Swaziland, we were immediately single out and asked to assist in the medical care of both humans and animals. It took less than 24 hours on the first visit of working in the bush treating sick animals and people that we realized this was a country in desperate need and we felt called to do something. That first trip has lead our family back to Swaziland three times and sphere headed the building of a medical clinic outside of Manzini, Swaziland deep in the bush.

In January of this year we once again returned to Swaziland, but this time it was a little more personal. My husband, the man who did not want go on the first trip, could not wait to return this year, except this time I was recovering from cancer and we were not sure if I could make the trip. It was a tough decision, the people and animals of Swaziland needed us, but how irrational would it be to go across the world and risk compromising my immunity. Month by month we waited to make the decision and month by month I felt better and better. Finally in November my oncologist at Ohio State thought there was no reason for me to stay home. So we packed our bags and medical supplies and sent word we were on our way. Life is for the living. And I am alive and well! If God gives us any day, especially if you feel they may be EXTRA days we better use them well. To be honest, by this time in my cancer journey I needed to think about some else besides me. Cancer can make you isolate and hyper focus on yourself. Although I wanted to relieve stress in my life, I did not want to stop searching for what God want me to do with the days he had give me.
We treated hundreds of livestock and at least 50 or 60 adults and children. The level of AIDS is devastating. A large percentage of middle age Swazi’s have passed away, leaving only the elderly to care for the orphaned children. Those surviving have extremely high blood sugar and high blood pressure from a diet of mostly corn and starch. The sad part is a simple medication and treatment could extend life. They cannot get to a clinic let alone receive medications. We traveled deep into the bush this time and met the most loving and kind people we have ever met. Although we did not want or need reward for our service we were given live chickens, cow horns, fresh mango and few other things we have never heard of. We were instructed to take these gifts, as it would be an insult to them if we didn’t. So we would put the live chickens in the car as well as the gifts and then give them to the next homestead that needed them.
One of our days was rather frightening. Here is what I had written on that day.
“Yesterday morning was a very scary morning. Two dogs viciously attacked Gary. It was an unprovoked attack. He was walking back to the car to get his bag to treat the dogs when one followed him nipped at his ankle lightly but then decided to attack. Gary tried to fight him off but the dog knocked him to the ground. Gary started yelling, “he’s got me! He has me good!!!” About this time a second dog came running from nowhere and began attacking Gary while he was on the ground. I knew at this moment we were in real trouble as dogs operate on a pack mentality. The more dogs they have the more viciously they will attack. They were out to destroy. Each time Gary would get up while trying to kick and fight he would be knocked down. Two other women and I, maybe even a third women came out to help, I am not sure about the third women as I was kicking the dog off of Gary. Finally, with all of us kicking we were able to fight these dogs off. But it was not easy; they did not want to let go. They had practically ripped his one pant leg off. I think that pant leg help save his life. The one dog had a hold of the pant leg pulling and ripping it to pieces. It is a miracle they did not go for the face or throat. The other dog however did some damage. When Gary was finally able to get away, he rose and then fell back to the ground on to a bush or flower plant of some type, I thought dear Lord please let him get up, we are in trouble. Thank God he stumbled up and got to the car, which was only a few yards away. (you could end it here)

When he sat down, his whole body was trembling. His right leg was exposed as half of the pant leg had been ripped away. I could see several abrasion and at least 5 puncture wounds. They looked bad. I quickly ran to my nursing bag and began pouring every antiseptic and disinfectant I had. After assessing the leg that was exposed we assessed the left leg. Dang, there was a gash approx. 4 inches long with deep tissue exposed. This wasn’t going to be a quick Band-Aid fix; we needed dangling tissue trimmed and stitches. Believe it or not we did not have a suture pack. We were not planning on surgery in the bush. Stupid, we should of brought one. The owner of the dogs found a spool of nylon thread, so Gary decided to suture himself, but first he trimmed the dangling flesh that had been torn away. Then he took a 16-gauge syringe needle, for the medical folks this was the only size we could thread the nylon string through, for everyone else this is one big needle. So stitch-by-stitch with his leg on the car armrest, he, yes himself, punctured the skin with the needle and I feed the thread through the needles tapered point until it was all the way through the hub and out the other side. He then removed the needle once the thread was through both sides of the wound and tied the thread tight. He did this over and over until we were done. His leg was shaking uncontrollably, an involuntary response to trauma. The gash is approx. 4 inches long and 1 inch deep. Chip and Nicole your dad is one tough guy!! And guess what, I didn’t even pass out!! Even though I am a nurse, when my family is injured I usually go down. LOL! The owners were extremely sorry and surprised by the attack. The reality is this, we are strangers to this country and to these dogs. They are taught to protect and they did their job. All in all, he has approximately 6 puncture wounds, 10 or fifteen abrasions and one deep laceration. And of course I cannot get him to take the rest of the day off. So back into the bush we went. Note to Chip and Nicole: dad is doing well, he a little sore from the fight but it is not stopping him, the wounds are clean, dressed, he has had his rabies vaccine and he is on antibiotics…no worries. Love you two. “

That was a difficult day in the bush; one that we will not forget. But that was a rare day, most days were filled with hard work and many blessings.

We have learned so much from the Swazi people. To my female friends, we could learn a few things from the women and girls of Swaziland. They love to have their photos taken and then view them on the iPad. When they see the photo, they first giggle, but then you hear them say humbly “oh so beautiful”, I am so beautiful”. This happened every singe day, every single time we took photos. It didn’t matter whether they were young or old; they think they are beautiful. What is the difference between the women in the US and the Swazi women? I have never heard a women call herself beautiful after seeing her own photo. It was refreshing!
One of the more interesting days in the bush was the day we met one of the Chiefs. He was also a Prince. How many times in your life do we get to meet a Chief? As I reviewed my journal from that day it makes me both happy and sad:

“Yesterday we met the Chief, who is also a Prince of a region adjacent to the Vuhlamho Medical Clinic we are trying to complete. I was both nervous and excited. In order to treat those in the bush, you must go through the proper channels. You start with the “headman, who then goes to the Chief”. Every homestead we entered Gary and I stayed in the car until Joseph spoke to the person in charge of that homestead. He would motion us to get out of the car after they spoke together for a while. In reality if a stranger came down my lane of a different color from a different country and offered to medically treat our animals and family for free would I trust them?

Our meeting with the Chief was very interesting. He was younger than I thought and very jovial. He was also very personable. We really liked him. He seemed to like Gary a lot. As soon as we arrived he asked me to see his mother. I thought, oh dear Julie don’t mess this up. I found her sitting under a tree on a homemade weaved mat. It was hot and there were flies everywhere. The conditions surrounding her were not necessarily what I think a chiefs mother would live under. This appeared to be a poor homestead also, but I am not sure. Thankfully, she had heartburn, not a heart attack. Phew! I gave her an antacid and she immediately felt better. She could not believe how quickly she felt better and seemed thrilled. She told the Chief she felt much better and he was happy. Thank God, I did not want to mess this up. When then moved on to the royal corral where Gary was going to treat the royal cattle. What I learned later was Gary was praying he did not do anything wrong while treating the chiefs cattle either. LOL!

The Chief’s home had the main Guca, which is a round reed hut. This is where all disputes were settled in the area and a place where they call on their ancient ancestors. For disputes, you must enter and not leave until you are at peace with your enemy. Sometimes it can take days. You even spend the night and sleep there until everything is settled. Nothing like a big slumber party to settle your differences.

He could see we were fascinated with his culture so he invited us in the Guca. He asked us to remove our shoes. We respectfully removed our shoes and entered. It looked like a dirt floor but surprisingly I did not have a single speck of dirt on my feet. The temperature change was drastic. It was cool and pleasant inside, a very refreshing change from the intense heat of the bush. I will post photos so you can see the inside of the Guca too.

We spoke for quite awhile inside the Guca with the Chief. His brother also entered later asking for a little medical advice. The Chief spoke of the bible and the Swazi culture and tradition. He spoke of hardship for his people in the bush. We were excited to be able to discuss the medical clinic project with him. He has the power to influence the King and the government on certain issues if there is a hold up. We told him of all the wonderful donations we have received from friends and family. He was pleased and said thank you MANY times. We left feeling like we had learned a great deal about Swazi culture and more importantly did not make any mistakes that would stop us from continuing out work in the bush.

It was time to get back to out work and it was a good thing we continued. HIV has devastated this country. I have seen many HIV patients in the bush. Today I am certain I have seen a few more that have been undiagnosed, one was a child. They can’t get to a clinic for an aspirin let alone diagnosis and treatment that could prolong life. I have a heavy heart tonight.”

There are so many stories to share and so much to learn from a country that is literally dying from AIDS. Seeing so many untreated sick animals and humans is heart wrenching. Sometimes you are overwhelmed and sometimes you decide to take action. For some reason Gary and I felt called to build a medical clinic in the bush; a clinic that will serve over 17,000 people in the surrounding bush. We answered the call three years ago but have not completed the project yet. We were hoping to complete the medical clinic last year but the funds dried up. I thought we would do another fundraiser last year but cancer got in the way. But it is a new year and we are beginning our fund raising efforts again. We need to raise an additional 25,000.00 to complete the building. When it is finished the Swazi government along with a non-profit hospital system will take it over and provide two nurses to run the medical needs. When the clinic is done, there will not only be medical care available, but, also water and electric will be brought to this part of the bush. That in it’s self is amazing! It is almost like starting a new small city.

Not much has changed in Swaziland from our very first visit, but we do see more hope in the eyes of the people. They are starting to understand how to prevent HIV or are more willing to accept treatment if they have contracted the disease. And Gary is beginning the long journey of teaching them how to care for their animals so they can provide healthy food for their families. All of this takes time, education and money. It also takes people who care. Sometimes I wish we had never gone, but then I think I would have never known the beauty and faith of a country living in poverty. I would have never heard the beautiful singing voices of over 100,000 orphans scattered throughout Swaziland who sing to the Lord. I would have never had he opportunity to understand one of my purposes in life. I would not have understood how wonderful my husband’s gift of being a veterinarian could save peoples lives. To truly understand the gift of clean running water and electricity at your finger tips and an abundance of food always available is truly a miracle. How wonderful it feels to understand you are blessed, really blessed. Although I have said those words for many years I just now understand them. Whether I am serving here in Springboro or clear across the world, it is a blessing. One last thought, just being alive is a blessing. Africa along with a Cancer diagnosis had given me a beautiful opportunity not to worry about dying but to live, really live!

Finish the Clinic Project
Donations to:
In His Name Ministries (501c3)
75 West Central Ave.
Springboro, Ohio, 45066
https://www.facebook.com/groups/392593827425298/