I managed to slip away from my pediatrics rotation for two days to attend the Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS) conference in Des Plaines, Illinois. A number of things had to go "right" for me to even get to the conference in the first place: a rotation during the conference that would allow me time off, having an outpatient month during the conference, flexibility of the schedule to allow me to spend 2.5 days in Chicago. Coincidences do not exist; God has sent me here for a reason.
The ride down was with Dr. Bob Cropsey, a general surgeon who worked for his career in Togo, a small country in West Africa. Our riding down to the conference happened, again, coincidentally: I attended a breakfast only this past Saturday and it happened, again, coincidentally, to come up that we were both heading to the same conference. Again, more "coincidences".
Our conversation revolved around his experiences as a long-time mission surgeon. Hearing about how he was used throughout his career was inspiring. I get the sense that my time at the conference will be incredibly important for giving me a vision of how I can serve for the kingdom in the future.
