I finally got a pretty decent night’s sleep…and woke to my alarm, which has been rare! I survived my second cold shower, I have remembered to use bottled water to brush my teeth, and I have only forgotten not to flush toilet paper twice since arriving!! I’m calling it a win!! It has been raining so much in the area and they have had a number of casualties…so the President ordered a national “holiday” for today and ordered everyone to work from home if they could. Kind of like a snow day. It is winter here I guess!!
BUT what that meant for us…was another day at half staff. Yesterday, our of necessity, I learned to read Spanish medicines and where to look for dosages and ingredients on the sides of containers. But thankfully, a couple of local women were hired for today to write our directions on the packages for us and give them the meds…which was a total God send.
The Millers have been working on this island since 2016, and they have been hoping and praying to be able to find ways to help the people improve their lives and to buy into the opportunities for better health they are providing…so for God to raise up this local help…was an answer to prayer for them!!
A woman named Roxana came in to help get breakfast ready while we were setting up!! This is the newly improved kitchen!! Tho there is running water, we still rinsed food, hands, and dishes off with the 5 gallon bottled water because the pipes and water sources are just not safe. Nearly everyone gets treated for parasites every 3-6 months because their water system is so unsafe. I treated a lot of people for that in the last two days!!
This banana was grown here on the island..
it was short and fat and DEEEELICIOUS!!! Roxana swept and mopped and mopped and swept the kitchen, the patio, and the exam rooms…just so they could get muddy all over again!! She also fixed lunch for our workers and translators and talked with the people! She would speak to me so slowly in Spanish, in the hopes that I would be able to catch on and understand….and as far as we both know, I did most of the time!!
This man, Juanito, has been here first and stayed till last for the past two days. He has some sort of learning disability and has the language span of a toddler…but he was there early to rake up the trash and then would just sit there and watched. I won’t lie that he completely freaked me out a little bit yesterday morning… because we walk from our room a ways to the bathroom… I had to walk past him to get there and I had no idea who he was! I had my pajamas on and toiletries in hand when I passed him…He just smiled…this morning I said Hola Jaunito, buenos días…and just kept going. He smiled and said the same!! Sweet servant heart with a desire to help his friend Dr Miller!
This morning a few people were trickling in about 9…an hour later than yesterday and we thought we might have a slower day…hahaha!!!
A local pastor came and read from the Psalms and prayed over all and we started rolling!! I love that they do this!! Some days they do a devotion or mini sermon before they start! A reminder to all about WHY the medical brigades go on!!
It has been so fun to hand out treats that were packed in the suitcases from home!! The slap bracelets are a favorite of the boys. While their moms are telling the interpreter what’s up, I let them pick a design…they have never seen them before so they don’t know what to expect…which is the best part for me…I show them how to hold out their arm and then I “slap” it on there!!! It has NEVER not resulted in a freaked out look of total awe!!! And then a slow, huge smile!!
We handed out more dresses today to las niñas…and many older ladies chose bags or purses. The reading glasses continued to be well received and we have enough to take to the other 2 villages we will visit later this week!
A lady from my home community makes kits for women of child bearing years to manage their periods…they are washable kits and are amazingly cool!!! We gave over half of those out today and one of the young women remarked about how happy she was to get one because it would be so much more comfortable for her…and then I think a couple women made some symptoms up so they could come in and see me in order to get a kit for themselves 😊😉. The lady makes them for operation Christmas child boxes and was really interested to hear how they would be received here! Two thumbs up I will report to her!!
I continued to see patients with very high blood sugars…no medications…no follow up care because they can’t afford it. A man today told me that he needs to have a hernia surgery because when he lifts heavy at his construction work, it hurts…a doctor in the city told him it would be $200…and he can’t afford it 😳😢. It’s over $200 to get a wart or skin tag taken off in the US and people do it all the time and don’t bat an eye!! It’s been excruciatingly painful to try and help people knowing that it’s a bandaid on a hole in the boat. But for today…we do what we can and we pray that God will continue to make a way for these people of His.
Its also the wet winter season…and the fungal infections in their feet, in their ears, and some on the bodies has been incredible!! Their feet look like they have left a bandaid on their finger for a year without removing it to get air in it!! Deeply white tissue with cracks and open sores made me cringe with empathy every time!! The treatment is to get meds to it and keep it dry…keep it dry?! With their flip flops and muck boots and 4 inches of water everywhere you look….a vicious cycle. Devastatingly vicious cycle. The man in the picture above was a guy who chopped the back of his heel with a machete…many of the people here use machetes in their work on the farms…or cutting sticks to burn for fuel. Apparently many go into the mangroves and cut wood out of there. Anyway, he had nearly shaved off the back half inch of his heel and gangrene was setting in…he asked me if we could sew it back up. Uhhhh, nope. Dr Miller took him into the procedure room and trimmed it all off, cleaned out the wound and bandaged it back up. But we leave in the morning…so praying tbat there will be some follow up for him with the local doctor that comes in on Wednesdays!!
Tonight we packed up all of our gear, and in the morning we catch a boat back to the city. We will go to a small village and do visits there, God willing, with our whole team!! We will stay in the mission house Wednesday and Thursday nights. I have no idea if they have internet there…if they do, I hope to upload photos from the day…if they don’t…I’ll go to bed early and update when I get home!!
Today, it was apparent to me, that God brought me here out of necessity this week. This ministry is important to Him, and He has been doing mighty things here thru the work of the Millers and CFCI teams. God knew that they would need my help in the work…it’s amazing to me how God orchestrates the details like that. God drew my heart here to lighten the load and to care for His people. I am thankful to be part of His work here. Hasta luego!!
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