Lowvince reading about Iowa

Be Strong!

We are not here to play, to dream, to drift;

We have hard work to do, and loads to lift.

Shun not the struggle; face it

     It’s God’s gift

   Be Strong!

Say not the days are evil—Who’s to blame?

Or fold your hands, as in defeat—O shame!

Stand up, speak, out and bravely,

     In God’s name.

   Be Strong!

It matters not how deep entrenched the wrong,

How hard the battle goes, the day how long,

Faint not, Fight on!

        Tomorrow comes the song.

                                                            Maltbie D. Babcock

Clinic is held every Monday and Thursday. Patients start arriving early to get in line for when clinic opens. Technically clinic opens at 9am, which is when I arrive and wait with the patients until 10 when Talent actually arrives. Until I get a better handle on the language it would be impossible for me to start without her.  I don’t mind waiting, but it make my heart hurt for the patients. They sometimes have travelled for miles to then wait in the scorching heat for hours.

Key around neck is believed to help Nausea

            I have been slowly working on organizing the clinic.  Dust is very prevalent here along with mice and cockroaches.  I found in my scavenging many expired medication the oldest expired in 1985. That is before I was even born!! I also discovered several large boxes filled with sutures. Makes me wonder if they were hoping a surgeon was coming instead of a nurse.

Shingles 

            The most frequent complaint at the clinic is itching. Scabies is very routine here due to cramped living conditions. Malnutrition is very common and often compounds with other health conditions.

An 8-day-old Baby came to the clinic. The mom said she wasn’t eating well. The Baby weighed 2 pounds. Clearly not equipped at the clinic we referred them to the hospital. Things like this are hard to comprehend and wrap your head around. In the U.S.A. that precious little one would have been in an incubator under the watchful eye of skilled NICU Doctors and nurses. 

Madame Cherishal and Peanuts

Planted Moringa trees on Tuesday and Peanuts on Wednesay. Lord please Bless them!

Moringa boxes

            Everyday I have a Creole Lesson taught by professor Wisley. Studying the language has been good, but very intense. After my second lesson I was instructed to only speak Creole. If I had agreed to that it would have been like taking a vow of silence!  We study with a book for an hour, but all day I am quizzed on how my Creole is progressing. I praise the Lord as everyday I comprehend more and more Creole.

            The Kids here are amazing! They live, laugh, and play as if unaware of how hard this country really is. In reality they know all to well the difficulties. A baby crying interrupted yesterdays creole lesson. The workers who were supposed to keep track were nowhere to be found. I discovered the baby had stooled. With no diapers here it makes quite a mess. After cleaning him up I went to the baby dorm to get him clothes. On the cement front porch laid another little boy fast asleep soaked in urine with flies all over. With help from another kid we got both clean and settled in bed. Things like this are not frequent at the orphanage. They still occur though because of so many kids and little money to pay enough workers. “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” Matthew 9:37

            I am very impressed with how alive the church is here. It seem they are always having a service or activity. They had a youth service Sunday afternoon in a beautiful glenn. At the end the pastor asked me to come forward. I was afraid to refuse because it would offend them. He then asked me what I was going to share with them. I said I was a nurse. He shook his head no. "You will sing or dance" WHAT!!  I tried to explain I couldn't do either well, but that got me nowhere. So I gave in and choose what I was better at. They got a rather interesting rendition of Lord I Lift Your Name High :-)

There is also a crusade in town this week. Every night they have church someplace different. Monday night at our church they did an all night prayer service. The kids then stayed up all day Tuesday working. I don’t know how they functioned.

            Yesterday Matthew and Rachel arrived from Ohio. I baked brownies for their arrival. I thought it was a great plan till I remember I had to cook in a huge propane stove with no temperature gauge! They will be here ten days. It has been nice to speak in full English again! J Rachel is a nurse. I am excited to have a companion to work with this week.

My morning spot for french press coffee, Bible, My Utmost for His HIghest, and Prayer

“My Grace IS sufficient for you.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 We should not pray that the Lord make His grace sufficient for us. He would answer, “How dare you ask for something that is? I cannot make my grace any more sufficient than I have already made it. Get up and believe it and you will find it to be true in your life” Streams in the Desert