Let’s inform you about what came of the prison ministry event. As you know from previous blogs and emails we were scheduled to have a Christmas ministry event at the Bomet prison on December 23rd, which we did.
Saturday was a busy day of last minute preparations. We went with Carol Spears into town to gather a few last minute things. When we returned home we finished packing together items for the prisoner packets. I also called and talked with people to confirm that we were “a go” for Sunday, which we were.
Saturday afternoon I borrowed one of the missionaries vans to load up the gifts for the prisoners. Mike Ganey came down and helped me do this. We packed it so tight and saved the remainder for his car. We then drove up to the hospital dukas (shops) and picked up the cases of soda that we had ordered. We finished all this in time to get showers for the compound Christmas drop-in/party that evening. It was a very busy and tiring day.
Sunday AM I woke praying for the prisoners and the day ahead. Church ran long because it was a special Christmas service. After this Mike came down and we strapped the rest of the mattresses on top of his car. We were already a little behind schedule (We were doing this around 11:30AM and we were to meet at 1:30 to leave for the prison- about a 15 minute drive). As we finished loading we got a call that the food we ordered was ready at the restaurant. We finally got up there to pick up 2 roasted goats (they were in helper’s yard until Saturday!) and 200 samosas. When we arrived they asked where were our containers- which we were told would be provided. The owner cleaned out a bucket and milk container and found some bags to put things in. We finally got loaded and headed out. I looked behind me and Mike was gone. He ended up picking up some people at the main hospital gate and dropped them off along the way. We got to the prison and were pleased to see that the tents and chairs were all set up and ready to go. Some prisoners were allowed to come out and help us unload things so fortunately we were able to do that quickly and got back to Tenwek giving us just enough time to get back and help load everyone up. I exchanged vehicles and drove our neighbor, Ms. Faith’s, car so I could get her gas in town. Just pulling onto the main hill it stalled out, so we assumed it ran out of gas. I let it coast back into the lawn and went and borrowed another vehicle. All of us from here met, prayed, and loaded into cars and headed out.
At 2:10 we arrived at the prison (only 10 minutes late!) The team from the Mosop orphanage met us there. They did some cooking and helped contribute to the gifts. We quickly made some last minute preparations and the program began. As soon as it started it began to rain and drizzled the entire afternoon (which is a symbol of blessing in Kisigis culture). We had the meal first (goat, chipati, samosa, oranges and soda). After that we had several people speak, some from the prison and some from Tenwek. One of the head guards who was drunk spoke and finally had to be drug off. The prison choir danced and sang. Next a team from Tenwek did a few songs and Dr. Russ White delivered a dynamic sermon. Several people accepted Christ as their Savior. I was called up several times to speak because in this culture it is very important for the person leading an event to be recognized. I was presented by the prison with chipati making table that was made by the prisoners as a gift (the others were sold that day). After the program portion the prisoners made a semi-circle and we gave out the gifts to the prisoners (at this point the rain stopped). They each received a mattress, 2 blankets, sandals, and a personal hygiene kit. We also gave bags of flour to the workers. After this we said good-bye and we headed out.
It was a very good day. I found out yesterday that when we left at 5PM the prisoners requested to go to bed early and were locked in their cells at 5:30 to sleep on their new gifts.
Thanks for the prayers and support of you back home who were able to help with this project!
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Cows! and Christmas stuff
This is the latest since our last update- due to internet issues we are late getting this posted.
Tuesday was a great day. Most of the missionaries were still away at their retreat, so it was quiet here. I had a meeting with the outpatient department that morning and spent the rest of the morning doing administrative types of things. It was so good to get “caught up”.
That afternoon I was up at the hospital taking care of business when I got a call from Sarah. I did not know what was wrong. She said cows had gotten in the backyard and were going for our neighbors plants and bushes. She had tried to shoo them, but they would not move. I ran home in my dress clothes (fortunately wearing crocs) through the rain and found a metal rod the kids had been playing with laying in a neighbors yard. I grabbed it and saw Sarah outside with an umbrella. I was able to get the cows to move, but they would go the wrong direction. I got one to go the right way, then I went after the next one. I got it turned back around, but it started bucking and heading towards Sarah. She got out of the way and the cow eventually turned off. After I got these 2 out of the way, Sarah said there was another. Sure enough, he was chowing down in the garden. I trampled across the field and got him out. All of the commotion woke Maggie from her nap. She is already a fan of cows, but this episode had her mesmerized. She was out on the porch with Sarah and saying “Dad ah Moo” repeatedly. After this initial commotion another showed up in the yard. I went and ran him off and Maggie came out to watch, but quickly decided to go inside and watch from there. The episode was over, but Maggie continued to recount the tale, even until the next morning.
We had a nice dinner that night as well. Our friends, the Alterman’s, were getting ready to leave the country and since they will gone before Christmas, they decided to have us over for a ham dinner, which was great. Most of all the people left at the compound (very few) came over for the dinner, which ended up being a lot of fun.
On Wednesday we woke up with the plan of taking our Christmas photo. I was off work because it was Kenya’s independence day (our house helpers did not even know this, which is common for most of the locals). John Wright, our interim CEO, was at the dinner the night before and told us about some wonderful brownies that he would have made the next day. We were going to have our picture made in his backyard, so he had us to get him some cocoa for the brownies, which were great. We got our picture in front of a large poinsetta. Here they are all over the compound growing from a plant like ones back home into small trees. They are beautiful.
At lunch most of the house helpers were working, but were all alone. Sarah asked our helper’s if they wanted to invite one of their fellow helpers over for lunch, which they did. They ate inside at our table and Maggie helped eat their food. Sarah fixed them ugali and they loved watching her do it.
Later that afternoon I went to work in the garden. I haven’t been able to do that as much as I would have liked, but it is a good break. Our vegetables are making progress, but unfortunately so are our weeds. Sarah came up and helped me and she unearthed some more sweet potatoes. I worked hard, but you couldn’t see much progress. Our helpers looked at it later and asked where had I worked. We’ve decided that we need to hire a part-time gardener, which we are planning to do.
Wednesday evening everyone arrived back safely to Tenwek. It was good to see our friends and we visited almost every family on the compound because we had to return our keys.
Thursday and Friday were long hard days. Work in general was busy and several people were off. I also had to deal with some difficult issues, such as people who did not show up to work even when they were scheduled to do so. They felt there reasons were legitimate and know they made mistakes. Fortunately, at least as far as I know, no patients suffered from this. I hate getting involved in these situations.
That Friday evening was quiet. Maggie went to sleep and I was on call. Sarah spent the evening at our neighbor’s, Ms. Faith, helping her decorate wedding cakes for the area Bishop’s (and head of the hospital board) daughter’s wedding. She made 5 different cakes in all. They had a lot of fun and are getting to be good friends.
Saturday was a day of shopping in Bomet. One of the visiting OB’s had never been to the “big city” so he rode along. John Kaguthi went with us as well. He is my newest family practice resident. He arrived Thursday night and we took him into town to get some supplies. Our purpose for going in was to buy supplies for the prison ministry. The workers were so helpful at the store and had even ordered supplies from us remembering our visit and inquiring about prices from about a month prior. Thankfully one of our fellow doctors happened to be there in his van and he was able to help us get everything loaded. Pulling into the parking area at the main grocery story is hard as there are large mud puddles. This time I finally got the car stuck and had to put it in 4-wheel drive, which I had never done before and was fun. We stored the supplies we bought in Ms. Barb’s apartment as she is away on furlough.
That evening we had dinner with our friends Lisette, the Ganey’s, and Carol Spears. Sarah hosted with pizza here and we had dessert around a fireplace in Carol’s back yard. It was very relaxing and a lot of fun. John, the new FP, joined us as well.
Sunday was what it was meant to be, a day of rest. The entire offering at church went to help support the prison ministry, which was a tremendous blessing. That afternoon after naps Sarah made us and some of our neighbors great milkshakes with the new blender we got on our last trip to Nairobi. After that I played football with some of the locals, which was fun. Then we ate leftover’s and I helped Mike Ganey decorate sugar cookies that he was taking to an orphanage meeting the next day.
Monday it was back to work. I was also trying to get some of the prison stuff together. God has been so obvious as He has been orchestrating all this. We started last week looking for a tent but had not been able to find one. Some people here had a connection in nearby Kericho and were able to find one. It is so hard to do now because of parties and December (like June back home) weddings. What an answered prayer.
Thursday night was the staff Christmas party for the hospital. It was an experience. We had to bring our own silverware (which was okay) and we had traditional Kenyan food from the hospital restaurant. People filled in the back of the room, not leaving a chair empty. As soon as Sarah and Maggie got up 2 guys came and sat by me. In traditional fashion it began about
45 minutes late. It was funny because we were in the meeting room with a big podium and microphone, but the blessing was whispered by someone at the back of the room near the food, but people knew when he prayed because at amen the table was swarmed! The program lasted several hours with speakers and singing. We enjoyed the portion we were able to stay for.
A few other tidbits from the last few weeks.
I learned that when patients receive tube feeds sometimes we run out of the feeding material, so it is supplemented with egg nog! (I thought that was rather seasonal.)
The other day one of my outpatient nurses looked concerned. When I inquired, she said that signs labeling doors in the outpatient department were being changed. It is all by numbers, but the workers in the clinic did not know this was happening and were still referring to old numbers. People were being sent everywhere. Some people were evening standing in the bathroom waiting to receive their medicine!
We continue to see the Lord work. I had another patient this week who when I asked her about prayer requests told me she wanted to be saved, without any prompting on my part. Another sign of the Spirit moving. I also have learned that people aren’t that different after all wherever you are. For example, I had a patient the other day in the ward who said he just started going to church when he became sick. (How many times have I seen this back home?)
Maggie and Sarah have been doing some Christmas activities. Sarah is helping people decorate and making cookies of her own. Maggie was invited to make a gingerbread house with the MK school kids.
This was a first for all of us. Sarah made sure that Maggie’s house consisted of things that Maggie could eat and would not be a choking hazard. We think her house looks great! Just an FYI- Maggie was very cute dancing with maraca in hand to the David Crowder Band’s version of Feliz Navidad the other night!
Tuesday was a great day. Most of the missionaries were still away at their retreat, so it was quiet here. I had a meeting with the outpatient department that morning and spent the rest of the morning doing administrative types of things. It was so good to get “caught up”.
That afternoon I was up at the hospital taking care of business when I got a call from Sarah. I did not know what was wrong. She said cows had gotten in the backyard and were going for our neighbors plants and bushes. She had tried to shoo them, but they would not move. I ran home in my dress clothes (fortunately wearing crocs) through the rain and found a metal rod the kids had been playing with laying in a neighbors yard. I grabbed it and saw Sarah outside with an umbrella. I was able to get the cows to move, but they would go the wrong direction. I got one to go the right way, then I went after the next one. I got it turned back around, but it started bucking and heading towards Sarah. She got out of the way and the cow eventually turned off. After I got these 2 out of the way, Sarah said there was another. Sure enough, he was chowing down in the garden. I trampled across the field and got him out. All of the commotion woke Maggie from her nap. She is already a fan of cows, but this episode had her mesmerized. She was out on the porch with Sarah and saying “Dad ah Moo” repeatedly. After this initial commotion another showed up in the yard. I went and ran him off and Maggie came out to watch, but quickly decided to go inside and watch from there. The episode was over, but Maggie continued to recount the tale, even until the next morning.
We had a nice dinner that night as well. Our friends, the Alterman’s, were getting ready to leave the country and since they will gone before Christmas, they decided to have us over for a ham dinner, which was great. Most of all the people left at the compound (very few) came over for the dinner, which ended up being a lot of fun.
On Wednesday we woke up with the plan of taking our Christmas photo. I was off work because it was Kenya’s independence day (our house helpers did not even know this, which is common for most of the locals). John Wright, our interim CEO, was at the dinner the night before and told us about some wonderful brownies that he would have made the next day. We were going to have our picture made in his backyard, so he had us to get him some cocoa for the brownies, which were great. We got our picture in front of a large poinsetta. Here they are all over the compound growing from a plant like ones back home into small trees. They are beautiful.
At lunch most of the house helpers were working, but were all alone. Sarah asked our helper’s if they wanted to invite one of their fellow helpers over for lunch, which they did. They ate inside at our table and Maggie helped eat their food. Sarah fixed them ugali and they loved watching her do it.
Later that afternoon I went to work in the garden. I haven’t been able to do that as much as I would have liked, but it is a good break. Our vegetables are making progress, but unfortunately so are our weeds. Sarah came up and helped me and she unearthed some more sweet potatoes. I worked hard, but you couldn’t see much progress. Our helpers looked at it later and asked where had I worked. We’ve decided that we need to hire a part-time gardener, which we are planning to do.
Wednesday evening everyone arrived back safely to Tenwek. It was good to see our friends and we visited almost every family on the compound because we had to return our keys.
Thursday and Friday were long hard days. Work in general was busy and several people were off. I also had to deal with some difficult issues, such as people who did not show up to work even when they were scheduled to do so. They felt there reasons were legitimate and know they made mistakes. Fortunately, at least as far as I know, no patients suffered from this. I hate getting involved in these situations.
That Friday evening was quiet. Maggie went to sleep and I was on call. Sarah spent the evening at our neighbor’s, Ms. Faith, helping her decorate wedding cakes for the area Bishop’s (and head of the hospital board) daughter’s wedding. She made 5 different cakes in all. They had a lot of fun and are getting to be good friends.
Saturday was a day of shopping in Bomet. One of the visiting OB’s had never been to the “big city” so he rode along. John Kaguthi went with us as well. He is my newest family practice resident. He arrived Thursday night and we took him into town to get some supplies. Our purpose for going in was to buy supplies for the prison ministry. The workers were so helpful at the store and had even ordered supplies from us remembering our visit and inquiring about prices from about a month prior. Thankfully one of our fellow doctors happened to be there in his van and he was able to help us get everything loaded. Pulling into the parking area at the main grocery story is hard as there are large mud puddles. This time I finally got the car stuck and had to put it in 4-wheel drive, which I had never done before and was fun. We stored the supplies we bought in Ms. Barb’s apartment as she is away on furlough.
That evening we had dinner with our friends Lisette, the Ganey’s, and Carol Spears. Sarah hosted with pizza here and we had dessert around a fireplace in Carol’s back yard. It was very relaxing and a lot of fun. John, the new FP, joined us as well.
Sunday was what it was meant to be, a day of rest. The entire offering at church went to help support the prison ministry, which was a tremendous blessing. That afternoon after naps Sarah made us and some of our neighbors great milkshakes with the new blender we got on our last trip to Nairobi. After that I played football with some of the locals, which was fun. Then we ate leftover’s and I helped Mike Ganey decorate sugar cookies that he was taking to an orphanage meeting the next day.
Monday it was back to work. I was also trying to get some of the prison stuff together. God has been so obvious as He has been orchestrating all this. We started last week looking for a tent but had not been able to find one. Some people here had a connection in nearby Kericho and were able to find one. It is so hard to do now because of parties and December (like June back home) weddings. What an answered prayer.
Thursday night was the staff Christmas party for the hospital. It was an experience. We had to bring our own silverware (which was okay) and we had traditional Kenyan food from the hospital restaurant. People filled in the back of the room, not leaving a chair empty. As soon as Sarah and Maggie got up 2 guys came and sat by me. In traditional fashion it began about
45 minutes late. It was funny because we were in the meeting room with a big podium and microphone, but the blessing was whispered by someone at the back of the room near the food, but people knew when he prayed because at amen the table was swarmed! The program lasted several hours with speakers and singing. We enjoyed the portion we were able to stay for.A few other tidbits from the last few weeks.
I learned that when patients receive tube feeds sometimes we run out of the feeding material, so it is supplemented with egg nog! (I thought that was rather seasonal.)
The other day one of my outpatient nurses looked concerned. When I inquired, she said that signs labeling doors in the outpatient department were being changed. It is all by numbers, but the workers in the clinic did not know this was happening and were still referring to old numbers. People were being sent everywhere. Some people were evening standing in the bathroom waiting to receive their medicine!
We continue to see the Lord work. I had another patient this week who when I asked her about prayer requests told me she wanted to be saved, without any prompting on my part. Another sign of the Spirit moving. I also have learned that people aren’t that different after all wherever you are. For example, I had a patient the other day in the ward who said he just started going to church when he became sick. (How many times have I seen this back home?)
Maggie and Sarah have been doing some Christmas activities. Sarah is helping people decorate and making cookies of her own. Maggie was invited to make a gingerbread house with the MK school kids.
This was a first for all of us. Sarah made sure that Maggie’s house consisted of things that Maggie could eat and would not be a choking hazard. We think her house looks great! Just an FYI- Maggie was very cute dancing with maraca in hand to the David Crowder Band’s version of Feliz Navidad the other night!
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
"Uh oh, Kimbo"
Here is the latest since last time.
Well, our adventures in Nairobi continued. On Friday we went to some markets and did some shopping. We met our friends the Ganey’s who were in town and had dinner with them. Saturday was great because the guesthouse was quiet and we rested most of the day. We had lunch there, packed, and didn’t go out until around 4:30. It was good to rest. We talked with one of our friends from here about helping us to find a car, which he said he would. Then we had one of those “God things”. Sarah’s sister sent us 3 large packages to Nairobi for Christmas. She told us to open them when they arrived which we did. Sarah almost cried when she looked in. Not because the customs agents had ripped most things open, but because of what was in side. There were maternity clothes just like Sarah needed, but had not asked anyone for. There were also some things she wanted specifically for Maggie and had been looking for, but had been unable to find. She also did not mention this to anyone and it was in the box as well. God is so good! We met the Ganey’s again and did some running around and then went out to eat and came back to rest for a long Sunday, which involved last minute errands and hitting the road as early as possible to get back to Tenwek.
A view into the Rift Valley outside of Nairobi
Monday was a great day for me to rest and spend time at home doing some administrative tasks. I’ll admit, it is the first I have slept in and stayed home for a day in several weeks. It felt good to get several things accomplished and be at home for a day.
Maggie having fun
Tuesday it was back to work. Not very eventful. Wednesday we had our monthly long term doctors meeting. It feels good to be able to put in what I feel is valuable input and to have my colleagues say that I am doing job. Encouragement for each other is something that is really needed around here.
Thursday was a good day. I’ll admit it is easy to get frustrated at times and today was one of those days. After some time though I started getting some things accomplished. I also chaired another outpatient task force team meeting today. We do this once a month. I went to go to the administrative conference, but was told someone else was meeting. Long story short, we decided to meet at another venue, the open air dining area at the hospital restaurant. It was great! We sat around, drank Cokes, and openly discussed issues. It felt so informal, but we got so much accomplished and at the end everyone was happy and felt the same way. I think that we may continue to meet this way in the future.
We had another funny incident on Thursday. Sarah says someone stole 200 shillings (about $3.00) from our kitchen. Sarah said the money was on the counter and a little girl wandered in the kitchen and her nanny went after her. The helpers were in different portions of the house and when Sarah asked about the money later, it was gone. Everyone was very concerned. Our helpers were even going through the trash looking for the money. Everyone reached the conclusion that the nanny must have taken the money. This made several people upset. Sarah was going to confront the lady the next day. Then later that evening we were greasing a pan to make brownies and she said “Look.” In the lid of the Kimbo (our equivalent of Crisco) was a 200 KSH bill stuck to the lid. It must have fallen there and no one new it. We are glad we had not confronted this nanny!
Christmas time is busy around here as well. It is not as commercial as back in the states, but there are parties and teas for different groups around the hospital. Several of the houses do have lights up, which brings back feelings of home. There are no decorations in the hospital itself because people just do not do that here. On Friday Sarah helped to put on a Christmas tea for all of the missionary househelpers. Sarah said it was a lot of fun and they all appreciated it.
Our home decorated for Christmas
Friday night we were getting ready to have supper at a friends house and we got a phone call. There had been another RTA (road traffic accident). We couldn’t believe it. My friend Mike Ganey, a surgeon, and I walked up. Thankfully there were only about 7-8 victims and the most major injury (at least at that point) was an open humerus fracture. The folks that did arrive all helped out and we were done in less than an hour.
Over the weekend I was on pediatric call. I had good interns working with me and since I have a little more experience now rounds were not nearly as bad as before. I had 3 babies to die at delivery on Sunday, which is something you cannot get used to.
Monday was a relaxing day. Almost all of the missionaries on the compound had left to go to their annual Christmas meeting, which we did not have to attend and decided not to for many reasons. The compound was so quiet with many people gone. The White’s had not left yet, so we loaded Maggie up into the wagon with her lantern and we rode her up to their house to see their outdoor lights. We’ll go out to see the rest when other people are home.
The White's house (much brighter in person)
It is also customary here to leave a set of your house keys with a neighbor when you are going out of town. Needless to say with everyone leaving, we received quite a number of keys when everyone left. The next morning Sarah told me it was funny as all the househelpers came by our house to pick up their keys.
A few other things. There is no such thing as a short office visit here, at least for me. My average time in a room is about 30 minutes (put I have no one pressuring me to hurry up, which is nice as well!) I am also overwhelmed by how many resources there are back in the states. I was reading a US medical journal about different sorts of imaging available for heart disease. Here was are considered advanced because we can get an x-ray and most of the times and EKG!
I was reminded of an important point the other day that I actually heard recently in a sermon. We do not convert anyone. We merely witness, but God does the changing of the heart (Some sow, some water, but God receives the increase). I had to remember this when I shared the gospel with a patient the other day, but he ended up being more concerned about getting his medicine and going home. I realized that it was up to the Lord, not me, to change his heart.
Well, our adventures in Nairobi continued. On Friday we went to some markets and did some shopping. We met our friends the Ganey’s who were in town and had dinner with them. Saturday was great because the guesthouse was quiet and we rested most of the day. We had lunch there, packed, and didn’t go out until around 4:30. It was good to rest. We talked with one of our friends from here about helping us to find a car, which he said he would. Then we had one of those “God things”. Sarah’s sister sent us 3 large packages to Nairobi for Christmas. She told us to open them when they arrived which we did. Sarah almost cried when she looked in. Not because the customs agents had ripped most things open, but because of what was in side. There were maternity clothes just like Sarah needed, but had not asked anyone for. There were also some things she wanted specifically for Maggie and had been looking for, but had been unable to find. She also did not mention this to anyone and it was in the box as well. God is so good! We met the Ganey’s again and did some running around and then went out to eat and came back to rest for a long Sunday, which involved last minute errands and hitting the road as early as possible to get back to Tenwek.
A view into the Rift Valley outside of Nairobi
Monday was a great day for me to rest and spend time at home doing some administrative tasks. I’ll admit, it is the first I have slept in and stayed home for a day in several weeks. It felt good to get several things accomplished and be at home for a day.
Maggie having fun
Tuesday it was back to work. Not very eventful. Wednesday we had our monthly long term doctors meeting. It feels good to be able to put in what I feel is valuable input and to have my colleagues say that I am doing job. Encouragement for each other is something that is really needed around here.
Thursday was a good day. I’ll admit it is easy to get frustrated at times and today was one of those days. After some time though I started getting some things accomplished. I also chaired another outpatient task force team meeting today. We do this once a month. I went to go to the administrative conference, but was told someone else was meeting. Long story short, we decided to meet at another venue, the open air dining area at the hospital restaurant. It was great! We sat around, drank Cokes, and openly discussed issues. It felt so informal, but we got so much accomplished and at the end everyone was happy and felt the same way. I think that we may continue to meet this way in the future.
We had another funny incident on Thursday. Sarah says someone stole 200 shillings (about $3.00) from our kitchen. Sarah said the money was on the counter and a little girl wandered in the kitchen and her nanny went after her. The helpers were in different portions of the house and when Sarah asked about the money later, it was gone. Everyone was very concerned. Our helpers were even going through the trash looking for the money. Everyone reached the conclusion that the nanny must have taken the money. This made several people upset. Sarah was going to confront the lady the next day. Then later that evening we were greasing a pan to make brownies and she said “Look.” In the lid of the Kimbo (our equivalent of Crisco) was a 200 KSH bill stuck to the lid. It must have fallen there and no one new it. We are glad we had not confronted this nanny!
Christmas time is busy around here as well. It is not as commercial as back in the states, but there are parties and teas for different groups around the hospital. Several of the houses do have lights up, which brings back feelings of home. There are no decorations in the hospital itself because people just do not do that here. On Friday Sarah helped to put on a Christmas tea for all of the missionary househelpers. Sarah said it was a lot of fun and they all appreciated it.
Our home decorated for Christmas
Friday night we were getting ready to have supper at a friends house and we got a phone call. There had been another RTA (road traffic accident). We couldn’t believe it. My friend Mike Ganey, a surgeon, and I walked up. Thankfully there were only about 7-8 victims and the most major injury (at least at that point) was an open humerus fracture. The folks that did arrive all helped out and we were done in less than an hour.
Over the weekend I was on pediatric call. I had good interns working with me and since I have a little more experience now rounds were not nearly as bad as before. I had 3 babies to die at delivery on Sunday, which is something you cannot get used to.
Monday was a relaxing day. Almost all of the missionaries on the compound had left to go to their annual Christmas meeting, which we did not have to attend and decided not to for many reasons. The compound was so quiet with many people gone. The White’s had not left yet, so we loaded Maggie up into the wagon with her lantern and we rode her up to their house to see their outdoor lights. We’ll go out to see the rest when other people are home.
The White's house (much brighter in person)
It is also customary here to leave a set of your house keys with a neighbor when you are going out of town. Needless to say with everyone leaving, we received quite a number of keys when everyone left. The next morning Sarah told me it was funny as all the househelpers came by our house to pick up their keys.
A few other things. There is no such thing as a short office visit here, at least for me. My average time in a room is about 30 minutes (put I have no one pressuring me to hurry up, which is nice as well!) I am also overwhelmed by how many resources there are back in the states. I was reading a US medical journal about different sorts of imaging available for heart disease. Here was are considered advanced because we can get an x-ray and most of the times and EKG!
I was reminded of an important point the other day that I actually heard recently in a sermon. We do not convert anyone. We merely witness, but God does the changing of the heart (Some sow, some water, but God receives the increase). I had to remember this when I shared the gospel with a patient the other day, but he ended up being more concerned about getting his medicine and going home. I realized that it was up to the Lord, not me, to change his heart.
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