Impala, It's What's For Dinner

Tuesday July 3rd

It was a little bit cooler today, still warm, highs in the 70s, but people were walking around in coats and hats. Annette and I did 2 loads of laundry. This is blogworthy. First, because of how it all has to be hooked up. Second, because one load takes about 2 hours to go through the whole cycle. Third, there is no dryer. I am not very fast with clothes pins.

The biggest part of our day was spent with Moses in the neighborhood. We did some surveying of people there to see what hours they would want the clinic open, what medical services they were most interested in, and educational needs. Those we spoke with were so excited that a clinic would be close by. It is hard for them to get to the other clinics and most of them close before they get off of work anyway. If their children are sick they have to wait until they are off work also. One lady told us that the Chinese, who own the garment factories here, say they employ them, not their children. So they risk losing their job if they take time off to take their children to a clinic during work hours.

Most invited us into their homes which was usually one, sometimes two rooms. Bathrooms are separate and shared with other houses. Most have electricity. One light in the middle of the room, maybe a radio or TV. The "kitchen" is a small 2-burner gas unit, like we take camping in the US.  They were very hospitable, offering us seats on their beds.  No one rejected us.

Moses sitting in one of the houses

Dr. Whittaker was at the Nazarene Mission Hospital today so we went to change a leg bandage on one of his patients in the neighborhood. She is a typical "AIDS grandmother." Her children have died of AIDS and she is now left to care for their children. She heated water, took a sponge (that looked dirty), added some soap and cleaned her wound. She then sat in the sun to let it dry. I applied the ointment to the bandage and put it on her. (Nurses I work with, don't get any ideas. I am NOT doing your dressing changes for you!) I kept wishing I could run to Sumner Regional's supply closet and get some things that would help her even more.

 The woman washing her wound

Drying in the sun

We also went to visit a lady from church who had been hit by a car the day before. She said she just woke up in the hospital.  Thankfully the man that hit her took her there. Nothing major it seems, just really sore. They asked me to pray before we left the house. The need is so great here it is really overwhelming. I want to rescue them all.

On a lighter note, I had impala for dinner tonight. It was really good, much like our deer. I also finally got Melynda signed up on Skype!