Today was another good day. We got to sleep in and then a few of us went to the KK hospital to see the wards. It was rough. So many sick kids in the pediatric ward...mainly malaria. In particular this mother had 4 month old twins, one of which was unresponsive, cold, and retracted when we got there. Surely I thought he was going to die. We prayed over him (one of the greatest blessings of practicing medicine in Africa) and found out the mom was not producing milk because she was malnourished. Basically the child was starving and had malaria. We went to the market and got formula, bottle and blanket and took it back to the ward. When we got back baby "Isaac" was looking around, warmer, and started suckling. No treatment or milk....just PRAYER! Praise God and his healing powers! It was truly miraculous. We then walked back to the compound with Emmanuel, 17, who taught me a lot of Kuku (their language) today! It was cool to see all the toocles and how the families live. We spent the rest of the day sharing life stories, laughing, and counting pills for the pharmacy. Such an enlightening day on many fields. I am realizing that I need to sit and wait for God to move me in my life. I can't make large dedicated plans without first feeling a strong call to it. I'm young and single and have a heart open to whatever God is calling me to do. I just need to enjoy the moment/day and appreciate what God has given me. I just pray to God that he grants me the serenity to accept His plan for my life and just to trust that it will be a beautiful story. Doparana! (Goodnight!)
Day 5 - KK, South Sudan
Today was Sunday so we all got up, put makeup on (shocker!) and went to First Baptist Church at 9:30am. It started with praise and worship and then we had a 2 hour long sermon about sin. Long but great. After lunch we went to the hospital to visit baby Isaac. He had not declined from last time but we noticed he was arching his back (like Tetanus) and had oral thrush. I'm not sure if he's going to make it. It really is a sad story but people here don't have much hope in those cases. Survival of the fittest. We'll visit him again tomorrow. Also the mothers of the kids were outside the ward eating lunch which consisted of insects, posho (flour mixed with water), and what looked like a mound of mashed beans. It took my breath away. I'm all about embracing the culture...but when it comes to eating insects....now that's a different ballgame. I also got to see Norma (nurse practitioner) clean out an ingrown toenail and clean a wound today. It was neat because I got to practice some of my school material. Tonight we went to Godfrey's (MHI worker) house to chat and meet the kids. They offered Elizabeth and Grant a rooster and a hen as a wedding present. The hen is given so that when it produces, the first offspring will be eaten when Godfrey and his family come to visit. The rooster is meant for eating immediately. They also prayed over them. What a nice and generous gift! It was a good and rewarding day. My neck is hurting and back/head so not sure if I'm catching something or just the pillow. I hope it goes away so that I can be 100% tomorrow. Yi bulo (see you!)
Day 6 - KK, South Sudan
We started today off with devotion at 8:30 am then Jessica, Kristen and I went for a 3 mile run and did some circuits afterwards. It felt good. We also had a little audience of kids. They probably thought we were so crazy! We then went walking to Camboni, where we were going to buy some scarves/bags that a Catholic mission group was making. On our way there many kids were on their way home from school and latched onto us for most of our hour walk. We sang songs, laughed and I really felt like we were in the Sound of Music! Fantastic! The poor kids had ringworm all over their bodies but were so happy to be touching any part of me. They love our white skin. We also visited baby Isaac today and he was about the same. Not sure he's going to make it. Prayers are needed for him and a little girl with hydrocephaly that I made smile today :) The Lord truly is watching over all of them and knows what plans He has for their little lives. I love it here. Still. So much simplicity, beauty, large hearts, and generosity. Tomorrow we go out to the field with MHI and camp out for 3 days. Lord grant me the selflessness to take care of Your people to the best of my ability. It will be hard but I must put my body aside and sacrifice myself for Your will. Christ give me strength and the heart to serve.
Mother and her twins. Baby Isaac is closest to the camera. Completely unresponsive and cold.
Photo taken by Liz Levacy.
The pediatric ward was built in the 1930s and has never been renovated. No electricity. No resident physicians. No medical care during the weekends. Scarce resources.
Little kid's footprint on the way home from school. Beauty.
Jessica and Danielle counting pills for our next visit out to Godo!
The kids who held onto me while walking to Camboni. At one point I had 10 little hands latched onto each arm. Showering them in love fulfills me.
Praying that God would empty me of all my desires and let me focus on the needs of others. It turns out that is a very powerful prayer.
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