Bush clinics

Day 7,8,9 - Godo, South Sudan

So here starts the great work of MHI (Mobile Health International).  We went out to the village of Godo to diagnose/treat those in need and provide medicine for 50% off normal cost.  Charging for medication allows us to build a sustainable health clinic for them to eventually take over.  We do not want them dependent on us long term because there are many to serve in other areas.  I think in 3 days we saw 300 patients.  That's unheard of in the States.  The first day I observed Mogga (clinical officer) diagnose/treat and helped him with figuring out the diagnosis.  The most common illnesses were malaria, URTI (upper respiratory tract infection), UTI (urinary tract infection), shigella, and fungal infections.  When in doubt...malaria.  It's the beginning of rainy season so the mosquitoes are on a rise.  Five of our MHI staff were serving these past few days with malaria themselves.  Their hearts are so humble and passionate for the Lord that they don't think twice about serving others.  What a way to live!  To be honest I don't miss the life in the US.  America is full of misconceptions, false pretenses, and untrue relationships.  Many don't know what hard manual labor is. 


Today I am most thankful for running water.  Our compound is the only one with it and in the field there is none.  You must go and fetch jerry cans full of water from the borehole which may/may not be miles away.  I am extremely blessed back home.  Just water.  When I was dirty/sweaty at night I just offered it up as a sacrifice to the Lord for all the people that live like that everyday.  I don't know what all I have been blessed with.  The 2nd/3rd days on the field I helped with the pharmacy.  It was by far the most stressful because these people are getting many drugs and there are so many people to give them out to!  It was a great experience and all the while practicing my bugs/drugs from school.  I got to talk a while with MJ,1 yo, and her mom Violet, 23 (Mogga's family).  Violet is 23 and a beautiful mom.  She is also a clinical officer and has high hopes of going back to get her medical degree.  Loved her.  I really go to know the crew as well.  They're all sweet and are passionate for Christ.  The road to Godo was so bumpy because it's just a dirt road.  I'm also thankful for paved roads especially during rains because it all becomes muddy here.  I don't know how they do it here during the heavy rains.  Apparently everyone gets stuck and the malaria is rampant.  When we got home a couple from Norway had arrived to donate glasses for people here.  It's really cool.  A person puts on the glasses and looks at a chart.  There are magnetic dials on the sides that you can adjust until the person can see clearly.  The lens is wavy and it's the latest technology.  We'll see how people take it here!  Tomorrow's spiritual day!

I haven't posted pictures today because this song really resonated with me these 3 days.  I saw pain, suffering and at times no hope.  All I could do was pray with these people (after giving them their medicine) and reassure them that God is in control and He will provide for their lives.  We just need to put our full trust in Him.  Occasionally I would wish that God would just come down and take some of these people who are in so much pain so that they can be happy in heaven with their Father.  I also know that each one of us is put on this earth with a purpose.  That purpose might not be known yet but the will to be obedient to God will lead us down the right path. 

Trusting in God's faithfulness

Day 4 - Kajo Keji, South Sudan

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. 

Start to a beautiful journey

Day 1 - Entebbe, Uganda

It's Wednesday night and we left USA on Monday night...and still not in South Sudan.  We fly out on a 12 passenger flight in the morning!  I feel at home here already.  There is so much poverty but it was expected.  People are so thin even here in the main city of Entebbe.  We are staying at Banana Village overnight.  There are tons of monkeys, horses, and mosquitoes!  Those things swarm like schools of fish...insane.  We are staying in a little hut with 3 beds, a toilet, and a shower.  No hot water and it's great (little did I know what was to come).  I'm ready to give up my life the next month.  It's all about them.  I had a nice religious conversation with Frank (our driver) today.  He said there are wars between the Catholics, Muslims, and Born Again Christians (protestants).  There's a growing number of Muslims here apparently.  There are many refugees from Darfur, Sudan who have come south to avoid the wars in their home country.  We checked out a local market and Lake Victoria this evening.  We stand out because we are white.  I hate looking like a tourist but I guess I can't help it here.  People are nice and I hope nothing I do is offensive because I'm still trying to figure out the culture.  Can't wait to arrive in Kajo Keji tomorrow!

Day 2 - Kajo Keji, South Sudan

We finally arrived 4 days later!  We took a small plane (12 seater) from Uganda to KK.  Akem, our pilot, gave us the scenic tour which included some low flying over the Nile River!  We were looking for elephants but saw none unfortunately.  The sheer beauty of the nature was breathtaking.  Truly God's handiwork.  When we arrived to KK, David, the pastor of First Baptist Church, took us to the compound.  On the way there children lined the roads and were waving.." byeeee!!! hiiiii!!!"  It brought tears to my eyes...yes embarrassing.  The happiness amidst the poverty is amazing.  We arrived at the compound and met everyone.  The crew is so nice and Christ filled.  It truly makes a difference.  The humility and servant hearts that these people have is amazing.   I had a great conversation with one of the girls, Elizabeth, about her life story.  She has such a beautiful trust in the Lord that it served as a reality check for me.  I need to re-center my life on Christ and realize that He has a great plan for my life.  I need to commit less and just sit and wait.  It will be hard for me but I have to learn to be patient.  I will see the blessings afterwards hopefully!  Tonight I went on a great run with Jessica (nurse practitioner), Grant (MHI project manager), and Elizabeth (Grant's fiancee).  Good times and needed exercise.  Also a lady, Efaf, from Darfur brought her 9 mo. old baby in for malaria.  The crew also tested 115 people for malaria in the field yesterday.  Everyone has it because of rainy season!  So sad.  Tonight we played a fun card game "Nerts".  Took a bath and now in my toocle (no idea how to spell it because very few here write).  Thank you Lord for this enlightening day and please help prepare me for tomorrow.

Day 3 - KK, South Sudan

I slept my first 8 hours in 5 days!  Finally over jet lag.  Today was awesome.  We started off with an hour of Praise & Worship and bible study.  It really taught me the lesson of humility and truly being a servant of the Lord without seeking benefit.  After breakfast we went to our little clinic/lab to do medical inventory and package pills for our days out on the field next week.  I got to practice memorizing all my drugs and what they're used for!  Too bad boards are next summer haha.  After lunch we relaxed a bit then went out to immunize WHI (Water Harvest International) staffers.  Guess what? I got to give 6 shots (my first ones!)...Tetanus and Typhoid.  They went well except Grace's (cook) whose hurt a bit because her arm was skinnier than the guys.  Woops...I guess it's all in the learning.  We got back, relaxed, and went for our 2nd nightly run!  Great weather but it rained last night which means that it was so muddy out.  We were slipping and sliding all over the place and jumping streams, cow patties and sliding past the occasional cow.  The kids were laughing at us.  You never see people running in a line like we were unless they are running away from something!  It was truly a mud run...Sudanese style.  Authentic.  Love it.  When we got back Grant wanted to do CrossFit...great!  We did arms/legs for 15 minutes which seemed like a lifetime.  Awesome workout.  Who would have thought I'd be running and doing CrossFit in South Sudan?? Not this girl.  And since we can't wear shorts we have to wear pants or capris.  Talk about hot!  Great times though.  Grace fixed us a cute Italian dinner of noodles with tomatoes and garlic with basil.  What a treat!  Overall great day of action and looking forward to building relationships with the staff here.  They're great :)

I relate most to pictures and lyrics in songs so every post I will leave you with something that really made the experience real for me.

 

 

Bed at Banana Village in Uganda

 (L to R) Danielle (nursing student), Kristen (EAM staff) at Lake Victoria

 View of the Nile river from the plane

 Little toocles

Landing in Kajo Keji, South Sudan