Today alone has been long and interesting...I started my fourth day at work in the Clinic! I've been working Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings. Today was a show of God's wonders...
Problem: Friday after two other days of work I was discouraged once again when a baby was brought in by her father. Sad story, the mother had left and the father had no formula to feed her. And we were out. For the past two months we've been out. This had made me so sad - while we could provide the medical care the infant needed we had no way to give her the FOOD she needed. Instead of turning to God in prayer as I should've, I let myself become discouraged and frustrated by this. This was the third infant this week - whom we could not provide simple fomula for. Formula IS available in Haiti but it is very expensive. When we can, we ask others to bring it in from the Dominican.
Praise: This morning I met a woman named, Linda, who is a medical assistant and X-ray tech who is here with her husband for the first time and is interested in helping in any way that they can! What's more she brought medical supplies with her. Not only medical supplies - but Formula! Praise the Lord!!!! I offered up a prayer of repentance for failing to bring my needs to Him and trusting Him with that which is important to me and the Haitian people.
Problem: I still didn't have my bank book from UniBank - they'd insisted I needed to have my Permis de Sejour (visa) before they would give it to me. Today I had the opportunity to go into town with Colleen (another OMS missionary) to get it. I brought my Permis - that's all they needed right? Maybe not - upon further thinking - they would probably need the account number at least? if not my receipt from the last time I was in? "Oh God!" I prayed, "Why could I not think of these things when I needed to? Why do I feel so stupid - Please let things go smoothly? I'm sorry that I'm such a dunce."
Praise: When we arrived at the UniBank - the same cashier that had been there on my previous two trips was there - after saying hello in Creole, I asked her if she remembered me? She did - ok good. I said that I'd come for my bank book - and that now that I had my Permis - produced it proudly - could she give me the bank book? She smiled took the Permis and thus commenced 5-10 minutes of hurried paper shuffling and looking through files. Not once did she ask me for additional information though? She kept smiling at me every once in awhile before excusing herself to go look for something. Eventually she came up with my paperwork and my bank book! She made a copy of my Permis - I signed my name and what's done is done! Praise the Lord!!!
Problem: I had a phone call last night alerting me to the fact that a missionary couple would be on their way up from Dessalines today as he is very sick with pneumonia and will be flown out with Missionary Flights International (MFI) in the morning and do we have Oxygen at the clinic/could I check in the morning with Doctor Rodney? A second phone call (completely unrelated) a few minutes later revealed that Doctor Rodney is in Port until Wednesday. Ok - we'll see what's what in the morning. Asked at the Depot and was assured that, Yes, we did have oxygen - yes! Passed the word along. After leaving in the morning unexpectedly for Cap (to get my bank book) - having only assisted Miss Ketlye with one patient - I returned in the afternoon to see if I could actually do some work? But she 'ordered' me to go home and rest. On my way out I stopped by to get the Oxygen. Which we didn't have. The depot manager (Magdala) had thought I meant Albuterol - which we have tons of. Back to Miss Ketlye - Doctor Rodney has some? Look in his office - so Magdala and I looked but didn't find anything - I'm thinking it's kind of hard to hide an oxygen tank? Next Miss Ketlye and I go on a search through the entire Clinic - looking for the Oxygen - we end up once again in Doctor Rodney's office because Miss Ketlye says he has a portable oxygen unit in a black bag (who knew? right!) Sure enough there is a black bag with "Rheumonotics" (or something) written on it!
Praise: We not only found the oxygen machine, but managed to figure out how it worked not two minutes before our patient arrived! Extra praise - is there such a thing? His daughter had also come with his wife and she is a nurse too! Already had given him some antibiotics IV and still had viable access. Doctor Xavier - who's only been with us one week - was able to see the patient and though the X-ray didn't come out. Pneumonia was diagnosed and Oxygen, Ceftraxin, Lasix, Histanol, and Vit C prescribed. After getting the family settled into the Holiday House - with a few runnings around to look for supplies from the Clinic - some of which we had and some of which we didn't - I was finally able to drag myself to my house and enjoy a Haitian rice and beans dinner with a mildly spicey Turkey, onion, potato sauce whilst watching The Quiet Man (old romantic Irish movie starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara) with my housemate Erica. And I am now sitting in front of Tink II (my laptop) with an ice pack on my right ankle - which decided due to all the running around to become sore - contentedly letting the world know I SERVE AN AMAZING GOD!
In other news: Samuel Joseph is a little boy (between 9-12 months old) who was brought to me 3 weeks ago with severe malnutrition. His mother is crazy. A friend of the family had brought him to the Clinic and Miss Ketlye brought him to my house to give him reusable diapers that a lady in the States had made. The next time I saw him - a week later he was looking a little better - his legs were not swollen but I was told he was still not eating or drinking anything. His aunt had brought him to the Clinic but said she could no longer take care of him. That very day Jane - (a missionary who is helping with an orphange) came by with some sick kids - she agreed to take Baby Samuel. Today I met her again as she was in the Clinic - she said that Samuel is doing very well, eating and drinking. And stays with her the whole day versus at the orphanage. What great news to start the day with!
Also: In talking with Linda today I found out that God had worked a miracle with their luggage. When they came in with United they let the airline know that one of their checked bags was full of medical supplies for Haiti - their fee was waived! (Apparently if you call in ahead they will sometimes do this? but this was the day of! at the check in desk!) Then when they were flying from FL to Haiti the airline let them rearrange their luggage and permitted her husband to come on board with a back-pack AND a 10# carry-on! Praise the Lord!
Don't forget to check out pictures at renewhaitipics.shutterfly.com
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