February 28, 2010

  • Haiti update #5 from Juanita

    Wed, Feb 17, 2010

    Where to start? I guess I'll tell you some of what we did on our day off on Friday. We went to the IFM clinic, IFM orphanage, and then to a tent city to assess the needs there. We've delivered food to them at least once now, and we have more to deliver I think tomorrow. 

       My role has seemed to have taken on a new aspect. It doesn't take long to have seniority when the staff turnover is so often. So now I'm one of the go to people. "Juanita, where is so and so?" And PTL, often I can locate it in a short time. So being somewhat in charge is a different experience for me. But it's fun if you know what you're doing. :)

       I helped one of the docs lance a dog bite, I think it was on Monday. Poor little boy, he had one swollen infected leg!(I'm hearing Doc play his, I think accordian, out in the courtyard. He's playing "When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder".)

       We've seen a total of about 300 (I think more) patients so far this week. Still lots of malaria cases, and it seems like we're seeing more typhoid too. Oh, and scabies. :) We've gone through pretty much scabies lotion treatment, but it takes 2 oz. per person, and we like to treat the whole family. It's not worth treating only one member of a family exactly.

       Some random tidbits... today one of the docs and I were doing something, and one of the nurses came over to us and said, "What are you mad scientists doing?".... our emergency the other day was- a dead man... I've spent roughly 72 hrs. on the road in a truck since I've been here... laying on a pile of rice sacks on the back of the truck on the way home from Delma 33... sitting on a bench to eat my lunch, and being told that a girl had had an accident there- no, it wasn't wet, they had wiped it up, but I don't know if anyone had disinfected it....

       I don't really have a whole lot to say. My time here is coming to an end; I'm leaving March 4th, Lord willing- two more weeks. Lord willing, I'm going to Puerto Rico to visit my brother and his family for a couple of days before I get to the states. I'm  It'll be sad to leave; I've found a home here. I could (maybe, not for sure) find my way from the mission to Delma 33, and still there are new things to see... big airplanes, US army, UN stuff, destroyed buildings that I didn't notice before....

       Please keep praying for us. One specific request- there has been some personality conflict between two people, pray that it would cease and that God would use me as He wants in the situation.

       And now it's time to get to bed. Hope you all have wonderful week and weekend serving our Lord!    ~Juanita