TGIF

January 17, 2009

Happy Friday. And it has been a happy one. Fridays are our designated “day off “ of the week, and we’ve spent the day padding around the guesthouse, catching up with e-mails, reading fun books, and preparing for the week ahead. Our sole venture out was to look at an apartment and to stand for over an hour in line at Unibank to deposit a single check. Oh how I miss the drive-up ATM. But I can attest that our patience has climbed to all new heights; today we were able to stand in a line that inched forward (a snail would win the race) without twitching at the immobility of it all. Tonight we are venturing out on the town for an evening of music and dancing--our date night is taking a brave new step. Happy day off to us.

The week has been busy and diverse. After finding out that the house we were preparing to move into Feb 1 will not be available for another 3 months, and this being the 3rd change of “move-in” date, we have lost confidence and have started an apartment search anew. This experience has proved to be quite interesting. We have been shown everything from a large house with a pool, pool-side cabana, extensive yard and a palm-tree lined walk-way to a roach-infested, dark cement hole. Something in between would be nice. So the hunt continues.

Our partnership with Dr. Laplanch has been put on hold for a while until CONASPEH can come up with funds to pay her a “consultative” salary. This only means that developing medical service outreach in a way that is truly beneficial for patients will continue to plod along slowly as I develop language skills and continue to try to learn about resources and networking potential. But several generous church families in the States have donated funds as we raise money for the purchase of a mobile lab. I am repeatedly amazed at what can be accomplished when people come together. We hope to be able to purchase the mobile lab this spring and use it in the CONASPEH clinic, in the Karfour clinic, in mobile clinic outreach, and as a teaching tool in the nursing school.

My weekly visits to the clinic in Karfour have resumed, although without the translator that I asked for. Miss Fano accompanied me this week and slowly we worked with one patient after another trying to come to mutual understanding. It is slow going and a little scary. I have to admit though that I had missed the interaction with patients. Among my patients this week I saw a little old woman from the country who looked strong and healthy, but was convinced she needed many medicines. Hopefully the multivitamins we filled her pockets with will keep her moderately pacified for the moment. I had a few patients scare me as well. A teenager came in reporting 3 days of fever and “pink” diarrhea. I can only assume this means blood. My exam revealed a very tender stomach. I hopped for a case of infectious diarrhea, but feared the possibility of something more grave. We spent a long time counseling his mother about the need to seek out more definitive diagnostics. So I hope. I do a lot of hoping here.

Patrick resumed teaching in the seminary. He’ll continue his Old Testament class as well as two English classes. We’ve enjoyed becoming once again wrapped up in the energy of the children of the school. No longer do we work at our desk without a face in the window or visitors hovering at the door. The kids have been anxious to have their basketball coach back, and Patrick hasn’t let a little dislocated finger slow him down much, despite his wife’s nagging.

Almost time for dinner; I wonder what Rosalina has cooked up tonight. Time to go join our friends and the new faces that arrived in the guesthouse tonight for another meal together. In a country where so many go without dinner, we count ourselves among the privileged and lucky to sit down to a meal night after night. It is with grateful thanks I bid you all bon appetite.