I'll combine Tuesday and Wednesday in this post as to update you all to the present. Our second day was set in a church. Again the long line had already formed prior to our arrival. The process moved much better than the first day, but that's not to say the first day was bad. As a matter of fact I believe it was quite successful in what we wanted to accomplish. The second day was better in that the flow from triage to provider to pharmacy to spiritual counseling was much smoother and more contacts were made through spiritual counseling. Each day is getting better and better with regards to the total experience. What I mean about experience is not about what I see or do medically as in treating the body. What I am experiencing is so much more personal; a relationship with the people that work by my side and the relationship with the people I am serving, even for a brief moment through the pharmacy. I feel the suffering and the healing of not just the body but of the mind and spirit. I am doing something here that I had not planned or intended to do but all the better for it. In the pharmacy I dispense the medications the providers have prescribed. It's not as simple as passing out medications. You have to adjust prescriptions based on inventory and the flow through pharmacy is literally nonstop from about 9a-3p. I may have already mentioned my new friend Steven working with me in the pharmacy. We have our system set now and even with awesome translators we have learned to interact and give instructions in Spanish by ourselves. The most overwhelming thing about the pharmacy is the reaction we get from the people when we hand them the medications. It amazing how they are so grateful for vitamins, cough medicine, and tylenol and ibuprofen. Yes, those are the medications we dispense the most along with worm medication, topicals, and occasionally a single antibiotic tablet. The simplest of medications which are so readily available and taken for granted back in the states means the world to these people; even Tums....YES TUMS ! And it's not just the people waiting in line who have no access to any healthcare, but also by pastors, translators, the assistants, and even the hotel staff where we are staying. Again its medication like tylenol, ibuprofen and vitamins. Though the amount we give them will only last for a short time, the spiritual counseling they recieve if they so choose will last much longer. Each day more people are receiving spiritual counseling. It's pure awesomeness ! I think "awesomeness" has become my favorite word for this blog, yet it still lacks in describing my excitement. You have to experience something like this for yourself.
At the end of clinic I was invited by Dr Harmon to come along with him, Mandy, and Curtis to scope out the site for Wednesday's clinic. Those pictures are below. This is what they call the Mercedes. As you proceed out of town towards this area with some gentle hills you can get a view of the blanket of tin and some grass roofs. The site for Wednesday's clinic can be seen in the pictures below. The grass roof hut is owned by a lady who will be getting some property on the outskirts of town in ultimately giving her house to the church. She will be in a much better place. This place in the past few months had been almost entirely under water. In her house the water level had come up to about shoulder level; remember these houses are already on stilts. I met several children as you can see and though my Spanish is limited they wouldn't leave my side. They did not want me stop taking their pictures. Adorable innocent children, carefree and enjoying each other
We pretty have a schedule for our days now, though somewhat flexible. Breakfast beginning at 6am if you want. Meeting at 7:30am. Head out to the sites by 8am. Work as soon as possible until 4pm. Free time until 6:30pm for debriefing, adjustments, and prayer. Dinner afterwards then free time again.
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