The bird, bamboo and garden.

Anna's bird, Phenix is learning to fly well and today had to be fished out of trees a few times with a long bamboo pole. 

We hope it is ready to release completely tomorrow but we don't know yet if it will learn to find its own food.

 Cory visited a nearby ravine to see what could be done about a request for bamboo plants to stabilize a where it is eroding its banks. They decided to wait until the fall rainy season to do the planting since summer tends to be the driest part of the year. 

  Cory is trying another bamboo propagation method at the clinic garden where a clump of bamboo was blamed for making the trail to the latrine too dark at night so about 3/4 of it was cut back.

A few wheelbarrow loads of charcoal soil/sawdust mix held in place with a cut up sack skirt should allow rooted stems to be cut and separated in a few months.

 A neighbor of the campus has shown that even the local heavy clay can grow peppers, okra, and bananas if given some irrigation and planted with compost.

Travel, LaGonave, Malay apples and a baby bird.

No more clinic days this week so I managed to focus on school.

Plane tickets purchased so the countdown started.

By squeezing in 5 'extra' days of school we can be done with the year by the first week of August leaving time to pack for our flight north on August 6th.

[As Eli and Anna do not read the blog I can write that if we don't fit in those days it will be OK, I just read that many teachers call it a year at the 75-80% mark! No problem.]

Cory made it back from LaGonave on Tuesday. Pastor Dan 'happened' to have a extra battery sitting around so no more truck problems.

People called out asking for the bread fruit trees as the guys drove through Anse-a-Galet.

Cory reports rain in the mountains so the island looks green. They discussed planting a demonstration garden.

Cory took a trip up the mountain to see some of Starfysh's work.

They also visited a World Vision vegetable garden project.

Cory also delivered a couple boxes of medical supplies and medication that LaGonave shared with Fauche. Thank you!

Good sea travel both directions!

The Book Herder project is just shy of lending it's 100th book!

Anna traded 3 mangos for a baby bird on Monday.

Phoenix continues to do well being fed moistened cat food bits during the day.

 Downloaded photos indicate that I neglected to show you our first Malay Apple crop.

Tasty.

Doctor again!?!?

Yesterday my children cooked for me, we worshiped together and overall enjoyed the day.

The one BAD spot occurred after the final hymn starting the final prayer when I looked down to my hands on the pew back and realized with shock NO wedding ring!!!

Thankfully this was the end of the service because I'm afraid my attention at that point only focused on trying to remember the last time I remembered my ring. [Tuesday in Cap Haitian.]

We walked slowing back up the hill looking in the grass and praying. Not in the living room. Not in my bed. On the floor beside the bed!! Thank you Lord.

Of course one of my dear children decided that this rated top billing as news to share with Cory when we talked to him on the phone before bed. [I took a plastic craft bead from Anna and used it to tighten up my ring a bit.]

Today started up as normal. I wrote out my to-do list and started in on it. We started our school day after breakfast with Bible and counting out the days to assure ourselves that we can complete the year a few days before heading to the USA in August.

Then I walked down to clinic to get a 'wish-list' and add a dosage change to a chart from Friday's clinic.

On the walk down Pastor Rigo called....to let me know that one doctor he could not reach and the second doctor needed to do a clinic out of town. So Monday clinic, generally the biggest of the week and no doctor.....so ???

Friday's 'Yes' and attitude came much easier because my students already completed the work and did not expect a school day.

Today I expected to focus on school. So I'm sad to admit I grumbled a bit. [Once again I'm forced to restart my personal challenge of going 21 days without grumbling. SIGH]

 I do not like feeling obligated to change my plans at the last minute.

I prayed a few times during the busy morning for the Lord to change my attitude, fill my cup with patience, joy, and love so I did not miss the opportunities in front of me to reflect His love.

I adjusted to the idea that my priority at this time is to school Eli and Anna but this causes a lot of tension when I push school aside to do non-emergency medicine.

I did not deal well when not just one but two nurses smirked at me when they added charts to my pile. Surprising how often in life I just would like to be a kid again and stomp my feet! Or pout.

And since I'm confessing poor attitudes today-I took a bit of pleasure of correcting one of the smirking nurses who's blood pressure readings were wrong most of the time. I did deal with her one-on-one away from others in a professional manner but did point out when she blamed the cuff that while that was possible that same cuff took accurate readings on Friday.

So please keep praying for me as the Lord is not finished and I still need some polishing. Thankful He forgives me. Thankful He helped to rapidly change my grumbling, poor-me attitude to a better one of praise. Thankful that only 4 of 17 patients needed laboratory testing. Thankful that Beth helped to get the wish list to LaGonave so perhaps we can get some donated supplies either tomorrow with Cory or next week. Thankful that my students work well independently moving on to what they can so we can work together when we can.

For those who asked-I do not have a follow up on the seriously ill child from Friday.

A Clinic Morning.

Early in the week Cory, Eli and Anna started discussing the idea of moving Saturday's 'normal' activities to different day as Cory would be traveling to LaGonave that day. Generally on a Saturday morning you can find the kids and I cleaning and finishing up any loose ends of the school week but by the afternoon they and Cory generally can spend some time playing computer/ DS games.

As my students worked hard to accomplish additional school assignments I did not mind changing Friday to Saturday. Then on Thursday afternoon I received a call from Pastor Rigo informing me that he needed a doctor to hold clinic on Friday. No school, no problem.

Well almost no problem. Just that morning Cory and I called the staff to make sure a doctor would be present on Friday morning to look at our arms where our TB skin tests were placed and write up the negative results for our adoption paperwork. A phone call confirmed the another doctor could/would be there early, before heading to see children in Port Margot, to read our results.

I checked my medical bag, organized my larger bag of stuff that used to sit in my clinic room and then we headed down. Cory returned to his day off after getting a blood draw for one more test and walked back down when the doctor actually showed up later.

I still enjoy patient interaction. Six clinic patients all over the age of 40, 2 new and 4 there for medication refills [one epileptic, one diabetic, others heart/high blood pressure]. One of the new patients suffered from a back strain while the other a urinary infection and high blood pressure. Time to pray with them and connect with the Great Physician.

One ER patient, the saddest case, a 20 month old in severe respiratory distress. Watching a child struggle to breath never gets easier but layered with the knowledge that we could do nothing other than pray and send the mother further down the road hurts.

 While he appeared to be unconscious, I did not check to see if he would respond to pain as I did not want to increase his respiratory rate or stress him more before the 30 minute trip to Limbèe.

His nostrils flared out with each breath. His muscles strained to take in the needed air. Without a stethoscope one could hear the wheezy sound of air being drawn through small confined spaces while with it I only heard loud rubbing sounds in both lungs. No normal air movement.

He did not respond at all to my gentle exam or speech.

Our empty oxygen tank and pharmacy laking any medications that could possibly help could lead one to despair. He had already received the one medication we could of given him a few hours earlier without relief. How much longer could he continue this strenuous effort of breathing?

The last time the other doctor sent a patient in respiratory distress to Limbèe they did not have oxygen either and had to travel an additional hour to Cap Haitian. As most folks know after 10 minutes without oxygen the brain cells start to die.

I prayed. I prayed his lungs would improve. I prayed his mom could find treatment for him in Limbèe and that the hospital there would have oxygen. I continued to pray for him throughout the afternoon, evening and now. I prayed for his mom and family. I pray that our clinic can find the resources needed to fill the oxygen tank.

Why you may ask is the oxygen tank empty? Did someone forget? Did someone mess up? No. The staff is dedicated. A staff who worked yesterday despite not getting payed for their labors in April because of lack of funds. A staff who continue to work not knowing when they will get paid. A staff who often suffer as I did watching that little boy struggle to breath, knowing more could be done if the equipment, medication or supplies could be found at the clinic. A staff who daily work to provide the best care they can for their community with the few resources available. A staff who put their trust in the Lord and ask Him to supply the needs, to change lives, to safe lives when nothing can be done medically. Please join us in praying.

A Very Good Town Day

After my restless night on Monday Cory, John Pierre and I headed out for Cap Haitian shortly after 7 a.m.

Over 2.3 inches of rain filled the road's potholes with water and surrounded the road rocks with mud. Thankfully once we reached Limbèe the roads improved. 

Stop 1 consisted of Cory changing money. John Pierre would exchange money twice more during the day for safety reasons-not to carry around as much and not to exchange a big amount at one time.

Stop 2 a medical lab we heard could help us but the man informed us they would not be open and then nicely walked us less than a block to a lab that could.

Stop 3 a pharmacy on the ground floor we followed a narrow stairway up a twisty path to a small room, cooled by a window fan. After a few minute wait we presented our list to the nurse. In less than 45 minutes our labs were paid for, drawn, recorded and we moved on.

Stop 4 consisted of the notary's office. We enjoyed watching a few minutes of Fre. Joel's 'Good News' T.V. show. We met Fre. Joel  years ago and he even taped part of a show on LaGonave featuring our work and that of WISH. We signed 5 papers in front of the notary and learned that his commission is for life. Also interested to note his desk held a wooden plaque he received from his church for his service to the Lord.

At Stop 5 we enjoyed an early lunch of chicken sandwiches and something to drink. Although the lab lady did not ask us we had fasted for the testing. Finished up in time to head to the airport.

Arrived at Stop 6 just in time for Cory to hear the mail call and pick up our mail. He also received cargo for the first time this year. So Anna received her Feb. birthday package from Grandma and Grandpa Thede!  We waited at the airport for about 20 minutes for the next event on the to-do list which was to connect with someone from COTP to pick up a couple of spare modems they no longer use. We hope that we can use them for backup as our's is ailing.

Stop 7 really wasn't a stop or rather consisted of several stops as we had two hours before my doctor's appointment. So we drove around town looking for a few needed items. By the end of the time Cory found and purchased a good shovel and tarp. Later we returned for a non-twistable hose. Oh, we bought eggs too.

Arrived at Stop 8 about 30 minutes early for my appointment to find a locked door and line. No problem I bought 2 books so lent Cory one. Throughout the day I also completed two Family Practice journals and eared 7.5 hours of medical continuing education credit.   Shortly after 3 p.m. the office helper came and took some names. The doctor arrived maybe 10 minutes later and while they helped the moaning, very pregnant lady into the exam room he wrote us out a prescription for the testing materials he needed for my test.

Off Cory and John Pierre headed to get the supplies. My heart sank a bit later when they returned empty handed. But they soon headed out again after talking to the helper and I started to pray. Soon they returned with the needed supplies and Cory and I advanced to the head of the line.

Not sure if this was due to our white, foreigner status or the fact we had an 3 o'clock appointment and many of the others were walk ins?? He thanked us and told us the results should be back in 15-21 days.

Stop 9 ended up being the same location as stop 2 and where the guys bought the test. Other than the lab person telling them that the results would take 2-3 MONTHS, everything went smooth. Praying for the 2-3 week results vs. months!

Stop 10, the return trip to buy the hose that Cory saw earlier in the day.

Stop 11 a short delay on the road at a police check point where we received a friendly wave from a police man who we know from Port Margot. We did not need to show paperwork and moved on.

Stop 12 HOME! Very close to the 11 hour mark. YEAH. Eli and Anna worked on school work during the day and when Eli held library hours Anna made us macaroni and cheese for supper. 

Thank you Lord for a very productive, safe day!