I have been reminded a lot recent of the verse in Matthew 25 that tells us when we care for someone, visit them, clothe them etc we are doing it unto Him. The thought has been encouraging to me knowing that even when I am at the end of my day, or feel like I have no strength left every act of love I show is unto the Lord!
No matter what happens God IS Good ALL the Time! I sit here on my bed when I should really be sleeping, it’s 10:30pm! I am very tired, but inspired to write. My exhaustion is more emotional than physical though. You can feel so drained after you’ve done all you can do for a sick baby and it still doesn’t fix it; then you have to go talk to some patient’s family members about your policy of how many people can stay at the hospital overnight and they don’t listen! “Lord please give me patience for the moment and wisdom for what to say next!” You have a very busy clinic day and on your way back to the compound children are asking favors and all you want to to is get alone to rest and think.
We have had a very busy week, large clinic days, emergencies and a couple births! In 3 days time we had two helicopter transports. The first Saturday morning for a young man of 21 who had fallen down the mountain on his way home Friday afternoon; from what we could tell he had a fracture on the left side of his pelvis, and two possible fractures in his right arm. Then Sunday late afternoon a 55 year old woman showed up on a cot with a very swollen right thigh telling me her leg was broken. She had been climbing in a mango tree and a branch broke, causing her to fall. Hans admonished her she should have a younger person climb the mango trees. 🙂 Yes, we agreed her leg was broken and praise the Lord Monday morning was beautifully clear and we were able to fly her out.
This past Thursday I was brought a very malnourished dehydrated 16 month old! Oh how do they get to that place?? There is hardly anything to her! It was nigh unto impossible to get and IV line started so Alyssa and I put in an IO line. (Like an IV but you put it into the bone) That worked well until evening when it became dislodged and was perfusing the fluid into her leg. We again attempted and IV but to no avail, so that left us with instructing the parents to have the baby drink. That worked pretty well, and the parents were trying. She made pretty good progress, was drinking ORS/water and pediatric shakes. I was very pleased with how she perked up, she started reaching for water herself and drank well. I kept her through the weekend, thinking Monday if she was still doing well I might send her home with careful instructions and have her return in a week. Sunday night she wasn’t feeling well and throughout Monday she wasn’t as perky. Tuesday morning she was very dehydrated again and seemed like she had aspirated fluid or something into her lungs. We again attempted and IV unsuccessfully and reverted to an IO, that went very well and we once again had fluids running into her. She perked up through out the day but, didn’t bounce back to where she had been. Tuesday night things looked grim. I felt so at a loss as to what to do. “God please give me wisdom…” I put her on a little oxygen because her respiratory status was depressed. After that there was nothing more i could do, it seemed her little body would not absorb anything. I told Hans and Ellamae we’ll just have to leave it in God’s hands and wait. I went to bed and slept peacefully. Around 5:30 this morning (i am finishing writing this Wednesday evening) the father came to the gate asking for me saying the little girl was very low… I went down and found her very weak, lethargic, feverish and with junk in her lungs. I started her with more fluids for the fever, propped her up to help with respiratory status. It seemed we were near the end….I had done what I could, now if God wanted her to continue living He would perform a miracle. Well, about 7am her little heart stopped and her breath was gone… God chose to take that little bud of life home to Him. My heart aches, but i know she is in the arms of Jesus! She is healthy and well!
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| This is the little girl who passed away |
~Mis Kayla
Here are a few more pictures…
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| The little girl who lost her finger last week, getting a bandage change! It is healing very well! |
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| One of my adorable “Plumpy Nut” children |