A Day on Film

Today I knew was going to be busy. But you don't really know what you

are in for until you jump in with two feet. Naomi was going to come to

work today and Becky, Olen's Aunt, was going to be following us around

to film my day for friends and family that may want a glimpse of what

what I do. When everyone gets here I am ready to talk to the group

waiting for me on the bench outside my house. I start with the couple

that brought a baby 3 days old that is not eating. It is so tiny and

limp and lifeless. We ask several vital questions. The baby was born

at home and has cloth tied around its umbilical cord. There was a twin

but the other baby died. I prepare some baby formula and with Danae I

was able to help show the mother how to feed the baby by putting her

finger in the babies mouth and using a syringe pumping a little milk in

the babies mouth as it tries to suck down the milk. It was starting to

work and you could almost see the baby being brought back to life like a

wilted flower being watered. The three of us women pray for the health

of this baby. Then I left the mother and father to work together on

this while I go and talk to a blind man that has given me a chicken as a

gift. This man has a request for helping him repair his home that has

tumbled down. I glance over at the couple with the baby and notice that

the father has stopped his part of the feeding and the mother is just

giving the baby formula straight from the syringe without using the

sucking method. I don't think too much. But after talking to the blind man and working out some details, I go back over to the family with the baby.

But as I come close the baby does not look good. It has milk coming

slowly out of it's nose. I am confused and see that the mother is

concerned and pushes on the babies stomach and milk begins to pour out

even more from its nostril. Naomi is trying to take the baby and is

saying that she gave too much. I then take the baby from Naomi and turn

the baby upside down. I push on the baby and milk is just streaming out

of the face of this child. It was so much. Now the baby is turning

blue and I am so scared the baby is going to die in my hands. I right

away start to head over to the hospital with out saying anything to the

parents and I am just desperate for help. Half way to the hospital the

baby begins to breathe. Thank you Jesus! I continue to go over to the

emergency room and have Dr. Olen listen to the lungs and breathing and make sure she is ok. All is fine. God is with us!

Its only ten o’clock and time to go to visit with Abduli an Arab man I am friends with from the market.  We are going to his house today because his son was in the market fire that happened last week.  There were 3 people that got hurt in this fire and two I knew.  One was the father of one of my students last year and he actually died two days after getting burned.  Abduli’s son got burned too but just his arm and the side of his face.  When we get to his house we are warmly welcomed and asked to take a good place on the beautiful red and yellow carpet mat that is under a huge mango tree.  We begin to talk and laugh and share stories and give gifts.  I brought a few things along for their son like cars and a little bible book and I brought some incense for his wife.   They just loved it all and then they brought out some beautiful smelling incense of their own for each of us (me, Naomi and Becky).  We were all having such a good time that they asked us to stay and eat with them.  This is such a big deal for them.  We accepted their invitation and grabbed the opportunity for an adventure and that it was.  The men and women eat separately so the men stayed there under the tree and the women went further in to their compound to the outside of one of the various rooms they have to sleep in.  We were under some kind of awning and his wife had it made up so beautiful for us.  There was the same kind of carpet mat but this one was green with a design on it.  At each of the corners she had a beautiful pillow for each of us to relax on after we eat.  Then here comes the food.  It is boule of course with my favorite sauce with greens in it but this time they put some ox meat in it.  Becky speaks out and says that she wants to eat it the way they would eat and that they should show us how.  Us girls had such a good time.  Eating boule for the first time is always an adventure.  Becky ended up taking a picture of her place because she had rice everywhere.  We then sat around talking to Abduli’s wife in Arabic through Naomi.  Her name is Zarah and she is 23 years old, has three children with her oldest at the age 8.  So you do the math.  She started very young.  Right now she is having a lot of female medical problems that she felt comfortable talking to us about.  We told her that she needed to come to the hospital and see the new OB doctor, Danae.  So we felt as though even though we were just there enjoying their company we were still able to reach someone that needed help. 

 

After a long day we come home about 4:30 pm.  It is Friday and we have all the volunteers coming over to our house for vespers.  I am grateful for a good husband cause he had the living room all nice and clean.   After everyone is at the house after 7:00 pm I get a knock at the door.  A lady I know tells me that there is this little girl around age 8 at the front of my house just crying.  I ask her why and she says that she has no mother and no father.  She has been staying with someone else I know but the man left to go to Lai and the wife kicked her out and said that she needs to go.  But there is no where to go.  I go inside and get some potato soup and a piece of bread and have Tony interpret that she can stay the night out on the back porch and that she is expected to go to church with us the next day.  I set her up outside with a blanket and water.  My heart just breaks and I cry for her.  I think to myself what if it was me or one of my children what would I want someone to do?  I prayed with one of the volunteers in my kitchen for God to give me guidance with this.  I come to the conclusion that I will take her to church and see who knows her and knows her story and what I should do for her. 

 

And that is how my day ended!