Away to the Villages!

NE LEE GWEE VILLAGE:Today we took the motorbike to NeLeGwee village.  It did not rain!  As soon as we arrived I knew we had chosen the right village to come to!  A man was hobbling toward us leaning heavily on a bamboo pole, dragging a horribly infected foot from a machette cut 5 days ago.

ShePaw immediately told us she wanted to go to MDG clinic.  I never really found out why, but we will take her.

Another man was skinny as a rail.  Come to find out he had been heavy into opium - mainlining it, when suddenly one month ago he felt like he was dying.  Somebody took him to MDG.  On the way he went unconscious and stayed that way for 2 days.  He regained consciousness in a large hospital in ChiangMai.  He returned home only one week ago and is gaining a little weight. He he is not using opium right now. (Sure do pray that he stays off of it)! I gave him 2 vitamin shots and in the process noted that he had 3 large decubitus sores trying to heal.  My whole heart goes out to this poor soul who knows no better way of life.  

Our usual leprosy patient, with badly disfigured feet is also suffering from a bacterial abscess to the left foot.

There were 3 family members who all suffered with very high fevers, unable to eat or drink. People were asking us to go to other houses and see their sick ones who could not walk. There were sick children all around me and coughing filled the air!

After treating about 30 patients, and visiting other homes, we were called to go to the other side of the village to see another man. This part of the village is down a very steep pathway.  The motorbike was hard to manage but we made it.  When we arrived I saw a very skinny man lying flat on his back and unable to stand up.  On exam I could tell he had a back injury. 

I checked him for a slipped disc and sure enough he had it!  We told him that we were taking ShePaw and some others to MDG in the morning and he could come with us if he wished. Doctors were able to give cortisone injections that may greatly reduce the pain.  There were a large group of children there watching my every move.  When it was time to leave I told BletJhaw that I would run up the mountain.   It would be too hard for 2 of us on that motorbike going up something so steep and rough.  The children came with me and half of them were pushing me up, and half were pulling me down!  We laughed all the way and then I took their picture at the top.  NeLeGwee is the village of sweet, dear children you know.

As soon as we arrived home in BYT in the late afternoon, 2 motorbikes came zooming in to tell us that a young man in WST was very sick and crying with an agonizing headache.  We went and found him with a very high fever - sweating - chilling and in great pain with his head.  We gave him some medicine and will take him with us to MDG in the morning.  I have no malaria test kits but there is not much malaria here.  Also DJ will come along and put his motorbike in the back of the truck because it needs repair.  So we will have a giganticly full load tomorrow morning.  We will leave at 7:30a.m.  (Kelly's protein bars to the breakfast rescue)!!  Thank you so much Kelly!

LA GLAH VILLAGE

Today was a blessed day.  We have so so much to do around this house inside and outside, to prepare for rainy season, but we simply must go to LaGlah village.  We had tried to go Sunday but the patient load here was so great that we weren't a bit free until noon. (Again, thank you for the protein bars Kelly)! So today after treating patients, we took the motorbike!  It was raining some - and seemed like a horrendous ride from my 'back-seat' perch, but we made it!

At ChaDree's house we didn't get to see ChaDree because he was off to the garden, but that is still good news because that means he is well.  I don't understand how he can be still going, It must be that God is healing him. 

Today it was so strange, one little 3 year old, ChaDree's grandson, got very angry at me for listening to his lungs and taking his temperature.  He broke away from his Mother and ran to get a piece of firewood from the fire place and beat me up!  His Mother stopped him however.  Then he ran to the bamboo wall and pulled the machete off to chop me up!  The Mother of course stopped him. 

That has never happened to me before.  The children usually like me but sometimes are afraid and cry.  This is the first time such violence was attempted!We saw almost 40 patients in LaGlah today.  We used up almost everything we brought  and needed so much more!  Tomorrow BletJhaw will have to drive the motorbike back alone and give the much needed medicine to adults and children.  We ran out of liquid antibiotics, paracetamol and decongestants and sabumol for 6 babies and toddlers!  We saw almost 40 patients in LaGlah today, but when we got back home we found many patients waiting for us and treated almost 30 more!!The best part of the the day was our worship. Several people stayed to listen. We sang and prayed and I told them about the 10 commandments. They never heard about that and were so attentive and it went over so well that I could not describe my joy.  Some men were there that we were told had started going to the Sunday church in the next village. I had been eaten up with remorse over that because we are just spread out too thin and cannot be there as much as we want to.  But they listened and said they wanted to obey all of God's commandments - including the 4th!  BletJhaw told them that we really want to live there with them and teach them.  We had not forgotten about them.  As soon as someone covers in BYT we will come.  Once again I felt the Holy Spirit move upon the people,  I saw them nod and raise their hands for me to pray for them to be able to keep these 10 commandments. I saw them fold their hands, bow their heads, close their eyes and pray!  Well this may sound redundant to so many of my experiences here, but to me each time is so thrilling it seems like the first time!!!  God is so great to have me in this place.  I am so privileged to be His servant to the people here.