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| A Ugandan wedding couple I work with Jackie at school |
How the weeks are flying by, to make 1
year. Next year at this time we MAY be unemployed again. There
are only the days in between. After year the things we have learned
about ourselves as a couple and ourselves as people at times are
pretty depressing. Mostly because they point to the self ish side of
our personality's. The command to go and serve others as Jesus did,
is fine for the short term but as many married people know, if it is
short term (like 20 minutes) we can do it well and happily, but when
it is much longer then that, self ishness comes in. So when I here
Jesus commands I wonder why I follow him but then I think about what
else would I do, I hate being lied to so I guess I will continue to
pursue the truth that he came to witness too. So, in the past week
here are some of my 20 minute encounters.
The first 2 I don't have
pictures of but again they are hospital related. I was in the
operating theater looking for students and found one carrying a new
baby girl to the midwife. The mother had a C-Section for twins and
they were both alive and pink and doing well. A few of us were
standing around admiring and feeling like the excitement. (Just want
you health professionals to know not ALL the babies I encounter get
CPR) then a student was taking a surgical pt back to the surgery ward
from theater after she had just had her thyroid out for cancer. She
wasn't awake and was gasping as she breathed. She was also
overweight, rather large and had a short neck. In the states she
would have gone to recovery with an oral airway in to keep her tongue
out of the way and to watch and see if her throat swelled because
the surgery is on the neck, and they keep her there until she is
awake. So 2 students load her onto the cart by pushing and pulling
and hefting and heaving because she is dead weight take to outside
to the surgery ward load her into her bed on her stomach and twist
her head to the side with the nice new cut on her neck getting
manipulated and just kinda leave her. No vitals signs checked here.
So, I go access her and it sounds like her throat is swelling her respiration are getting shallower and I am having a moral debate.
The nurse responsible for the ward of 40 comes and I voice my
concerns to her. I tell her I am worried the woman will die of
airway obstruction if her throat keeps swelling. She said that may
be what happens, but together we reposition her. I am not happy with
the answer so I go back over to the theater and get the head nurse
there (I think there are only 2) explain it she talks to the Dr who
is doing another case already and he tells us she should be flat with
her head extended. I go back to the woman we position her that way
and the respiration are worse. I bring all the students to the bed
side explain what is happening and tell them not to “fear” the
Dr. that the pt needs the care only the surgery can give and we must
take her back. (With Dr and midwife ego's and respect involved I try
and tread very easily to help where I can and suggest where I cannot)
Dr are open generally but the midwives are a bit more prickly...)
anyway after showing students the signs to look for that tell you
when someone is in distress, we load her back on the cart using a
lift sheet rather then the push pull method and take her back to
theater. Remember there are only 2 nurses here but the other staff
wander around so we parked her next to a wall, I prayed and left...If
she needs CPR at least she will get it here. 2 hours later I went
back to the surgical ward and she was there with her family and alert
enough now to squeeze my hand, and position her neck so she could
breath easily. Would she have died had I not come along? That is the
question I ask myself a lot as I do see much that needs simple
intervention and there I am. But my answer is more and more "Jesus
wrote each of our names in a book before any of us came to be and
assigned us a number to our days", so it is His to decide who lives
and dies, I am just passing by and doing the work he called me to.
Sounds nice doesn't it? Well it gives me moral fits and keeps me
praying. I wish I could say it happens very rarely that I have this
conversation about; to intervene and not to intervene, but it would be a
lie. I have it a couple times a week and sometimes a day... Now on
with the pictures
These 2 women are selling water jars
made out of clay from S of here. So they carried these to town along
with the babies you see on their back. A jug weighs about 8-15#. I
have one the size of the top one for my refrigerator. You put a rock
in it and about 4 cups of water and put your veggies on the rock to
keep them cooler then the house. I works pretty well. The big white
pkg on the top of her head is 3 jars tied together in a katange
(fabric) and then balanced on her head in the middle. Did I tell you
it is hot here?
Well it is. I followed them about ½ mile to get
close enough to take the pic and they were walking on. I don't now
where... Not being able to drive here is unpleasant but walking with
just your own weight to carry if a gift. Thank you Jesus!
Next are pics from a birthday party we
were included in. We don't get many invitations to Ugandan events.
We have been included in 2 introductions (engagement parties) and 2
wedding, a house blessing, but not any family event at someones
home. Innocent, who is in charge of infection control at the
hospital and his wife, Alice, who is head of the eye clinic have 2
children. They had birthdays and the party was for them. Innocent
also had 3 brothers who have “passed” and he is raising there
children and paying fees for them to be in school. We spent the
afternoon under his fruit trees talking with him as Alice was making
food with the help of 4 others. Then Alice served just Tom and I
food and had me go first. I asked if that was custom to have the
women eat first as I understood the men eat, the kids eat then the
wife, she told me I was to fix Tom's food and serve him. I noticed a
little of that old self ishness arise. But I was in there home and
this is the custom and it wouldn't hurt me to do it...Maybe
Are you wondering how all these people
are going to get cake? Well the cake gets cut in pieces and then
they cut each wedge in 3's, 4 if there are really a lot of people so
everyone gets a taste. Which is why the Ugandans can see in the dark
and bite off bottle caps (they eat more of the good foods and less of
the sugars)
This picture is one of the students
and her mom who was in the ER waiting treatment. Do you think they
look like sisters? I did
The last picture is of a woman making a
traditional heat keeper. This is a round woven lid with intricate
design through it. She sells the Congo fabric you see in the
background and does this while she waits for customers. You don't
often see such intricate weaving so I wanted to purchase this as it is
so beautiful. The cost for me was 100,000UGX or $40. Another moral dilemma What will I do with this if I do by it? Guess what I did?
So that is another week at the 1 year
mark here in Uganda. Love from beautiful Arua where the dry (hot)
season is starting (but I only have myself to carry around) TIA
Marc
