Day 3 was intense. We were expecting a big turnout, as we'd been forewarned to be ready to attend to about 500 people. We had put the word out the night before, it as to be a free clinic, offering dental care and basic heathcare. Our 2 health pros R.N. Susan Stalnaker from the U.S. & Dentist Luis Enrique 'Sergio' Prieto from Tarija, Bolivia did a phenomenal job. They partnered together with 2 local nurses and 1 local doctor from the church. The rest of us assisted however we could. Karen, who's an assistance nurse, & Shirley, who's a pre-med student at university, took blood pressure and vital signs. Roberto, Silenny & Luis assisted Sergio with the dental duties, getting the proper instruments in his hand, disinfecting instruments & keeping the area as sterile as possible. Juan Manuel & Edwin were the 'drug runners,' after the Dr. or nurse prescribed something, they would have it in their hand within less than a minute. Carla, Yovana & Cinthia helped entertain and minister to the children as they waited. And as usual Patty was everywhere.
We handed out about 200 tickets for patients to be treated & each ticket usually came with 1 adult and 3 children. Many folks who came towards the end and were treated without, 'taking a number,' so in all we probably saw and treated around 700-800 men, women and children.
We gave out anti-parasite medicine to almost every person. There was an unbelievable amount of children with bloated bellies & stomach aches (practically every child). Malaria was another big illness that we'd been able to bring meds for. Otherwise we gave out pain & fever medicine for aches & pains, cold & cough medicine mainly for children, and a lot of anti-fungal pills, creams and ointments for the numerous & abundant skin problems that were basically a normal part of life for most of the families that came.
There were obviously illnesses we could not & did not treat, which was very frustrating to many on the team. Apart from Sergio, who's registered to do so, we did not administer antibiotics to patients. It was apparent basic meds either weren't available or unaccesible because of the cost, and many people just wanted 'something,' so we gave out thousands of vitamins as well. The more difficult cases such as STDs, pre-natal care, heart conditions, & pnemonia/tuberculosis type symptoms were advised to go to a proper clinic/specialist. It was sad as we knew that it was b/c of the high cost of healthcare that they were seeing us in the 1st place. With many patients, we wound up praying for & rendering ourselves totally dependant upon God's grace to provide a way & in some cases do the impossible, as only He can.
The end of the day brought on extreme exhaustion to the entire team. We had worked together beautifully & many families had been blessed b/c of the healthcare, hygienic advise, and prayers of our team working together with the Kenyan health professionals. We were excited & thankful about how God had used us and knew that we'd made an impact there b/c of His presence & to His glory on Saturday.
We finished the afternoon listening, ministering to & praying for a dear sister in the church who was HIV positive. She'd been on treatment for over 3 years now, was full of life & we were shocked when we found out indeed who it was that the pastor wanted us to pray for. It was very sad to hear her story, her husband had left her with 3 kids; but also uplifiting to hear how God was using her in a great way inspite of everything. She has recently began a new school near the church & has been a huge blessing to the community. Most do not know she is ill . Her children are now with her mother, basically since she found out she was ill, but she sees them and talks to them regularly. We'd ask you to help us pray for her, that she would continue to be strengthened & encouraged by God and the believers around her. That she would overcome feelings of loneliness & shame that often grip her & that God would heal her mind, body & spirit!
We returned to the church at night, and Edwin & Larry lead worship, the team presented the evangelistic drama, 'Everything,' & Pastora Silenny gave an encouraging message to the church about on our identity in Christ & His love & plans for us.
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