Last week I was working in OPD (the out-patient
department/clinic) Wednesday through Friday.
Monday and Tuesday last week were holidays in Zambia. My time in OPD was very busy! I saw around 17 patients per day, and didn’t
feel like I was even making a dent. This
was OPD yesterday. (It looked like this last Wednesday as well.) Most of the time, there was another provider
there besides me, but there were times when I was by myself.
One of my goals during my time here was to take time and
pray with each of my patients, particularly times when I am in OPD. The first day I was in clinic I achieved
this. It was hard for the first patient,
but then it got easier throughout the day.
Due to the insane busyness in OPD lately, I have not gotten a chance to
pray with them. I want to badly, but I
also know that there are hundreds of patients waiting to be seen and I have
already taken at least 10 minutes just trying to figure out what is wrong with
them. I’m not exactly sure what to do in
this situation… Prayer request: reassurance in knowing that prayer is better than any medicine that can be provided, and that it is more important than any number of patients I feel I can see in a day.
This weekend we went to Chobe, Botswana on a safari! When in Africa, one must go on a safari at
some point. We left for Livingstone
Friday afternoon and stayed at a place called Jollyboys Friday night… lets just
say that was one very interesting night filled with very little sleep! (At Jollyboys, most people stay in large
rooms filled with at least 10 strangers… who enjoy their alcohol). It was all good though, and an experience
nonetheless! Lol
The safari was a 2-part experience. The morning was spent on a boat riding down
the Chobe River in Botswana. Prior to
Saturday, I honestly couldn’t remember the last time I was on a boat… it felt
nice to be out on the water! We saw
several elephants, hippos, impala, crocodiles, and lots of birds. The afternoon was spent riding through the
wildlife park. This is where we saw a
ton of animals! Some up close and
personal! We saw 2 female lions and
several giraffes along this ride. It was
a glorious day spent with lots of animals!
Today after I did rounds in the male ward we headed off for
outreach in a nearby town. To me,
outreach in Africa takes on a whole new meaning. I love that thought! The outreach had 4 parts. The first was general health counseling lead
by Mrs. Chebwa, the most joyful woman I think I have ever met! Next were child immunizations, family
planning, and antenatal care. I worked with
Mrs. Chebwa in antenatal care. I have
always had an interest in this area, so it was good to help manage these
particular patients at this wonderful point in their life!
After all the patients were seen (about 3.5 hours), we
packed up to head back to Zimba. We were
beginning to load the Range Rover, but the other door needed to be opened. I opened the other door and began to climb
in… what I encountered next was very unexpected. I was half in the vehicle when I saw a
chicken sitting in the seat next to the door staring me in the face… So totally random and hilarious! I still don’t know why or how that chicken
managed to get in the back seat of the vehicle!
Definitely a highlight of my day!
The chicken rode with us all the way back to Zimba (after being moved to
under the seat) and didn’t even make a peep!
:) This is our new friend…
So glad to hear from you today! Praying for you dear friend!
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