After our first real rain

Last night I didn't even know it, but we had our first real rain! Oh, it made this morning SO NICE! It was so much cooler, when I say that we appreciate the 80's versus the 100's we've been having. It is amazing that when it is cooler, one can have so much more energy. This morning we had our devotion and Dr. Stockton, the FP from Knoxville, gave his testimony. He's been on many trips to other places and it is so great to have him here. We said goodbye to the Barriers and will miss them. I hope the Lord allows our paths to cross again in service together.


Today was a clinic day and was so special. In one day, it was like I was in a clinic, pediatric ICU, neonatal ICU, and surgery, all in one. That is the beautiful thing about here. You never know who will come in and with what needs. Dr. Dunn had a child who was basically in heart failure, so I helped out and we admitted her right away. We had to get fluid off her as soon as possible, because she was having pulmonary edema and ascites. Pray for her, because we literally are doing all we can do here and she will need a miracle. She has some cardiomyopathy and maybe underlying infection like TB. She is the sickest pediatric patient here right now.

Next, I was asked to be in a c-section, because they thought the woman had a premature baby. Hello, NICU days! Thank you, Lord, for those months in residency. Well, we don't have anything to intubate a baby with, but we have some suction. The baby was born normal size, not premature, and was slightly floppy and blue at first, but perked up with stimulation. We were blessed to have that great outcome. I even had a neurology case today. Dr. Dunn had a man who was having difficulty with walking. I did a neuro exam on him and think he has narrowing of the spinal canal. The problem is we couldn't do anything for him here, so we covered him with prayer. I was really touched by the patients today. We also had patients with visible masses in their abdomens, obviously tumors so far grown. These are just a few of the many we see.

[boy with ascites]

[baby with meningomylocele]

[child with burns from gun powder accident]

[sequestration of ulna bone from old osteomylitis]

[girl with bone exposed due to osteomylitis]

[woman with right eye blindness]

[old site of septic knee with local medicine razor scars used as "treatment"]

[man with tumor on face]

[man with bilateral facial keloid scars]

Dr. Dunn and I discussed how one should enter the trip at a certain spiritual level and leave much higher. We were saying that a volunteer should walk away with spiritual growth. Honestly, that is why I'm here and that is what we are praying for all of us who have tried to be obedient and come here. It will be different coming home. Often in the U.S., people struggle with keeping the meaning to why they do medicine. There's no hiding the meaning here. It's so obvious, the need. Coming here to do any type of volunteer work would fulfill the meaning of meeting other's needs. I'm excited to carry this on, when I come home.