Friday
I walk to breakfast after a fitful night of congestion and aches which seem to have resolved themselves. The sweet birdsong rallies my spirit as I feel welcomed into God’s garden in the coolest part of this day.
Last Cinic Day
New Talistay City Public Market
Today, we serve in a mall. There are small shops on two levels with a food court that includes Myrna’s Refreshments. We are given a glass walled, air conditioned long room off to the side. It is snug but manageable.
Kind and curious and intuitive Risa returns to me, still anticipating my moves. Hypertension and diabetes continue to be the headliners but today my patients seem to be taking their meds with fine stabilizing effects. I do love when the plan of care works well.
Risa has a wisdom tooth giving her trouble so off she goes to the Dental truck. This trip we have the gift of a mobile dentist office that is providing tooth extractions. They have been with us everyday. I’m told that the average patient has 3-4 teeth extracted. There are those who have brilliant white smiles and others who do not. It is a great service but Wow so many teeth…
Midway through clinic I am called away to start an IV. This morning during devotions, I shared how my skills failed me in Africa. It was my intent to show how I was learning to rely on God instead of my skills. It seems ironic that I am then called to use my skills for the first time on this trip. I feel kind of sorry for my patient who might well be skeptical. Be a Frog I say to myself. Fully Rely on God and the IV slides right in.
I end the day with the last two patients. They are coworkers though they look like sisters and they both simply want vitamins. They want to improve their health, they say.
They are not alone in this request. Many of my patients today seem to be healthy and have come for vitamins. It is curious to me how they seem to value them above medicine and tell me repeatedly how beneficial they are for improving life. It is a simple blessing that they are so excited, satisfied and grateful to receive. I began the day expecting to give them medicine and I end the day simply being grateful alongside them.
Dinner
We gather for dinner with our interpreters. I sit at the end surrounded by my friends. R. is by my side. S. is across from me with J. beside him. They tell me their stories.
My soft spoken, kind R. leads with: my dad has been in prison for rape for 24 years and was recently released. He has two families and she wants to help her younger brothers succeed. She works for the government M-F. She spends her weekends oyster farming and eats oysters every night for dinner. She plays the trumpet in a band and rides a bike taxi for extra money.
She tells me the story of how we met this week and how she has looked for me everyday since. She likes the way I am patient with her and willing to teach her. I listen and nod. It is not so much a conversation as it is a sharing of her search for significance. Of course, she wants to be seen but more than that her openness is a way to give thanks, I think. This makes me wonder if we shouldn’t start a clinic week with a dinner like this but then, we would not have reason to give thanks or the safety of experience to fuel our connection.
S. is a trained chef, a photographer, and always asking God to show him where his next gifting lies. He tells me the whole intricate tale of love lost. She lives in Japan now. He is eager to share his story and connect it to mine. His mother is my age and travels the islands often. He sometimes doesn’t know where she is. This makes me smile. My Sam, back home, might say the same thing.
J. is a quiet young man and it takes a little bit to lure his story out. He is one of five sisters and so perhaps has learned to listen more than talk.
These three have been so present for me this week, eagerly seeking every opportunity to assist me. I often get so focused on caring for my patients I feel like I forget to learn about those who help me. This evening tells me I have been enough. It is a lovely blessing to end my week with them.
Thank you, Lord, again! for bringing our stories together so we can be reminders to each other that we matter to You!
💥PhilippiAnne💥
