"Wake Up and Eat"

One of these days I will get around to actually updating the country I am in on my blog...one day:)

In the meantime I just wanted to write since I have not updated since we opened the ward on Sunday. It is SO exciting to have patients...especially REALLY cute little bowed leg ones running around! Im not going to lie though. The first few days have been maddness! I could make a huge list of all that we have dealt with, but I will spare you and only tell you a few to give you a feel. I find much of what I say is hard to translate without having experienced the ship and the hospital ward, but I will do my best to relay that. One of the first obstacles included getting 22 patients right from the start (as a result of the failed screening - we brought some from up country). Many were meant to be "hotel" patients not needing care but we had about 6 with malaria, 4 with scabies to name a few. So now we have 22 patients and trying to staff for it when we were not prepared. We more or less have all new nurses on the ward with LOTS of questions. They have had an orientation but no precepting like nurses get later in the outreach when we have experienced nurses to do this (Don't get me wrong, this is how it usually is and it's great...but just adds to the chaos). Then on top of that we have new local translators we are responsible for training as they start this week. This is just the very small list. So as you can imagine as we work we usually get 4 questions for every one that we answer;)

The new nurses have been AWESOME and really have stepped up to the plate. I think after these first 2 weeks of training everyone things will calm down a bit. God has TOTALLY provided though. Every moment I think about all that needs to be done or all the issues and think there is no way this is going to pan out...I know deep down God is in control and will be faithful and provide in the moment for what needs to be. And He has done this every day. It is amazing how things have come together. I always wonder why I ever underestimate God;) You'd think by now I would have this figured out. Yet I often find myself doubting again...only to be proven wrong by God. He always ends up showing up..maybe not as soon as I'd like, but faithful every.....single.....time. In his own timing and his own way.

So before I bore you any longer I just wanted to let you know I am doing ok and surviving my new role as assistant ward supervisor. It has been very busy but God has given me the strength, wisdom, support I need when I need it.


A cute story for the road:
In the midst of putting in another 12 hour day today and the chaos of again moving beds around to accomodate constant change I just had to laugh and got to enjoy the kids and some fun moments. At one point we had just moved a few patients into B ward along with some new arrivals. The 3 caregivers were asleep on their beds in the empty ward and 3 little ADORABLE kids (2 with casts on both legs) were sitting on the floor shoveling food into their little mouths. At one point the kids were telling their parents all to wake up and eat. One by one the parents woke up, streched and realized it was dinner time. I just loved how the little ones were running the show. Maybe you had to be there, but it was the cutest thing. Times like this make me smile and keep my mind focused in the right direction - not stressed but enjoying life's little moments. Oh, to have a childlike view on life...and not take it too seriously!:)