So last night our prayers were answered with the generator keeping fans running until sunrise, but as usual, as soon as the fans stop the temperature rises a good 15 degrees and everything feels damp…but we are no strangers to this and the payoff is worth it!
As anticipated, today was a typical day in the tropics, making clinic very warm. There was barely a breeze and we had a brief taste of the rainy season. Can’t imagine the conditions when this continues for weeks on end.
As it were, the rain was short lived and when all was said and done, it did not deter our patients. In the end we had treated 113 patients in about 5hrs time. We had an 8 month old who appeared at the end of clinic with his mother who thought we were going to be in Bwa Bouton today…in the rain, she hurried to our location at Gran Plaine and her child was our final patient of the day. He appeared to be the most ill patient of the day…I think that is how it happens in clinics the world over. We ended up providing the necessary funds to help his mother take him to the mainland for a more thorough evaluation and treatment we cannot currently provide. As our dream progresses, this may be a patient we can care for right here on the island, or more importantly provide preventive care to avoid such dire illness. In the meantime, please join us in prayer for this innocent child and his mother as they travel across the channel seeking life saving treatment. I hope to provide an update later in the week if available.
Once all supplies were returned to the guest house for sorting, filing and counting later tonight, we had a quick lunch and then headed for the beach to cool off. We chose the “long” beach today because the sun was behind the clouds and being Monday, we were hoping to catch a glimpse of work being done at the site. The men were at the job, adding additional fill and compacting it, as well as adding more steel in preparation for pouring the concrete floor. The pictures may not reveal significant change but up close the evolution is very evident!
After that brief stop we continued on to the beach for a quick refreshing dip, with our entourage in tow, before returning up the hill to get ready for dinner. I am now on the roof, cooling down, enjoying the view and the delicious smells of dinner. Tomorrow we go to Bwa Bouton, which is usually our busiest clinic of the week. We will need to nourish ourselves and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead. This is a great team and I feel certain they will not back down from any challenge!
All for now…
Love to All,
The Team