Will did a wonderful job updating you all about our travels and first few days here in Chad (encore to him, right?). It has been an eventful few days with so much that happened that it seems like we’ve been here for a week at least. We already feel endeared to the Chadians and the other volunteer missionaries.
Bekki put Will to work the
afternoon we got in from our 8 hour bus ride to Moundou. She did allow him to eat first, but they both
have a lot to learn and do together that she went right down to business taking
him around to the different patients and their cases. I went along for the fun of it and to see the
wards and patients. I had prepared
myself to see some pretty disgusting things while I was here, so I braced
myself for the worst. But, it really wasn’t
that bad walking around with Will and Bekki…
…Until Friday morning during
rounds. Will and I thought it would be
good to see how rounds go and watch the wound care and dressing changes. The day before, everyone’s wounds were bound
up, but that morning they were undressed for the doctor to see them. If any of you have seen the pictures on
Gardner’s blog, you know what I’m talking about here. My stomach started twisting inside me to see
all the open gaping wounds, some deeper and larger than others. I avoided certain beds when I caught glimpses
of their wounds. When we went into the
men’s ward, oh the smells that accost your nostrils! A mix of betadine, body odor, urine and
whatever infected wounds smell like (it’s gross). I felt my stomach trying to expel its
contents into my throat, so I quickly left the ward before I vomited on
everything. I had to stay out of the
ward for a while before I could try going inside again. I’ve been told by Scott and the volunteer
missionaries that it’s common even for the most calloused health care workers
to feel a bit queasy for a few weeks/months when they visit the wards or help
with surgeries. It’s just such a shock
for all the senses. Will seemed to
handle it just fine. I’m sure I’ll get a
little better, but I am the owner of a very weak stomach, so how much I can get
better is probably pretty minimal.
Even then, I hope to help out as
best I can. I have hunted, sorted and
gathered all the dental supplies that were scattered abroad around the hospital
compound and today I plan on trying to figure out the sterilizer. A few Chadians have mentioned needing dental
help or wanting me to look at something.
Sadly, because I don’t have my official paper license with me (it’s
sitting in the mail at my house), they can’t advertise any dental care I’m
available to do on the radio because the government would have a fit. Don’t want any problems with the government,
so we’re just advertising to the patient’s families and the church
members. So, I’m not sure I’ll be doing
very much dental care, except for a few cases, and those will probably just
need extractions. I brought cleaning
supplies, but when accidents, death and sore teeth are the bigger problems
here, people don’t put value in getting their teeth cleaned. I might get a few interested people, but it
will only be a handful I’m sure. But
even if I don’t get to clean/extract teeth as much as I planned, that’s okay;
there are still lots of work to be done here.
The Gardner’s have a huge
shipping container that has all sorts of medical supplies and things for their
home in it. It took months for it to
finally land on their doorstep (read their blog more if you’re interested in
the details), and now we have our work cut out for us. The house is literally buried in boxes. We spent the majority of today unloading the
shipping container and unpacking the boxes in the house. When Gardners kept talking about their
“container,” I was thinking of a small box… no, this is the kind of container
that you see trains carrying… yeah, those huge metal things. Those things are bigger than you
realize. So much was crammed in there
and it’s still not completely unloaded yet!
Needless to say, we will all sleep really, really well tonight.
We wish we could post more pictures
of our adventures here, but sadly, Chad has made picture-taking illegal unless
you get a permit. Some of the
missionaries had problems with the police because they were taking pictures of
tortoises. So, most of the pictures that
we will show of life outside of the hospital compound were sneakily captured
with our iPhones as we nonchalantly pretend to be fiddling on our phones. So far, no problems. But this makes sharing pictures really
difficult.
Church on Sabbath was interesting
and so neat! Sabbath is my favorite day
whenever I am on a mission trip because it’s such a cultural experience and I
love seeing how different cultures worship God.
The Chadians love to sing and move with the music. They don’t have accompaniment, just drums and
cymbals (some churches in America would cringe). All of us volunteer missionaries had a really
hard time not laughing when the choir starting singing a religious song to the
tune of “In the Jungle” from the Lion
King! We all looked at each other
and tried stifling our giggles. I wish I
knew their words to it. Most likely it’s
a common African tune which is no surprise it was added to the movie. We enjoyed the rest of the service through
translation.
I believe I’m becoming a real
Chadian… riding a moto (small motorcycle) in a skirt. It’s a challenge to do but I think I’m
getting the hang of it! See, in Chad, it
is improper for ladies to show their knees, so to hoist yourself onto a moto
while keeping your skirt or dress below the knee is a little challenging, then
add on a bag or two from the market that you are holding, and it makes it even
more difficult, but I somehow today managed all this and stayed completely
modest. I felt like a pro as I rode
behind the driver with a bag in hand and my skirt blowing in the breeze. It is pure joy to ride on a moto. If I were a male Chadian that would be the
career I would choose. It is so hot at
times, and yet, on a moto, it refreshes me with the breeze.
Tomorrow is our first year
anniversary! Can’t believe it’s been a
year! Surely, it has been the most
blissful and happy year of married life that either of us could imagine. Because Will is leaving early tomorrow to
head down to the refugee camps south of here, we don’t have anything
spectacular planned, which is fine, because we had a little celebration at
Olive Garden before we left for Africa, well knowing we may not be able to do
anything here. It will be fun to later
tell our children about our first year anniversary in Africa! We look forward to eternity together.
We were able to talk to our
parents today, which was so nice and I’m sure a relief to them. We only have about 2 more weeks left before
we leave. Thank you all for the continued
prayers.
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| Jolene on a moto with Scott taking a Sabbath ride |
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| Our ride to church... we fit 22 people in this thing |
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| Church service Chadian style |
