chapter: Senegal - part 3

Let's see. Where'd we leave off last? Ah, yes. Time for the medical part of the mission trip.

Day 4: We began each morning with scripture and prayer and some breakfast. Monday was not any different even though we woke up to donkeys and the sound of early morning work done by the women. It made me feel more than a bit lazy. The women that live out in the villages work so very hard. Many of them just look so tired. Up before dawn, carrying water from the well, doing the cooking and cleaning, and still working as the sun sets. And yet they are so gracious and hospitable.

Sorry, back to Monday morning. We gathered in the church in Diohne, which is where we were set up clinic. We gathered every one together for prayer. A few minutes in, I felt my legs go weak. I didn't want to sit down because everybody was standing. But that didn't matter - down I went to my knees. I suppose God knows that sometimes I'm a better visual learner.

I don't remember if I began in the pharmacy or the nursing area doing vitals. No matter. We saw and (hopefully) assisted more than 100 people in each of the 3 off-site clinics - Monday: Diohne (a Seree village); Tuesday: Langomack (another Seree village); and Thursday: Ndakhar (a Wolof village). We gave vitamins to as many people as we could - but especially kids. We treated for malaria, intestinal parasites, arthritis, headaches, infections, colds, and whatever else ... I just do what I'm told with all that medical stuff.

Langomac on Tuesday went very similarly to Diohne. We met at a church plant, and set up clinic around the building. I was at the nursing area outside (near the outhouses) most of the day either assisting taking temperatures, writing the info on people's chart (half a sheet of preprinted paper) or helping at check-in, trying to make sure everyone was seen in some semblance of first-come-first-served. We'd pack up everything late afternoon so that we could be back on the road by sunset. We gathered together for dinner either at our hotel or a missionary's home. Most of the evenings, a few of Linda & my friends (those that were in Theis) would come over to hang out and chat. We knew these guys from their training and stay in San Antonio with DLI (Defense Language Institute - or something like that). It was good to catch up with them again. Other members of our team also enjoyed getting to know these fine Senegalese gentleman.

More later. I'm tired. Next for your viewing pleasures: Wednesday clinic at a dhara (or dara or darah) in Theis.