Wed, Nov 5

I know this post is late but we have tried several times to access the internet and it has been down. Also, Jamie & Erle are here and we are running around with them and talking alot (imagine that - us talking) so we are not getting the posts done that we would like. I promise to blog more after they leave. Enjoy!

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Here was our hectic schedule today, Wed, Nov 5, 2008.

While Esther and Stephano were at the market early this morning, Ray & I took Chifundo for her scheduled chest x-ray as the TB test she took last week came back negative. The x-ray was scheduled for 8:30 and when we arrived at 8:15, we had to stand in line for quite a while to see the doctor to get a form for permission for the x-ray. After we finally received that, we proceeded to the x-ray department where we had to wait again for our name to be called and the x-ray to be taken. Then you wait for the x-rays to be developed and we walked them back to the doctor who ordered them who send us to the TB Clinic. We waited in line there for about an hour waiting for the doctors to even show up at the clinic. When the doctor finally did show up, they took us first. The doctor read the x-rays and said she did not see anything to get too excited about and sent us for an HIV test. We proceeded to the pediatric area of the hospital where we had to listen to a speech with about 15 other mothers with children. Then they tested each child and sent us all out of the room. After she tested each child, she called us back in separately. She sat us down and asked us if we (Esther & I as she was there by now) were her parents and we said we were. She wanted to know if we were ready to hear the results of the test and if we would continue to take care of her as she is an orphan, if the results were positive. We said we would and she asked again if we were ready to hear the results. She said that as of this time, the results were negative. Halleluiah. She asked how we felt about the results. Esther & I both said we were relieved and glad of the results but I stated that I was curious now as to what was wrong with her as she is having chest pains and was treated for a bacterial infection, tested for TB and now tested for HIV but was still sick. We proceeded back to the doctor who sent us for the tests. She read the results and after more discussion she wanted to prescribe an inhaler for Chifundo, thinking she might have asthma. She wanted to send us to the pharmacy then back to the ER to have a nurse show us the proper procedure for using the inhaler. The nurse she was looking for was not around but spoke with one of the doctors who said he would show us how to use it. We went to the pharmacy and the line was rediculiously long so we went back to the ER doctor and said we would either come back later or figure something out. By now we had been at the hospital over 4 hours. The doctor said to me, “No, here’s what you do. You go to the pharmacy and enter the back door. Go alone and leave Esther and Chifundo in the hall way. You go in alone pretending you work here and go up to one of the technicians dispensing the drugs and tell him you need this prescription filled.” Ok, so I did. I was allowed to walk right into the pharmacy and went up to the technician and he filled the prescription immediately. We went back to the doctor, who laughed when I arrived a few minutes later with the inhaler. He showed us how to use it and we were on our way. It was about 4.5 hours from the time we arrived until the time we left.

You are probably wondering how Esther got to the hospital in the middle of my long story and why she was there but we called her about 1/3 of the way through the process to see if she was back from the market and if she wanted to come to the hospital. She said she just got back and while she was at the market one of the older girls leaned against a wall that was not secure and a brick fell and cut her below her eye. I told her our Hope Children’s Centre ambulance (Ray in our car) was on his way to pick them up. As it turned out, Phales was ok. They cleaned her wound and said she had no damage to the eye.

I feel like we are constantly at the hospital. Two days ago, one of the older girls (Berita) fell and sprained her ankle. It was very swollen and we spent about 3 hours at the hospital that day with her. I can’t imagine going to the hospital alone. Most of the time, when they see me with one of the kids, they bring me to the front of the line. I can’t imagine how long the time spent at the hospital would be if they did not continue to bring us to the front of the line. These poor people (literally) spend hours and hours and hours when they make a trip to the hospital.

When we got back to the orphanage today, one of the older boys got hit in the eye playing soccer. We decided to see how he was doing in the morning before we rush back to the hospital.

While we were there, one of the children brought into the emergency room died. The mother sat in the emergency room and wailed for what seemed like a very long time. We experienced another death the other day when we were walking from one department in the hospital to another. Several women lined the floor of the hospital and were wailing. I felt so bad for both of these groups of women.

I think we should all take few minutes to appreciate those around us, whether they are our children, our parents, our co-workers or friends. God placed them in our lives for a reason and he can take them from us just as quickly.

So, to our children, our parents, all of our co-workers and friends, we love you all and can’t imagine our lives without you. Thank you.