I LOVE Africa! Every day I fall more in love with the people
and the beautiful country of Kenya! Somehow the sky seems SO much bigger here
and it’s grandness leaves me in awe of our brilliant Creator. We have had the
privilege of participating in a variety of ministries this month, which has
allowed all of us to use our specific gifts and talents for God’s glory. I
wanted to share with you an opportunity I had to use some of my nursing
knowledge.
This is the “front office” at Liberty school.
As I mentioned in my previous blog I had the opportunity to educate children at a rural
school how to properly care for wounds and their sick relatives. In order to
make the lesson more interactive I had decided that I would draw cuts and
scrapes on me and my teammates with a red marker, then cover them with dirt so
the kids could practice cleaning wounds. I knew that most of the children would
not have the typical things we would use to clean a cut with, so I decided to
bring a few of our clean socks. I figured most of the children would at least
be able to find some form of a clean cloth at home even if it was a sock.
The beautiful children that we had the pleasure of teaching.
They were always SO attentive! (Photo taken by my teammate Angela.)
After teaching the kids the various
steps involved in cleaning a wound, I asked if anyone wanted to help clean our
“wounds” to practice what I just taught them. I was expecting a lot of
volunteers since they all seemed to be so engaged while I was teaching, however
not a single hand went up when their teacher asked them in Swahili. After some
more coaxing from the teacher four kids reluctantly got up from their seats and
came to the front of the classroom. Despite the lack of enthusiasm I was ready
for them to show me everything they learned. First they pretended to wash their
hands…good, they remembered step one….then they each got a clean sock and
dipped it in the clean water….awesome, they remembered step two and three….now
it was time for them to actually clean the dirt off of the “scrape” on my knee.
So far so good I thought, then as I sat there with my “hurt” knee ready to be
cleaned, I suddenly realized why they were so reluctant to volunteer.
Each of the children proceeded to clean THEIR wounds with our
socks and some water. They were cleaning their wounds in front of their entire
class with a few of our old socks! We were all shocked at what was playing out
before us. As I watched each of the four children clean their infected and
painful wounds with our socks, my heart broke for them. After getting past the
shock of what I was seeing I lovingly encouraged them to stop cleaning their
wounds with the socks, since I could bring back supplies to properly cleanse
their wounds the following day. I thanked the children for volunteering and
told the teacher I would treat the wounds when we came back the next day and we
just moved on to the next subject.
Some of the children who “volunteered” to clean their own wounds.
They are always SO joyful! If it wasn’t for the misunderstanding I would have never
known these children had infected wounds. (Photo taken by Angela)
The following day I cleaned
infected wounds on six children, a few of which I recommended see a doctor due
to the extent of the infection. Unfortunately, when you barely have enough
money to eat, seeing a doctor for an infected cut is the last on the list of
priorities. I had a limited
knowledge of wound care as well as limited medical supplies, but I knew that I
was probably going to be the only medical care those children get. Feeling
completely overwhelmed with the infections I saw before me, all I could do was
pray for each child as I did my best to cleanse their wounds. In that moment I
truly had to rely on the Lord for wisdom and discernment in how to treat each
of their infected cuts.
That day at the school is one I
will never forget. I was full of so many emotions that day from shock, to
anger, to sadness; and my heart broke for each of those children and their
living situations. However, I know that the Lord put each of us at that school
to use the skills and talents He has given us to touch the lives of those
children. There are so many unimaginably tough realities in this world; however
I know that I serve a God who is infinitely bigger than the problems in this
world. I wake up each day willing to go wherever He leads me, to speak whatever
He wants me to speak, and to do whatever He wants me to do so that He may be
glorified in this world. I am humbled every day at the thought that the Creator
of the Universe allows me to be a part of His plan and works through me to
bring His light to this hurting world.
(Photo taken by Angela.)
