Well, the school is on holiday, so the streets are a lot quiter and there are fewer kids around.
This means that we have been working more with the health center. There isn't too much work to do, but there are only four members of my team here to serve, so that works out. This month we are living with Team Day 3, so they come over to ministry with us a couple days a week, too, whenever they don't have ministry with their contact.
Tasks at the clinic range from cleaning, to talking and praying with patients, to giving vaccinations (that's Chris' area of expertise), to assisting with baby deliveries, to counseling (that's Michelle's area of expertise), to working in the lab (that's MY area of expertise!). I love the lab! It reminds me of college: rubber gloves, microscopes, centrifuges, test tubes, capilary tubes…. Oh what fun!
The first day I worked in the lab, Esther taught me all of the different procedures I would be helping with: blood type testing, diagnosis of malaria, ante-natal testing including urinalysis, diagnosis of typhoid, and checking hemoglobin levels. The days I've been in the lab are the "slow" days, so we usually only saw 3 or 4 patients in the few hours I was there. I wish I got to do more, but in the time in between, I struck up conversation with Esther and David, the two lab technicians.
What was most surprising to me in the lab was how they "make it work" with what they have. They don't follow the typical safety procedures to the T. When they have to stain a slide, they don't wash it, they dunk the slide into the solution (which opens up the huge possiblity of cross-contamination), but when you only have a small amount of stain, you do what you gotta do. They don't change gloves after every patient, especially if they are examined back to back. Our host mentioned that they have a shortage of gloves, and after hearing that, Ed organized a couple cases to be brought over here for them.
Another thing that was a pleasant surprise was the fact that they have sterile, single use needles for procedures. Several people on my team expressed how they thought that would not be the case. But since HIV/AIDS are at the forefront of this country, they do everything they can do prevent the spread of it. Actually, HIV/AIDS care/testing/medicine are free to anyone who wants it throughout the country.
In addition to working in the lab, I got to see a delivery yesterday!
It was one of the more complicated ones, but it was such a great experience! The mom was in labor for a while and was having some complication earlier in the day. As I sat in our tin shack across the street praying for her with a couple other people, Jessa comes in to get me to see a delivery! I had mentioned earlier that day that I wanted to see a baby being born before we left, so I was thankful she came to get me (most of the time, you don't even have time to do that…). When I got into the delivery room, I realized that this is the woman we were just praying for!
There were some complications of some sort (I don't know the details) and there was also a sense of urgency in the room. The baby was finally born and it took a good five minutes or so for it to start crying. I am stil not sure what the complications were, but the baby seemed healthy to me. I didn't get a chance to go back over to visit the mom either… But what an experience to get to see the miracle of LIFE in person! It still amazes me what the human body can do!
I can't say I want to be a doctor (never have actually…. I'll leave that to my brother…) and I can't say I feel completely qualified to do any of what I am doing, but I can say that I am really enjoying the work we are doing here! We aren't necessarily needed, but it is such a blessing to work alongside these nurses and doctors to help these women who are otherwise bringing these babies into the world by themselves (fun fact: here in Kenya, they are much less dramatic about labor and they prefer to do it alone, no husband, no family).
I never thought I would be working in a health center, but here I am!
I never thought I would be working in a health center, but here I am!
This is the World Race!
Where being a Mzungu (American) instantly qualifies you for everything!
