The next morning when Julie and I arrived at the park Joseph was waiting for us at the entrance. However, this time he wasn't alone. His cousin, James, was with him. Julie and I both were a little wary of this stranger who was now a part of our endeavor, but we didn’t feel as if we had a choice. The four of us piled into a tuk-tuk and headed for the hospital.
When we arrived at the hospital we headed straight for the doctor. After less than ten minutes, it was our turn. Julie, Joseph, and I headed into the examining room to see the doctor, who took a look at his arm and made a face. It was worse that the day before. He made a note that Joseph would need his dressings changed daily (or as close to daily as possible), physical therapy three times a week, two prescription drugs, and eventually surgery.
We walked through the maze of the hospital to find out where to book the surgery, get the prescription, and do physical therapy. It took awhile, we frequently stood in lines that didn’t result in what we needed, but we figured it out. We got the prescription, paid for the therapy, and waited to get his dressing changed. While we waited, I noticed that the bone was sticking out even more. I cringed.
“Joseph- your bone. I can see your bone.”
“Are you fearing, Rose?”
“Yes Joseph, I am fearing.”
“Me too. I saw it in the mirror, and I am fearing also.”
We waited a long time to get his dressing changed. I should have just waited outside, since once we actually got in the room I had to look away. I was so thankful Julie was there when the nurse drained the wound and I heard the drip drip drip of fluid falling into a trash can. My curiosity has been satisfied, I thought. Next time I will just wait outside.
Joseph with his new, clean dressing.
After that we walked Joseph in to have his therapy done. James, Julie, and I waited outside in the grass while he exercised.
We started talking about religion, God, and Jesus. James told me that he was a Christian, but he wasn’t saved. I asked him if he knew John 3:16, and he did. He recited it to me with confidence. When I asked him why he didn’t think he was saved, he didn’t really seem to have an answer. I asked him if he wanted to be saved, and he said he did.
There is a long tradition of legalism in Africa- my guess is that it stems from the original missionaries that came. In Kenya 1 we met multiple people that believed you could “backslide” and lose your salvation. I wondered if James had been told a similar lie.
“If you believe in Jesus, if you believe that he died to save your sins and you accept the free gift of salvation, you are saved. Once you believe and receive that, no one can take that away from you. No future mistakes or sins can ever take that away, no matter what anyone else says. Once you are free, you will always be free and you will always be saved.”
He listened. I asked him if he wanted to invite Jesus into his heart and be saved, and he said yes! So we prayed, and a new brother was added to the kingdom.
When Joseph came out, we told him what had happened. He was very happy. Even though Joseph has a Christian background, a relationship with God was not at the forefront of his life. But he wanted it. He was open to learning, he prayed with us, and the only thing he ever asked for was a Bible. He never once called Julie and I “Mzungu” (white person/westerner- it’s a very common term in Africa that people throw around liberally and drives every foreigner crazy) but endearingly called us his “friends” and “Good Samaritans.” He said he knew that God was there because He had sent us to help him.
Joseph, me, and James
After we were done at the hospital we went into town to fill his prescription. The first pharmacy that we went to charged almost $90 for the strong antibiotics that would kill the infection in his bone. While we waited for them to fill it, Julie decided that we should check around at other pharmacies. The third pharmacy charged only $34 for the drugs. Bingo. We bought the antibiotics, bottled water, and a snack of bananas and peanuts for James and Joseph before we went home for the day.
The next day we met Joseph at the park again. James wasn’t there, but Hillary was. Hillary decided that we were getting ripped off by tuk-tuk drivers, so he showed us a “short cut” to get to the hospital. It took about 15-20 minutes to walk there, and we ended up passing through this crazy intersection of almost two dozen railroad tracks, but we got there. This time, we knew what to do.
This was about two thirds through the tracks.. irrelevant to my story, but I found it interesting. And I was happy that Joseph could get to the hospital without too much trouble.
Wait in line, pay for PT. Drop Joseph off at PT, figure out how to book his surgery (which really ended up being an appointment to see if he was ready for surgery). By now Julie and I had gotten the layout of the hospital figured out, and had made friends with a lot of people behind desks. When two white girls walk around the hospital paying for the care of a street boy, people start to notice.
Long story short, God had everything set up for us. When we realized we needed another note from the orthopedic doctor, we went back to his office, dreading the long line, and he was sitting outside the door at a desk. We searched the hospital for someone who could tell us how much his surgery would cost, and we learned about a governmental program that was really cheap and would pay for his surgery (unfortunately it would take two months for the paperwork to go through, and that wasn’t enough time, but I’m working on seeing if he can get this now). Eventually our chase led us straight into the path of the head doctor and his medical team, who had just finished examining a patient in a ward far away from the ones we usually visited. He was curious about us, and answered all of Julie’s questions. We got all the info we needed, and Julie walked away with her jaw dropped. “Do you realize what just happened? That was the head doctor! He stopped to tall and look at the X-ray’s! That DOESN’T happen!” She was pretty excited, and we were both happy to see things falling into place for Joseph. Two weeks of antibiotics and he should be set.
We left the hospital exhausted, but feeling good. We met our teammates in town and bought Joseph a Bible. He was really happy with it, and it is such an amazing feeling to see people garnering so much joy from a Bible! I didn’t realize just how much we take advantage of our easy access to God’s Word in the States… so many people just leave them dusty on the shelves.
After we bought the Bible, Hillary, Joseph, and I went to the market to get enough food for Joseph to last through the weekend. This is the last time that I would see him. Hillary helped to find all the best deals while I stayed on the edge of the streets, as my presence would mean heightened “mzungu” prices. We said goodbye, and two days later I would be on a plane to Thailand.
I was worried. I still am worried. I am not there to make sure he gets what he needs, but I have to trust that God will provide for him. In my next blog I will share what this looks like long distance.
Just because we are now on different continents doesn’t mean that the story stops here…
Hillary, me, and Joseph before we said goodbye.
Hillary, Julie, and Joseph
Joseph and Hillary
Joseph with his new Bible. And swag.
