LC's whereabouts

OK, I’m at the clinic and I have a few hours to spend, so I better start using my time here. Knowing I’d have that, I even brought my laptop! The reason? I had this SEVERELY dehydrated 60 yr old man come in so I put in an IV and now have to wait. I don’t usually do this – normally patients this ill would get sent to the hospital but I’m going to give it a try. He’s got a severely swollen leg too, still not sure from what. Otherwise, it’s been quite a calm day; which gave us a chance to do some play-acting. Or should I call it teach-acting. I pretended to be a patient, and my staff did their jobs. Funny how much friendlier and fun that can be. We didn’t have time for them to role play yet, but I want to give them an impression how it feels to be a patient.
Yes, this was hurricane week. Thankfully it didn’t hit our area much. We did have an unusual amount of rain. Usually our rains will last an afternoon maybe or an evening. But this one started Tuesday afternoon, all through Wed. It would stop, then start, which seems normal to me. A couple times it was a bit windier than usual and I thought, oh, this is the hurricane. Today it didn’t start drizzling till around 3 p.m., which gave patients a chance to come. It’s been a bad week for our little mamba patients. Only 5 have showed up this week total. (OK, 2 more came late today) One came Tues. in the drizzle and 2 yesterday morning and one in the afternoon. Those moms are what I call either dedicated, loving, or desperate, bringing their babies out in the rain. One mom commented when I said she was brave to come “I don’t have any other food to give her”. One didn’t bring her baby but came herself (which I was fine with because he really isn’t healthy enough to be out in the rain (Edgerson). So I guess I can only hope the others are getting other foods.
I’ve learned an important lesson from one of the moms. In a place like this, you struggle with who to help, since EVERYONE is so poor. Everyone has needs. You give what you have, and then you have needs too. How do you handle that? Do I give everything I have, till I have nothing or do I give what I have available to give? I know the easy answer to that question, especially put like that, but what’s the practical answer? What would you do if you had something you need, and someone else needs it too? It seems to have been the subject of the week, since that was our topic last Sunday at our missionary meeting also. Anyway, yesterday it was raining when the two moms, one baby came to the clinic. As they were leaving, I gave them my umbrella. So what if I have to dash from my house to the cafeteria when it rains. Everybody else does, too.
So I was surprised when she came back today, and not only did she bring back my umbrella, she brought me four of the biggest avocados I’ve ever seen I think, and a mixing bowl full of kaneps (a Haitian little round fruit). I’m not sure what God was teaching me because I think He wants me to give. So why does He give it back again? Is it maybe to show how, when we give God rewards us even more abundantly? It’s a lesson to me. Maybe you can all be reminded of that as well. I really appreciate everybody that prays for me; and at the same time I want all of you to get a special blessing for those prayers as well.
My pastor Wayne Shenk from Vanderhoof has been here since Monday. Since he is also my confidante and a good friend and like a father, it’s been very nice for me to connect with him. This time he brought his 10 yr old daughter Alex with him. She’s been hanging out with me some, esp this afternoon when he went to Port. I think it’s been a great experience for her – Pastor Wayne decided not to spare her, and she’s been helping out with the youngest kids in their class. This afternoon she also saw some of Haiti’s poverty when she watched a patient go home in a wheelbarrow.
And tomorrow is her birthday so since she’s leaving tomorrow, they had a nice birthday party for her tonight. We had a nice CHOCOLATE cake, and pop and balloons and signs. I think she’s never had so many people at her birthday party before. And she’s made a lot of new friends.
Two other events have happened this week. Sunday, Mark Pohl (aka Marco Polo) from Lima, Ohio came to join our family here. He is 25 and is taking on the school. Pray for him as he adjusts to a totally new culture.
And following that, school has started for another year and seems to be going good. There are some major differences, the main being that the adult kids are now taking on more “life responsibilities” by doing jobs in the morning, so they are doing night school now. Starting at 3:30, a break from 5:30 to 7 p.m. and going again till 10 p.m. It’s not easy, cause they’ve had a very easy life in many ways here, but this is a very wise decision, I think. However, this will take away time from some of the rest of us also, as somebody has to be there for them every evening. So I may start dividing some of my evenings there too.

OK, my attention is needed elsewhere so I better go.
Stevenson (11) says God bless you all.
Joel (11) says "Hello to everybody and Canaan loves you. Hello sister Elsie's family. Did you need piece of cake? come get it.";
Loveline (12) says "Hello everyone especially Sister Elsie's family, bye bye".
Anne Guerdy (14) says "I would like you to come to visit us"

God's peace on all!!
Elsie