Band Aids and Prayer

It seems that most people who have asked for prayer from us have leg pain, back pain, or stomach issues. However, a great number of them also have extremely curable problems that aren't fixed because of a lack of doctors.

There are many people who have come to us with "foot problems". As it turns out, the foot problem is a cut that has become so infected the person cannot walk on it. A doctor here costs $20 us dollars to see and even more to get treatment. This is an unthinkable amount of money. In just the week we have been here, with our limited supplies and abilities, we have been able to "cure" 5 or 6 people with some band aids and triple antibiotic ointment. I can't imagine not being able to even bandage a cut so deep that should have had stitches.

Another man came to me with pain in his leg. He told me he had broken it a while back and it hasn't been able to set and heal. This man walked to church who knows how many kilometers.

Jonnah's wife tracy cut her hand with a knife on Christmas. The day we got here it was so swollen her skin was breaking. She was able to see a doctor to have it lanced a few days into our trip. He wrote her a presciption for an antibiotic, but the pharmacist wouldn't have it in stock for 6 days.

A friend we met here named Simba had a fever and a cold, he continued coming to the church to see us every day even though he was sick. He had nothing to take and no idea if he would feel better any time soon. We gave him some cold medicine and tylenol. Every time I get a sniffle I run to my over flowing medicine cabinet and grab something to stop the pain.

I am continually being humbled and shocked. It seems that this weekend we will be going to some peoples homes. I am a bit nervous about this as I have a very hard time with smells, and the smell of sewage on the drive to church makes me want to cry. I will practice my poker face until saturday and hope for the best.


kaitlyn