I had a wonderful birthday today. After getting up at 6 and taking a jog on the airstrip, I had a bucket shower, then headed for devotions. To my surprise, the screened-in cafeteria had been transformed into a breakfast party, complete with streamers and balloons! We celebrated Amy’s and my birthday with pancakes dressed with strawberries and/or Nutella. After cleaning dishes, we dispersed to our respective jobs, some with the water project, some maintenance, some teaching health students, and the nurses to the clinic. I spent my 7-hour day diagnosing, studying, and working with the Mabaan community health workers (CHWs) at the clinic. There were many good things today; one highlight was untangling a difficult diagnosis and giving the suffering man antibiotics to fight an H. pylori infection. The other highlight was playing with little Doman who had been discharged from the Nutrition village. The toddler was grinning and running in the clinic as his parents consulted with a CHW. How wonderful to see him healthy and happy!
The small villages of Tukuls gathered along the path to the compound were busy with activity as usual this afternoon. Mabaan men, women, and children were cooking, patching walls, herding, planting and playing. They called out greetings or stopped to chat. Afternoon sunlight bathed the world in golden light; the red dirt path appeared bright against the dense green foliage. Although spectacular, the people who live here are what give this land its beauty.
A DC-3 landed on our red dirt airstrip today. The huge plane brought Dr Rob (my uncle), and my cousin Tim, a team from Scotland, and several tons of building supplies. Several of the nurses left on the flight for rest-time in Nairobi. It seems like a holiday here when a plane arrives, because it brings people, yummy foods that we can’t get here (chocolate), and letters from home. Additionally, the local people stop their work and line the runway to watch the gigantic metal bird lift off the ground to disappear into the horizon.
Four of us nurse gals traveled to Boonje in the afternoon. The Arabic market town is only 3 km from Doro, and the open-air booths offer fresh produce, clothing, and an unpredictable conglomeration of other supplies from Khartoum. We stopped for Coca-Cola in the shade of a bamboo stall, chatted with Mabaan and Arabic friends, bought nail-polish for the moms in the nutrition village (a fun way to connect with the ladies), and selected vegetables for dinner.
We had a large outdoor pot-luck tonight with the new team-members. Although the day was a steamy 100-degrees, the evening cooled off with thunder clouds in the distance. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves of the huge baobab tree; wind brought down the humidity with the temperature. We sat outside at a long table and enjoyed a refreshing time of fellowship and delicious food.
After reading the devotion from “Jesus Calling” this morning, the verse Micah 6:8 was filling my thoughts all day; “He has shown you, oh man, what is good and what the Lord requires of you. But to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” He has shown me what He has created me to do; His faithfulness never ceases! Indeed, it is more evident with every passing year.
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