Greetings to all! I think my fellow travelers would agree that today was about perseverance and faith. I want to let people know ahead that some of this content can be a little tough to read due to being emotional. We started our morning off a little earlier due to the fact that we had a full day ahead of us. A driver showed up to bring us to Mererani to work in a clinic, serve at the Light In Africa's (LIA) food kitchen, and to visit the children's home. Another group that has been staying at the village with us traveled in the same vehicle. We did manage to fit the 11 of us comfortably in the jeep. As we were on the main road the jeep got a flat tire. We pulled over on the side of the road somewhere in between the LIA village and Mererani when we got out of the vehicle so that they could change the tire. Many vehicles passed by honking as the men successfully changed the tire.
We arrived to the Calvary clinic in Mererani and met with the doctors. Each of us went to different areas to follow people around and work. I followed a nurse midwife and assisted with well-child check-ups (weighing the babies and giving vaccinations) and prenatal visits. The area I work back home is in more of a cardiac area, so the babies and momma's is an unfamiliar territory. The babies could be heard throughout the entire clinic when we gave them vaccinations, they did not like it. For the prenatal check-ups I measured the fundus and listened for the fetal heartbeat. Jaclyn joined me for a bit in the prenatal check-ups. As we were finishing with a momma, another momma came in with a doctor due to having labor pains and clearly in active labor. The doctor asked me to grab Mama Gayle to assist. Mama Gayle and the midwife gowned up for the delivery while the doctor gave the momma some medicine. Jaclyn and I stayed more to the back, assisting in other ways. They needed some LR with tubing, as I went to the medicine room and came back the baby's head had popped out, though you could tell there was something not right. The midwife got up on the bed and helped push the baby down and out while Mama Gayle pulled the baby. The moment was extremely bittersweet, the baby was out unharmed, but the baby was not responsive. Mama Gayle performed sternal rubs and shook the baby with no luck. We got the baby on a flat surface so she could begin CPR. Looking for resuscitation equipment in an area you're not familiar with is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. We got the equipment and worked through the resuscitation process, CPR and bagging. At times the baby seemed like he was going come around but he wasn't breathing on his own. I believe that everyone in that room was praying fiercely. Baby started coming around after what seemed like an hour, in real life it probably was no more than 20 minutes. We got him wrapped up and some oxygen on. Praise The Lord they had oxygen and the equipment to assist with resuscitating this baby. PRAISE THE LORD he is alive! When we left the clinic momma and baby were doing very well.
We walked over to the kitchen to serve the children in that area. All of us were in different stations to maneuver the children. There were so many children that we fed it was good to see that they had this opportunity to have a meal. Once we ate and cleaned up the the kitchen we walked to the children's home to play with them for a bit. The children there had loads of fun with the bubbles and candy that we brought for them. The driver showed up to bring us back to the LIA village. Apparently there was a mix up with a sticker on the vehicle that was transporting us but it was all sorted out in the end.
Again, the words that flashed through my mind throughout the whole day was perseverance and faith. Praise God for everything that happened and for guiding the team, the drivers, and all those we interacted today. Praise God.
Amanda
