Today was an interesting day.
We were in the clinic today, and since there isn't a big team here, I was the only trained professional in the building. There usually are one or two Guatemalan nursing students who run the clinic, but one is gone on his practicum and the other was taking a few patients to an optometrist in another city.
So that left me and the administrator Christy, and a student came for a few hours. Christy is a Canadian who married a Guatemalan, and even though she is as young as me, she is running the clinic. She's pretty cool.
So Christy and I were holding down the fort today. We had a bunch of people stop by. There was an older lady who had been pretty sick for a while, with difficulty keeping food and drink down. I wasn't exactly sure what to do with that, because she's got some other stuff going on, and I'm technically not able to prescribe anything. We are able to do over the counter stuff, and check things like urine samples and blood sugars, which is helpful. The only problem was that we have about 10 different glucose monitors, with all their different accouterments, and the one I decided to use must have been programmed for being in another country, because the range of blood sugar as being normal was definitely not what I was used to. So we wasted a lot of time figuring out whether this thing was accurate or not.
A lot of people come into the clinic for random questions. "What do I do for headaches?" or "My kid has been having stomach issues, what can I give her?". I was able to do my best, and even teach some stretching exercises to decrease headache pain.
There is definitely a stomach bug going around. It sure is nasty. On top of that, apparently it is one of the hottest Aprils in a long time. Dehydration nightmare.
So in between visits I worked on some projects on the computer: inputting data from a previous team, and working on a presentation about basic feminine hygiene and reproductive health. It was interesting until the last hour of the day, and then I was ready to go home.
On my walks to and from the clinic today I saw a few homeless/possibly passed out drunk men that were laying on the side of the road. I really wanted to stop and help them, because the story of the good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37 is such a good example of what it means to be Christ to someone. Especially someone who is diseased/gross/possibly won't want your help, etc. It troubled me today to see that. Alcoholism is very common here, as is abuse and infidelity.
I talked it over with my host family tonight, when do you help? Or as a foreigner and a woman, can I or should I?
The answer I got was probably not. I guess the ministry is looking for ways to help people, and they know the culture and how to help without causing dependence or belligerence. Plus, as a woman it is not wise to help in most of those cases because drunk men can be dangerous. There is also a culture here that is very patriarchal, with pretty clear lines between what is appropriate for a woman to do and what is not. I guess the best thing to do is to pray, and if someone really does need help, call one of the big men in the ministry. Its kinda frustrating though, not being able to do anything.
So I'll end on a note of prayer.
Father, please give the ministry and I wisdom to help the helpless, and teach about mercy and grace. You are the Lord, the Great Physician. You know where our paths lead. Thank you for opportunities to help in the clinic. I pray that you would bless the men I saw today, that they would come to a knowledge of you. In Christ's name I pray, Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment