We went back to Macohon to finish moving dirt from where they had dug a new well, the clay that came out of the hole made me think of Regina. I understand that as of this week they now have water again in the school here. For the past year they have had to haul water because the old well could not keep up to 130 kids. There is a water system in the town but it was designed for a town of 200 and there are 2000 people living there now.
After lunch we travelled to Coban and visited the hospital. We broke up into groups of 5 or 6 and, with a translator, moved from bed to bed giving a stuffed toy, asking some questions about the sick child and their family then praying for them. The child in this picture was waiting for heart surgery which should happen on Tuesday if all the medicines and blood are still available. The main ward was a large open room with about 40 beds, approx. 30 of them full. It seemed that each bed had at least 3 or 4 extra family members milling about. It was a holiday weekend so maybe it was especially busy but it sure made for a crazy place. Some of the group went in to the children's burn unit, which was just a room off the main ward. Again no special precautions seem to have been made for preventing infection as there were many family members around. That room was very hard for the team as the children were suffuring a lot. When we were done there the girls went into the maternity ward and prayed for the moms and babies. While the team was there a baby was born and some of the girls were in the room when the nurse brought the baby in to clean it up. Most had never seen a baby that was less that 5 minutes old.
In the evening we went to Les' house and listened to a man named Victor who is teaching at Chijacorral. He told us his life story and how, as a child, he was a little wild and was kicked out of the public school at the end of grade 5. He came to Impact's school, (called Beerseba then). A team of Canadians were working on leveling the basketball court then so it might have been about the time we sent our first team. He went to "help" a Canadian team who were building a house down the street from the school because they might be giving out candy. A man name Israel happened to be helping that day and he spent some time with the neighbor kids singing bible songs. Victor says he never forgot that day and 2 years later he gave his life to the Lord. He is now a teacher in Impact's Chijacorral school and is studying theology classes in order to become a pastor. You never know what will grow when you plant a seed in Jesus' name.
Sunday we plan on attending a small church service in Purulha, going to a coffee plantation and attending the main church service at Vida school.
What a blessing for the people in Coban's hospital. That team leveling the court may very well have been my team :) as I vaguely recall the name Victor and no one who has met Israel will ever forget him!
ReplyDeleteAll our thoughts and prayers are with you!
~Morgan E.~