Karen's Rus Rus Report #7: Laundry, A Baby, And A Godfather

(Note from Keith: As I post this, Karen's in the air with Westley flying a patient to the IHS surgical team in Puerto Lempira.)

Tears, Thankfulness, and Laundry
This morning (Wednesday) I knew I needed to take a day away from all of the crowds and allow myself to deal with the emotions that have accumulated.

The tears are flowing today and, in Keith's absence, Denise has been my shoulder to cry on and understand. I am so thankful to be treated like family here by Wes and Denise. They are blessing my socks off taking such good care of me. So, today I am trying to stay at the house and help Denise while I work through my emotions, catch my breath, and have some quieter time between the team's coming and going from the house. When I'm struggling emotionally, I like to do laundry or clean house. It centers me--I know how to do it, I don't have to think hard about it, I can talk with God while I work, I can process mentally while I work, and in the end I have accomplished something I can see and appreciate. So, after I cried on Denise's shoulder, I swept the house for her and helped her hang out laundry.


The men on the team brought their dirty laundry to the house when they came for supper last night so Denise could run it through the washer today. Now that sounds simple enough, but things aren't that simple down here. Here's the Rus Rus process: Wes ran the generator--which generated the electricity--which allowed him to run the pump--which then filled the water storage tank--which later allowed Denise to run the washer, wash the veggies for supper, fill the large water bottles (so the water can be filtered insuring we all have good water to drink), and for us all to take showers.


You don't just twist the faucet for gushing water down here. Nothing is simple. Most of us have no idea the work and sacrifice it takes for our missionaries to live here! Wes and Denise do have a water heater but they can't store enough energy to run it or the refrigerator with any consistency. You can forget ever using a microwave down here. People think since that since Wes and Denise "have electricity" they can use any electrical device we can, but that isn't true. "Having electricity" in Rus Rus...is nothing like "having electricity" in the United States. The words may be the same, the concept may even be similar, but the realities couldn't be more different.

Carlos, Infant Mortality, And A Godfather

Carlos (MAG's Director of Pastoral Ministries) is so well-loved by the villagers here! He has such a welcoming and warm heart for these people and his genuine love and compassion quickly win their trust and respect. 

During the IHS clinic he serves as interpreter for the patients who are able to speak Spanish. Remember that while the native language down here is Miskito, many people do know and understand Spanish. It's not uncommon for one of the indigenous pastors, who knows Spanish, to assist Carlos in a multi-step translation process. The patient speaks to the pastor in Miskito. The pastor translates to Spanish for Carlos. Carlos translates to English for the doctor. The doctor speaks to Carlos in English. Carlos speaks to the pastor in Spanish. The pastor speaks to the patient in Miskito. IMAGINE IF EVERY ONE OF YOUR DOCTOR VISITS WENT LIKE THIS!

Carlos

Yesterday, Carlos was interpreting for a mother who brought her 2 month old daughter to the clinic for care. The baby was two months old but still had no name. Perhaps you're surprised that a two month old wouldn't yet have a name. But you need to understand, before MAG reopened the hospital, the infant mortality rate in Rus Rus was 60%. Because of that, even though the hospital's been open since 2010, people sometimes still do not name an infant until they are relatively sure it will live.

During the course of Carlos ministering to this mother, the mother decided the daughter was going to live and named her "Carla" in honor of Carlos! Carlos was delighted and I know he'll keep in contact and visit her when he is in Rus Rus as he has now been named her Godfather! 

Thank you for making this possible through your prayers for this clinic!

(Note from Keith: tomorrow we'll feature a blog by Carlos sharing about his non-medical work at the clinic.)