Because of our busy week and lack of steady wifi connection, this post will not be super exciting! Just some pictures and a quick update on our recent happenings. :)
Yesterday morning Stef and I enjoyed a trip to the OB clinic where we saw a tiny little niña born minutes after we arrived. The way it works here is that women labor in one room and then walk to the delivery room down the hall for delivery. I'm assuming they aren't allowed in the delivery room until 10 centimeters dilated, but I really don't know the parameters. Anyhow, this little babe looked so, so tiny and she ended up weighing around 5.5 pounds!!!! So stinkin cute. Here she is! :)
Her lungs were definitely working!! She was crying before her entire body was even delivered, and it was a pretty quick process! She hated having her umbilical cord cleaned...I'm guessing it probably stings the little babies!
In the afternoon we did a few home visits to check on some elderly people. One woman was very close to death and was actually being cared for by her 76-year-old daughter!! It worried us a bit how she was wasting away in the bed, but according to the daughter she has been there for the last three years. Very different than how the death process goes in America!
One exciting adventure during our home visits was that we got to ride in our first Motokar out to the neighborhood!!!!! It was such an adventure. The Motokars are basically dirt bikes strapped with buggies. That's really the best explanation I have- ha!
Here's one of the roads we walked down during our home visits. It really isn't unusual to see children meandering like this in the roads. Also a big difference than what we're used to!!
After our last home, we were walking back to the main roadway for a Motokar home and came across Asmita and Sarah playing soccer with some kids from the neighborhood!!! Asmita is in the pink scrubs and Sarah is in navy blue. May be hard to spot them!
Today Kerry and Meghan spent the morning in the PT clinic for disabled children. They loved their experience and were happy to work with the little kiddos. So cute!
Meghan working some floor therapies
This afternoon Stef and I spent time at hospice where we took vitals on everyone and tucked them into bed- at 4:30!!! Early to sleep, early to rise I guess! I just wanted to share this photo because it's pretty common practice for people to sleep like this.
Mosquitoes are a huge problem here and Dengue Fever as well, so the majority of people sleep with mosquito nets (shown above) tucked into their mattresses to avoid the bugs. This is because all of the windows are open and many doors and ceilings are as well depending on the area.
Here are Stef and I leaving hospice today when the truck picked us up. Gen was nice enough to capture this beauty! ;)
Asmita and Anna presented their teaching projects today and did a fabulous job from what I hear!!! They taught about hygiene and stress management to the men at Vida Nueva, an open-door recovery center for men dealing with addictions to many different things. Their receptiveness was fantastic according to Asmita and Anna!
At lunch we were getting a little maniacal and Anna and I came up with some new do's. They didn't stink for long! See? We do have fun sometimes :)
And for one last past-time, here's Meghan and Gen doing something we often do to pass the time: hang out on the roof!
Thank you for reading this all-over-the-place blog!! I find it more and more difficult to write posts that aren't redundant to what we've already done. Hopefully you aren't bored!!! Thanks for your continued prayers and support as we continue on this trek of care and compassion. We thank you for opening your hearts to our concerns and for loving us from afar. We send our joys straight back to you!!
Just as one last little smile-inducer, here's a silly photo of one of our guard dogs!
Sending smiles and love,
Alex & the gang
Alex, don't sell yourself short on today's blog. I found it very interesting with the variety of photos you shared with all of us on the outside looking in. It's amazing how in one day your experiences can take you from birth, to almost death. Your emotions must be doing flip-flops very often during the day. You may be tired of me saying this, but thank you so very much for sharing these special times in Peru with us. It really makes me appreciate what we have here in the USA. God Bless all of The Gang. Love, Grammy
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