Random Day

Yesterday was agriculture day in Haiti, so it was mostly a quiet day with schools and some businesses closed for the holiday.

Today wasn't a holiday, but many schools remained closed anyway- ours chose to make it an early dismissal day. The randomness of the school day was sort of the theme for the day- just random.

I woke up to a phone call about an employee's sick baby that needed to go to the Dr., then cooked and ate breakfast, then did some checking on things at the school. One little girl had been sent home to me sick- turned out she and another child were in a little trouble with their teacher, not sick. Got that straightened out. Then checked on the school cooks. Hmmm- not cooking. The 1st answer I got was that there wasn't any food- so back to the orphanage to check that out. Yes, there was food- we just bought many bags of rice yesterday- just a mix-up because there is no more "feed my starving children" rice packets. OK fixed that. Note- One cook is sick with fever & cough- need to send some medicine over for her.

Next, I walked over to the Habitat project to check on an employee who fell on Sunday and reportedly has some broken ribs. Her son had come and asked for meds. But alas, upon arrival at her home, she isn't home. She went to the clinic in Saintard for X-rays. Yaay! So I walked over to the house Micheline is building in the Habitat instead. Very nice.

OK, time to go home & get to work for real, I have a team coming tomorrow after all. Well now it's almost noon and I want to get the emergency funds counted out and labelled. We are giving each employee some extra $$ to help them care for their family and get past this difficult time. It isn't much, but we have to help somehow. Oops, the school is getting out, better run over there before they leave.

Well, a few of the orphanage employees refused the $$. They are holding out for a salary increase. I know it sounds ungrateful, but their back is really up against the wall. OK time for lunch. Hmmm- no LP. Nick went to get all of the empties filled up, so mine is being used at the school in the meantime. Well, I've been craving bologna anyway- not! Wait, who is that? oh- the orphanage employees have changed their minds. I think they decided they better get while the getting is good! Now- lunch. 2 more mildly sick kids come in needing some Tylenol. Now here comes another- No this is Johnathan coming to tell me his mom is back from Saintard. OK, I'm coming.

This time when I walked into the neat little cottage in the Habitat, Madame Oje was lying on a mat on the floor, still in her white church dress she wore to the clinic. She was in considerable pain, but didn't seem to have a fever as I'd been told. She had on a kerchief filled with tiny leaves for her headache and a poultice of huge greasy leaves wrapped around her ribs. The leaves on her head smelled bad- it would have given me a headache, but the big leaves smelled kind of like Mentholatum, so I figured they couldn't hurt and might help her aches. Turns out she didn't see a Dr - today was "pediatric" day, so only children were seen. I gave her some ibuprofen and also some of my super special stash of Darvocet (if I had broken ribs I'd want Darvocet) and visited with her until the meds kicked in.

Then it was home again and time to unpack the 7 -50 lb duffel bags we toted in from the US. After unpacking, I washed all the shelves and cans and dishes. Then I quickly fixed some dinner because Pastor had dropped by for a visit and told us we were going to have church prayer service tonight at the orphanage. At the orphanage?? Not at the church?? Oh well, whatever.

Before I could shower and change for service, Nick came in and said the baby was worse. I asked what the Dr. said and was told the baby had stomach ache and Dr. gave him Serum (either vitamins or something for gas & diarrhea). I told him he could bring the baby over and I'd look at him and keep him for a couple of hours to see how he was. I washed up the dishes and then was presented with a very feverish 5 week old. He wasn't vomiting or having diarrhea, just fever. I gave him Tylenol and started pushing bottles in his face. Mom dropped in to talk with me and check on baby. She wanted me to keep him overnight to push fluids ( she probably didn't have too much to give him). It started pouring down rain, so I went downstairs while the baby took a little nap. I wanted to see who had showed up for service. There were about 15 church members here in spite of the rain. They were praying over the orphanage, the employees and the children. I only stayed a few minutes and ran back upstairs to check on baby Kermar.

In a little while 2 ladies came by to check on the baby. They said Mom was crying and they were consoling her and came to see about him for her. I told them he would be fine and I would give them meds & bottles & they could take him home so she wouldn't be upset (and I'd get a good night's sleep!). But no, when they called her she still wanted baby to sleep here tonight. They stayed and visited awhile then ran home between showers. I went back down to bring Sarah upstairs and find out what is up with the prayer meeting. It seems it's not an ordinary prayer service , but the plan is to pray all night! Did I mention I have 40 kids that live here- at least 12 of them preschoolers? Did I mention I have a sick baby who is now sleeping in 30 minute spurts? Did I mention I have a Team of men flying in tomorrow and zero beds made so far? How is it that nobody thought this schedule was unusual enough to tell us about?

Did I mention that today was VERY random?

Oh well, tomorrow's a new day.