A Rough Two Weeks

It's been a rough couple of weeks. We have been very short handed at the clinic because of staff being on leave. Plus, the two people posted to out clinic from the district assembly are on strike. I am grateful that one of them has come to help out anyway. May God bless her. And, then there is Razak who has been manning the registration at the OPD and taking vital signs. What would we do if he wasn't flexible?

Since the Gandy's Cove team has left, I haven't felt well. I haven't been sick enough to stay in bed, but I am not feeling well enough to give 100%. I have acquired a cough I can't shake. Then, when I went to Tamale, I found out I had malaria. It wasn't as bad as last year (thank You, Jesus), but, it was still malaria.

Then, I found out that a sixteen year old mother of a one year old boy was raped by someone much older than herself. And,then to find out she is pregnant as a result of the rape. (She is also HIV positive.)

Add to all of that, in Wa, there was an attempted robbery of two Americans at "machete point." They reacted in self defense with the ultimate end that one of the robbers died due to stab wounds inflicted by one of the Americans. I know one of the people involved. That person did not have the knife. So, all the foreign NGO's (non government organizations) pulled out of the Upper West Region except for VSO. They only pulled out of Wa. And, the US State Dept. put a "ban" on any unnecessary travel in the Upper West for American citizens.

A good friend of mine, Lawrence, who lives in Tamale, was here in Lawra for several days. His father was sick and in the hospital. Lawrence made it to Lawra the day before his father died. Now, his extended family has to prepare for a three day funeral with hundreds of people attending, most expecting to be fed for three days. That on top of the cost of a coffin, renting chairs and canopies (the funeral will be at the family house or land. Where do people who live in such a poor area come up for the funds for all of this? 

Another friend has a small boy who was in the hospital for several days. She was asking several people to donate blood for her son.

VSO has called their people back to Wa, but the others are still away. Add to the mixture situations I can't even begin to get into.

In a world with so much sickness, so much death, so much turmoil, so much sadness...how do people survive without the hope of Christ? We NEED to be Christ to them and to speak Christ to them.

Don't worry, I am not going off the deep end. I need a few days to sleep, relax, rest, pray. I need a Sabbath rest that lasts for more than a few hours. Then, I will be strong in the strength of Christ. Now, I need to rest in Him.