Harder Than Bananas

In my last post, I mentioned that the medical team that was here taught me and Emily how use lidocaine and suture bananas.

Well, just one week later I had the opportunity to hone my new skills! Yonatan was carried into the clinic by three friends because he was so lethargic and was unable to walk. They laid him on the exam table and explained that he had been in a fight at the trash dump. It was Yonatan against three others, and they won. They beat him with rocks over the head. He had four gashes, the worst being over one of his eyebrows. It had just happened and the wound was gaping open.

“He needs stitches!” I squealed excitedly. I looked around. “I mean, aww poor guy, I bet he needs stitches...” There was a nurse from the States visiting for a couple weeks that happened to be there. She nodded her agreement and we arranged for the stitching. We cleaned it well and somehow managed to maintain a sterile field. Yonatan continued to lay still, responding only to pain.

 

                           
 
The stitching went well…but it was definitely harder than the bananas! I was so excited to be able to use this freshly taught skill. And how amazing that just the week before I had learned! God does know what we will need. If I had not been able to stitch him myself, he probably would have gone to the other clinic in Korah.

I actually get a lot of patients from that clinic. This week, a little girl named Kalkidan came in. Her eyes were swollen shut, her face disfigured from infection. One week ago she had fallen into a ditch, split her forehead open, and went to the Korah clinic. They stitched it not using sterile procedure, and she had therefore become very sick. I took those stitches out, cleaned it, and put her on an antibiotic. Kalkidan is healing well now. I marveled again at the way the Lord equipped me before I came and the way He continues to here.

My time here is winding down. Seven more weeks in country and I will have hit my 13 months. Some days it crawls. Most days it flies. It’s hard to believe it’s been a full year since I came here, and 8 months since I’ve been home. There is still much to do, so I ask for your prayers to continue as I finish. This year has been an emotional, physical, and spiritual challenge. Please pray for my energy level and my passion to stay as my time here comes to a close.

This stuff is harder than bananas. J