What a day!

I don't even know if at 2:00am having just returned from the Baby House if I can even put this day into words...but here's to trying...
It all started with a phone call...wait, scratch that...it actually started with yesterday's blog post, the new arrival, the 18 cases of chicken pox, and my late night hand over of another nurse's responsibility while she is away for the next 5 days.  With all that on my mind I went to sleep, alarm set for 6:40...just enough time to get up and go take our new friend's blood sugar before his breakfast and before meeting Aurora, our Mozambican Baby House nurse.  But in reality I couldn't sleep...I wonder why??  Oh right...18 babies with chicken pox, a boy would could seize again at any moment and may or may not be diabetic, knowing the next 5 days will be tough to say the least, and my brain was doing a great job of remembering all the tons of things that need to be completed before I leave for the States.  The last time I saw the clock it was 2:45.

Well 6:40 came and went...I however did not hear my alarm or get out of bed.  OOPS!  At 7:17 however I got a phone call on my land line...yep, we still have those here!  It was Aurora.  Today was her first day back from a month of holidays.  Things were relatively quiet when she left.  And she walked in this morning to probably 2-3x the normal amount of meds prepared for the morning in our fridge and 18 kids with chicken pox and raging fevers.  She had been waiting for me to come in and tell her what the heck was going on.  Well, I had planned on doing just that but as I said...6:40 came and went.  So I RAN up to the baby house grabbing our new arrival on the way.
10 minutes later blood sugar was taken and I was in the Baby House giving meds with Aurora.  Let me just stop and say...that woman is an absolute gem.  She LOVES the babies.  She LOVES the Lord.  And, I have missed her with my whole heart!  I'm SO excited I have a few weeks with her before I go home!
Anyway the day went on from there...Aurora prepared milk, prepared meds, gave meds, weighed kids, helped out with everything.  These are all things I would have needed to do had she not been back today.  And to be perfectly honest I would probably still be up there.  Because what did I do all day, I took temperatures...seriously I probably took over 100 temperatures today.  Every time I turned around there was another little oven clinging to my leg needing to be stuck in a cool bath or given some magic ibuprofen.  I never found the time to go home and get my camera...hence the lack of spot covered children pictures.  But I do promise to take some tomorrow as I'm just the support and help for one of our new nurses, Rebecca, this weekend.  I'm actually excited to be around and just get to love on the miserable bundles of spots.  Did I mention there are 20 of them now...yep 2 more joined the ranks.  There are only 6 now who have remained unscathed (Latifo, Adilson, Wesley, Marta, Manuel, and Lucia).  As I said to my Mom...ABSOLUTE CRAZINESS!
What else happened today you might be wondering...as if 20 cases of chicken pox, tons of high fevers and itchiness is not enough?  Well, I continued to check in on our new arrival...the medication we started him on was making him groggy so we have hopefully rectified this, and I'll be keeping a close eye on him over the weekend.  Um...I helped out with some communication in the clinic...putting my brilliantly terrible Portuguese skills to use.  I will say I made it through 3 telephone conversations without having to pass the phone to someone else.  That I am proud of!  What else??  Oh yes, I dealt with a finger that got caught in something...just a bit swollen...will be good as new by Monday!  Also, one little stinker started with respiratory distress and presented with pneumonia and a temp of 103.8 (39.9)...gave us a bit of a scare...but all is better now.  And if you can believe it that's not the highest temperature I saw today.
I finally finished up my normal daily things at 9:30 tonight.  God bless Rebecca for giving out meds for me and for cooking me dinner!  Again, I would still be up there if it wasn't for her.  By 10:30 I was back up there to give out some more ibuprofen and check temperatures...because that's my only job these days.  Then I went back at midnight...turns out three of the boys had spiked fevers again (one of them was up to 40.3 or 104.5)...I gave them all ibuprofen and Tylenol (paracetamol) and 2 of them got to have bath time with Mana Meghann at midnight...which no one was really happy about.  This was only after one of them had a dirty diaper that he proceeded to wipe ALL over me when I pulled him out of bed.  Disgusting!  After bath time, came the daunting task of attempting to put them in the cloth diapers they wear.  I'm sure tomorrow morning I'll get made fun of...but it was dark and I did my best!  No one else was volunteering to get out of bed and help me!  Oh well...you live, you learn right?!
So that was my day...I'm sure other things happened that I can't even remember at this very moment.  But for now I'm going to bed.  I'm exhausted, and I have to get up early again to see off one of our missionaries, Heather, who leaves for England in the morning.  Please continue to pray for us, the children, and the tias.  Each time I went in there tonight one little miserable boy was crying...I'm not sure he has fallen asleep yet.  He's in bed with the tias, but still won't stop crying. 

Lord give us grace, compassion, and wisdom!

18 and counting

We're up to 18 kids with the chicken pox and 2 others are on the maybe list.  I can no longer claim that the most vulnerable have been spared...but I can beg for your prayers.  We have two little guys who eyes are almost swollen closed and who are miserable with high fevers, lung issues, and lots and lots of spots.  We have several others who are just struggling with fevers.  Please keep them all in your prayers...and especially the nursing staff who is working over time to prepare all the medications and get them given out on time not to mention taking temperatures and trying to make sure their lungs are not affected!  Also keep Tracey and Valerie (the two missionaries who work in the baby house) in your prayers as well.  They are doing their best to show compassion and mercy to all these little ones in their time of need.
Also, as of this afternoon we have a new 8 year old living with Tracey.  I would ask your prayers first for all of his medical needs.  We have already had to deal with one emergency tonight which hopefully medication will stabilize and may be bringing him to the city tomorrow for a consult.  Second, please be praying for Tracey and her tias as they attempt to deal with all of his behavioral issues as well.
May God be our joy and strength in this time of busyness and stress...

16 Cases and Counting

That's 16 my friends...not 16 kids and counting, but instead 16 babies have chicken pox currently.  That makes a total of 24 who have had or have spots.  Many of them are just spotty and itchy.  But a few are feverish and fewer yet have high fevers that are difficult to control.  There were more oatmeal bathes today (thanks Tracey for being amazing) and many applications of calamine lotion!  We have had to start using a separate container to hold all the ibuprofen to be given out at breakfast, lunch, and bed time.  It's all a bit chaotic I have to admit.
There is one HUGE thanksgiving in the midst.  Not one of our HIV+ kids has started with spots during this time.  I am claiming this as supernatural protection.  Just maybe they won't get it and if they do it will be after all the others so we will have extra time to spend watching over them.  Praise God for his protection over them...may it continue!
Just keep the prayers coming...for protection for the little vulnerable guys; healing for those who are itchy; fevers to disappear; tias to be renewed; missionaries (Tracey and Valerie) to be full of love and compassion; and for the nursing staff to remain refreshed, wide-eyed, and wisdom filled!  Thanks for joining us on this adventure.

Church!

So many of you think of church as a boring time of sitting in pews, standing, kneeling, singing...or maybe an exciting time of worship in a huge auditorium.  Whatever your norm is I can promise it's starkly different to what church looks like for me.  All I can say is, it's full of children, loud, a time of dancing celebration, and sweet intimate prayer time...really all I can do is show you!  This was church this past Sunday with some of the cutest kids in the world and the great big loving God we serve!

Very regularly we sing a song in church that is entitled...Do a Miracle in Me!  I absolutely love it and the impact it has on our children.  Just read and imagine 350 children singing this unto the Lord!
Como Zaqueu eu quero subir  (Like Zacchaeus I want to climb)
O mais alto que eu puder  (as high as I can)
Só pra te ver, olhar para Ti; (Just to see You, look at You)
E chamar sua atenção para mim.  (and call your attention to me)
Eu preciso de Ti, Senhor  (I need You, Lord)
Eu preciso de Ti, Oh! Pai  (I need You, Oh Father)
Sou pequeno demais  (I'm too small)
Me dá a Tua Paz  (Give me your peace)
Largo tudo pra te seguir.  (Everything to follow You)
Entra na minha casa  (Come into my house)
Entra na minha vida  (Come into my life)
Mexe com minha estrutura  (Mess with my structure)
Sara todas as feridas  (Heal all my wounds)
Me ensina a ter Santidade  (Teach me to choose holiness)
Quero amar somente a Ti,  (I love only You)
Porque o Senhor é o meu bem maior,  (because the Lord is my highest good)
Faz um Milagre em mim.  (Do a miracle in me)

I wish you could all experience this!