Aug 6 Winding Down
Today was a successful day on the mission site. Because we were rained-out yesterday, we had a steady flow of patients all day long. Here are a few photographs to record some of the activities of the day!
Steve painting
Ngobe hanging out around the clinic
Ngobe children chasing us as we leave the clinic
Larry working on the construction crew. They completed digging of the holes for the foundation of the new addition
Catholic Social Services provided a mobile dental clinic today so that we could have the equipment to do fillings
Serving a Ngobe person inside the mobile dental clinic
Dilemma of Crossing the River: On one side of a nearby river is the reservation on which many of the Ngobe live. Just on the other side of the river is our clinic and the elementary school. Many of the Ngobe who attend our clinic, or school, must cross the river. During the rainy season (which is just starting), the river can swell and become dangerous to cross. We saw many women wading across the river, holding their infant children over their heads!
The Rotary Club in Dothan is attempting to generate enough funds ($20,000) to create a footbridge so that the Ngobe will have a safe means by which to cross the river in this location. As a temporary relief, a cable line was placed across the river to help people to cross.
Cable and cage over the river
Update on Samuel: We have been praying for baby Samuel, who was diagnosed with meningitis. His condition remains the same, very critical. The hospital gave his mother, Anita, meal tickets and a place to stay while she stays at the hospital far away from home. Because Samuel is in very critical condition, Anita is permitted to see Samuel only occassionally, but we keep praying for them!
Upcoming Itinerary:Tomorrow (Friday), we will work with the Ngobe until lunch, have our final farewell ceremony, and then come back to the hotel to get cleaned-up. We will fly back to Panama City on Friday night, and on Saturday, we will spend the day seeing the sights (including the canal!). On Sunday morning, we will fly back to the U.S. We will do our best to keep the blog updated in the coming days.
Tags: construction, dental, medical, mission, Ngobe, Panama Mission 2009, river
oops…the above message is for erica shae fowler!!!
yeah…almost time for you to be home!
just thinking about yall, and hope yall have a safe trip back to good ol alabama!!!!
miss ya dont forget to come see us monday, im gonna be a mess, thats abigail’s first day of kindergarden!!!
love ya be safe
jana