I heart Hospital Bautista

Here’s an insight into my last few days

Tuesday was by far the most I’ve been exposed to in the hospital since I’ve been down here. I spend most of the time in the pharmacy, because (a) this counts as my elective rotation for pharmacy school, and (b) because I want to learn as much as I can about how it works before I venture out (start small and grow)…but I did a little venturing Tuesday afternoon…

A man came in who had almost cut off 2 or 3 of his fingers with a chainsaw, just above where they join to the hand …through the bone and tendons and everything and only connected by skin from what I could tell (I at least know he had cut through the bone because I could see the bone pretty clearly). So, I got to watch Dr. Estrada and Iris (nurse) take care of him…which really just consisted of cleaning it out a little, and then bandaging it up, to send him on his way to Teguce to a hospital that could handle an injury of that magnitude. I didn’t get nauseas or anything, but I will admit I was a little sweaty after I left the room. This man was amazing though, because he never made a sound, and the extent of pain meds available in the states is not available here. When his ride finally came to get him to take him to Teguce, he walked out on his own. Props to the toughest man I have seen thus far in my life…and prayers because I hope they were able to do something for him.

While this man was still in the hospital, a man came in who I believe had been hit by a truck, with a big head wound and some other broken bones. I stayed out of the room until the end, because (a) I’m still getting used to the fact that it’s culturally acceptable to witness such things, and (b) I couldn’t really decide if I was ready to see inside someone’s head if that’s what presented. The poor man was white as a sheet when I did see him. After they bandaged him up and took x-rays, he was immediately sent off to Teguce in the back of a pickup truck, covered by a tarp because it was beginning to rain. We found out this morning that he did not make it. Seeing him made me realize the position for prayer I hold as a healthcare provider. As soon as I saw him, it immediately hit me…”what if this man doesn’t know Jesus?”…which is obviously something that should have been going through my head way before a week into my trip, but I think I get so caught up in trying to figure out what is going on, I forget my biggest asset is not anything I can contribute physically, but everything I can contribute spiritually…whether that be walking in the Lord in manner He has called me to, praying for patients, or actually getting to share and talk about the Lord with someone. It was a wake-up call to become more aware of the people I see being souls that may or may not know the Lord. So pray that I would be more aware and attentive to prayer over patients and people I come in contact with…

With that said, I was amazingly blessed by the Lord today. Just before lunch I was sitting in the hall reading my bible and Iris sat down next to me and started trying to point out words out of Colossians that she knew in English and telling me the Spanish translations, or guessing to see if she knew the English translation…it sounds simple, but it so blessed me. I love seeing how God is not just the God of America (I know, duh), but He’s the God of the whole world…it’s the same gospel no matter what language it’s in. I think that’s what I enjoy about church here…I still have no idea what they are saying most of the time, but I know that I am in the presence of the Lord and that He is being praised all around me, and even in me in this weird sort of a way…It makes me think of when the Psalmist says “Praise the Lord, o my soul…” it’s just like my spirit is praising the Lord even though I have no idea what is going on.

After lunch today, I was just as blessed. Somehow I got into a conversation with Vanessa (she speaks perfect English! Woohoo!) about what my favorite book of the bible is. I told her I how have been in love with Isaiah on and off (currently on) for the last couple years and she said how she was studying Romans and how awesome it was that each time she read it, it seemed to speak directly to her and what she was dealing with. It just made me happy, for reasons I can’t explain. We got into more things about what my church is like and what hers is like, and just generally fun conversation…which just makes me think, why in the world am I so blessed to be sent to these other places to meet people and talk about Jesus. Praise the Lord, He is so good.

Since today was so slow, I spent some of the afternoon in the lab with Kenia and Diana working on my Spanish. They’re 20 and 17 respectively and a joy to be around. They are both interested in learning English (which they are much better than they think), so it is a fun trade off to point at things and figure out what they are in spanish and english and try to translate phrases. I’ve really enjoyed it. I’m also having a ton of fun in the pharmacy learning Spanish from Sandra…I’m not so sure she is interested in learning English, but she doesn’t seem to mind helping me learn Spanish…in fact, I’m pretty sure she gets a good laugh out of it most of the time. Her brother, Jorge, works here too (and also knows more English than he lets on), so every now and then he will come in and help clarify something or we will get Vanessa…but it really has been a ton of fun learning from everyone here.

And then there is the blessing of every meal down here. A couple is here, Jason and Jennifer, who are both in seminary in Texas, so the 3 of us and Sandy eat all our meals together. Jason lived here for a year (a few years ago) and is very fluent in Spanish and is very in the know of everything going on here, and Jennifer is quite good at Spanish herself and just has an amazing heart. I am very blessed to spend my meals in fellowship with 3 people walking with the Lord in life circumstances I can learn a lot from. That’s sort of what the Lord is trying to teach me lately…just to be quiet and listen to the people He is placing around me. I’m slow to learn, but I’m working on it, because there is something to learn from everyone, and a lot to learn from these three.

Other points of interest…

I got a Honduran cell-phone…so now I can bring it back each time I come down and just buy more minutes for it (because, God willing, I will be coming back to Honduras soon)

My sleeping bag has been a huge blessing these last nights in the dorm…rainy season means cool nights, and metal buildings magnify that coolness.

Jason and Jennifer moved a nice thick mattress into the girls dorm for me tonight, so I’m looking forward to some awesome sleeping tonight (though I can’t complain at all about any night thus far)

I wimped out on watching a lady give birth last night. My curiosity was peaked when the ambulance pulled up, but I used my lack of spanish vocabulary and the late hour as an excuse to go to bed instead of seeing if I could observe. Boo for me.

Jason also pointed out a pull-up bar he put while down here…who knew there were so many luxuries here? I’m going to be a pull-up champion when I leave…well, I’ll just aim for being able to do a few…

Julio, Kenia, and I believe their younger sister and their cousin came in here to use my laptop to get on the internet earlier, and since it wasn’t working I was just showing them pics I have on my computer. We ended up on my Israel pics, which Kenia seemed to really enjoy, and wants to look at again tomorrow night. Again, how cool is God…He takes me somewhere else and gives me the opportunity to talk about not only Him, but a part of Him that I absolutely love.

And to end the blog and my night…the parrot just chased me out the door. Yes, chased me, thanks for playing. No provoking on my part, she just started flying after me. Don’t worry, I’m safe now, she’s back on her perch, and we’re both about to go to bed. Phew.