At the hospital

There is nothing like sitting for two hours at the government hospital to get the blogging juices flowing. Little Abraham  (4 years old) is really sick again.  Teammates Ronnie and Collin transported them into town this morning because he was urinating blood and vomiting and too weak to ride the 10 kilometers on the back of his dad's bike (which is what they have done in the past).  They were dropped off at the hospital around 11am. When I arrived at 2pm to see how they were doing they still had not seen the doctor. Most of the time I don't like standing out as the white foreigner but today my joining them on the bench, packed with waiting pediatric patients (we were not in an ER, we were just waiting to see the pediatrician who never did show up) brought the medical officer over who at least admitted them and ordered some labs. Abraham was really lethargic sitting on his dad's lap while the MO did an "assessment" which mostly consisted of him asking what my assessment was. I noticed Abraham suddenly show more energy than he had in hours and though to myself: he's about to puke. Yep. All over the MO. I think both of us felt better.

Anyway, we went over to the lab to get a malaria test. I was super impressed to see them pull out a rapid test (actually MORE accurate here) but then when I watched the tec obviously not know where to put the blood and then not have any reagent and try to use NS.... Malaria negative. He told me the results as though he had no idea that the test he had done was totally worthless. He probably didn't know. Then we headed back to the ward and Abraham's father wandered around looking for an empty bed to put his child in. I didn't know this yet about the hospital but evidently after you are admitted you just go looking for your own bed. Abraham is currently sharing a bed with an other little boy who doesn't seem too contagious. We didn't find an empty one and that is better than the floor,
Anyway... I'm not even sure where I'm going with this post. Please pray for this family as clearly their only hope of health and healing is in Jesus.

** And for something to look forward to I am going to try to get pictures at the hospital when I go back to visit again tomorrow. Am currently cutting a lens sized hole in a box of juice to carry inconspicuously ... this could be interesting.