I have a calender of the Sisters of St. Joseph from LaGrange and today the saying is "grieve over loss". That is appropriate for Judy and I as Mary, our house mate and co-missioner for the last three years has returned to the US on Friday. She worked with the HOPE = Helping Orphans Pursue Education program and did a wonderful job under very difficult circumstances. She will now go for her Master's degree and although we will miss her very much we know that it is the right decision and wish her well.
A friend asked how we didn't get stuck on the muddy roads below and the answer is that we had a good driver and a good vehicle with four wheel drive that took us through the bush where the ground wasn't so muddy. She also asked how we haven't gotten sick with Dengue fever when the people downstairs have. We are very vigilant about killing mosquitoes and making sure that we don't get bitten by them. It's a challenge but so far we've succeeded.
I saw a two year old child at the Likoni clinic last week for follow up. The little boy only weighs 16 pounds (8kg) which is the size of a one year old child. His mother has taken him to the clinic every single month of his life and the health workers just kept writing down his weight and watching it fail to increase. When I examined him last month I thought he might have muscular dystrophy and referred him to the provincial hospital. They could do only the most basic tests and told the mother to bring him back to see the specialist. When she returned the specialist wasn't in the clinic. They told her to return in another week and when she did they told her that the specialist didn't have time to see the child and to return next week. Such are the struggles of people who can't afford private health care. I will follow up on the child and use my mission money to get the tests that he needs if the government doesn't do them. His prognosis is not good but at the very least the mother deserves a diagnosis and support to help her care for her child.
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