It’s our last night at loma de luz and we have had an excellent time here. I can’t say enough about the importance of the work that is being performed by the missionaries. The local population would truly be at a loss without the hospital and orphanage. The missionaries display a servant attitude as they go about their daily work. They have welcomed us into their homes and lives, making us feel as though we are part of their family. In essence we are. Each believer is part of the larger family with the goal “to know God and to make him known.” We all have a part in that process, whether it is in our homes, at work, overseas missions or in support of missions.
For me it has been a challenge to maintain this world vision. I get caught in the day to day distractions of life, and to be honest this can occur in the mission field abroad as well. It’s nice to have worked in a location where servitude is the modus operandi. I pray I can carry this attitude back home and to work.
Our last night here we had dinner with the young people that stay at staff housing. Most of these youth are either recently graduated from college or high school or are in the midst of their college studies and have taken six months to a year to serve either at the hospital or nearby at the orphanage.
Anyway, we had a pleasant dinner and were in the midst of playing the salad bowl game when Dr. Daron, a family doc who was on call, was called in by Joele, the nurse working the night shift. Joelle reported that a young lady was experiencing significant vaginal bleeding. While we finished our game Dr. Daron went in to investigate the situation.
Upon further inquiry it was determined that this patient was miscarrying and had a significantly low hematocri at 20. Coupled with her hypotension and tachycardia this patient was teetering on the brink of being critically ill. Dr. Rina (also another family doc, whose house we were at) and myself went into the hospital to assist. One of the significant issues at the hospital is the shortage of nurses. If anyone reading this is a nurse or is considering becoming a nurse, I would strongly encourage you to pray about going to loma de luz to serve for a period of time. Anyway due to this shortage it really requires more physicians to perform the job that it would usually. Which is why Dr Rina and myself went in to help.
I assumed the role of anesthesia provider, Dr Daron assumes the role of scrub tech and circulating nurse and Dr Rina assumes the role of surgeon. Anyway we were able to perform the D&C and stabilize her and I even got to donate a pint of blood for a transfusion for her.
Of note the patient had gone to the clinica de salud (local public health clinic) a few days prior and had been given vitamin K (a vitamin involved in helping blood coagulate). Not to be critical of the outlying clinic but this was not the patient’s problem and had she only done this she would likely have eventually bleed to death.
I would again like to express my gratitude for the hospitality that was provided by all those working at loma de luz Hospital. I will continue to pray for them as they perform the work God has called them to endeavor. These men, women and children went out of their way to make Cody and I feel welcomed. I would also like to say thanks to the patients that I was able to meet, as they were extremely understanding and patient with my Spanish skills. Lastly I would like to express my thanks to my son for his willingness to come on this trip. He sacrificed his spring break to assist with the work here. I hope and pray that the work that God has begun in his heart here will continue to grow. He is quite a young man, and I am proud of him. God Bless to all of you. Thank you for your prayers, until next time…
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