Are you going to use your nursing?

Agua Preta.

A small village where we set up "clinic." In the picture you see the Igreja da Vinha our mission works with. This village has no running water (unless you count the river) and no electricity. To have lights for our evening service they pulled electricity from our boat.

PROBABLY.

Before we left for Brazil people back home liked to ask me if I was going to use my knowledge in health care. I assumed I would because, quite simply, it was the only skill I had. Nine months later, I haven’t done a whole lot. Except for dealing with my family’s random infections (currently Ava’s is pitiful, more on that later) and neighbors that stop in for a quick assessment and free medication, my nursing skills have been minimal. I haven’t sutured anyone. That’s good because I don’t know how. I haven’t delivered a baby or set a broken bone. I haven’t done a lick of health education, which is what I really would be up for.

So this past weekend I was enthused to wet my feet. What Josh didn’t talk about in that last post was the “clinics” we set up in each of the river villages we visited. This trip we traveled with Tim, another missionary and also a MD. At each place we went we sent word that there was a doctor available and of course, the people came. We were up to our necks with scabies, worms and back pain; thankfully not literally. I still didn’t do much. I spent most of my time attempting to understand the Portuguese with people who were missing a lot of teeth. I also had to relearn basic medicine. We weren’t dealing with complex cases or people requiring high level of technology, which is what I know. It was the basics, how to treat the most people with what basic medication you have on hand. So between the Portuguese and primitive healthcare, I had a lot to learn. But what I was able to grasp was the need. Many people were just grateful to have someone listen to their health concerns, especially mothers who brought in sick kids. Many people had headaches and back pain but cannot stop working, however intense the pain. They were the ones who were happy just to get a small fistful of ibuprofen. Seriously, that’s how simple it was. And there were stories of people living remotely with somewhat serious problems. At times my mind was stretched attempting to understand their language and my heart pricked as they shared their difficult life. After they were done talking with us, what was super cool is that each of them was brought before God in prayer by a group of visitors from Ohio.

I am often amazed at the basic level to which we interact with Brazilians. We see a need; we attempt to meet it. Praying that they will recognize God’s love for them as we daily live as Disciples of Christ.The Xingu Mission does not have an organized medical ministry yet. All medication and supplies that we use are donated by individuals. If there are those of you working in the healthcare field that have access to samples, outdated equipment, or mass quantities at discounted prices or really anything, it will be put to use. This past weekend we went through a ton of Tylenol, ibuprofen, Chewable Tylenol and ibuprofen, and anti-fungal cream. But really anything is appreciated. You can email me if you have some suggestions or questions.