In the hospital now are 3 babies with pneumonia, a little boy who burnt his hand in hot oil, another who burnt 15% of his body with boiling water, a girl with a snake bite, another with cerebral malaria, a mom and baby we delivered by cesarean section (her third c-section). We have a woman with cognitive delays and severe anemia, one with pyelonephritis, and two patients with paralysis who have been living here because they have no place to go. My wish for this week to have a visit by a physical therapist who speaks spanish for a month or a few months. The need here is great!

Charlie is walking (with lots of support), crawling like a worm around the floor, jumping and patting his chest to the rhythm of music in his jolly jumper... or on our laps. He love to listen to music and has overcome his fear of the very loud blender. The wandering chickens, dogs, birds, occasional monkey, and tall trees blowing in the wind never cease to amaze him. He LOVES bath-time, like everyone here who's hot and sweaty. I fed him chicken liver for the first time, smashed up with boiled potato. There is not easy access to iron fortified foods here, so liver is one of the only options... He ate it. I tasted it... I taste all the food I feed him...  and did not like it. He loves mashed spaghetti, lentil soup, cream of broccoli soup, sweet potatoes, boiled plantains blended with milk, oatmeal drink, and carrots. This his is usual diet. He's growing like a weed. He smiles when he wakes, smacks his lips when he wants to eat, and laughs our loud at animal sounds. He has four teeth and has left bruises on my legs with them. Luckily I still have all my body parts... his teeth are as sharp as razors.

Pray for Margarita (a sick patient who passed this week) and here family.

Wish: allergy and lubricant eye drops, a physical therapist who speaks spanish

We have arrived in Santa Clotilde to begin our mission at the Centro de Salud Santa Clotilde. This remote hospital and clinic in the middle of the Amazon basin on the Napo River sits halfway between Iquitos, Peru and the Peruvian/Ecuadorian border. The town is about 3 degrees south of the equator. The journey is long and has taken more time than we initially thought. Our son Charlie has done well with the long trips and change in scenery from the record cold and snowy winter in Chicago to the loud busy city of Lima to the heat of Iquitos and now the 2 boat 7 hour journey up the Amazon and Napo River. 

We spent a month in Lima with Padre Mauricio working our papers to obtain a Peruvian medical license. We were happy to have comfortable lodging, good Internet connection, and good conversations along with hearty meals with Padre Moe. Padre is an Oblate priest originally from Saskatchewan, Canada. He is also a physician and served in Santa Clotilde from 1986-2008. He left in 2008 as he was elected superior of the Peruvian delegation of Oblates, for whom he served two 3-year terms as superior.

As I sat in front of the computer translating about 300 pages of medical school course syllabi and descriptions into Spanish I must admit I was not using the tools we worked on in California.  I had some bad days and became very frustrated. The jokes of Padre Moe and his recipes that Toni had the chance to perfect, and the ever present smile on Charlie’s face helped pull me from my funk.
After our month in Lima we flew to Iquitos where we stayed for 5 days making our purchases of food and appliances that we’ll need in our house in Santa Clotilde. We also met Toni’s parents at the airport as they came to visit and see where it is exactly we are taking their grandchild I write this blog from the boat as we travel up the Napo River. The sunshine is warming my arms, the breeze in our face and the river banks filled with the lush green rain forest that provide much appreciated fresh country air. I write with a smile in my face and a hopeful heart for our future serving at the hospital knowing that we are called to be where we are and that in the end everything will be all right, God is good.

Brian
02 March 2014