Day of Grace

Iringa, January 16, 2013

It is 10PM in Ilula Tanzania and a large portion of the world.  It is quite dark under the waxing moon, almost half.  You will see the same moon I do later tonight, since where most of my friends and loved ones are under Central Standard Time (GMT+6, I believe.)  We arrived at Ilula after Day of Grace (DoG) 2 of 3, around 8 PM.

DoG is a big deal.  Pastor Tom Hansen conceived of the notion several years ago and this is the second DoG.  Tom saw a need for the Iringa Diocese Pastors to “kick back” and have a little fun as well as have an educational session without the stress of some synodical requirement.  The pastors simply don’t get together for fun.

One essential component of this conference is a medical one.  Dr. Randy Hurley and Tom wondered if the pastors would appreciate a screening physical exam.  After a little stuttering for a couple years, last year it came to be.  The Pastors, men and women were examined, blood sugars and blood pressures were checked and recommendations made.  We learned some things.

For one, pastors’ spouses need the same things.  Of course, they enjoyed the educational and worship sessions and why not examine the spouses, mostly wives, next year?  Next year turned into this year and here we are.  Today we did about 80 histories and physical exams, including cervical cancer screening exams, with the blood pressures, blood sugars, vision screens.

Ilula, January 17, 2013

It is good to be back to Ilula!  So much of interest!  Saw a small guy with kwashiorkor, 17 months, puffy face, hands and feet, drowsy and hard to arouse.  Here is a photo too.  

We gave him the Plumpy’Nut.  First, we do a food trial.  If he will take the P’N avidly, he stays on it.  If he cannot take it – too weak, uninterested (hey, who doesn’t like a Bit-O’-Honey?), he needs a different formula, F 75 or F100 until the appetite comes back.  He took it.  (Hey, who doesn’t like a Bit-O’-Honey?)  We will watch him on the P’N for as many days as his family will let him stay or until we see reversal of the kwashiorkor.  Unfortunately, this is a bad disease because it may have associated organ damage, like kidney disease also.

This afternoon we will see another index case from last year, Harriet at Amani Orphans Home Mbigli (AOHM).  She quickly recovered and was growing well and developing well last summer when last Birdie and I saw her.  She should be about 2 years old now.

For my friends and fellow parishioners at St. James, I got simple preliminary plans for the dispensary enlargement at Idunda.  Perhaps I can photograph it and put it on the blog.  Dr. Saga is going to send rough budget plans for it too.  Off to class for some learning!  Done.  Three great lectures:  Post Exposure Prophylaxis for HIV (Ally Liou); Geology of Tanzania (Moody); Proverbs of the Hehe (MwaMoody).  Who is MwaMoody?  Kihehe for Dr. Gary Moody.  All three were terrific.

We went to Amani Orphans Home Mbigili this afternoon.  And folks were enthralled. The children danced and sang for us.  We toured the campus and looked at the farm.  They have cows, pigs, chickens, rabbits, turkeys and probably others.  They are getting electricity soon, but they are already nearly self-sufficient.  They make biogas from the cows’ and pigs’, uh, uh, oh yeah, manure and are able to do their cooking with methane. They grow a nut for biodiesel also.

My little friend Harriet looks good.  She is a bit shy around strangers, but a live-wire otherwise.  Our friend Beate from Amani asked us to look at a couple kids with interesting problems.  We may have helped.  I hope so.  I should find out before I come home.