Tuesday- Emaus School

What a great day we had. At 7:30 we met Florence at the hospital and went to a school to pick up a measuring stick and also to gather people to help with this school clinic this week. We arrived at the school around 8am and after much visiting and introductions, we began our day. Kids kind of straggled into class until about 8:30 (their school day is from 7:30 - about 12;30/1:00pm). They are the cutest kids ever. I had been praying that God would give us a love for these people and today I definitely felt that start to grow with these adorable children.
My kids were laughing at me because I had beads of perspiration on my chin, forehead and upper lip. NOt because I was working so hard, but it is humid.
This was the poorest school in town. They don't have enough money to hire a secretary (for $80/month) or a janitor (for $70/month). If anyone feels led to donate that kind of money to them, they would be so grateful. Alot of their materials are donated as they just don't have money to buy anything. The families are expected to buy a white school shirt as the child's school uniform. The kids had lunch at about 10:30am. Today it was a drink which looked just like dirty water. Florence didn't know what it was. Some days they get rice. We managed to weigh and measure all of the 190 children. I don't know Spanish and they don't know English, but it went fairly well!!
We came home for lunch and then Carly and I went back to the hospital to put some charts and forms together for tomorrow. Florence lent us two books about the hospital here and Frank Down's work with the Jivaro. "Bridge to the Rainforest" and "Mission to the Headhunters".
So many funny things happened today - I wish I could tell them all, but I saw a picture in a newsletter of Florence and another nurse holding these chickens by the leg in the hospital and apparently the administrator received a couple of chickens (as a gift from a patient) in a burlap bag tied with a string around the top, only enough room for the chicken's heads to be sticking out. He had to run out for about 30 minutes so left the chickens in his office. When he returned he could smell this awful smell and opened his office door. There was one chicken standing in the middle of his desk and the other one was running around. There was chicken poop all over his desk, papers and the floor. Florence came to the rescue when she saw his red face and grabbed one chicken, another nurse grabbing the other by the leg. They didn't even get down to the end of the hall when they sold them to another fellow. I asked the administrator if he was sorry that he lost his supper??
My neighbor told me today that she found a snake in her kitchen two weeks ago. I asked her how she got rid of it, because I want to know if that ever happens to us while we are here!!
Tomorrow Carly and I go back to Emaus school to help with the clinic and then we are helping the grade 1-2 teacher with some things in the afternoon.
Brett's birthday is on Friday, so will ask some of the boys and girls around here to come for pizza and cake on Friday night.
We are having a real tropical storm here tonight. Big lightning, thunder and rain storm. The power was off for awhile - I think that is the first time since we've been here. In Africa the power was off more than it was on!
Adam wants to blog so I better close off for today.
Lori