The Vomit Comet

Bright and early this morning we stumbled from our warm beds and headed down to a hearty bowl of oatmeal. I don't typically like oatmeal, but I gagged it down because I knew we might not get lunch for a long time. I was right. Don't we look nice and chipper?

We headed out the front door of the Center and got in a mini van. This thing was normally a 7 passenger van - we stuffed 12 people in that thing! We were told we would be going approximately 30 miles to a Dispensary to hold clinic. The roads were so twisty we were breathin our own exhaust - and I am NOT kidding!! Amy nicknamed the van "The Vomit Comet" - and she was right. Two of the local pastors came along to the clinic to act as interpreters. The driver was a local fellow - not from the church - and he was a great driver, but it was still a very harrowing road. Yesterday on the road from Colombo, there were two drivers along - one to actually drive and a second riding shotgun to get out and negotiate with other drivers when we met one on the road. There are many times the road is a very narrow one land and they think nothing of two or even three cars squeezing through! We have learned to NOT look out the front window - it is just better for our nerves and coronary system.
We arrived at our destination and were ushered into a very aged building. The floors were cracked concrete with dirt showing through in many places. There appears to be electricity in one room but not in the others. No running water is available. We went into one room and met the physician who typically runs the office. He watched Andrea Harper triage one patient and she was doing surgery on an abcessed leg within about 5 minutes - at that point he decided we could handle things and he left!
This is what the waiting room looks like within half an hour. People came from everywhere! Maladies real and imagined were presented. We did one other surgery and saw around 75 people total.
This is a crude triage area we set up in the outer room. I found one very suspicious-looking ear using my handy-dandy otoscope. Sure enough, there was a critter in there that Dr. Andrea had to extract!

We are tired and headed home but feel very good that we have helped a few people. Thanks so much for all your prayers!