Dispentary Station

When I woke up this morning, in hopes that I would be able to make it to mass, I stood up out of bed and was getting ready for the day.... but than it hit me. My stomach began to gurgle and all I felt like doing was crouching over. I thought, maybe I'll be better in an hour. I came back into my bed, disapointed that I was going to miss mass and laid there and prayed. "Lord, if it's your will for me to be of service today; may you give me the strength to do you so." An hour later I woke up and although my stomach wasn't feeling completely better, i figured it'd be a poor excuse for me to not go make it to Daya Dan today. So I went off on my own; bought a bottle of gatorade, and caught the metro towards Girish Park (daya dan). When I arrived there were plenty of new volunteers there that day. Many of which had no clue where to start and was standing in the middle of the room. I made me think about my first day here, completely clueless about everything and feeling as if I was in everyones way. But when I arrived today Sr. Capita greeted me and said "three days, you no come." Worried, but yet still so cute. I love the sisters here; counting my days when I show up or not. It seemed today by the time I arrived that the children were bathed, which is earlier than usual and since it was a Saturday the physical therapist was coming in to work with the children. I went to the crib where Megha sat. Megha is a girl that has all intellect capabilities but her body is extremely frail and thin, she uses a wheel chair and is encouraged to feed herself, and do many things on her own. She looked at me and said "Uncle, sit!" as she patted her crib. Uncle is a term that used for male here in Kolkata, very respectful in my opinion. And Auntie is what's used for the female. I sat down beside her and she asked me to help her put on perfume that she just got as a gift. It was so cute. Then I went into the classroom and got her a colorbook as we sat and colored with color pencils. I went into the physical therapy room and saw Angeli sitting against the wall and was so happy to see her not sick anymore. I was going to begin working with her leg muscles but as soon as I started a sister from down stair came into the room and looked at me and said "dispentary downstairs." ... WHAT?!? Did I hear her correctly? I told her, I have no medical education or skills. "No no, you go downstair to dispentary" When a sister ask... you just do it, so i did. I went down the stairs thinking to myself, what on earth did I get myself into. Worried sick about whether I'd do something wrong or make things worst. This wasn't like patching a cut with a bandade, i've see some of the wounds the MC sisters works with in Mother Teresa's videos. Today was Saturday, and on tuesdays and saturdays are days when there are dispentary station downstairs in a private room for street paitents. I stepped into the room and my friend Mazie, a med student, looked over at me and said... Thank God, we were praying that someone would come and help. "I don't know if I can do much help" I replied. Mazie said, I got the knowledge you'll be my hands, there are 38 or so paitents outside, more than we usually have and none of the volunteers that usually come showed up today. I just thought to myself over and over; "oh boy... I'm screwed,... or maybe more logically, they're screwed because I'm working on them." I put on a pair of rubber gloves and a face mask. My first paitent sat down in front of me and he was a boy, no older than 13. He put his foot up on the bench. The wrap that was previously wrapped has now become so dirty, yellowish brown, and also soggy, with this horrific smell. He was a boy that got his foot/leg tored by a truck, i'm not sure how but it didn't look pretty one bit. Mazie walked me through the first paitent, as she was still working on another; I began to cut the bandage wraps off and unwind the bandage. The closer I came to his leg the harder it became, his wound has grown into the bandages and I had to put a little bit of water to loosen up the bandages and not teer his skin and wound. When the bandage wrap was finally off, I was in disbelief at what i was working with. This poor boy had a deep cut that was almost half of his lower leg. It went deeper than anything i've ever seen. At least an inch into the skin's surface. I was afraid I was looking at part of the bone also. But diffinately realize I'm dealing with a paitent that has exposed flesh. about 5 inches wide and 1 inch deep. On the other side of his leg he had a smaller wound (i use the word small lightly, it was an inch wide and 1/2 inch deep). Mazie told me what to use to clean out the wound. It was a multi-step process. I can't even begin to remember what were the medical treatment called, I did see hydrogen proxide... be that wasn't used for a deep flesh wound like this. I began cleaning his wound; step by step of how i was told so. Trying to clean out all the white pussy parts around it and make sure there wasn't anything unsanitary on the flesh. I then put a skin cream on the wound to rehabilitate the grown of skin over the flesh, and that was the last step. I gauzed up the wounds and layered it very well because these patients walk around the street barefoot, in the rain. When I was finally finished I couldn't believe I helped my first patient. I had no doubt it was God using me because I know i could not have done that myself. I know that I didn't have the stomach to bare such a sight, or the will to clean intensivelyl so to make sure these patients were going to be alright. There were 8 stations set up and only 3 people helping with dispentary. One of the other volunteer who was also asked to come downstair to help wasn't able to help at the first sight of her patient, she went back upstairs and a different volunteer, Blanca (thank God) who has helped with dispentary at children dispentary locations a few times came and helped us. After a couple of hours several of the sisters came in to help also and all 8 stations were filled and the line that awaited out in the street was moving a lot more fluidly. I dressed a lot of foot wounds. Far extremely then what I ever expected but not once did these patients complain. They would all fold their hands in praise and bless me as they left. A lady gave me a kiss on the forehead for helping out. These patients had such a kind heart and had an amazing outlook on life; many had enormous inch deep flesh wounds but was still so grateful. I had much to learn from them. There was one patient that had magets in his wounds, that has ate into his leg a deep hole. I swore the twizer used to pull out the maget had to have gone half way in but he didn't even move or make a sound. I've never seen worms/magets in my life before... these yellow little "lavra looking things". I couldn't believe someone was walking around with numberous of magets inside his leg. Hours and hours passed and I began to become more and more comfortable, I had Mazie and the MC sister that had medical history help explain and monitor what i needed to do and I had the grace of God to help guide and give me the strength in doing what i was doing.
The day at Daya Dan ended a lot later than I usually end if i was working upstairs. We finish the line of patients that was waiting along the side of the building on the street. Our last patient was something else... He had some horrible stitchings done at some hospital awhile back, and for some reason he had wires in his foot. Needless to say, his foot was a total mess. It smelled wrost then all the wounds I delt with before combined and his foot was so deformed, with flesh wounds infections and these random wires sticking in and out of his foot. It was beyond what MC sisters, and the volunteers can do... and so we had to get him to the hospital. Although I didn't get to work the with children upstairs I felt as if God got me out of bed for the very reason of helping those at the dispentary. As soon as I finished my work there and returned to sudder street my stomach acted up again and i returned to my weird stomach mode. I'm still praying that it'll clear up.. and nothing seems to be pleasing to my stomach. The thought of food makes it upset but I'm trying.
I realize that Caitlin will be flying out in a couple of hours and tomorrow late night or early morning monday; I'll have a travel buddy! I'm excited! Today there wasn't catehesis with Sr Karina, although many of thought so; but she wanted to meet with Justin one on one, the non-catholic that had these amazing questions, and I could only imagine how benefical that meeting would be for him rather than the other 10 other volunteers that are just looking to pick at sister's brain for new insights and different perspective on the same belief. Anyways, God is amazing and is working hard here in Kolkata. I can not take any credit of the work that was done today and keep it to myself or praised whatsoever. Like Mary, who reflects all praises back to our Heavenly father, as a mirror that reflects the light... may I only begin to praise God through her example for the wonderous deeds He has done today, and the blessings He's given to me and shown me throughout today. All for Jesus ~ always, always.