B, C, D, and Hope Center

This week was so packed and busy, it seemed to go by really fast! I worked day shift (7am-3pm) Monday-Thursday, and evening shift (2-10pm) Friday. I was a ping-pong ball this week, bouncing around from ward to ward. Monday I got pulled to B ward for the first time, which is where the general surgery patients are - mostly hernias. Tuesday I worked in D ward (where I'm usually assigned, max-fax), but it was so slow I went back to B half-way through my shift to help them out. Wednesday I was in B again, and Thursday I worked in C. Up til about a week ago, C ward has been left empty. Now we have overflow, low-acuity max-fax patients in there. That day consisted mostly of wound care and dressing changes for me, then playing with balloons and bubbles with the kids once my work was done. Friday I was back in B. It was a good week, but I did feel a little displaced. D ward has come to feel like my home, and I missed it a little. After work we had various meetings and worship services, so I didn't have a whole lot of down time this week. Here are some more pictures from the wards this week:

worship time on D ward

Ursina with some of the kids

Natalie (the max-fax team leader) playing with Lamin

2 of our little ones making friends

Juanita, me, Hannah, and Beth

crazy B ward nurses, with 2 of our translators and one of our patients

Despite the business of the week, I did have time one day to go visit the patients at the Hope Center. That's our outpatient facility down the road from the docks. When patients live too far away to go home, they go stay at the Hope Center to wait for their surgery or follow-up appointments. Going there definitely lifts my spirits - as soon as I walked through the gate I was surrounded by kids who wanted to talk and play and arm wrestle and hold my hands and sit in my lap.