I'm in India??

This week has been good... After a rather rough week last week... But Monday I took care of a boy with acute abdominal pain and sat with his family and prayed with them. Yesterday in the medical camp was somewhat sobering. After playing with the kids much of the afternoon, I was called over by Dr. Anna. She explained that the patient she was talking with had had a fairly rare medical condition resulting after the delivery of her child causing deformities of her hands and feet preventing her from walking or doing almost anything. And then we prayed. There was some strange power in it--knowing nothing but that could help this woman. In speaking to her husband afterwards the boys discovered that of course he had taken a second wife! What choice did he have? I felt sobered and silenced thinking of her position in life. How can I begin to fathom that loss--loss of your physical abilities, loss of your husband in a sense, loss of your ability and respect, total dependence for everything. This encounter was followed by a 4 month old baby placed in my arms, which i love :) It was then explained to me as I held this beautiful child that the mother standing next to me was 16 years old. She had been married for 4 years already--since she was 12 years old. To have been married for 8 years by the time I am at this point in my life? I can't begin to wrap my mind around the monstrous responsibility at such a young age. Seeing a face with the story stopped me in my tracks.

Today--I gave my first injection :) Basically, I was taking care of a patient with suspected malaria--fever, loose motions, vomitting. One of the nurses is from Germany and was explaining everything to me as he went. Finally he just handed me the syringe. The day overall made me feel 'useful' and that I was being productive! My task-orientedness was definitely coming out, but it was a good day!

I actually woke up this morning: looked out the window, heard the birds, saw the palm trees and wondered to myself that such a place should be my home for the next 9 months. Its incredible to me that I could be this privileged.