First Visit to the Hospital/Clinic

Tessa gave us our first reason to visit the Cite Lumiere Clinic today.  Of course, Rob is away on his first overnight trip.  He’s at the Zanglais Retreat Center with a team from Gainsville, FL who was out visiting their sister church.    About an hour after he left, I hear Tessa screaming.  I was outside by our depot and she was by our front “porch” door and shut her thumb in the iron gate door.  Her thumb was shut in the hinge side and the gate had latched.  Josette was closest to her and had to unlatch the gate to get her thumb out.  Looking at where her thumb was later tonight, I have no idea how she didn’t  completely crush her thumb.  I could tell right away I needed to take her to the clinic to see a doctor--  her thumb was already blood-red from broken blood vessels and looked flattened.  It was all I could do to take a deep breath and stay clam. 

Since Rob was away, I had to think pretty quick about what to do.  We have a large staff with RMI here, but anyone who could help me from RMI was with the team headed to Zanglais.  I called RMI missionary Amy Long, since I knew Rob wouldn’t be at the retreat center yet.  Her roommate is a nurse-practitioner at the clinic.  She couldn’t get a hold of her, but did get a hold of Karen Martin, another missionary here who works at the clinic.  I knew where the clinic was (only 1 to 2 miles from our house) but had no idea where to go when I got there, much less speak the necessary Creole!  Karen agreed to meet me at the clinic and Tessa and I hopped on the four-wheeler and drove up there.

Today I am especially thankful.  Thankful for people willing to drop everything to help me—Karen was awesome!  Thankful for a good medical clinic so close by.  Thankful that the US surgeon, Dr. Bill, who comes in once a month for a week, was there to look at the X-ray.  Thankful for a well-equipped hospital/clinic (for Haiti, anyway) that was able to do an X-ray on the spot.

Tessa’s thumb has a “clean crack” in it that Dr. Bill said should heal well.  She has it wrapped in gauze and tape to act as a splint for the next few days and Dr. Bill said he’d figure out some kind of splint for after that.  Tessa was a little scared, especially at the clinic, but she really was a trooper and I am proud of her for being so brave.  She doesn’t seem to be in much pain.  Would you pray with me, that over the next few days the pain would be minimal and that her thumb would heal well?  Praise the Lord with me for His provision today!

~Becky