Carry Your Name: Be Near

But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all Your deeds. Psalm 73:28

Grace. That’s what I need each of you to have before reading my attempt at summarizing a week that feels like a lifetime. I should’ve known my week would be a constant adventure when I figured out Sunday morning that I was locked inside the compound with no guard (who has the key) to be found. The only way out was over, under, or through the locked iron gate. I will let your imagine run as to which I did. No key was involved. Anyways, after escaping, I went to church and lunch with the Rehmeyers. Afterwards, my sweet friend from Hawane Baptist came to visit. Her name is Lomanono (aka Nono), and she is the girl I mentioned in a previous post that shared Genesis 28:15 with me during her time of testimony. Nono and I sat down with a cup of tea, and I was about to ask her about her family but instead she whipped out her Human Anatomy and Physiology textbook. She was learning about the central nervous system and wanted me to explain the chapter to her. Welcome to my life! I attempted to explain some concepts to her and then we talked for an hour or two about our families, lives, struggles, and the way the Lord is working. At one point, Nono asked me to teach her how to study the Bible, and we spent some time doing just that. We also talked a lot about discipleship, what it looks like, why we should be doing it, etc. It was a wonderful way to start the week! I was incredibly encouraged by my friend and really look forward to spending more time with her.

Monday and Tuesday were usual clinic days. Monday, I spent most of the day learning the electronic health record (I know…surprised me, too), and on Tuesday, I was able to see patients on my own. Wednesday was an incredibly busy day so I worked alongside one of the doctors to try to expedite the process of seeing patients. Thursday was Challenge Clinic, which is a specific program for patients with medication adherence issues, multiple complex conditions, and those failing treatment. It was really interesting and really sad at the same time. Swaziland only has 1^st line and 2^nd line options for ARVs right now. Therefore, switching to 2^nd line is a big deal because if you fail that regimen as well, there is nothing else to offer. I learned a lot about indications for switching and why they don’t rush to the next treatment at the first sign of failure. I also had the chance to work with one of the physicians I had not spent any time with yet. On Friday, I taught about 30 school nurses and health workers about asthma. It is a relief to have that lecture finished. Now, I am working on a Standard of Procedure for the Baylor Clinic involving testing and treating cryptococcal meningitis.

Another big thing happened this week…I got a new roommate! She had heard she would be living in a hut with a male resident (aka the guy named Hunter - thanks Mom and Dad), and I had heard she was a Baylor resident. There are some communication issues around here if you haven’t picked up on that yet. Anyways, her name is Nina, and she is also a 4^th year medical student from UMass. And PS: we don’t live in a hut. In fact, we have a generator so we haven’t even been without power yet. PTL. Nina and I have already become good friends bonding over grocery shopping, meal preparation and movies like The Little Mermaid and Finding Nemo. I am really going to enjoy her the next 2 weeks. We did find out a few days ago that we have a 3^rd roommate coming this weekend. His name is Andrew, and he is a pediatric infectious disease doctor. Should be interesting. Good thing we aren’t in a hut after all. J

Nina and I have already had several adventures together. I’ll share one briefly … On Thursday night I went with the Rehmeyers to Mountain Inn to hear them present to a group of American tourists. The Rehmeyers were sharing about HIV in Swaziland as well as the work they are doing here. At the end of the hour, the group also asked me to share some about what brought me to Swaziland and my plans for the future. They also asked me what I thought needed to happen in Swaziland for things to change since there continues to be no evidence of behavior change. The answer is plain and simple… a heart change has to happen first. I was able to share the gospel with them, which was super exciting. Afterwards, one of the ladies invited us to stay for dinner. I spent most of the evening hanging out with Daran and Teresa’s daughter, Joelle, and getting to know her more. After they dropped me off, I walked into my house and was met at the door by Nina. She promptly informed me that we had two guests spending the night with us. To make a ridiculously long story short, 2 small Swazi girls showed up late for their appointment on Thursday and found the clinic to be closed. One of the doctors picked up dinner for them and then dropped them off at our house for the night about 3 hours before I arrived home. The girls didn’t speak English and Nina was day 2 in Swaziland. Praise the Lord for Disney movies and hot tea. J The next morning, we got them to their clinic appointments… well fed and well showered (they each took 2).

Today, I met my friend, Ntombi, in town for lunch. Nina went to the candle factory with 2 of the Baylor doctors and then met us in town afterwards. Ntombi, Nina and I enjoyed some ice cream at KFC and then ran some errands before coming home. Tonight, I am having dinner with Daran and Teresa and then will head to Thunzini with my best friend, Simanga, tomorrow morning. I am so excited.

This has been an extremely busy week. There have also been things like intense hailstorms, lovely financial surprises, and more exploding eggs that I didn’t even mention. Like I said previously, never a dull moment. However, I have felt the Lord walking through it all with me. His presence has given me peace despite some really difficult days. I know He is growing me and continuing to teach me. I just pray for a willing heart and spirit that accepts His instruction…no matter how difficult.

Have a great weekend! Hoping to take more pictures at some point to share with you.

Hunter

You have made known to me the path of life; You fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand. Psalm 16:11