Reaching Romania: Patience in darkness, longing for light

Good Morning,

Day Two at Saptre Noiembrie started with two house calls with Doc. Natalie and I set off up the hill into the community. The reason the gypsy villages are in the hills is so that noone can see them. Out of sight, out of mind is the general principle. The people build their houses into the hillside among the trees. It's crowded and there is no privacy. Often families of up to ten people are crammed into a one bedroom.

The first lady we went to visit was 63 years old and was recovering from a stroke. She was unable to speak from the dysphagia and mumbled the entire time we were there but nothing was comprehensible. She was sitting in a moulded armchair facing outside. She was unable to walk or weightbear. Her husband carried her from the bed to the chair in the morning and back again at night. He looked about half her size and I have no idea how he manages. The room was cobwebbed with huge spiders crawling round the ceiling and dirt on the floor. There was no rubbish bin and everything as just scattered in the tiny piece of ground outside their house. It was really hard to see her suffering. We did a full assessment and were able to get a list of medications that would make her more comfortable. Doc then offered to pray for her and she willingly agreed. It was really emotional to see her in pain and unable to communicate her wishes.

The second lady we went to visit with 51 years old and developed Multiple Sclerosis when she was 46. The government grants medication to those with MS due to the severity of their long term condition. However they have recently reduced hers and stated that she has made great improvements and no longer requires it. They feel her MS is not bad enough to warrant additional help. In reality, the last 3 months have seen a rapid deterioration in her condition. It is unclear if they took it away because her assessment was not carried out properly or if they genuinely feel she isn't worthy of it. The lady cannot walk and is not able to get out of her home. The loss of her legs is really limiting and living in the gypsy community does not help. The steps into her house are so precarious that I struggled to get into it so I can completely understand why she is suffering. She is housebound and finds it difficult. We prayer with her too and the tears began to stream down her face. Pray for her as she begins new medication for her MS and that it would improve her symptoms but also that she would see the importance of her spiritual health.

Then I went with one of the long term workers to pick up this little lady. She was unable to make the 300m walk from her house to the medical clinic. She is 83 years old and a firm believer. She is trusting in Jesus for her daily bread and her eternal salvation. She walks with a cane and every body part she has seemed to have a problem. She is not worried about her physical body and is longing for her Saviour and the day she will see him face to face. She was such an encouragement and her patience is incredible. She lost her husband many years ago and she shares with others as she waits her turn. We brought her down to the clinic and I stayed with her until she was ready to go home again.

The rest of the team had started the triage and doctors stations. This is the room where 5 stations run. There is a lot of coordinating to smoothly have a patient enter the clinic, receive a ticket, see the triage station, a doctor, pharmacy, opticians, dentist and wound care. Yesterday I was helping to direct patients and have a continual flow trying to ensure that the doctors were not sitting waiting with noone. It was good fun. Floating about trying to organise people who just had no intention of being organised.

And after about a week of trying I managed to get a photograph of Nicola doing some work! Not that she hasn't been working. Just attempting to coordinate her working and me free with a camera has proved to be a massive challenge. If anything it may even suggest that she has been working harder as she's so difficult to find! Or...she's been skiving. I'll let you figure out which one. Either way, here she is doing some wonderful wound care on a lady who stood on a nail.

Queuing

Wound Care on 3 amputated toes that weren't stitched. My dad and Uncle Alistair helped build this guys house which is cool.

Yesterday was a difficult day for the long term workers as one of the girls that came in was known to them. She had been out working the streets to earn additional income for her family, this was most probably her husbands suggestion. Anyhow, she arrived with stitches on her head and two black eyes and in pretty bad shape. She was drawn and was trying to hide in the corridors. It was tough to see her so desperate to stay in the shadows and not be seen by those around her. Please pray that all the young women and girls involved in such work would be freed from sin and come to know God. To know they are accepted, loved and forgiven in Him when they receive Jesus. That barriers and vicious cycles would be broken and lives transformed.