This has been a really spiritual week for me. Sunday was our first and was Fast and Testimony meeting (last week we went to the regional conference broadcast from Salt Lake). In Sacrament meeting, there was one testimony that really touched my heart, even though it was very simple and straight forward. An older gentleman got up to the pulpit and bore his testimony in very plain, direct Spanish, without any "fluff" like stories or scriptures. He simply said that he knows the Church is true, Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God, we have a living Prophet today, and the Scriptures are true. I don't know why this stood out so much to me, maybe it was just because I could actually understand it, but I felt the Spirit so strong after his simple testimony.
On Wednesday, I had another very touching experience when I was in the Baptistry in the Guayaquil Temple. Much to my surprise, there was an American missionary couple that was working in the baptistry that night, which I really needed. This week was a little rough because I was missing home and feeling left out as my friends went off on other adventures. Anyway, after meeting this sweet couple, the Christensens, I couldn't help but compare the husband to my Dad, his brothers, and my Grandfather. As my thoughts turned to my Grandfather, who died when I was quite young, I felt strong, warm arms encircle me in a blanket of peace and comfort that I know was not only my Grandpa Hale, but also my Grandpa Thueson and my Grandma Hale who are also deceased. This is one of only a handful of times that I have ever had such a tangible encounter with the Spirit and such peace and comfort. The Lord knows what I needed that day and he sent 2 angels, the Christensens, to help me feel that love and Spirit.
Then, on Thursday and Friday, I had a bit of a missionary experience. In the community, we've been working with this organization that relies on volunteers to come and serve for 1 year to help with the programs they provide for the community. There has been one volunteer that we have been working with for the past 2 weeks that has really become our friend. Somehow, on Thursday, the subject of religion came up and he was asking a lot of questions. There were about 4 of us, initially, that were answering his questions and trying to explain the gospel... but that was kind of getting difficult because we would often try to answer the question at the same time, or would try to add to another's statement, which just made it somewhat disjointed. A little bit later that day, he and I began talking about the Gospel and Church a little bit more and he had a lot of questions. Fortunately, I was able to answer all of them and, I hope, give him a nice foundation of knowledge. He's a practicing Catholic and really likes to learn about religion, so I really don't know what will come from this, but he did accept a Book of Mormon. :-D However, the Book of Mormon was a little pocket copy that one of the girls in our group had been reading, so she put her testimony in it and "poached my investigator" Haha. One thing that's been really awesome about talking with this guy though, is that he's reciprocated by teaching me about Catholic beliefs and practices, at my request. It's been a really great experience and I loved getting to talk about the Gospel with someone that was really curious to know as much as possible about our Church.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Week 2: Community
The second week here in Guayaquil has been so busy! We have been going non-stop since Monday, working in the community, organizing/doing health fairs, entering data, etc. This week could really use like... 3 extra days in it. (Which is actually pretty odd because time has gone by really fast, but each day is soooo long because we do so much. Example: On Monday, by noon, you could have told me it was Thursday and I would have believed you. The hours ticked by fast, but the days lasted forever.)
All week we've been going out to schools in the rural areas of Guayaquil, specifically Mt. Sinai, with Hogar de Cristo, an organization here that provides services and resources to the needy communities. At the schools, we are measuring height, weight, vision, and hemoglobin to assess the nutrition status of the students. In total, we measured 1041 students over the past 2 weeks and we confirmed our previous results with about 33% of students having anemia, or low hemoglobin levels. This is really concerning because the anemia impairs their ability to grow, develop, and learn. As part of a study we are conducting, we are testing 3 different interventions to try to improve the rate of anemia (decrease the occurrence) and improve the overall nutrition of the children.
To facilitate this, we've been visiting the children's homes and teaching the families about nutrition and what we need to do to stay healthy. We've also met with the school directors, Hogar de Cristo, and several people, including the region's nutrition specialist for Ecuador. Over the next 6 months, we are hoping that Hogar de Cristo will help us implement the interventions so we can come back in November to remeasure the kids and see if there has been any improvement.
Everyday, I've been working with taking the children's hemoglobin, which requires a fingerprick and a drop of blood. Some of the kids handle it really well, and then some kids will wrestle their hand away. With some of the difficult kids we eventually just give up, but we do our best to test every kid. My favorite students to test are the ones that come over nervously, cooperate, and then walk away with a smile on their face, telling everyone "no me duele, no hay dolor." Though, I also enjoy getting to comfort those students that are just so scared of the fingerprick, all they need is a little love and comfort and they usually do pretty well. There was actually one kid that was so ready that she came right over with a big smile on her face and gave me a huge hug. After I pricked her finger, put a bandaid on, and gave her a candy, she hesitated before leaving. Then she came in for another bear hug with another big smile. That was the sweetest hug ever and I didn't want it to end, and I don't think she did either because she just held onto my neck for a long time. That was the moment when time froze and everything screamed at me that moments like these are why I want to not only be a nurse, but also a mom.
At the end of it all, we had a big meeting with Hogar de Cristo, and they gave us each a very special, handmade rosary. The handmade rosary is a very special gift that they reserve for only very special thank you gifts. The only hang-up was when the President of the organization realized that we don't use the rosary in our religion because he was worried he would offend us or that we wouldn't want it. Thankfully, everyone felt the same way--this is a very special and sacred gift that they are giving us. Never in my life did I think I would be so excited to own a Catholic Rosary, but now it is something that I will cherish forever, as a memory for my time here in Ecuador.
All week we've been going out to schools in the rural areas of Guayaquil, specifically Mt. Sinai, with Hogar de Cristo, an organization here that provides services and resources to the needy communities. At the schools, we are measuring height, weight, vision, and hemoglobin to assess the nutrition status of the students. In total, we measured 1041 students over the past 2 weeks and we confirmed our previous results with about 33% of students having anemia, or low hemoglobin levels. This is really concerning because the anemia impairs their ability to grow, develop, and learn. As part of a study we are conducting, we are testing 3 different interventions to try to improve the rate of anemia (decrease the occurrence) and improve the overall nutrition of the children.
To facilitate this, we've been visiting the children's homes and teaching the families about nutrition and what we need to do to stay healthy. We've also met with the school directors, Hogar de Cristo, and several people, including the region's nutrition specialist for Ecuador. Over the next 6 months, we are hoping that Hogar de Cristo will help us implement the interventions so we can come back in November to remeasure the kids and see if there has been any improvement.
Everyday, I've been working with taking the children's hemoglobin, which requires a fingerprick and a drop of blood. Some of the kids handle it really well, and then some kids will wrestle their hand away. With some of the difficult kids we eventually just give up, but we do our best to test every kid. My favorite students to test are the ones that come over nervously, cooperate, and then walk away with a smile on their face, telling everyone "no me duele, no hay dolor." Though, I also enjoy getting to comfort those students that are just so scared of the fingerprick, all they need is a little love and comfort and they usually do pretty well. There was actually one kid that was so ready that she came right over with a big smile on her face and gave me a huge hug. After I pricked her finger, put a bandaid on, and gave her a candy, she hesitated before leaving. Then she came in for another bear hug with another big smile. That was the sweetest hug ever and I didn't want it to end, and I don't think she did either because she just held onto my neck for a long time. That was the moment when time froze and everything screamed at me that moments like these are why I want to not only be a nurse, but also a mom.
At the end of it all, we had a big meeting with Hogar de Cristo, and they gave us each a very special, handmade rosary. The handmade rosary is a very special gift that they reserve for only very special thank you gifts. The only hang-up was when the President of the organization realized that we don't use the rosary in our religion because he was worried he would offend us or that we wouldn't want it. Thankfully, everyone felt the same way--this is a very special and sacred gift that they are giving us. Never in my life did I think I would be so excited to own a Catholic Rosary, but now it is something that I will cherish forever, as a memory for my time here in Ecuador.
Week 1: Hospitals
So, this past 2 weeks have been CRAZY! I haven't had hardly any time to blog/email because we've been super busy, which makes us so exhausted that all we do is sleep in our spare time. Anyway, a lot has happened and I will try to fill you in on the best stuff.
The first week, I spent 4 days in 3 different hospitals: Luis Vernaza (med-surg hospital), Sotomayor (maternity/women's health hospital), and Roberto Gilbert ____?___ (pediatric hospital). The experience was really good, especially to see the differences and similarities between Ecuador and America. The nurses here pretty much only pass medications, the nurse assistants take care of all the hygiene/comfort needs, and the doctors do assessments and write prescriptions. The prescriptions that are written can be taken to any pharmacy--there is practically one on every corner--or they family can buy the medications from the hospital. The nurses here also don't seem to have as much training/knowledge as we are given in the states, nor do they have the ability to exercise much power/authority. I think the saddest thing though, is that there are upwards of 20 patients per each nurse, which means the nurses don't have any time to show compassion and provide for more than just the basic needs.
There is one experience that I really want to share, it was actually quite frustrating/traumatizing for me. I was working in the emergency room and there was a patient that they were going to place a feeding tube in. This patient was intubated due to a stroke, but awake and able to move--except for the restraints that tied his hands to the bed. The doctors/nurses tried about 15 times to insert this NG (Naso-gastric) tube, unsuccessfully. About half of the times it went into the lungs and the other half of the time it would just coil in the back of the throat. Now, an NG tube is actually rather simple to insert,... if done the right way. These doctors/nurses were doing it WRONG! The patient needs to be sitting up with their chin to their chest, but this patient was laying down, arching his head back because it hurt so much to have a drinking straw-like tube shoved into your lungs. Unfortunately, this was the second time that week that this had happened. The day or two before, one of the students had to yell at the doctors to get them to listen to be able to successfully insert the tube. During this huge ordeal, I just kept trying to get someone to translate my (rather forceful) directions, but the other student was timid and didn't want to be too overbearing. Instead she tried making suggestions that went completely unheeded. I was so angry that the doctors were putting this patient through all this, while this old, grandfather figure was tied to a bed, practically writhing in pain. The hardest part? All I could do was hold the patient's hand, try not to cry much, and resist the overwhelming urge to smack the doctors and walk out. I just couldn't stand it, especially when one or more of the doctors started to get a very condescending, stubborn attitude towards the patient and the task of placing the tube. Thankfully, they finally gave up and were actually able to remove the breathing tube, which made it so he can eat and drink on his own, without an NG tube. After he was extubated, I just stood their by his bed, holding his hand, whispering words of encouragement, trying understand his mumbling, and wishing that I could remove his restraints. After about 5 minutes of holding his cold hand and watching him squirm under the thin blanket to try to warm up, I didn't care what the doctors thought. I untied his wrists and put his hands under the covers. He wouldn't let go of my hand as I continued to stand at his side, trying to warm him up. Unfortunately, I had to leave just 10 minutes later and had to re-tie his restraints. Out of compassion and sympathy, I left the restraints loose enough that he could bring his arms to his sides and under the blanket, but tight enough that he couldn't pull out his IV (which was why they restrained him, even though he didn't look like he even had the strength to clasp his hands together).
Anyway, other than that one traumatic incident in the ER, the hospitals have really been great. The treatments they provide are very similar to those in the States, but the care is just done a little differently. It's kind of like they are in the pioneer era, policies-wise, with the delegation of power, the large, multi-patient rooms, etc. Oh, and at the maternity hospital, I got to see my first (and second) cesarean section delivery. It was really kind of neat to watch.
On Friday of the first week, I had the opportunity to go out into the community and help to build a house. It was a really cool experience! The family was so kind, and really grateful for our help. Thankfully, there was a professional builder there to make sure everything was done right, because there is a lot that can go wrong when it comes to building a raised house, on a hill. :-) The house went up really fast, it took us just 5 hours--from post-hole digging to nailing on the roof. It was so awesome to be part of such an important/special time in the people's lives. Anyway, that's pretty much all that happened this first week.
The first week, I spent 4 days in 3 different hospitals: Luis Vernaza (med-surg hospital), Sotomayor (maternity/women's health hospital), and Roberto Gilbert ____?___ (pediatric hospital). The experience was really good, especially to see the differences and similarities between Ecuador and America. The nurses here pretty much only pass medications, the nurse assistants take care of all the hygiene/comfort needs, and the doctors do assessments and write prescriptions. The prescriptions that are written can be taken to any pharmacy--there is practically one on every corner--or they family can buy the medications from the hospital. The nurses here also don't seem to have as much training/knowledge as we are given in the states, nor do they have the ability to exercise much power/authority. I think the saddest thing though, is that there are upwards of 20 patients per each nurse, which means the nurses don't have any time to show compassion and provide for more than just the basic needs.
There is one experience that I really want to share, it was actually quite frustrating/traumatizing for me. I was working in the emergency room and there was a patient that they were going to place a feeding tube in. This patient was intubated due to a stroke, but awake and able to move--except for the restraints that tied his hands to the bed. The doctors/nurses tried about 15 times to insert this NG (Naso-gastric) tube, unsuccessfully. About half of the times it went into the lungs and the other half of the time it would just coil in the back of the throat. Now, an NG tube is actually rather simple to insert,... if done the right way. These doctors/nurses were doing it WRONG! The patient needs to be sitting up with their chin to their chest, but this patient was laying down, arching his head back because it hurt so much to have a drinking straw-like tube shoved into your lungs. Unfortunately, this was the second time that week that this had happened. The day or two before, one of the students had to yell at the doctors to get them to listen to be able to successfully insert the tube. During this huge ordeal, I just kept trying to get someone to translate my (rather forceful) directions, but the other student was timid and didn't want to be too overbearing. Instead she tried making suggestions that went completely unheeded. I was so angry that the doctors were putting this patient through all this, while this old, grandfather figure was tied to a bed, practically writhing in pain. The hardest part? All I could do was hold the patient's hand, try not to cry much, and resist the overwhelming urge to smack the doctors and walk out. I just couldn't stand it, especially when one or more of the doctors started to get a very condescending, stubborn attitude towards the patient and the task of placing the tube. Thankfully, they finally gave up and were actually able to remove the breathing tube, which made it so he can eat and drink on his own, without an NG tube. After he was extubated, I just stood their by his bed, holding his hand, whispering words of encouragement, trying understand his mumbling, and wishing that I could remove his restraints. After about 5 minutes of holding his cold hand and watching him squirm under the thin blanket to try to warm up, I didn't care what the doctors thought. I untied his wrists and put his hands under the covers. He wouldn't let go of my hand as I continued to stand at his side, trying to warm him up. Unfortunately, I had to leave just 10 minutes later and had to re-tie his restraints. Out of compassion and sympathy, I left the restraints loose enough that he could bring his arms to his sides and under the blanket, but tight enough that he couldn't pull out his IV (which was why they restrained him, even though he didn't look like he even had the strength to clasp his hands together).
Anyway, other than that one traumatic incident in the ER, the hospitals have really been great. The treatments they provide are very similar to those in the States, but the care is just done a little differently. It's kind of like they are in the pioneer era, policies-wise, with the delegation of power, the large, multi-patient rooms, etc. Oh, and at the maternity hospital, I got to see my first (and second) cesarean section delivery. It was really kind of neat to watch.
On Friday of the first week, I had the opportunity to go out into the community and help to build a house. It was a really cool experience! The family was so kind, and really grateful for our help. Thankfully, there was a professional builder there to make sure everything was done right, because there is a lot that can go wrong when it comes to building a raised house, on a hill. :-) The house went up really fast, it took us just 5 hours--from post-hole digging to nailing on the roof. It was so awesome to be part of such an important/special time in the people's lives. Anyway, that's pretty much all that happened this first week.
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