Rachel’s Blog

Post #2: Not in Kansas (Missouri) anymore….. February 5

I arrived safely in Kapuna on February 3rd.  Apparently there was some
mix-up with picking me up at the airport.  The people who were supposed to
get me came several hours early and thought I didn’t come.  Fortunately,
one of the doctor’s family members, Collin, was in Port Moresby and came
and found me.  Fortunately, my luggage arrived with me in Port Moresby,
which had not been the case for some previous students.  We then went to
the counter for HeviLift airlines, where we found out that the flight was
full for the next day.  Collin, Mary (a visiting financial consultant), and
some of Kikori’s staff were all flying out the next day, as well.  So, the
airline put me on a wait list.  Additionally, their credit card machine
wasn’t working (which was how I had planned to pay).  I stayed overnight at
Mapang Missionary Guest House.  I enjoyed meeting other missionaries
working in PNG.  They all had interesting stories to tell.

I had a sense of peace about the flight the next day.  Everyone prayed,
and, because God is good, I was able to get on the flight with everyone
else the next day.  When we arrived at Kikori, we loaded into a boat and
did the approximately five hour boat trip to Kapuna Hospital.  At this
point, I had been traveling for three days, so it was nice to arrive and
settle in for awhile.

Yesterday was my first day on the wards, and it was quite an introduction
to life in PNG.  A woman had come in the day before in labor.  The baby was
in an unusual transverse position.  To complicate matters, the woman’s
labor stopped despite a significant amount of oxytocin, a drug we use to
strengthen contractions.  By the time I was first came onto ward the next
day, the baby had died.  Normally, a woman can go on to deliver the body,
but since she had a complete arrest of labor, it became a difficult task,
particularly with bizarre presentation we had- a hand, foot, and umbilical
cord.  Fortunately, the hospital had just received a portable ultrasound
machine.  Between Dr. Archer and myself, we got it working and were able to
visualize the position and confirm that there was not more than one
baby.  With a lot of difficulty, Dr. Archer was able to finally deliver the
baby.  I will spare everyone the gruesome details.  We finished the
afternoon with a funeral service with the mother and grandmother.  The baby
is buried in a little cardboard box on the hospital grounds.  It was
pouring down rain at the time.  As Dr. Archer told the mother, it was if
God was crying with us.  We sang a couple of songs, including Jesus Loves
Me, together.  The words definitely have a new meaning to me now.  Dr.
Calvert explained to me that here, women simply don’t expect to have a live
baby, so they deal well with situations like this.  It’s just a part of
life here.  We were very fortunate that the mother had no significant
postpartum hemorrhage and is showing no signs of infection.  Despite the
difficult delivery, she had no significant tears, either.  That was my
first day working in the hospital.

Today was my second day.  I am learning the treatment protocols here and
learning about many drugs that we do not use in the US.  I have seen
extrapulmonary TB and leprosy for the first time.  All of the staff is
wonderful and so friendly.  They have all made me feel very welcome.  I
have been very thankful that Dr. Archer and her family have been feeding
me, as I would not have known how to cook here.  Sago is the local
carbohydrate, which is made from a tree trunk and is similar to
cornmeal.  It is mixed with a variety of things such as coconut and cooked
in a pan.  I also learned how to shell and eat a whole crab today.  I’ve
had a variety of greens, potatoes, and pumpkins, all of which have been
quite good.  I’m very happy that the Lord blessed me by not making me a
picky eater!

I really enjoy the fact that God is an integral part of life here.  All of
the involved staff pray over patients before procedures.  It is very nice
to be open about faith.  In the United States, people worry so much about
offending someone or, especially for teachers, being fired for talking
about God.

Thank you all for your prayers and support!