The alarm seemed to beep way too soon but my excitement for the medical outreach still made crawling out of bed tolerable. Pickup at 630 and breakfast at 7 then hop in some hired minivans known locally as “Tro Tros.” About an hour got us the village of Amoakroam. A host of uniformed schoolchildren quickly enveloped the team members as we exited our vans, nearly overwhelming Willi whose vibrant energy seemed to feed the swarm and carry her deeper into the throng.
Soon Theovision’s project man Charles was leading the team down through the village to the new latrine project where footings a cistern and the cement forms for ongoing progress were in place. Our stroll through the village while carefully avoiding stepping in the raw sewage drainage was a great lesson in how simple things like a well-placed latrine can make a huge difference in village health. Amoakroam already has a good well so a nice latrine will complete that all-important village health “big two”—a well and a latrine.
Just a few minutes later the team was unloading the trucks to begin setting up for a day’s worth of mobile medical outreach. The flow of registration to vital signs to doctor to pharmacy was established and those not directly involved in patient care or pill counting soon were off with swarms of children eagerly playing simon says, duck duck goose or soccer. Manolo’s drama and mime were a hit and his unending energy was and is a great asset. But wait, word came that the village chief had arrived. Stop everything!
Chairs were gathered, a throne fetched and a small animal fur placed at its foot. The Chief, his staff holder and public announcer filed into the room with a dozen additional elders or so. Dressed in colorful draped clothes with one shoulder exposed, the chief was easy to spot in his crown with silver medallions. He took the seat of honor and his staff bearer sat in front of the group to act as voice for the king. At least that is how he seemed at that point—kingly, like royalty. The staff was nearly as tall as the men and towered over them once they sat. A carving of some sort adorned the top and all was painted gold. Later I was told that the carving symbolized that many hands must work together to lift up the village. Indeed this is the message we are living during this trip through our partnership with Woodmen Valley Chapel, HCJB Global and Theovision. All of us working together in dynamic partnership that accomplishes much more than any one of us could alone.
At the end of the day we saw 327 patients and filled around 1500 prescriptions. The children were entertained and heard a lot of stories about God and Jesus. By the end of the day I did not see anyone who wasn’t exhausted and ready to stop. An amazing first day. God give us new mercies for tomorrow!
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