Tuesday clinic and Tuesday night

We breakfasted again at our usual 6:30 am and were on the road back to the church at 7:30 am following a nightlong thunderstorm.  We were concerned that the slum would be solid mud, but our friend and driver Mambo was able to maneuver our van through anything that got in our way.  There were a few people waiting in the tent for us, but nothing like Monday when the weather was dry.

We had a fairly steady flow of people all day long once things got rolling around 8:30.  By the end of the day, we had seen 320 people and we had definitely made several lives much better,including a little girl that couldn’t see the blackboard.  She was fitted with some pretty strong glasses and she and her mother were all smiles when she could see clearly.  I got a few pictures of the mother and her and will post them when I return.  Our Internet has been spotty with the storms and is not very fast, so getting many pictures out is not likely until later.

The rest of the team either had dinner at our lodge or got a bite over at the Junction Mall across the street.  Pastor Kevin and I were invited into the home of our East Africa and South Africa coordinator for missions, Rev. Shauen Trump and his wife Krista.  It poured down rain in what some Texans would call a real toad strangler.  I had my poncho with me, I had learned from old-timers over the years that if you hadn't used something you brought in three trips in a row, don't bring it again, with the exception of a poncho.  Krista came out with a couple of big umbrellas to usher us into the house as we stepped through some puddles that seemed to be 6 inches deep.  After removing our shoes, we met Shauen’s parents who are visiting from the States and got to see the couple’s 3 young boys before they were put to bed.  We were treated to a wonderful Mexican meal with homemade salsa and chips, incredible chicken enchiladas with great cheese and jalepenos in them followed by a desert of grilled pineapple that had been marinated in a concoction which included tequila and several other secret ingredients.  We had a nice night of conversation, with no one staring into a smart phone or tablet.  It was refreshing and there was a wide range of topics interspersed with quite a few laughs.  A good time was had by all.  I'm glad to see the art of conversaion has not completely disappeared from the earth as we even looked each other in the eye occasionally!  We are so thankful we got to see these friends this time, since we have had conflicting travel or other schedule issues the past year or two.  I hope we can return the favor with a nice night out on our next trip in June of next year.

That’s about it for now, morning will be here plenty soon enough. Many more stories to come, I’m sure!

Note:I tried to post this last night, but Internet wasn't good enough, so here it is around 6:15 am Wednesday.  Better late than never!