If we try to be with them...

CHRONICLE OF A  MISSIONARY   Pierre Samson, p.m.é. Philippines, novembre 2010

if we try to be with them...

  And for many, the future may be faced with a smile if we try to be with them.

HOUSE FOR THE AGED :

I have already mentioned that our youth were accomplishing marvellous work in taking care, here and there in their small villages, of the aged who experienced tough situations and at times, great suffering. Their situation becomes complicated when nobody wants or cannot welcome them. And so, we have decided to try to offer a rather rustic residence to a few widows who experience solitude and lack of support. Here are some pictures of their new abode and of their reality. We do not really know if this new initiative will, on the long run, bring a real service to that class of citizens.

THE CLINIC…. REFUGE OF OUR WOUNDED AND SICK PEOPLE

We are being called on the radio. The voice calling us is a sign that there is an emergency, but what… « Yes, what’s going on? », I hear our cook asking.  The voice goes on saying, « A six-month pregnant lady had a bad fall and is seriously wounded. What must we do?  » After a short conversation between those in-charges of the clinic, the answer was rapidly given, « If you can, bring her to the clinic. » Easy for us to say that, but the reality is that she lives more than 2 hours walk from the center, that there is heavy rain for some time already and that her porters will have to cross a river swollen by the rain and take the path that will be in poor state because of the mud, and this can be a risky and dangerous. The answer comes fast, « OK, we will be there in about 2hours. Make a short prayer so that the good Lord will accompany us. » And then, silence… for a moment, we look at one another, then brains begin to work to be ready to face that situation in a few hours. 

Finally she arrives at our clinic...

Luckily, we have 2 nurses with us at the moment. After a medical check-up, the decision is taken : she has to be transferred to the district hospital.

We then have to think about how to carry that sick person, because according to the latest news, no transportation is available in the community.

After being admitted and well treated at the hospital, she came back 2 days later after her ride on the Samurai, but this time, she made the return trip simply seated on a motorcycle like the one you can see on the picture below. What a surprise for us to see her as such at our clinic, knowing the trauma she had gone trough and her state as a pregnant woman. For an answer, she informs us that the doctor, while doing his rounds, simply said: "You can now go back home".

Of course, that doctor had no idea about whereshe lived, thinking probably she resided not far from the hospital. She just followed the order of the doctor and went back, putting up with a long travel of more than one hour on our bad roads. Since then, we are taking care of her and of the child whom she carries by offering them good food… and we foresee that that child who has so much to life will surely have a special role to play in life. The Lord seems to look at it that way…

PRESENCE IN THAT OTHER STAGE OF LIFE

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