We said good bye to Sashmita Aind - one of our JSK nurses.
She had worked with us for 2 years - had put in sweat and tears - and had done a good job. Never complaining - we saw her go out to homes to meet people there - and look after the odd patient that we had in our in-patient centre.
She committed herself to work for 2 years with us. She did. Now she wants to get married - and so has left us to go home to Orissa - and prepare for the nuptials.
We had had a quiet 10 days at the JSK centre. No inpatients - despite utter chaos at the local govt. hospitals.
On the day Sashmita left us - we admitted 3 men to the centre. All very sick.
We have 2 nurses with us now. One of whom has a small child at home. And 1 nurse aide. It was a tremendous step of faith for Sheba to even admit one person. Let alone 3.
Two of them are really very sick.
One of them - we will call him Tahir - was comatose. Tahir had been in a govt. hospital for 2 weeks and nothing was done. Skin and bones. His wife and mother brought him in to JSK in a terrible state. I did not have much hope seeing the emaciated unconscious man. But we prayed. And Sheba and the team swung into action. Sheba asked Agnes to put in an NG tube. After a year of not doing so - Agnes did it successfully.
Today Tahir is talking. He has started eating. His wife is overjoyed. But he still has a long way to go- both physically and emotionally. We can see the cruel way that he has been treating his wife by his actions from the sick-bed. Its heartbreaking to see him recover only for so much ugliness to surface - yet at the same time, we know that there is so much hope for each person - and Tahir is no exception to that. Sheba was able to spend time counselling and praying with Tahir's wife too.
The other two men want to go home.
Jackie is very sick with TB. But this morning he was sitting outside the room with a smile on his face. He said that he will go home and that his 'friends' will come and look after him there. His mother was most upset at this. When Sheba asked who these friends were - Jackie told the names of our JSK staff. When Jackie's mother asked him to stay at least another day he became convulsed with anger. His gaunt frame shaking he told his mother that he would kill her. The poor lady went away and cried. Sheba talked with Jackie and tried to calm him down. She then talked with the mother and prayed with her. All this before she went to church this morning!
This evening the other man - who we will call Babu - was downstairs for our Sunday evening gospel time. He sat in the front row and listened while we sang and bro. Anil Sainani shared from the bible. Then when Sheba went up to do a final rounds for the day she found that Babu had put all his belongings on his bed. Why did you do this? She asked him. "I am going home now" he said.
Sheba had to explain that a hospital was not like a hotel - where you can come and go when you want. Babu still has a fever. She persuaded him to stay another day - and be examined for fever tomorrow.
This is the first time we have been looking after 3 very sick people at the same time. We go forward with much weakness - but also seeing miracles take place before our eyes. I am so proud of Sheba for the steps of faith she is taking us into.
She had worked with us for 2 years - had put in sweat and tears - and had done a good job. Never complaining - we saw her go out to homes to meet people there - and look after the odd patient that we had in our in-patient centre.
She committed herself to work for 2 years with us. She did. Now she wants to get married - and so has left us to go home to Orissa - and prepare for the nuptials.
We had had a quiet 10 days at the JSK centre. No inpatients - despite utter chaos at the local govt. hospitals.
On the day Sashmita left us - we admitted 3 men to the centre. All very sick.
We have 2 nurses with us now. One of whom has a small child at home. And 1 nurse aide. It was a tremendous step of faith for Sheba to even admit one person. Let alone 3.
Two of them are really very sick.
One of them - we will call him Tahir - was comatose. Tahir had been in a govt. hospital for 2 weeks and nothing was done. Skin and bones. His wife and mother brought him in to JSK in a terrible state. I did not have much hope seeing the emaciated unconscious man. But we prayed. And Sheba and the team swung into action. Sheba asked Agnes to put in an NG tube. After a year of not doing so - Agnes did it successfully.
Today Tahir is talking. He has started eating. His wife is overjoyed. But he still has a long way to go- both physically and emotionally. We can see the cruel way that he has been treating his wife by his actions from the sick-bed. Its heartbreaking to see him recover only for so much ugliness to surface - yet at the same time, we know that there is so much hope for each person - and Tahir is no exception to that. Sheba was able to spend time counselling and praying with Tahir's wife too.The other two men want to go home.
Jackie is very sick with TB. But this morning he was sitting outside the room with a smile on his face. He said that he will go home and that his 'friends' will come and look after him there. His mother was most upset at this. When Sheba asked who these friends were - Jackie told the names of our JSK staff. When Jackie's mother asked him to stay at least another day he became convulsed with anger. His gaunt frame shaking he told his mother that he would kill her. The poor lady went away and cried. Sheba talked with Jackie and tried to calm him down. She then talked with the mother and prayed with her. All this before she went to church this morning!
This evening the other man - who we will call Babu - was downstairs for our Sunday evening gospel time. He sat in the front row and listened while we sang and bro. Anil Sainani shared from the bible. Then when Sheba went up to do a final rounds for the day she found that Babu had put all his belongings on his bed. Why did you do this? She asked him. "I am going home now" he said.
Sheba had to explain that a hospital was not like a hotel - where you can come and go when you want. Babu still has a fever. She persuaded him to stay another day - and be examined for fever tomorrow.
This is the first time we have been looking after 3 very sick people at the same time. We go forward with much weakness - but also seeing miracles take place before our eyes. I am so proud of Sheba for the steps of faith she is taking us into.
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Our immediate wish-list:- At least 3 trained nurses with a desire to serve people with HIV in the name and manner of Jesus.
- At least 1 doctor with the same desires
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