Thursday 14th July 2016
Today, our team was split in two again; one left for a village in Nala to run the medical and dental clinics, while the other proceeded on to Keraghari village to carry out ground works for a proposed new church.
Nala Village
We ran medical and dental clinics in a church in Nala. Since we were expecting a large number of patients, we put together a plan of action for crowd control on the night before. After gaining experience from the previous days, Hui King, Derek and Benson set up a queuing area under a temporary roof and ensured the numbering system went smoothly. Patients were transferred to designated sectors efficiently and orderly from the registration desk and Triage to the medical, physiotherapy and dental sectors.
Every sector did a really great job by cooperating with each other as well as the local translators. The CRS nurses in Triage asked the patients about their health problems and checked their blood pressure and temperature. Doctor Ivan and his CRS nurses had a very fun and efficient cooperation. Catherine assisted in both medical and pharmacy; acting as a bridge between the two sectors. Sharon had a busy day as she constantly gave treatment to patients. Dentist Jason saw patients aged from 8 to 80 years old and carried out a number of tooth operations until around 5pm. Maisy interviewed a number of patients, including children, throughout the day. From seeing the smiles on the patients' faces, I could feel their satisfaction and appreciation, which reminds me of simple happiness.
An incident happened in the morning where a woman fainted in the middle of the room due to low blood sugar levels. Her daughter looked utterly helpless but kept company by her side. The doctor and CRS nurses immediately carried out first aid on her and she was awake after a while.
After lunch, I was instantly fascinated by the wedding parade that passed by the medical camp. Everyone ran out of the camp to join the fun and enjoyed the hilarious atmosphere.
It seems that we had a really long day because of the workload but everyone enjoyed it very much, as we found happiness through helping those in need. By chatting with the locals, lots of interesting stories were told, such as getting married without any dating and not being allowed to speak Nepalese in some private schools (only English was permitted). Although we have finished our missions here, we are still brothers and sisters in Christ, as well as friends, and will keep in touch wherever we are.
The clinics service also came to an end today and the pastor showed their thankfulness by giving the traditional Nepalese accessories (scarves for girls and hats for boys) to us. We had also prepared love gifts to them in return.
Before getting on the bus, everyone grabbed every single opportunity to take photos with the helpers and church people for memory. It was a good day and will always be.
Keraghari Village
We returned to Keraghari village to carry out ground works for a proposed new church. We continued digging the foundations to the target depth of 5ft5 (165cm) which was calculated by local structural engineers to be earthquake proof. We also did a bit of mine-crafting and remove a small part of a 3m high cliff to make to wide enough to allow access for a bulldozer to finish off the works.
Pastor Sabinda showed us his old church which has suffered from major structural damage caused by the earthquake. However, the existing church will need to be demolished due to widening of the highway and unfortunately no compensation from the government.
Pastor Sabinda shared a short testimony on how he started the church. He was originally a maths teacher but gave up his career after being called by God to build a church in Keraghari. Initially his family was not impressed with his decision to become a church pastor but with God's guidance he has managed to bless the local village with the gospel.
After lunch we revisited the village of Sekharpur and met up with pastor Bir. Pastor Bir shared a strong testimony on how he was seriously possessed and wanted to commit suicide because he lost control over his body. After a failed suicide attempt, which his wife saved him from, he prayed to God and heard a calling from God saying his life would be filled with his spirit. After accepting Christ he still heard voices from demons tempting him to commit suicide, but this time he was able to overcome it by the power of the Holy Spirit. Since becoming a Christian he has learnt to read by studying the Bible which he had to share with three other church members due to lack of resources. After one Christmas service, he had a strong calling from God to open a church at his village, which he did 8 years and has now currently 85 members. His vision is to open an elderly care home next to the church and start a daughter church in another village 7km away.
