After repacking the medications and the van we headed out to the village of Mtiti to have another mobile clinic day. Pastor Peter went to the hospital to get a recovered Lucita released and back home to her family. We were so happy to know that the Lord was with her the past few days! In Mtiti, were lucky to be in a classroom that had plenty of desks and benches to use. We organized in the same teams as yesterday but added a separate station for malaria and glucose tests, which really helped our efficiency.

Patients being seen in the village of Mtiti.

Patients being seen in the village of Mtiti.

A view looking outside from the classroom we were working in after all of the patients had gone.

A view looking outside from the classroom we were working in after all of the patients had gone.

About an hour before the clinic was to close we ran out of malaria test kits, Acetaminophen & Ibuprofen so we had to alter our prescription regimens. We brought a lot of children’s multivitamins with us and were giving them out along with their other medications. At 2pm Mercy again stopped taking people and we had to shut the gate to prevent people from shoving into the room. We ended up seeing 155 patients today and filling 270 prescriptions. We saw the same kinds of symptoms and illnesses as yesterday, and even had several known epileptic patients. This will be good information to know for future medical groups that we send to Madisi.

After we packed up and dropped off the Malawian clinicians, we made our way back to the parsonage. On the way, we passed by a spectacle we had been searching for since we arrived in Madisi – mouse on a stick! Mary Beth and Kip had been telling us about these unique treats since we had our first meeting and we finally saw a mouse-on-a-stick vendor at the market. Chifundo stopped the van and we asked the man if we could pay him for a picture with the charred animals. He agreed and Hugo brought a stick of about 20 cooked mice into the van and Mary Beth had the privilege of posing with (and smelling) the rodent snack.

Our fearless team leader, Mary Beth, holding a skewer of mouse on a stick for all of the team to see.

Our fearless team leader, Mary Beth, holding a skewer of mouse on a stick for all of the team to see.

Back at the parsonage, some took naps while others went outside with the kids or enjoyed the nice weather. Eric stared his usual game of soccer with the kids while Kristen & Shandi entertained them with pictures. After the sun set at 5:45pm, we headed inside to package and label more medications so we would be prepared for our last mobile clinic tomorrow in Chilolo.

Love and Blessings,

Manja a Machiritso

“Healing Hands” (our new team name!)