Day 10: The smell of the delicious Ethiopian coffee brewing in the kitchen helped us all arise early, as we knew we had a long day ahead of us. Our devotion centered on inner brokenness, and we read the hard words of Luke 6:17-26, as well as Matthew 5: 1-12. These two different versions of the beatitudes point us toward the understanding of what makes us poor or rich, contrasting the material and spiritual. A sincere discussion of our own inner barriers which prevent us from gaining spiritual riches, and becoming more Christ like in this process of transformation of the heart, concluded with prayer for those we would minister to today.

Aboard our trusty metal steed, our driver once again expertly navigated the streets of Addis on our way to the Kali Haywat church in the Bole district. He was foiled, however, when we encountered a metal barrier across the road as we neared the church, and so we all piled out of the bus and unloaded our cargo of medical supplies into Teddy's small van. The onlookers at this busy corner were fascinated by our task, as we filled the van and walked thru the streets en masse towards the church. A light drizzle fell from the cloudy skies, and we arrived at the church to find many patients waiting expectantly for our arrival.

The clinic today was once again unique. One of the first patients reported that he was seeing worms in his stool and another early patient was an elderly woman with hypertension. Many young women have back pain and sciatic symptoms from their daily hard labor. One of the most heart wrenching patients was a 10 year old girl seen by Burt. She had contracted polio as a young child and had contractures of her right leg. From the down country, her parents had her sent to Black Lion for surgery on her Achilles tendon to release the contracture. This was unfortunately never followed up with any physical therapy, so her contractures persisted. Her parents then forced her from the home as she was no use to them in this condition. An aunt in Addis had taken her in, but brought her to the clinic stating she too could no longer support her. Her medical complaint was quickly resolved, but the social situation required more work. Teddy sprang into action, and with a number of quick phone calls and discussions, Burt was presented with a solution. Compassion International would accept the child as one of their sponsored children, and they would direct support thru the church in which we were working. The tears of rejection and suffering on this young girl's face were replaced with a radiant smile that will remain in Burt's memory forever.

One patient brought tears to us, however. A mother came in with her baby, febrile and with the worst eczematous dermatitis any of us had seen. The mother was tearful herself, as until our clinic she had been unable to get any care for her child. The contrast of the picture of this child with the memories of our own children back home was profoundly moving, and one we are not soon to forget.

In the afternoon a powerful rain shower moved thru, and as our clinic was held in the church with a corrugated metal roof, the noise was deafening. We were shouting to hear each other as we interviewed the patients, but by the time we finished the clinic at the end of the day, the sun had returned and a bright rainbow capped our day. Retracing our walk thru the neighborhood, we loaded up the bus once again with a crowd watching, with a number of children practicing their English with us - "How are you? What is your name". Heading back to the guest house, the team was tired but satisfied that our day was a success.

Tomorrow will be our last clinic day, just as we have developed a smooth running clinic, everyone handling their new roles without a glitch. Nancy and Gayle have the pharmacy running better than any Longs Drugs, Chelsea is now an expert at preparing slides looking for TB, Mike was seeing patients on his own and functioning as a PA for the team, and Amy was handling her own station like an experienced resident physician. What a pleasure to also watch Burt working side by side with his new nurse Mimi, who helped him all day at his station, the first time they had worked together. God has been so good to us, and we know he is answering the prayers of all of you back home by showering blessings on our team, OUR team, of which you are a vital part. Egziabeher ybarkachu- God bless you all!