A constant state of dirty feet.

So, there are a few things that are different in Africa. Title- inspiring being the fact that my feet are always dirty. (I’m sure my mother is having a small heart attack knowing that I would even put that up on the internet)…but it’s true. Normally at home this would incessantly bother me to my very core, but here my attitude can be summed up with one expression- “eh”. Maintaining cleanly feet in South Africa would kind of be an unending battle, and much water wasted…so I accept it, embrace it. Africa me has very dirty feet.

There are a few things that I wanted to write about. I swear my brain has gained a few pounds with all of the thinking I’ve been doing… or lost a few due to intense work out, however you’d like to think of it. Thus I’m introducing a series that may or may not have three elements. The trouble is not that I’ve never had this much time to think…I’m an avid thinker no matter my geographic location, but never before had so much that I felt I wanted, needed to share.

Subgroup A: Perspectives.

I would like to start out with some stats… We brought with us a thousand pounds of meds in our luggage that we checked. Everything has come to into the country in it’s original packaging…but once we get here, our Kirkland brands bottles of 750 need to broken down into something a little bit more practical for handing out at clinic.

To solve our problem we consulted a great historical duo, Sharpies and the Ziploc bag.

125,000 tablets of ibuprofen rationed into Ziploc bags of 100 tablets equates to 1,240 bags. Divided by 10 people is roughly 124 bags per person to count. And then if you have a more specialized job like me, the bag-writer, you are strictly writing the phrase

“ Ibuprofen 500 mg #100.”

1,240 times. And that’s just the Ibuprofen.

The following is the numerical amounts for our top 4 med groups. But may I reiterate that this is just the TOP four.

80,000 paracetamol /100 800 bags
60,000 diphenhydramine/ 60 1,000 bags
24,000 children’s multivitamin/ 60 400 bags.

This is what we have been up to the last two days folks. Two days. Lots of counting, and creating rules that involve never ever counting outloud and games like the “the Perfect Hundred”. These last two days have given a whole new meaning to what it is to serve God. A whole new perspective.

Mission trips are hard, and I don’t think people go into them really expecting them to be a walk in the park… but you don’t know what God is going to make part of your mission until you’re in it. And this has been a marathon of painstaking, detailed, and mind-numbing service. Service to God. Service to our supporters…those who sent us here, and those who need us here.

I haven’t gotten to the clinic part yet. So this part of the trip is hard for me… but I’m also one of few newbies on this trip- and people have come back year after year after year. The trials of “sorting” were a surprise to only me, Carmen, Dan and Anna. Everyone else knew… and expected it- and come every year knowing exactly what they’re getting themselves into. For Sarah and Sharon…seven years in a row.

Counting pills doesn’t make you feel alive. It almost makes you want to die. But there’s so much more to this.