A quiet Wednesday at home!

If any of you have been keeping up with Malawi politics, you know that today, Aug. 17th, more demonstrations had been scheduled. They were supposed to be peaceful, but the last peaceful protest ended up with live bullets, riots, looting and 19 people dead. The plan was to close the clinic and keep everyone at home and safe. Late Tuesday the word came down that the demonstrations had been canceled, but to err on the side of caution, it was still recommended that people stay home. So, we are home. I have caught up on emails, printed some photos I will be leaving with folks here, rearranged a bag that is staying here and starting packing to leave. Joseph is working on the car and then school work. Monday and Tuesday I was in the clinic (Dr. Young is on a family holiday), and my plan is to be there Thursday and Friday, also. We have one more clinic scheduled - at the prison on Tuesday. I have included photos of Chikumbutso, the crisis nursery baby that we are feeding in the inpatient ward. He is gaining weight (3.4 kg) and looking awake and perky! When he gets to 3.9 we will send him back to crisis. In the clinic yesterday we got to see the little one that Rosemary is fostering - another crisis nursery baby that apparently came in near death - she is chubby and smiling now! We also took the opportunity Tuesday afternoon to visit Charles, his wife and son, Praise, at their home. Charles was one of our guards last year and if you have been following the blog, you will recognize him as one of the our most used translators. He has been a great help to us in the clinics. We had some books and a toy car for Praise, along with a few other tokens of appreciation for Charles.
A family showed up in the clinic from Ntcheu. The mom and baby had been attacked and bitten by a village dog a week ago. They had been searching for rabies vaccine but to no avail. We had some in the clinic (both will need the full course), but they had no money, and had traveled from quite a way. Thanks to Peter at the clinic - he arranged for the rabies medications to be paid for! They will stay with family in a nearby village until the long course of rabies treatment is done, and the wounds will also be bandaged and treated at ABC. The mom had bites on her leg, her arm and her breast; the child had a nasty deep bite on the foot. Rabies in the village dogs and cats is a huge problem here.
Joseph did find one of the problems with the car - looks like a pulley has a rough place that is 'eating up' the belts, not to mention making a horrific noise. Unfortunately, we have no replacement parts with us!

Thanksgiving / Praise - no riots so far; that the government might take the citizens' concerns seriously; that Chikumbutso is doing so well; having Joseph here with his multiple skills!; for the availability of rabies vaccine at the clinic; our friends here in Malawi.

Prayers: continued safety; the upcoming prison clinic; our preparations for leaving in a little over a week.

Pictures:Joseph working on the Rav 4.

Loveness with Chikumbutso

Close up of Chikumbutso

Charles and family

Carson with the little one who is chubby and smiling (although not so smiley in this photo!)

Dog bite - leg

Dog bite - foot