Is that a stick in your toe?

This week has been a holiday week between the 2nd and 3rd quarters of school here on Boracay.  As a family we decided one of our favorite things about being here is going to our feeding site, Laguna; so for holiday we committed to spending more time with the people there. 

This is Joseph, along with his pet rat.  On Tuesday we were hanging out with the kids, playing some ball, when I looked up and saw Biz dragging Joseph across the sand.  I yelled to Man and we ran to help.  Joseph had stepped on a branch with thorny, three inch spikes, like an acacia tree.  A spike stuck out through his toe, and the branch still hung from his foot.  Folks hollered for the village 'nurse' and he came running.  He broke the spike off on the bottom and tried to pull the remaining part through Joseph's foot, it broke off.  After about 10 minutes of him trying to dig out the thorn with tweezers and nail trimmers it was clear that Joseph would need a doctor.  But they had no money.  There is no way most of the villagers can go to a doctor.  Many married folks don't wear wedding rings; they have already had to sell them at the pawn shop to pay for life. 

Thank God we were there, and yes, we have money.  Man took off with Joseph and a translator, Jerry.  Jerry said a trike would cost too much money - a total of maybe 30 pesos or 70 cents.  Rather than argue Man went along on a run through villages, yards, down alleys, coming out near the hospital.  There are clinics on the island, and I think any of them would be a better choice than the hospital, but to the hospital they went.

Once they had arrived the doctors said they could not treat Joseph without a release from a parent, so Jerry set off to find the mom who does pedicures on the beach.  After mom arrived they were all set.  Well, this is the 2/3 rds world, right?  The doctor ordered x-rays, they x-rayed the boy's leg!  On the second x-ray they did get his foot.  The doctor used a flashlight to look at the x-ray.  They decided to cut and dig...but no clean blades.  So Man had to leave the hospital, find a pharmacy, and buy a clean blade.  They numbed Joseph's foot and dug around for awhile, bandaged the foot, wrote a prescription and sent them off, after Man paid the bill of about 1,000 pesos, or $22.  The pharmacy that had the blade did not have antibiotics, so they found another pharmacy, filled the script, then man bought Joseph dinner as the little guy had missed our feeding. 

Tonight we went to check up on Joseph and make sure he is actually swallowing his antibiotics.  Many locals believe you can just break up the pill and rub it on the outside, that way they have lots of pills to share.  At the village we met Joseph's aunt who explained that they had a problem.  Joseph had a reaction to the antibiotics (the prescription just has a number so I do not know what they gave him), the mom had borrowed money from a neighbor, gone back to the doctor and had a different antibiotic, but now they needed to pay the neighbor back.  Again, we have money - very odd feeling to be the super wealthy - so Man went and paid the neighbor back.  Joseph's foot looks pretty good, not bandage, but he did have some shoes on.  His foot was hot so I pray that his mom is really good about getting him to take the pills, and that the doctor got all of the stick out.  They did not give him a tetanus shot.

Joseph again, before the stick. (kiddo on the left)

The Teacher, always with a book.  Many of the kids love books, some of them can read.  One girl loved a book so much that I watched her bury it in the sand, think better of that, dig it up, then stand there and look at me.  I know she wanted the book.  Giving things opens up envy, and anger, and abuse.  It is hard to know when to help and give, and when to just bring things to share.

What is the future for these girls?  Do they even dream beyond this island?  They will likely become masseuses, girls for rent, manicurists, or a combination of the three.  I hope we can make a difference,
I dream of finally getting the shelter built, tutoring, giving beyond what little they are getting.  We are working with our Pastor to get a rent deal on land at the feeding site so that when we build the shelter we will have a long term rental agreement on the land that will hopefully keep the land owner from taking down the shelter. 

And this is what it looks like in front of the Laguna site.  People come from all over the world to kite board here, it is some of the best in the world.