we have our work cut out for us!

This past week has been very difficult to get through, and I don't really know how to explain the things we have seen. We are treated very well, in no way are we physically suffering, but every day has brought something emotionally challenging. The hospital here is one of the best in the country, actually one of the more progressive. It must be at least 50 years behind in technology and knowledge. Even worse, there seems to be little compassion for the patients. Anne and I helped deliver a stillborn baby, stillbirth as a result of poor knowledge and neglect, and the nurses seemed completely unaffected by the death. As I performed CPR on this newborn, the nurse looked at me as if she hadn't a clue what I was doing. That was probably our lowest day here so far, as we sobbed in another room and prayed for the mother. Every day, we have been put in situations where we've stepped in and taken control of situations involving patients that the nurses haven't seemed able to handle. We have a lot of teaching to do here, and it's not going to be easy. To be honest, I never expected it to be this difficult - I thought that to be a nurse, you possessed a natural desire to help others, but here it is very different. I don't understand it, and I can't explain it, but it's something that will take awhile for us to wrap our heads around.
Our goals are many. We want to create a recovery room in the operative theatre, where currently patients are awakened from anesthesia with no monitoring afterward. The doctor would like us to create an intensive care unit, but we first must teach the nurses how to assess their patients, as they currently do not even have stethoscopes and do not know how to use them. We would like to develop some education on postoperative patient care and general nursing knowledge, hopefully then we can hold some teaching sessions for the younger nurses who may still be open to learning. With a goal, we feel motivated to make a change and empowered to do it.
We played a soccer game yesterday at the orphanage, with boys who have been playing with a soccer ball since they could walk, so they were very good! And the babies are all cute here, so once in awhile we go to the maternity ward to see them! There are many good things that we are enjoying and we love our new friends who insist upon taking care of us every day! We are learning a little bit of the local language, too - we are really good at "how are you?" and "I'm fine", as well as the word for "white person", which we hear constantly on the street.
It has been a difficult adjustment, and I can honestly say that I often dread going to the hospital, but things are improving. We have been able to make some differences already to a few specific patients, and God willing that will continue. As far as our living conditions, we are becoming more accustomed to the spicy food and lack of water supply. I should be moving in with the matron today, so I will have my own private room, which I think will make a difference too. Anne and I found a church where an American Reverend has been working for almost 2 years, so he and his wife have invited us for dinner sometime, and we now have an English sermon to look forward to every week.
We think about home a lot, and we talk about our friends and family often. We miss everyone and every time I long to come home, I remind myself that we are needed here so much more than we ever realized. And my consolation is that in three months I can return to my safe, convenient life, where these people will not. So my heart is here, and I ask for your prayers that we can find a way to effectively bring about change. I hope everyone at home is well, and I love you all!