Oct 20
Trey’s White Water Rapids Adventure
I confess, my title has been sensationalized a bit. The water at the river does run rapidly over rocks, but it is only white because of the soap used by the women washing their clothes in it.
Trey’s visit to the river was still exciting though. Probably more for the women and children there than for Trey. He attracted quite a crowd as he splashed in the water and slid on the rocks.
We’ve put together a little slideshow of his adventure.
Oct 20
Photo of the Day
I went to a local elementary school and was taking photos of the artwork in their courtyard. One of the teachers yelled at all the kids to leave so that I could take my pictures. I was snapping shots and then spotted this curious boy peeking around the corner.
Oct 20
Pray for Trey, William
Trey has had a fever for two days now as well as a bad cold (congestion, coughing). At first we were worried it might be malaria but then realized that one of the little girls he has been playing with has had the same cough for a few days as well. We suspect he caught it from her. Please pray for him to get better quickly – especially since he hasn’t been sleeping too well and I am leaving town for a two weeks.
Please pray for me as I head back south to Accra on Monday and then on to Abidjan, Ivory Coast. I will be spending a week in Abidjan (the city I used to live in) working with the West Africa regional media team. Upon my return to Accra I’ll be working with the Ghanaian Baptist Convention documenting some of their work with photography and video.
Baby will be taking care of Trey for longer hours in my absence so lift both her and Heidi up in prayer.
Oct 19
Umbilical Hernias
In Africa, many of the young children are running around with umbilical hernias (small defects in the abdominal wall at the belly button – AKA a big “outie”). Some protrude only a centimeter while others are considerably larger.
Last week in clinic, Dr. Fort called Jessica and me into his examination room to examine an umbilical hernia on a young woman. I had never seen a hernia so large. It appeared as though the patient had a small watermelon covered in skin attached to the abdomen at the umbilicus. I examined the abdomen. At the top, I felt the bowels moving (peristalsis), but towards the bottom, there was a hard mass. It was not one distinct mass…and it moved. But the movements were not peristalsis…they were fetal movements. She was pregnant and likely 20 weeks along.
The question now is this: how is that umbilical hernia sac going to support a full term pregnancy? Fortunately, this lady lives in town and we can keep a close watch on her pregnancy.
**UPDATE** October 20, 2007 – The woman came back to clinic this week for a check-up and an ultrasound revealed that she is actually 32 weeks pregnant. She has been admitted and will most likely undergo a caesarean section at the hospital.
Oct 19
Photo of the Day
The rain storms are getting fewer and farther apart. Yesterday I was working on some computers at the hospital and a torrent of rain came down. I snapped a lot of shots of the downpour but my favorites were the ones after the rain had stopped and water dripped off the roof.
This image is a composite of three different shots of water dripping from the roof.
To quote Werner Herzog: “Can you see the entire universe in that single drop of water?” No. But it is still a nice comp.
Oct 18
Photo of the Day
I first got into photography while working at a daycare in college. I’ve long said that kids make it really easy to take good pictures. They are so full of emotion and expression.
These two boys were snapped on the road to the market. I took two shots and for the second shot which you see below, the boy in the rear decided to get a little crazy.
