10/20/08 (Monday)

6:30 AM. I have been up for about an hour and have packed everything and moved my suitcases to the car. Jane and I have everything ready to go and we will grab a bite to eat and then say our final good-byes and head out. Our trip plan is to drive straight to Ibarra and on to San Antonio to do some shopping there and then on to Otavalo for a visit to the market there and then head to Quito.

About 3 AM Jane received a phone call from a patient we sent home with a Foley catheter in place. She was instructed to remove the catheter yesterday and to call if she had any trouble with her bladder. She removed the catheter Sunday morning and then urinated a couple times and then could not any more. Jane told her to come in so we could anchor another catheter. She arrived about 5 and when she talked with Jane she said the catheter had a balloon on the end of it and that it really hurt coming out. Jane had instructed her repeatedly on how to deflate the balloon with a syringe before removing the catheter. I was there and remember the detail Jane went to trying to teach this lady how to deflate the Foley. Apparently, she forgot, lost the syringe, or something. So she just pulled the catheter out with the balloon filled with water. This balloon is much bigger than the urethra to keep it from falling out. Pulling it out would be difficult and likewise very painful. Jane told me she figured why this lady could not urinate afterwards. She probably traumatized the urethra so much that is swelled shut. At any rate, a new Foley went in and Jane told her to return in two days and one of the clinic staff will remove it for her.

Father, I pray for our travel today. Thank You for allowing us to work here this week and for keeping our patients safe. Please be with them as they continue to recover. Please be with us on the road today, Lord. I pray we have no breakdowns or problems along the way. Thank You, Lord. Amen.

6:00 PM. We had an uneventful trip. Our stop in San Antonio to browse the shops that sell wood carvings was productive. I purchased some items to bring home. The artistic talent these people have is really something. There are so many beautiful carvings. We then went on to Otavalo and I did some shopping there. Jane and I had lunch on a balcony overlooking the market and enjoyed a good meal. We then moved on to Quito. We arrived at Dawson’s about 4:30 PM. I spent the next hour or so repacking the items I purchased and getting ready to go out to eat. Damarys called us and invited us out to dinner with her. She and Jane will pick me up about 6:30 PM.

11:30 PM. We had a great meal at a restaurant that features Argentine food. We returned to Dawsons about 8:30 and I spent the next couple hours talking with Tim and Amy. Then it was on to bed for the night but I wanted to catch up on the journal before turning in.

Thank You, Lord, for the good day of travel. Thank You for the hospitality Dawsons have extended to me. Please bless them. Thank You for the friendship with Damarys and Jane and the good time we had at dinner tonight. Thank You, Lord, for the past almost 2 weeks here in Ecuador. This has been a great time of serving You and lives have been changed because of Your empowerment and support of us. Thank You, Lord. Amen.