Malaria, typhoid, and dengue fever, these are all words we have been hearing frequently here recently. Sounds like a delightful topic of conversation, doesn't it? Sickness has been sweeping through our area, and so many people are affected. Most of the visits we have been on lately, have been to visit the sick.
The village where our church is located, Kumbra, is kind of a typical village in India. There is no proper sewer system or water supply. Sewerage flows in open drains throughout the village. Unfortunately, the people have no concept for proper hygiene. Trash is left to pile up on the road sides and in open ditches. The village has a lot of cattle that roam freely, so animal waste is also piled out in the open. So, when rain comes, as it has been in torrents this month, the trash and waste flow into the streets, overflow the open sewers, and contaminates the water supply. This has resulted in many cases of typhoid. We have told and told our church folks to boil their water, but most do not bother. These days when we go for sick visits, and people try to give us water to drink, we always decline. We used to let the kids drink the local water, but we have strictly instructed them now, to not drink any water outside our house! Also, because of improper drainage and standing water, there is an abundance of mosquitoes that carry malaria and dengue. Melody and Kara are very attractive to mosquitoes, so we try to keep them doused with mosquito repellent when we have to be out in the evenings.
Why am I saying all this? Just to shock someone's delicate sensibilities? Hmmm...maybe! (Be thankful I haven't supplied pictures to illustrate!) Mainly, I just want to share what is going on with us, and what we are dealing with on a daily basis here lately. The children and I caught some kind of fever last week, that gave us all headaches and severe aching in our muscles. It lasted only a day with the kids, but 3 days for me, probably because 2 of those days, I tried to keep up with my daily responsibilities, school etc. Thankfully, we all are doing better. Please pray for our health and strength. Pray for us as we visit and deal with the sick.
The village where our church is located, Kumbra, is kind of a typical village in India. There is no proper sewer system or water supply. Sewerage flows in open drains throughout the village. Unfortunately, the people have no concept for proper hygiene. Trash is left to pile up on the road sides and in open ditches. The village has a lot of cattle that roam freely, so animal waste is also piled out in the open. So, when rain comes, as it has been in torrents this month, the trash and waste flow into the streets, overflow the open sewers, and contaminates the water supply. This has resulted in many cases of typhoid. We have told and told our church folks to boil their water, but most do not bother. These days when we go for sick visits, and people try to give us water to drink, we always decline. We used to let the kids drink the local water, but we have strictly instructed them now, to not drink any water outside our house! Also, because of improper drainage and standing water, there is an abundance of mosquitoes that carry malaria and dengue. Melody and Kara are very attractive to mosquitoes, so we try to keep them doused with mosquito repellent when we have to be out in the evenings.
Why am I saying all this? Just to shock someone's delicate sensibilities? Hmmm...maybe! (Be thankful I haven't supplied pictures to illustrate!) Mainly, I just want to share what is going on with us, and what we are dealing with on a daily basis here lately. The children and I caught some kind of fever last week, that gave us all headaches and severe aching in our muscles. It lasted only a day with the kids, but 3 days for me, probably because 2 of those days, I tried to keep up with my daily responsibilities, school etc. Thankfully, we all are doing better. Please pray for our health and strength. Pray for us as we visit and deal with the sick.
