Gayle in Thailand

So sorry to leave you hanging on the bad news of broken bones and invalid visas.  But the only reason you are hanging is because we are too – even to this very minute.  In my last story we had not yet landed back in Thailand from Laos.  We expected to get 3 months stamped in our books on arrival and then resume our one year visa, stamping it every 3 months in Burma.  But they only stamped one month and now we must figure out what that means.  Did we only have one month to stay in Thailand and then be forced to leave?  The date is February 18.  We met with a lovely Thai Doctor in Chaing Mai, who, I was told helps the missionaries out.  He read the note to us that was written in our passports in Mae Sai.  He said that they don’t want to accept our visas because we did not go to America ourselves to get it, but he told us to go to the Immigration bureau and ask them what we have to do about it, he thought we could pay a fine and make it right that way.  I trembled at the word fine, I had paid enough of them!  We went to the Immigration office and were told to go to the airport immigration office, because they were the ones who stamped it for Feb. 18.  The airport told us that our visa was invalid and illegal and we could not use it.  Now what to do.  We were exhausted from all our travels and resorted to Pastor Phamor’s mission.  They had a vacant house for us to stay in and gratefully we rested. 

Bradley was able to keep his appointment at the Chaing Mai Ram Hospital and they took his leg cast off.  The follow-up x-rays show healing and smoothing out of the bones, though complete healing will take 3 months.  The gaps in the bones are not dense enough yet.  He is doing range of motion exercises and improving a little every day.  Oh thank God his life is spared, another huge indication that he has a very special work to do for the Lord!  During his hospital experience here he has become more interested in the medical work.  He has decided to fly to America before the 18th of February to complete his GED test, attend Medical Missionary training and take an Evangelism coarse along with perhaps more medical.  He will greatly miss Thailand and the Karen people but he feels he can better help them and teach them with more education.

Yesterday we drove back to LKY.  We all planned to fly back to America and buy new passports and one year visas before returning.  However, we couldn’t afford it, and in talking and praying about it, the boys and I were impressed that Micah and I should fly to Cambodia instead,  purchasing new passports at the US Embassy there, and sending for the one year visas.  This would be much cheaper and our friends, Tim and Wendy Maddox work there running a school and many orphanages, also Andrew Sharon, a close friend teaches there.  They need help and we can be involved and busy.   I was very favored to learn of a man in Bangkok who has been in jail before because of his visa problems.  As a result of this he has become what others consider a visa genious.  I was able to call him by phone and actually get a hold of him.  (God’s timing).  He told me that Cambodia and Maylasia are the only countries close to us that allow mail-in visas.  He also told me that on our way out of the country they will fine us 20,000 baht each again!!  I fervently hope he is wrong on that count or we may end up in jail also!!  As soon as God allows, we long to be back at our post of duty in BYT building a clinic and serving the physical and spiritual needs of a forgotten and down-trodden people.

Today we met with the police and the man who drove the truck that we hit.  In summary the man wants us to pay 31,000 baht (Over $1000) to pay for his damages and he doesn’t even own insurance on his truck, he was still angry and only once after several attempts did he actually look me in the eye.   I am assured that God will supply all our needs and I was successful in asking for one week before commiting to pay, although it took over an hour to convince them that I did not have that amount and could not sign any paper saying I would.

I want to thank each person who has followed our web page and written such encouraging and uplifting quotes, words and prayers.  My heart is overflowing and overwhelmingly grateful to you all.  Some have immediately fallen on their knees and prayed for us, some have given donations and all have great rewards both now and throughout all eternity.   My heart feels knit with yours in a great and close bond as only God can draw us.  I am overjoyed in the realization that indeed we are on the narrow road and the hardships allowed us are a privilege and small part of His supreme sacrifice, fitting us for face to face life with Him who guided us lovingly through each trial!!  Oh indeed Heaven is soon and “Heaven is cheap enough if we get there through suffering.”

As I consider our desperate needs and insufficiencies, I read this wonderful solution to all our troubles.  Please read and know in your own heart that He is “All and in all” for you in whatever you are going through right now!!

“God knows our wants and has provided for them.  The Lord has a treasure house of supplies for His children, and can give them what they need under ALL circumstances.  He has made precious promises to His children on condition of faithful obedience to His precepts.  There is not a burden but He can remove, no darkness but He can dispel, no weakness but He can change to power, no fears but He can calm, no worthy asperation but He can guide and justify!”

(This is too painful for me to talk about.  I cannot bare to think about it, much less put it in writing, but as I cast my eyes up to the narrow road, I see that it is not supposed to be easy.  The pain can turn to trust and joy because Jesus is there walking beside us He has trod this path before us and His glorious right arm leads the way)!

It was the morning of December 26.  The road was steep, very winding and narrow.   Occasionally  it was broken away on the shoulder as sections fell abruptly down the steep cliff making passage extremely narrow.  The time was 8:30 a.m. We had been driving one hour.  The mountain air was cold.   We were on our way to Chaing Rai to renew our visas in Mae Sai, Burma.  To try to save money, we were driving 2 motorbikes, Bradley on one and Micah and I on the other.  Bradley had just passed us to tell us he felt badly about this trip and wanted to go back and take the truck.  He failed to return completely back in his lane soon enough – It happened quicker than you can think a thought.  A truck whizzed around the corner just as far into our lane as Bradley was in his.  The crash still echoes through my head.  Bradley’s motorcycle folded up as it struck the man’s front bumper and hood.  Bradley flipped up onto the hood and then fell heavily to the road. The truck veered into our lane right to the ditch and hit us a split second later.  I had not taken my eyes off Bradley even though we all landed in different directions.  I leaped to Bradley’s side in a flash.  My first concern was his level of consciousness and breathing – relief – it was excellent.  He was telling the man to please turn off his motorbike.  The engine was still running.   I took off his helmet and did a methodical head to toe examination.  He found his broken arm before I did because it was in some crazy angle.  My first numb thought was “In all things give thanks for this is the will of God for you.”  I began to thank the Lord for each part of his body that did not appear injured.  It boiled down to the left forearm and right lower leg somewhere at the knee where his injuries were.  This was a huge miracle.  All the vital body parts were uninjured, at least as far as my simple one-the-spot examination could tell! There was no spine board, no cervical collar, no warm body to care about us for miles around.   Micah had been watching from his position in the ditch.   His face was white like Bradley’s and probably like mine too.  I asked him where he hurt and he told me he was spitting up blood.  I panicked and started head to toe on him.  Before I could get to the internal organs he complained of extreme thirst.  Now I knew he had internal bleeding somewhere.  I cannot express to you my anguish.  Just then he said the blood he was spitting came from a small cut on the corner of his lip!  What a relief that was!  The man driving the truck came upon us like a mad dog.  I was astonished at the tone and decibels of his voice, when I was expecting some concern and assistance in helping the injured ones.  He was furious that his truck was dented.  He put Bradley in the back of his truck while I was examining Micah’s injured right lower leg.  We joined Bradley in the back of the truck and thought the man was taking us to a small clinic in Methawah.  However he drove the half hour stretch to the Methawah police first to report the damages on his truck,  then he took us to the clinic where they simply gave Bradley Ibuprofen right in the back of the truck.  I was anxious to get to the closest hospital in Meta.  It seemed like an hour before we took off again bumping along in the back of a pick up truck whose driver was furious!  Meta was one hour away.  Halfway there he stopped, came back to us and in a loud voice demanded 1000 baht to pay for his fuel.  Bradley, bless his heart told the man that we would not give it to him until we got to the gas station.   The man seemed to drive all the faster, blowing his horn long and loud at everyone in his way.  Not because he was trying to get us to the hospital quickly for our sakes, but because he was so angry.  He stopped to fill his truck up with fuel first and then he attempted to find the hospital, but he didn’t know how to get there.  I had to show him where to turn. 

If I weren’t so concerned about him I might have joined Bradley in his embarrassment, because we know all the staff and doctors of this small hospital.  Throughout our10 months of service in this area we have brought many seriously ill patients here, spending long hours in this hospital.  I call it my second home.  This time everyone came out to see Bradley.  They were calling his name and asking questions right and left.  After x rays were taken showing a broken fibula and crushed radius, they sent Bradley and I off to Mae Sot in an ambulance.  Micah’s leg was just badly bruised and abraised, so I called Paul Adams, who was happy to come and get him.  At Mae Sot hospital, further x rays showed a hairline fracture at the top of the tibia, (not interfering with the growth plate), and the need for surgery on that crushed radius.  He was admitted for surgery that day, and received a long metal plate to the radius of his left arm with 7 screws and a long leg cast.

MAE SOT hospital:  When I first visited Mae Sot hospital, or any other hospital here in Thailand for that matter, I was horrified to see the way the patients were all crowded together wall to wall.  A caregiver had to stay with each patient because the hospital staff do not give baths or personal care at all.  The caregivers do not have a nice bed or chair to sleep in – they bring their own mat and blanket and sleep on the floor underneath the bed!!  I determined in my heart that we could not ever occupy that position.  We could never be patients under these conditions!  Well, now, a year and a half later, here we were!  I only had one small backpack with one extra set of clothes, a toothbrush and praise the Lord, my small Bible.  Bradley did heroically through the admission and surgery.  I am so proud of his ability to maintain his sense of humor, and patiently endure.  Most of the men in his ward had worse injuries than he had due to the war on the Burma border, the gun shots and land mine injuries etc.  There were 24 beds in our ward with 8 beds in 3 sections, divided by glass.  Everyone knew what was going on with everyone.  These dear Karen, Thai and Burmese people do not watch out of pure curiosity and nosiness, they really care and jump in and help you whenever they see you struggling.  We all became good friends.  As Bradley’s condition improved, he really enjoyed speaking Karen to them and getting to know them.  We felt a real bond together.  Later when Bradley was dismissed, they helped him with the wheelchair and carried our things.

Yes, I slept on the floor underneath that bed and thought that it was nothing.  The first night I went to the little shop across the street from the hospital to look for a mat.  The only thing I could find was a package of black trash bags.  At least I would not have to sleep directly on the dirty floor.  I used my backpack for a pillow and my white shirt to cover my arms.  At 2 a.m. a very kind lady handed me a nice fuzzy blanket which she let me use the entire time I was there.  Later I was able to find a mat to sleep on.

After we were dismissed from the hospital I grew more concerned about Bradley’s  injuries.  I did not trust Mae Sot hospital and needed a second opinion.  Also we still had not gotten our visas taken care of and thought we would be charged 500 baht per person for every day that we were late.  Little did we know that we were in more trouble with our visas than we could imagine!  But, Bradley was much more important than a visa, so we waited until he was strong enough and then drove to Chaing Mai.  Bradley felt stronger and able to go on to the Burma border for the visas first, so we drove on to Mae Sai.  Bradley sat on a bench, they did not make him walk across the bridge.  But he waited 3 hours!  First we had to pay a fine of 60,000 baht for not checking our visas when we first received them, last but not least we were told we must fly out of the country on an international flight before the 20th of January which was just 15 days away.  Many people have done the same thing as we had with their one year visas and had no problem, but as we were finding out, the rules can change at any given time, or with any given person who holds a position in immigration or on the border. 

We drove to the Chaing Mai Ram hospital next to try to find an orthopedic surgeon that we could trust.  On examination and further x rays we were told that the hairline fracture of the tibia could extend behind the knee, which could cause pain and trouble after healing.  If the bone were depressed as much as 3 mm he would need surgery.   We had a CT scan which much to our relief showed no need for surgery, praise the Lord.   We also found out that the ulnar had a dislocated chip at the wrist which needed to be evaluated after a certain amount of healing took place to see if it would interfere with his range of motion.  His full leg cast was replaced with a fiberglass full leg cast not including the ankle and foot and we were told to return January 26 for its removal.

We drove back to LKY, as we were told by the police that we had to pay for the damages to the man’s truck, and must meet with them January 13.  In Thailand we were told that the Thai citizens are always favored in motor vehicle accidents, not the foreigner, and we soon found this to be true.   However, the man and the police were not ready to meet us yet and we had to return to Chaing Mai to work out an international flight out of the country.

I checked with Immigration Bureau and 2 travel agents and each told me a different thing.  It seemed that we would not be able to use our 1 year visa that we just purchased.  Finally the second travel agent told me after calling the Immigration Bureau that we must take an international flight out of the country were there was  a Thai Embassy and they would give us 2 months on this visa, then when we got back to ChaingMai they would give us another month.  So in 3 months we could resume using the one year visa, just stamping it in Burma every 3 months until the year was up.  The cheapest flight was to Loas.  The travel agency told us we could take a 20 minute taxi ride from the Laos airport  to Vientiane where the Thai Embassy was located.  However, when we got off the plane in Laos we were told that Vientiane was 9 hours bus ride away or 40 mins by plane.  We had no choice but to book a flight that day to Vientiane.  There was no time for the bus and Bradley could not manage it.  We were on standby for the only flight that day but made it on that flight.  We then got a taxi to a motel near the embassy.  Bradley’s leg was hurting from the cramped position he had to assume in those 2 airplanes and the long hectic day, what a relief to rest in the motel.  The next morning Micah and I took off on foot to the Embassy.  Alas!  They told us they could not help us.  We must fly back to Thailand and get 15 days pass to stay in Thailand.  We do not know how long we will be allowed to stay in Thailand.  Tears stung my eyes as I thought about our work, and of  our precious bank account which had dwindled in the last 24 days to the very bottom, all seemingly for nothing!  We had planned to finish the wood on our house and begin work building a clinic.  We have so much to do. We know all things work together for good to those who love the Lord, so however He wants to handle our life we will trust in Him.  We know that the more severe the trials the more God is glorified and the greater the victory.  I can sense more than ever before the horrid work of Satan and his heinous efforts to bring to naught God’s work.    I received a card from my dear Sister just before the accident.  She had mailed it a long time before, but as His providence always works, I received it at a perfect time.  She stated:   “Be strong and of good, good courage.  As Satan heats up his forces from below, God is pouring out His Spirit upon us, empowering us with Himself for this last great conflict.  While we are still with the foot soldiers let’s bare hardness as good soldiers so at the swelling of the Jordan we won’t be overcome.  This is our strengthening workout for the hour of temptation just ahead.  Praise God for practice in gaining sweet victories in trusting God in circumstances most forbidding!”  Many times I have read these encouraging words and pledging to go through with the foot soldiers and the Jordan with my hand firmly in His.  By His grace alone.

Tomorrow we return as scheduled to Chaing Mai.  I do not know what they will tell us as we check into Thailand.  I stand alone behind our hotel in Loas and thank God for His faithfulness.  How comforting are the words of the second stanza of this song:  

                                   IT”S NOT AN EASY ROAD!

“It’s not an easy road we are traveling to heaven for many are the thorns on the way.  It’s not an easy road but the Saviour is with us His presence gives us joy every day.

CHORUS: No no it’s not an easy road.  No no it’s not an easy road.  But Jesus walks bside us and brightens the journey and lightens every heavy load.

It’s not an easy road, there are trials and troubles and many are the dangers we meet.  But Jesus guards and keeps us so nothing can harm us and smooths the rugged path for our feet.

Though I am often footsore and weary from travel.  Though I am often bowed down with care.  A better day is coming when home in the glory we’ll rest in perfect peace over there.”

We greatly desire that you will join us in prayer for complete recovery of Bradley’s leg and arm so that he can play the guitar again and complete the great work in his life that the Lord has given him to do.   Also that we will be allowed to return to our work in Thailand.

My favorite inspired writer Mrs. White says:  “Blessed be the experience however sever that gives new value to the stone, causing it to shine with living brightness.”

This title does sound a bit exaggerated I admit, but that is just how I felt as the boys and I hurriedly threw some clothes in a backpack and headed desperately out of BYT on our motorbikes as quickly as possible!

Let me tell you all about it.  DJ, the caretaker and faithful worker in our church, told us that over 70 truckloads of soldiers were coming Sabbath to the little Thai government school next to us, to celebrate the King’s birthday on Sunday.  Because the king’s birthday is on Sunday, that night they would all sing the entire night!  We were less than enthused, and even contemplated escaping to LKY for the weekend.  But because we did not want to incur the expense of an unnecessary trip, and  because they would be all soldiers we thought it to be an organized event.  How wrong we were!  About 2 o’clock Sabbath afternoon, trucks started coming in.  I thought it strangely wonderful that a big bulldozer had come the week before, leveling off the west road to Medo Glow.  Suddenly we see our quiet little mountain village turn into a city parking lot, and much worse than that, filled not with soldiers, but with rich, partying Thai people with food, beer, and loud music.  At first throughout the Sabbath hours it was not too bad, praise the Lord, but that night DJ came by and told us to put all our food and utensils in the side room where we could shut the door because these people would be on drugs and would come in and take what they wanted.  I slept in that room and the boys out on the open wood.  We said our prayers and must have gone to sleep early,  because when we were awakened with the deafening boom boom of fireworks right in our front yard, we thought it must be midnight –  but was only 9 p.m.  I have never heard such earth shaking loudness in my 57 years of life.  Our house stood open, as we have the front and back walls of bamboo off while working on the floor.  We had a front seat view of the fireworks and saw many large plastic bags sent up with fires inside, called Buddhist prayers.  Finally this brain jarring experience subsided and we slept well until, at 6:30 a.m. when we were rudely awakened by extremely loud, miserable, utmost wicked music!  It was a stereo on someones rich truck parked right there in our front yard!  Well that did it.  We could not live, we could not think – we definitely could not stay!  Bradley went into our only walled room and nailed the door shut, then climbed over the wall in an effort to “secure” our stuff.  We understood they would stay another night and leave the next morning.  Hurriedly we threw essentials into backpacks and left on the motorbikes. The truck couldn’t possibly be extricated from that congestion and was too expensive to drive anyway.  Oh, the minute we entered the jungle and felt its cool solitude, peace came and we felt we could breath.  Once more we could hear the sweet song of the tropical birds and catch the scent of the clean air.

I was told that this is the first time these people came to BYT.  They go to a different location every year.  Hopefully they are not due again until Jesus comes.  Now you understand why we have no pictures to add today and I have brought you up to date on all the unexpected events of our lives.  I am so glad to trust in our Heavenly Father who orchestrates everyting according to His will.  When circumstances are beyond our control we can rest assured He has a purpose and holds full control.  We can trust Him, our only refuge and defence in this sin filled, chaotic world.

This became the big question of the weekend!  We had just returned from Mae Sot where I told you we purchased a truck load and a half of second hand wood.  We were elated at the thought of begining work on our house and replacing the bamboo.  We had to go through 3 check points on our trip back.  We planned to take it to LKY and store it there, taking one safe truck load at a time up that dangerous and difficult road.  Even now as we drove, our heavy load caused the headlights to zoom strangely up to the sky instead of the road because the load was so heavy.  The front wheels seemed not even heavily attached to the road!  Jason was behind us with a half load of wood.  There was no problem with the first 2 check points, which seemed to us to be the most threatening ones, so we came up to the third and last with great confidence.  Alas!  There was a problem!  We showed them our receipt, but we were not allowed any further.  I was very proud of Bradley who used every word of Thai that he knew to try to explain to the soldiers that we only wanted to take the wood to Mae Salit and then procede to BYT later with smaller loads.  Well that went over like a lead balloon, maybe there were misunderstandings as there always are between our different languages and cultures, but they would let us no further.  Wood is very hard to aquire here, there are many rules and regulations about it which even the higher officials seem to differ on.  Many people make and sell new beautiful wood but it is expensive and illegal. We waited as they brought a higher official in.  It seemed like a long time, but when he and others finally arrived all were intoxicated and a descision was not made.  They left and we were told that the next higher up official would come.   Almost 2 hours later he came – no- we could take the wood no further.  It must be off loaded from Jason’s truck, and our truck with the wood must stay until we got more papers on Monday.  

Well Sabbath came and we were in Sabbath School.  I was teaching the kindergarten class and enjoying it emmensely, when through the bamboo walls I saw some of the same soldiers and officials that dealt with us at the check point!  They were needing to speak to me, but I needed to finish teaching the lesson as it was so important to put God first.  Then with an interpreter, Bradley and I spoke to them.  They told us we must go to some government building in Mae Sot and get a paper signed giving us permission to buy the wood.  They tried to explain where it was, but finally told us to come to the check point Monday morning and they would accompany us there. 

We had a little apprehension that Sabbath day, especially Bradley who desperately squelched the idea that he, the driver could land up in jail, with the wood and truck taken away from us forever!  Monday morning finally came and Micah drove us to the checkpoint on his motorbike.  He went on to Meta to get his brakes worked on.  At the checkpoint they told us we just missed the official who would take us.  We waited once again until finally they told us we might as well go on our own.  Happily we jumped on the next songtow which took us to Meta.  We than found Micah who let us take his motorbike to Mae Sot.  It was a good thing we did, because no songtow could have taken us to all the places we had to go!  To make a long story short we met a soldier who spoke a little English and liked the work we were doing in Thailand.  He said he had worked with the top official for 4 years and not to worry he would take us to him.  I drove with him in his car and Bradley followed on the bike.  They took pictures of us and filled out 2 forms with information on what wood we had and where we were taking it.  He sent us back to the check point with his hands full of papers, but none for us!  He was to contact that check point by phone.  Still a bit confused how all this would end up, we took off on our 1 1/2 hour drive to the check point.  Sure enough there was still confusion there.  They did not want us to take the wood past that point to Mae Salit, so we were forced to take it to BYT that night.  It was more than one truck load and darkness would come soon.  It is not good to travel those roads to BYT in the dark, but what else could we do?  We called Micah who brought Jason and helped us load the wood back on his truck and off we went in the direction of BYT.  We stopped at a place where we could reorganize the wood in the 2 trucks, as it was we would never make it up the steep places.  Though we loaded with great care and tied it down with as much rope as we possesed we still had to stop and reload first one truck and then the other 5 times on that late night treck to BYT.  Finally reaching our house exhausted, we collapsed and slept – it was 2 a.m.!  Jason stayed the next day and helped us get started on our project.  He had brought a skill saw and we had some nails and a generator!

We were told that we could not get wood in Mae Sot again.  Only one time is permitted, any more than that you need a construction license and something else.  As I look closely at the wood I see that in American standards this wood is rubbish!  It is split, full of rusted nails, all different colors sizes and shapes.  Some pieces are burned, others rotted.  It was also too expensive.  But at this point in time it looks like gold to us, and proudly the boys worked figuring out the best peices to put together on the floor.  Though the floor has holes, is uneven and you can see some spacious gaps in it, to us it is beautiful and so much better than the bamboo which still is causing allergies.  I know God will provide wood enough to finish our house.  He has provided for our needs in every other way so we have no reason to doubt.   

Look for pictures later.  My next story tells howcome we got to a computer shop unexpectedly to write this story today, and why we have no SD card to put in the pictures!

She was just one year old and very cute, but as soon as she and the grandmother, along with many other patients entered our house, I knew which one to check first.  You could hear the rattling, rapid respiration from across the room.  The accessory muscles used in the effort of drawing in air caused the little ones neck, ribs and diaphragm work overtime.  True, I was just getting situated with all the new medication and supplies we had just brought in from Mae Sot and it was difficult to locate the asmasol and normal saline for injection to put in the new nebulizer machine.  As I opened the nebulizer my heart gave adoration and praise to God and to the faithful people in America who donated the money to make this treatment possible.  Though this machine just works on room air, I have seen miraculous results from the medicated mist that pours through the mask to the patients young and old.  I found paracetamol (tylenol) and sabumal PO to give this little patient right away to begin clearing the little bronchial tubes.  Then I breathlessly drew up the medication and hooked up the little machine.  The question was – is there enough power in our small solar system to support this machine for 20 mins and then possible repeat it!  Oh how I prayed for it to work.  With plug in position and power button turned on, it sprang into life and instantly with it came the mist that would bring relief to the little sufferer. 

The next scene I had not anticipated at all.  I was so accustomed to treating the little children and babies at LKY with the nebulizer, and they were acquainted with it also, that it did not dawn upon this brain of mine that these dear people have never seen or experienced such a loud “monster” breathing out smoke!  The Karen children on the border are quiet and calm, rarely do they kick, scream and fight in response to this treatment.  They simply trust and obey!  But now this poor grandmother was seized with terror.  Her emotion was quickly conveyed to the one year old and such kicking and screaming followed that the grandmother begged for us to stop.  This we did while Blet Jaw kindly instructed her about the procedure and the benefits that should result.  This failed to impress her however and the one year old screamed and kicked for 20 minutes, while the grandmother kept asking, “Willie Au?”  “Willie Au?”  Meaning are you finished?  In the hospital the nurses always wrap up the screaming babies tightly in a sheet before attempting the breathing treatment.  Some think it is cold hearted and harsh, but the steam is easily given that way and the mother is able to relax more.  We had no sheet and thought that would scare the poor grandmother even more to use one.  At the end of the treatment we waited a few minutes and checked the lungs again, but found very little improvement.  Oh no, we thought how can they both bear another treatment.  Perhaps the whole village will hear that we are cruel and harsh, and maybe the old superstition that one of the old men of the village asked us about will be thought to be true!  He had asked if the white people really did eat the little children!  Anyway the treatment did need to be repeated and as I mixed the medicine I prayed that this would go easier this time and bring relief.  The baby was now sound asleep, worn out from its struggles.  I started the machine and slowly brought the mask to the babies face.  He did not stir!  The mother, Blet Jaw and I stayed motionless holding that baby so as not to awaken it.  The baby slept the entire time and the solar system kept the machine going as well.  Sure enough there was a decided improvement in the lungs and the baby was sent home with medication and the instruction to return if its condition worsened.  In two days I saw this baby again so much improved that the poor old grandma had to thank me.  I in turn thanked our Physician up in heaven for the nebulizer, His healing power and His goodness in all things.