Tuesday, 22 August 2017
Homo Bay, Pentecost
As dawn broke today a soaking drizzle covered the village of Pangi and Homo Bay.
Fortunately, the clinic was set up in the church building. If you are imagining a soaring Gothic building with stained glass windows, you need to remember this is Vanuatu, in the tropics. This church is a rectangular building, made of concrete, with walls up to waist high, then pillars to support the substantial roof and verandas on each side. The interior has a concrete floor and very little furniture. It was set up with sheets hanging from ropes to create rooms for some privacy for the various optical and dental treatments, unless you were outside – as the wall is only waist-high.
Christer and Stephen were taking turns in dental treatment and the Oral Health survey. Ann was helping the dental treatment. Dick was doing triage and optometry. Annette who is a RN, was doing general medical as we don’t have a GP on this Mission. (Annette was on Mission One and decided to come back for this Mission!) Jay was the other optometrist and was also helping sterilise the dental instruments. Deb and Bob were doing the Oral Health questionnaires. Bob is the mission leader and was very busy getting things organised and being present from the first boat load in the morning to the end of the day.
We were impressed by the community support in that people were still coming despite the rain, the school children turned up and the local nurses, Graham and Rosie also provided a lot of assistance.
South Pentecost is famous for it’s land divers (the origin of bungy jumping), so some of the team took the opportunity at lunchtime to see the land diving towers. It’s not the season for land diving at the moment so there wasn’t any opportunity to participate.
Of the ship’s crew, Ray helped with the dental survey, and Jon and Mark were roped into getting the water samples. Grant stayed on board and cooked muffins.
The wind has swung around to the South East, so Chimere is lying quietly in the lee of the island.
Fair winds and smooth seas
Mark Stephenson