Wednesday June 25

So it's exactly 6 months to Christmas and there was a relaxed air in the eye OR today but I really didn't expect to hear Christmas carols being played. Perhaps it helped our 20 cases to pass by very smoothly and even effortlessly dare I say.

The cake went down so I have a new recipe called "Dr Glenns Chocolate Fudge Cake". It's probably the best use of Hershey's Chocolate syrup that I can think of anyway. Today was the last eye list that I will be doing as there is no operating for the next 2 days in the eye OR. I just hope that I will be able to transfer the knowledge I've gained over the last 2 weeks to my paid employment.

It the spirit the pervades the department of co-operation I carried a lively 10year old boy to another OR where he was to have correction of a club foot. In the UK there a few 10 year olds that I would be able to carry but this young lad was so light that I was able to to easily carry him down the corridor, making him giggle as we went - I discovered that he was ticklish. It was a real joy to be able to perform that small task and to leave the child laughing.

Later still I was able to help another OR out albeit briefly, in positioning a patient and being able at the same time to remind the staff about health and safety issues with regard to manual handling.

Space being available I went out for dinner with the team I have been working with for the last 2 weeks and a couple of other people, one a nurse and one of our supplies co-ordinators. Having done this last week too, I know that it helps with working together as we now know each othera little better. With an ever changing crew it's hard to know everyone but at least I know a few others outside of OR now.

There are departmental devotions once a week on Wednesday mornings and as one wanders round the ship, small groups can be seen meeting together in various parts of the ship. OR staff meet in the international lounge and therefore can see videos etc. This morning we watched one of the Rob Bell Noona series. In the one viewed this morning, he was talking about how he had taken his one year old son out for a walk in the woods and at exactly the half way point it had begun to rain. His son had whimpered at the beginning but as the rain grew harder and a storm broke his whimper became a real cry of terror from deep within. He describes he stopped and took his son out of the back pack carrier and cuddled him up the last mile home constantly remindinghime that he loved him and that he would make sure he was OK. Rob Bell went on to remind us that our heavenly Father is like that. When we are crying out to Him from the depths of our heart, He hears us and wants to comfort us. I have seen the video before but maybe this time I listened more as last time I saw it I was responsible for making sure it played at the right time and didn't really concentrate. We were then given time to simply reflect on what we had heard and to spend 10 minutes or so speaking to God on our own and given the freedom to move away from the lounge area and to go wherever we wanted. The only proviso wasto be at work at the specified time. What a great way to begin the day.