Our good friend and board
member, Nora, is here helping us get started in this New Year. In the last few days Nora has participated in
or watched us do the following
activities:
- · Orient 3 new staff members including a new manager of the hospitality staff; a new construction/maintenance staff member; and a new doctor (Dr. Avila quit to work more hours with the Ministry of Health).
- · Host a family of 9 and a past volunteer (Jessica Burge)
- · Orient 2 new volunteers (Neville, a new volunteer coordinator; and Jim, an IT volunteer)
- · Get ready in the clinic for 2 volunteer doctors and 3 dental volunteers
- · Ready the dorm for a delegation of 28 and 3 more coming midweek plus a family of 4 past volunteers just visiting one night
- · Arrange to show peanut buyers around next week, plus hosting talks for 2 student groups & a trip to rural communities with visiting Rotarians
- · Buy a replacement refrigerator and rearrange 4 fridges to accommodate sizing
- · Repair 4 broken washing machines
- · Plan menus and shop for food for approximately 50 people
- · Start the new financial books while ending 2012 books
- · Help the clinic staff orient to a new administrator (Josefa is working there now)
- · Juggle 3 broken vehicles and airport runs for 9 flights
- · And that’s not remotely all…
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| Roughly half of today's shopping |
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| Fruit for 50 |
So
how do we do it? We have friends like Nora and Jess who come
to visit and jump in and help do whatever needs doing. We have brand new volunteers who throw their
bags in their rooms, grab a bite to eat and start working. We have a wonderful staff that takes all the
news with calmness and then quietly work miracles. They are the epitome of the saying on my
coffee mug “Keep Calm and Carry On.”
How
do we do it? Grace.
We are given grace by so many that it makes the overwhelming tasks
possible…that, and humor…sometimes we
just have to laugh. -- Kathleen
