Sick Boy, Water Pump, Scorpion Bite

14 March-
“Good” is all he will say. “Isaiah, how is your tummy. How is your throat?” It is not a convincing “good” but it is the only word we can get out of him. Between throwing up and other form of losing food, it was a rough night. We ran out of diapers, and he isn’t making it in time to keep the clothes clean. So, busy night.

Rick asked me to come take a look at a pump someone brought to their front porch. Somehow, I was thinking bicycle pump, but it was actually an electric water pump. It was completely dead. They cleaned sand out of the pump, but it still would not turn. So we started tearing down the motor.
I was very happy I brought my multi-meter on our visit. After ringing out a few connections, I found a broken brush lead. Isaiah and Breanna came to watch, but after five minutes on the bench swing, he tossed his cookies, and they had to leave.
Rick took me to a shed where there were bits and pieces of everything. As I headed off he said, “I don’t think there are any snakes in there, but ... it is a place that isn’t used very much.” I thought of the massive spitting cobra carcass he showed me when we first arrived. The guards had killed it with a chicken half way inside its throat.
So, I grabbed a big stick and started banging on things as I advanced into the bowels of the shed. I saw a little DC motor to something, grabbed it, and exited. The brushes were too big, but I figured I could modify them with a grinder.
The problem was finding a working soldering iron. Both houses here have butane powered soldering irons, which makes more sense when electricity is precious. We had to take both of them apart to make one of them work!
I am still thanking God that it was an electrical problem since I am much more comfortable dealing with those
The next day after church we tried out the water pump. It worked!
Then on Monday, Breanna and Isaiah were picked up by airplane to fly to Gatab, where there is a clinic.
The local ministry that owned that water pump had a solar fridge that stopped working. We went over to check it out. It ended up being a wire that had come detached from the batteries.
Then that night a group showed up with a baby with a scorpion bite. A snake bite zapper was used to help reverse the effect of the venom. Unfortunately, this is not uncommon. Usually the zapper is all that is needed for scorpions, but if it isn't better the next day a trip to the clinic may be in order.