Open Gates

Posted on November 23, 2016 by adrienneorris

How are things progressing at the hospital? What is your patient load? What changes have happened?

These are all questions that I get on a regular basis. And ones that are difficult to answer because each week it is different. Except the fact that the people keep continuing to come. More people are coming on scheduled clinic days and the ultrasound, pediatric room, chronic room and general consulta rooms are getting a lot of use. The laboratory is up and running as well as the pharmacy. Take a look at what it looks like with people.

They accepted their first overnight guest a few weeks ago, a little boy who had severe pneumonia. His family works for us so it gave us grace in being able to figure out how best to work out shifts and care. But as the clinics expand, they will be taking in more overnight patients and more critical needs.

Staff are being hired and trained and numbers are being added weekly.

They are finishing the roof for the second story which will be on call/ office space/ classrooms.

The operating rooms are near completion and will be ready to roll when the physicians and staff are able to take on that responsibility.

Along with that, will be the birthing rooms and postnatal care.

They are finishing the last of the walls and everything is looking more pristine each day. There are so many small, small details that go into a hospital from what happens in the office to medical records to sheets and new staff and the kitchen. The amount of decisions that have to be made are endless.

As I flew over the hospital and watched it come to life in front of my eyes, I am reminded over and over again of God’s faithfulness. Of the itty bitty parts of a vision have come to reality. And how God’s words have not fallen on deaf ears. If you build it, they will come. And that has been true. There are so many small, small pieces that have gone together to make this a reality and God deserves all of the credit for that one.

The prayer room is getting more use and putting Christ at the center of all we do.

Phase One Opening

Posted on July 21, 2016 by adrienneorris

The Day clinic part of the Hospital is officially open. Here are some pictures from the first day of clinic.

The undertaking of a hospital in a third world country is no small task. And as I sifted through pictures, I thought it would be appropriate to show just what it has taken for these walls to open.

All sand and rock had to be brought from the river. And then crushed. Sifted. And then washed so as to make strong enough cement.

The ground was built up so that it was flat and at the correct elevation.

The footers were dug. Foundation poured. All of the rebar had to be cut and bent by hand and tied together.

Plumbing and electrical work had to be completed before floors could be poured.

Crews worked together to mix cement and pour it – room by room.

Walls were erected block by block with reinforcement columns to make sure the building was earthquake proof.

The well was dug to ensure that the hospital never ran out of water.

Pipes were laid to connect the sewer system and the second floor/ roof was poured.

The roof was constructed from steel and each piece was welded together. And then the insulation and roofing was attached.

Interior walls were erected and electricity and plumbing connected in each of the rooms.

The sewage tank was dug, Poured. And dried.

All of the block had to be covered twice by a coating on the block to create smooth walls. The floors were cleaned, stained and coated.

Finishing touches like drywall and closets were constructed. Each window, door , cabinet and table had to be made from scratch and installed.

The truth is that this only details a little snapshot of what when together to build this. God truly has brought together a team – of workers, donators, financial supporters, staff. There are so many other steps that I won’t even highlight. You get the point. It has been a lot of work. All starting as an act of obedience to what God has asked Adonai to do.

Here is the old clinic.

And here stands the new one.

About there

Posted on May 18, 2016 by adrienneorris

Watching the walls go up went fast. Or at least it seemed fast. The finishing touches always take a lot longer. The men are hooking up water and plumbing and working to complete the doors. Each of these components take time…. but it is getting there. Take a look.

Drywall is not practical or readily available here so the walls each need to be finished by hand.

Drywall is not practical or readily available here so the walls each need to be finished by hand. We are lucky to have a team that works so well together to do this process.

The water tanks for storage

Finishing off the roof

The interior courtyard.

The second story – laying more block.

An aerial view.

Storage for the prayer room.

Setting up the Lab

Posted on May 12, 2016 by adrienneorris

When I went to college, one of the best decisions that I made was to find myself a good lab partner. Someone who could measure and use the equipment and actually found it interesting to work with machines. I enjoyed lab more for the people and the social atomosphere of working around a table than what we were actually doing and my least favorite labs were the ones dealing with microbiology and cells. I could tell you each person that I worked with in lab, yet I am pressed to even remember 10 labs that I did although it is where I spent two or three afternoons a week for four years.

Yet I am thankful for these times because it has at least given me a stepstool into an area that I have been helping with – setting up the lab. We have had a few machines that have been working part of the time to test blood for different conditions. But as the hospital becomes a reality, the lab part of the hospital will be more and more important. The doctors have created a wish list of what they would like to be able to do. And I have researched and called and emailed providers within country to see how we can acquire the machines and tests to be able to do these procedures. Listening to Spanish on the phone and using a vocabulary of words that you don’t even know in English has been a challenge, but it looks like we are moving in the right direction.

Honestly, I have had a few frustrations as my brain and skill set are not gifted in the area of machines. I currently have been working on this machine for over a month trying to figure out how to get the belt to pick up the disc so that it can be read. In the process another machine went down. And so, if there is a biotech out there or someone who loves troubleshooting machines or lab work, I would more than welcome your help.

The goal in the next month is to move from this lab

To this lab

Where there are obviously more electrical outlets, space and light.

The lab is not just a large need for the hospital, but the community as a whole. Currently many of the schools and the governmental health clinics require lab tests to enter programs or receive treatment. If patients want to proceed, they have to pay for transportation to and from Quiche which is a two hour drive away. Plus they have to pay for their tests, etc. And they have to hope that these machines work. They will have to pay with us as well, but it is our hope that the tests will be available and accessible to the community as well.

And so little by little, each room of the hospital becomes a reality.

Finishing Touches

Posted on March 11, 2016 by adrienneorris

The hospital continues to complete the final touches – drywall, water and exterior corridors for Phase One. There are windows in the rooms, the floors have been stained and sealed. The interior walls have been framed, electrical circuits have been placed and drywall has been hung. Walls have been painted and the roof has been placed. We are still weeks/months away from moving the clinic over to the clinic rooms, but we no longer have to visualize what it will look like. The structures are in place to be able to start to really see what it will be like to have people coming through the gates.

Finishing the walls of the kitchen.

Bringing in dirt for the interior courtyard.

Drywall and windows for the admissions office and laboratory.

Staining and sealing the floors.

Cabinets for each of the rooms and the dental suite.

God’s beauty as he paints the sky and reminds us that this is all his.

The kids have a new place to play with the water storage tanks.

Framing the walls.

The front corridor.

Hospital Update in photos

Posted on February 18, 2016 by adrienneorris

More is happening on the inside! Take a look!

The lab, clinic rooms and dental rooms are being split for drywall.

The walls have been finished and windows placed. They are in need only of a coat of paint.

The floors are being washed and stained.

The roof is being welded to extend to the other side.

The Big Pour

Posted on February 18, 2016 by adrienneorris

This picture does not encapsulate all that went into this day. The finished product does not show the 3600 pounds of sand that was collected from the river, or the 3600 pounds of rock that was collected and then crushed to go into the cement. It doesn’t show the rebar that was bent and molded and connected together or the forms that had to be placed and supported. Months of labor went into preparation for this day – without a guarantee that each kink had been worked out. For the second floor of the hospital, that would serve as a roof over the OR and a floor for the second level, the cement had to be laid in one continual piece. If one section dried before the next, it would not stick together and it would crumble. And so, the men prepared everything necessary for the pour that they could ahead of time and began at 2 AM with the mixing of the first load. They worked non-stop through the day with their team of workers to complete this pour. And the floor stands as you see it now with 2 inches of water on it to cure for 15 days.

Here is a mix of photos to try and show you what it took for this pour to be completed. It was another day that God showed His favor over all that is happening here. A day of unity. A day of teamwork. And another step towards opening the doors.

Laying of the rebar and beams and support system that the cement will cover.

Placing the forms and then supporting the weight with boards underneath the entire project.

Placing of plumbing and pipe and wire – anything that would be wanted in the future.

Each piece of rebar was bent and twisted and connected together for strength throughout the whole structure.

Crushing 3600 pounds of rock gathered from the river.

Sifting and washing 3600 pounds of sand to be used in the cement. Clean sand is a must.

Setting up a lighting system so that they could continue to work until the project was completed. Here they are in the early morning starting the first pour.

Making sure that each pocket is completely filled with cement.

Two conveyer systems sent cement up to the roof where it fell into a wheel barrow and was taken to the area of the roof that the team was working on. The men formed an assembly line to complete this process and truly worked as a team.

And then when the cement was all poured, it had to be worked so as to have a smooth floor. This photo was taken at 8PM – still on the roof.

The hospital as seen from the air. Before and after the pour.

Ceilings and Corridors and Cement

Posted on November 8, 2015 by adrienneorris

I know that some people are interested in the construction…. and what’s happening at the hospital property… and I will admit, when I took a quick walk through the walls of block this week, it felt alive I could see people being cared for and beds moving through these corridors. And as I spent some time in a hospital in the city, it made the desperation seem all that more real. We won’t be able to treat everything. We won’t be able to do everything. In fact, we will be limited… but it will be an option. It will be a place that brings life. A place for healing. Here are current pictures of where we are.

Walking into the courtyard – the far end is the kitchen.

The operating rooms.

The second corridor – operating rooms and wards. Above this they have started on the second story.

The wards

A panoramic of the courtyard… they are currently laying corridors around the outside.

Finishing the walls

The latest corridor. There will be a roof around this courtyard and it will be open air in the middle.

Hospital Update

Posted on October 1, 2015 by adrienneorris

Honestly my knowledge of the hospital is minimal…. they make a lot of cement, make a lot of noise and are planning into the future for what they will need to open the first phase. Just when they finish with one section, they begin a new phase. Right now they are working on finishing the walls of the prayer room – and after that will be putting the final coat on the other walls. A container was just shipped from Texas that has the roofing materials and hospital equipment. The men continue to work hard daily towards the final product. And we are reminded weekly of the need.

Canilla from the air.

The well was sealed off after drilling for months. We believe we reached the certainly of having an endless supply of water.

The endless need for rock and sand to make the cement.

The hospital from the air.

Hospital Update

Posted on July 5, 2015 by adrienneorris

It is not always easy to see the progress in pictures. Plumbing, electrical work, and groundwork are some of the things that take the most time and yet are hidden. But as you can see from the top picture – more and more rooms are taking shape. We are far from finished, but today I walked through the hospital room by room and could see it coming to life. I could see people walking through the corridors, I could see beds and nurses and the kitchen full of people.

This shows the height of the walls – now just for the roof.

There is progress that is being made on the well – which is an exciting thing for the biology teacher in me…. they have hit quartz! Only a few hundred feet to go before (we hope) to hit that endless supply of water!