Wrapping up the week

Had a little scare yesterday. Since Wednesday I've been fighting a cold. Yesterday morning my fingers felt tight and achy. But they've been that way off and on since I got Chikungunya. In the afternoon suddenly my elbows started to ache. Then I went to the bathroom and could barely get back up because my knees hurt so much. Oh no. I know only one thing causes that kind of pain. When I tried to take clothes off the clothesline I couldn't lift my right arm. Soon both shoulders were killing me. The Chikungunya pain was back in full force.

Then I realized it's May. Exactly the 11 month point when others have had flareups that are almost like full blown Chikungunya, only without the itchy rash. The flareup lasts a month or two. I've kept this in the back of my mind since last year.

Last night I took Viusid for dengue. It's like Emergency, only it's supposed to help with Chikungunya. Who knows if it really works. Nothing else does, so it's worth a try. Fany gave me water from 2 cocos. That's supposed to help too. Then I prayed. I almost sent out a public prayer request, asking others to pray that I don't get the Chikungunya symptoms again. But I didn't want to cause unnecessary worry, I figured I'd wait until morning.

I have so much to do. Only in the past few weeks have I been able to do home visits in the communities because of my ankle problem. I can't be sick now.

The good news is this morning the Chikungunya pains are extremely mild. I can feel it in my knees, back and right shoulder. But it is not the debilitating pain I felt last night. I am going to rest today, drink more coco water and Viusid, and hope it goes away, or at least remains manageable.

I've been working extra hard lately, spending all day in the communities and every evening at my computer until about 10 pm. Even Saturdays and Sundays. My coworkers made me take today off because they see how hard I'm working. I sleep so hard at night I don't hear the storms of rainy season, which is unusual for me.

It feels good to have my own responsibilities. I like working in teams, but sometimes it's nice to have my own projects too. Swimming classes are good. I've written three interviews for the donors. My fourth will be a longer one. My boss is really happy with them and says they are exactly what she needed.

I worked on an entry to a photo contest, trying to win a camera for Impacto Juvenil. After a LOT of work, we turned in our entry only to learn that the deadline had been extended another month. Now my boss wants me to turn in an entry for all of the clubs in each community. That's 17 entries! She clearly doesn't understand how much time it takes to teach a kid to take the photo, find a situation that fits the theme of the contest, take a good photo, edit the photos, and fill out the entry form in Spanish and English to convince the judges that it's the best. I will ask her Monday if the leaders of each club can help their kids take the photo. I'll work on the applications.

I've had three meetings with the psychologist who is working with me to develop the pilot program for incest survivors. God is surprising me with how much I am able to contribute. So far we've completed three of the 15 sessions. Most of the content is ideas God gave to me. My coworker says I came to her like an angel. I am creating the content and she puts it on paper. We make a good team.

My insecure side is afraid that I've already used up my good ideas and will have nothing left to offer as we develop the next twelve sessions. But I know God brought all of those ideas to mind so far, so He'll help me continue to contribute. My coworker is bound to have some good ideas too. I think she is just giving me space to be creative right now.

Yesterday as we were working she asked my last name. She got a big grin on her face and said that my name can go first when we publish our work. It will have our first initials and our last name. I guess that's how you do it here. I hadn't thought of the fact that we would have a published program. Pretty cool!

Here are some photos from Strong Families and Group Therapy:

Learning to give and receive hugs in the Strong Families Program

For some it was easier than others

Kids have their time while the parents work on parenting skills

Making cards for parents "I am proud of you because..."

Working together on the final project

Great teamwork!

"The techniques we learned with our parents in Familia Fuerte"

Now the parents' class, which was separate, joins the kids. The second hour is spent together, reinforcing the techniques they learned.

Telling Mom what he loves about her

Hugs after sharing kind words for each other

Snuggle time

This week my group finished group therapy.
In this project they described the techniques they learned to manage their emotions.
I wish we had a few more weeks together. They made a lot of progress.