a vaccination clinic.

Our lives are weird.

Any concept of normal and days that turn out as you intended are long gone.

Since we returned from America, we are really working to preserve our Sundays. We are trying to save our Sabbath and rest. We have no requirements: exercise, language, cooking, playing with the kiddos–all are wiped off the schedule as required. I am only allowed to go for runs that I enjoy or swim as long as I am relishing in it. I only cook if I feel like it; otherwise we just eat out. If Stephen leads worship at church, he prepares on Saturday, so that Sundays are still saved.

It’s a valiant effort, but because of the days that never turn out as intended, its merely an effort.

Last Sunday was full of surprises when we had 26 friends sleep over. While fun, it wasn’t exactly restful.

And this Sunday, we had a vaccination clinic in our drive way.

Somewhere about 10am, Mong Ey came shouting. Mats were laid out, tables were pulled out of our house, and there were coolers everywhere. Nurses began taking names and giving shots. Kids began shouting and crying.

This continued for a little over an hour, while we read inside, tried not to pass out, and discussed how weird our lives are.

In the end, we learned that there was a diphtheria outbreak about forty-five minutes south of Mae Sot. The Thai children are required to have the vaccine for school, but most of the migrants don’t; so the local general hospital is going around Mae Sot, giving out DPT & DT (depending on age) for free in migrant communities.

Migrant communities just like ours!

I realize this probably doesn’t excite many people like it does us, but I was truly excited and thankful. We have been working on getting vaccines to our neighborhood. Through some very generous donations of a school in England, we have funding for MMR & Tetanus for the kids in the community. However, it still is quite an event to get shots ordered and delivered, keep them refrigerated, and have nurses come to give them–not just once, but multiple times. Tetanus requires a minimum three shots, which is quite a lot of ordering shots from Bangkok and getting available nurses out to our home while all the kids are present and accounted for. Thus, it is still in the works on our end, and now has been provided–shots, labor, coordination–for free from Mae Sot General.

This is also really significant because it is coming from the local Thai hospital, which is not always keen to treat migrants.

And so though it was weird to have a vaccination clinic in our driveway using our dining table, we are really thankful!  And they’ll be back in a month 🙂