Those Who Care for Me

Each day this past week, I had a different interpreter to accompany me. Mariana and Natasha were with me 3 days, Serigo and Palo--each one day. We would travel by taxi to some of the villages since Igor's car is still being worked on. With Serigo and Palo, we would travel to nearby homes and again go by taxi because of the heavy parcel bags of food. After delivering and visiting with the people, we would walk back to the church. I enjoyed these walks for the exercise and because I was able to get to know Palo and Serigo better. We climbed many steep stairs to get to some of the apartments or into the homes. Everything went fine until thursday night. I was sitting on my bed reading . When I got up to turn out the light, I felt a terrible pain shooting around my right knee cap and down my let. I found I could not hold my weight on the leg or walk! I had to inch my way to the lightswitch. By the time I got back to the bed, I was shivering so hard my teeth were chattering. I covered up tightly and when I got warm I fell asleep. Everytime I would turn over in bed, the pain would shoot down my leg and wake me up. When I got up to use the bathroom, I could walk better but, I still had a lot of pain.
In the morning, I was able to walk a little better but it took me a long time to dress because if I moved my leg a certain way, I would again have a lot of pain.
When Mariana and Natasha came, I told them what had happened, so they went to the pharmacy near by and got some gel to put on my knee and an ace bandage. After fixing my up, we went on another visit. There were stairs to climb and by the time we left this lady's apartment, everyone had to help me to the taxi and then into the church.
I went upstairs to my room, put some more medicine on the knee , wrapped it and slept for a few hours. Again, when I woke up I could not walk on my leg! Igor and Mariana talked with me about seeing a doctor, but, the only one they trusted was in Chesinau and we had no transportation--I knew I could not stand riding a bus that far. Then they asked me if I would consideer going to a lady in another village who was not a doctor but was good with setting bones--she had done that for Mariana last winter when she hurt her foot.
To their surprise, I said yes. I was in so much pain and worried that I think I would have let Lenin himself work on me!
Igor was able to borrow a car from a church member and we piled in the car and went off in to the night on a bumpy dirt road for a good 10 miles or more until we came to a very small town. Then Igor turned and followed an even bumpier road with more holes than pavement until we came to a dark house surrounded by a very tall fence. In the yard was a tall crucifix that the car lights shone on when we stopped! (those crosses give me the creeps since our Lord is not on the cross any more!) Of course, there are not street lights on these old roads, so Mariana and Igor led me ddown a dark path and up to the house where, in the shadows, a small woman stood. She motioned for me to come into her house and into a small room in the back.
At first, she was not very friendly, but as she helped me get onto a hard sofa and Mariana removed my shoes and she put my feet up on the sofa, she asked in Russian my age. She then smiled when Mariana told her because she was the same age.
That relaxed me a lot--Mariana had told me that the lady is Russian Orthodox and according to their church rules, they must have nothing to do with Baptists! Still, she had taken care of Igor and Mariana and others from their church, but, I was more worried because I was an American!
When she found out where I was from, she laughed and said she had never worked on an American before. We laughed when I told her she had gone International!
This lady definitely has a gift because she got ou some oil on her hands and immediately went to all the sore spots and began messaging around my kneecap.
Suddenly, she raised my leg and pushed it towards my chest and rubbed around the right side of my knee at the same time. It hurt badly but then it began to feel better. She explained thay my kneecap had moved out of place and she had pushed it back. She said this had happened because of all the stair climbing I had done this week.
She then, wrapped my knee with some fabric strips she had torn and showed me how to wrap it so the bone would stay in place. She told me to use the strips instead of the ace bandage because the strips would not stretch. She said to keep wrapping my knee for 3 weeks or until I could get to my doctor at home.
After I got up and she saw I could walk without as much pain, she asked my religion. When I told her, Baptist, she smiled but also looked like she didn't approve. Then she showed me a room at the front of the house which was decorated with all the orthodox icons. They were hung all over the room and she said proudly this was her religion. The icons were very beautiful and in bright colors. She made it a point to tell me all of the ones she had were only of Mary and Jesus. I noticed one was of the Lord's Supper--although not the same picture we have--and said it, she nodded, knowing what I had said and smiled. She was very respectful of me and I of her.
On the way home, Igor said I was to stay in my room all day on Saturday and not go downstairs. I know when to listen.