Wait!!!!! Daily Devotion

Abraham sent his servant on an important mission: to find a wife for his son. Once he reached the faraway land, the servant paused at a well to pray, asking God to show him a remarkable sign. While not quite in the league with a burning bush, the servant’s request was, nonetheless, pretty ambitious. He asked that the bride-to-be reveal herself by volunteering to water all of the camels he had brought along. Perhaps that does not sound like much of a sign to you, but you may not realize that camels were the SUVs of the ancient world. While they could go a long time without water, when they finally did drink, they gulped about 25 gallons at once. Ten camels, 250 gallons of water, that’s a lot of trips to the well. It would take a real miracle for a woman to volunteer for such a task!

But that’s what happened, because Rebekah walked up while he was still praying. When he asked for a drink of water, she agreed and added, “I will draw also for your camels until they have finished drinking.” And then she made countless trips to the well until the camels had filled their tanks. But that’s not the amazing part of this story. Look at what happened next. “Meanwhile, the man was gazing at her in silence, to know whether the Lord had made his journey successful or not.” You really have to wonder about that guy!

But, doesn’t that sound like us? God answers a prayer clearly and quickly, yet still we stand back and wonder if it’s just a coincidence or if God actually answered our prayer. Here are some points to ponder:

• If God answers your prayer, then He has answered your prayer. Get moving.
• If He doesn’t give you the sign you’ve asked for, perhaps He is saying, “No” or “Wait a while.”

Either way, His purpose is never to confuse or bewilder you. God is never the author of confusion. He just wants us to listen and then act!

HE 121 Course Materials

HE121 Class Materials

NEWSTART

Dengue Awareness

Dengue is a completely preventable condition! All you have to do is take a few steps to keep yourself and your family safe.

 Dengue Prevention Tips:

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are known to bite humans during the day and their most common breeding grounds are man made containers. Therefore, it is advisable not to allow water to remain stagnant.

•  Remember to clean out empty flower pots and not to over water potted plants. If the container that contains water cannot be emptied, remember to cover it well when not in use.

• Turn over empty pails and buckets, so that excess water does not remain stagnent.

• Use mosquito repellants regularly. Apply it well on all exposed areas, during the day as well as at night.

• Make sure your window and door screens do not have any holes. If so, block those areas properly to eliminate mosquitoes.

• Always sleep under a mosquito net.

• If you use a cooler remember to empty out and clean the water tray regularly, even when not in use.

• Always cover your trash can when not in use.

• A natural method to keep mosquitos at bay is to plant tulsi (holy Basil) near your window. The plant has properties that do not allow mosquitoes to breed.

• Using camphor as a repellant also works wonders. Light camphor in a room and close all the doors and windows. Leave it this way for about fifteen to twenty minutes to have a mosquito free environment. 

 Symptoms of Dengue Fever

The principal symptoms of dengue are:

·             High fever and at least two of the following:                           

o                Severe headache

o                Severe eye pain (behind eyes)

o                Joint pain

o                Muscle and/or bone pain

o                Rash

o                Mild bleeding manifestation (e.g., nose or gum bleed,  or easy bruising)

o                Low white cell count

Generally, younger children and those with their first dengue infection have a milder illness than older children and adults.

Watch for warning signs as temperature declines 3 to 7 days after symptoms began. Go IMMEDIATELY to an emergency room or the closest health care provider if any of the following warning signs appear:

·             Severe abdominal pain or persistent vomiting

·             Red spots or patches on the skin

·             Bleeding from nose or gums

·             Vomiting blood

·             Black, tarry stools (feces, excrement)

·             Drowsiness or irritability

·             Pale, cold, or clammy skin

·             Difficulty breathing

Dengue - Prevention Tips

Dengue Fever

Signs and symptoms

The disease has a sudden onset and symptoms may include:

• fever for 3 to 7 days
• intense headache and pain behind the eyes
• muscle and joint pain
• loss of appetite
• vomiting and diarrhoea
• skin rash
• bleeding, usually from the nose or gums.

Recovery is sometimes associated with prolonged fatigue and depression.

Repeated episodes of dengue fever may result in excessive bleeding and shock but, with appropriate treatment, are rarely fatal.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis of dengue fever is made by clinical presentation and a blood test.

Incubation period

(time between becoming infected and developing symptoms)

3 to 14 days, commonly 4 to 7 days.

Infectious period

(time during which an infected person can infect others)

A mosquito becomes infected if it bites an infected person while the fever is present (an average period of about 3 to 5 days).

After biting an infected person it takes 8 to 12 days before the mosquito can infect other people.

The mosquito remains infectious for life.

Dengue fever is not directly spread from person-to-person.

Treatment

There is no specific antiviral treatment available.

General recommendations include controlling fever and pain with paracetamol rather than aspirin (aspirin may promote bleeding), and increasing fluid intake. Aspirin should not be given to children under 12 years of age unless specifically recommended by a doctor.

Prevention

• Exclusion from childcare, preschool, school or work is usually not necessary but people experiencing fever from dengue infection should not be in an environment where they may be bitten by mosquitoes. If this is not possible they should stay at home until they have no fever and are therefore no longer infectious (usually 3 to 5 days).
• There is no vaccine to prevent human infection by this virus.
• Personal protection and the environmental management of mosquitoes are important in preventing illness.
• Prevent access of mosquitoes to an infected person with a fever.
• Protect yourself from mosquito bites at all times in dengue areas. For tips on how to protect yourself, see Fight the Bite.