Several of the students went with me to visit Na Tuina. She is an old lady with a twinkle in her eye. 1 ½ years ago a church member brought up her needs at a leaders’ meeting and asked if Jeff could do a house call. Jeff confirmed that she had suffered a stroke a few months earlier which left her crippled on the left side. She cannot walk and has to scoot herself around the dirt floor. Her left hand is contracted and basically useless. She lived with her grandson in a small shack and we were worried that her basic needs were not being met. Through a lot of encouragement and a little financial help, the grandson built a better house for the two of them. It is still small but at least now she can cook under a covered area. A couple church members helped install a toilet in her house so she wouldn’t have to drag herself outside to the outhouse.
I warned the TIME students before we saw her that I can only understand about 20% of what she says. She talks fast and slurred (probably because she always is chewing tobacco) and doesn’t always make sense. She has really taken to me and when I come to visit she holds me close, throws her arms all over me, and begins to inspect my face and then my clothes. She twists every button, admires my wedding ring and watch, and plays with my shoes and all the time grinning a toothless smile and throwing her head back in laughter.
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