Ive been hard at work these last couple of days. We have been averaging about 200 patients everyday. Usually a group is bussed in in the morning and a new group comes imn the afternoon. Most times the groups are mixed, mostly consisting of mothers and their kids. The main concerns we treat are children with allergies, fungal rashes, and parasites. Most everybody here has to be treated with parasite medication because the water is so dirty that they drink. The kids get stomach aches, fever and itchy rashes all over their body from different parasites. The good thing is that can be treated just by taking 2 pills oncer every 6 months, but unfortanely most cannot afford it. Yesterday was probably my favorite day because we got a large group of people from the nursing home. They were all elderly people who were so grateful that we were here. We fit many people with canes, walkers and orthotic shoes. One of our nurses recognized an elderly man from last year. She went up to him and asked "do you remember me?" And he said "yes, I've been praying for you all year". This from a man that didn't have anything. His toes were hanging out of his shoes, and we couldn't find any that would fit him, so one of the guys took the shoes off his own feet and gave them to him. Today I took my flip flops with me in case I found somebody who needed my shoes and I did. I gave him my shoes and half the day I wore my flip flops.
Today it rained a lot, which was a real blessing because it cooled down the temperature. Tomorrow,we will only work a half day, take down the clinic, and then go to a small village where we can do some local shopping. This week has just flown by. I will try my best to keep checking in and letting you know how things are down here. Until then...hasta luego!
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
Day 1
Today was our real first day at the clinic seeing patients. Two busloads of people came throughout the day. I saw 60 patients myself and I am so tired. I think we saw a total of about 250 patients today. We had mostly kids with colds, sinus infections, and fungal infections. A lot of the people come to get medicine to prevent worms and other parsites that they would get from food and drinking water. Everybody is so greatful that we are there. I thought that there was a clinic that is staffed throughout the year by different groups of people. But in actuality, there only about 3-4 weeks of the year that people provide medical care here. So its a big deal when we come to town, and the word gets out.
I will try to explain the setup of the clinic to give you a vsual of what exactly we do there. First the are checked in by the nurses who take vital signs, medical history and assessments. This is what I do. There are 4 of us. Then, they go to a separate room where a missionary is there to provide morale support and to offer prayer. Next they give a urine sample and they wait for that to be analyzed and then they can see the doctor. We have 4 physicians that came with us. Once they have seen the doctor, they proceed to the pharmacy to pick up a 30 day supply of their medicine and they have the oppurtunity to go have their vision checked and get eye glasses. Finally at the last stop they are given bags of beans and rice to take home and we offer them shoes, clothes and toys if available.
Im having a great time. Everybody is so nice and helpful. We have translators, but I'm not doing so bad at my spanglish. I can't wait to post some pics. Maybe I will later this week when Im not dog tired. Until then, keep us in your thoughts and I'm going nighty night!
I will try to explain the setup of the clinic to give you a vsual of what exactly we do there. First the are checked in by the nurses who take vital signs, medical history and assessments. This is what I do. There are 4 of us. Then, they go to a separate room where a missionary is there to provide morale support and to offer prayer. Next they give a urine sample and they wait for that to be analyzed and then they can see the doctor. We have 4 physicians that came with us. Once they have seen the doctor, they proceed to the pharmacy to pick up a 30 day supply of their medicine and they have the oppurtunity to go have their vision checked and get eye glasses. Finally at the last stop they are given bags of beans and rice to take home and we offer them shoes, clothes and toys if available.
Im having a great time. Everybody is so nice and helpful. We have translators, but I'm not doing so bad at my spanglish. I can't wait to post some pics. Maybe I will later this week when Im not dog tired. Until then, keep us in your thoughts and I'm going nighty night!
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Arrival to Nicarauga!
Whoo! It's been a long day of travel. I just got settled into my room and am ready for bed. We have an early start tomorrow. Church starts at 8 and then we will set up the clinic the rest of the day. I have had a good time getting to know a lot of my teammates. Theres not a better time to do that crammed on 3 different planes with people you don't really know. There are about 25 of us and I am 1 of 4 newbies. There is definitly a close sense of family with everyone. They are all so fun loving and humorous so I think I will fit in just fine.
Once we arrived to Managua, we stood outside for about 20 minutes waiting on our hotel van and it is soooo humid here! Not too hot, but let me tell you, my hair instantly fro'd up withing a matter of minutes. I can't wait to send a pic of this freak of nature masterpiece. I feel kind of like Monica from the episode of "Friends" when she goes to the Bahamas. Except 5 times worse.
Also when we arrived I met Wayne, who is the missionary that lives here who we will be working with. He is originally from Amarillo. His son joined us in Dallas and will be spending the week with us. His other son was in an accident about a month ago and broke his neck. Thankfully, he can still walk and move around, but he has to do therapy for a couple of more months. So Waynes wife, who is usually here, is staying in the states with her son.
I will end this right here because I am ready for bed. I will definitly be back to you tomorrow.
Once we arrived to Managua, we stood outside for about 20 minutes waiting on our hotel van and it is soooo humid here! Not too hot, but let me tell you, my hair instantly fro'd up withing a matter of minutes. I can't wait to send a pic of this freak of nature masterpiece. I feel kind of like Monica from the episode of "Friends" when she goes to the Bahamas. Except 5 times worse.
Also when we arrived I met Wayne, who is the missionary that lives here who we will be working with. He is originally from Amarillo. His son joined us in Dallas and will be spending the week with us. His other son was in an accident about a month ago and broke his neck. Thankfully, he can still walk and move around, but he has to do therapy for a couple of more months. So Waynes wife, who is usually here, is staying in the states with her son.
I will end this right here because I am ready for bed. I will definitly be back to you tomorrow.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Gramps
Just last week I was talking to my mom and we were saying that we should write down some of our favorite memories of my grandpa. He passed just this August and it was really hard, but there are so many wonderful memories I have of him and some of those I would like to share with you.
When I was young I remember going to his house a lot. My grandma passed when I was very young, and I don't really remember her, but I do have such great memories of going to gramps' house. It was always so clean and at Christmas time he always put up the white Christmas tree. I always thought that was so cool. My cousins and I had so much fun playing at that house. He had a steep hill next to his house and we would roll down it into the street. On the 4th of July, we would climb on top of his roof and watch the fireworks show. He had this big old Dodge pickup, and I can still remember the way it smelled. Gramps always had Juicy Fruit gum for us too.
Over the years I got older and moved away, but these last few years have been so special to me. One of my favorite memories is when I took him to the International Festival and we sat down at a picnic table and shared a fry bread and watched some Polynesian dancers. He kept saying, "man, they can dance!" As we were walking back to the car I stopped and pointed out this huge turtle in a cage that was on display and he just stood there for a second and out of nowhere he yells "Hey!", as if the turtle would look up at him and aknowledge him. I was so embarrased because right next to us there was a table full of young army recruiters that were just cracking up. And, I couldn't help but laugh as well.
This last year I tried to go home every weekend so I could spend time with him. On Saturdays I took him to dialysis and he just loved riding in my car. You see my car has a the handle on the top you can hold on to, as if you were on a bus or a trolley. He remembered that everytime he got into my car. Whenever we would hit 38th st and Gore (those of you from Lawton), he would say "Hold on", but of course I would hit it like the Dukes of Hazzard and he would just giggle like a little boy. "Oh Boy" and "Boy Howdy" were a couple of his favorite phrases. He also LOVED football. On the TV it was always football, John Wayne, The Andy Griffith Show, or Sanford and Son. Just the other day I was at the gym on the treadmill flipping through the channels and I landed on Sanford and Son. I continued watching it, while looking like an idiot laughing the whole time, but feeling really connected because this was an episode that I remembered watching with him. This past spring I stumbled upon the Lingerie Football League. I immediaely called my dad and asked him to turn it on for gramps. Dad said he got such a kick out of it. He didn't say much but the one thing he did say was, "those girls have Big Legs!" Im sure thats all he noticed:)
The beginning of the summer we had to move him to a rehab facility. The place was kind of in between an assisted living and nursing home. My family was very diligent about going there everyday to visit and eat meals with him. The word got out that there was a piano there and my cousin told him that next time I came I would play for him. I was very nervous when I heard about that because I havent played for about 12 years. So I get there and of course he doesnt forget, so we walk down to the common area and I apologetically try to squeak out a couple of songs. He claps and gives me a sympathy "that was good", but the last song I remember is an old hymn, "What A Friend We Have In Jesus". After hearing this he wants me to play it again and again and again. I should have know this would be the one he would love so much because of his deep love of Jesus. Whenever he would talk about Jesus, he would never say his name, he would always just say "my friend". A few times I would think, who is he talking about, he doesn't have any friends. (Which was mean, I know). But I realized he wasn't talking about any friends here on earth, but his Saviour. Gramps would always say the prayer whenever we had big family dinners and whether he would say it in Kiowa or English he would say at the end "I love you , I love you, I love you". He taught me that God isn't this force or great spirit that sometimes seems beyond us, but that he can be our best friend. He is so close to us that its not necessary to use big King James majestic words to communicate with him, just talk to him like he's your friend that's sitting right next to you. Im sure he is sitting next to Him now with my grandma just gabbing away about OU football or the Denver Broncos or those girls that played football with the big legs.
When I was young I remember going to his house a lot. My grandma passed when I was very young, and I don't really remember her, but I do have such great memories of going to gramps' house. It was always so clean and at Christmas time he always put up the white Christmas tree. I always thought that was so cool. My cousins and I had so much fun playing at that house. He had a steep hill next to his house and we would roll down it into the street. On the 4th of July, we would climb on top of his roof and watch the fireworks show. He had this big old Dodge pickup, and I can still remember the way it smelled. Gramps always had Juicy Fruit gum for us too.
Over the years I got older and moved away, but these last few years have been so special to me. One of my favorite memories is when I took him to the International Festival and we sat down at a picnic table and shared a fry bread and watched some Polynesian dancers. He kept saying, "man, they can dance!" As we were walking back to the car I stopped and pointed out this huge turtle in a cage that was on display and he just stood there for a second and out of nowhere he yells "Hey!", as if the turtle would look up at him and aknowledge him. I was so embarrased because right next to us there was a table full of young army recruiters that were just cracking up. And, I couldn't help but laugh as well.
This last year I tried to go home every weekend so I could spend time with him. On Saturdays I took him to dialysis and he just loved riding in my car. You see my car has a the handle on the top you can hold on to, as if you were on a bus or a trolley. He remembered that everytime he got into my car. Whenever we would hit 38th st and Gore (those of you from Lawton), he would say "Hold on", but of course I would hit it like the Dukes of Hazzard and he would just giggle like a little boy. "Oh Boy" and "Boy Howdy" were a couple of his favorite phrases. He also LOVED football. On the TV it was always football, John Wayne, The Andy Griffith Show, or Sanford and Son. Just the other day I was at the gym on the treadmill flipping through the channels and I landed on Sanford and Son. I continued watching it, while looking like an idiot laughing the whole time, but feeling really connected because this was an episode that I remembered watching with him. This past spring I stumbled upon the Lingerie Football League. I immediaely called my dad and asked him to turn it on for gramps. Dad said he got such a kick out of it. He didn't say much but the one thing he did say was, "those girls have Big Legs!" Im sure thats all he noticed:)
The beginning of the summer we had to move him to a rehab facility. The place was kind of in between an assisted living and nursing home. My family was very diligent about going there everyday to visit and eat meals with him. The word got out that there was a piano there and my cousin told him that next time I came I would play for him. I was very nervous when I heard about that because I havent played for about 12 years. So I get there and of course he doesnt forget, so we walk down to the common area and I apologetically try to squeak out a couple of songs. He claps and gives me a sympathy "that was good", but the last song I remember is an old hymn, "What A Friend We Have In Jesus". After hearing this he wants me to play it again and again and again. I should have know this would be the one he would love so much because of his deep love of Jesus. Whenever he would talk about Jesus, he would never say his name, he would always just say "my friend". A few times I would think, who is he talking about, he doesn't have any friends. (Which was mean, I know). But I realized he wasn't talking about any friends here on earth, but his Saviour. Gramps would always say the prayer whenever we had big family dinners and whether he would say it in Kiowa or English he would say at the end "I love you , I love you, I love you". He taught me that God isn't this force or great spirit that sometimes seems beyond us, but that he can be our best friend. He is so close to us that its not necessary to use big King James majestic words to communicate with him, just talk to him like he's your friend that's sitting right next to you. Im sure he is sitting next to Him now with my grandma just gabbing away about OU football or the Denver Broncos or those girls that played football with the big legs.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Let's try this!
Just recently I have been inspired to start a blog from my friend Emily who has been writing such eloquent, entertaining antecdotes. I can't promise you all that, but I will try my best. I will be going on a mission trip in 2 days and I want this to be a gateway that I can keep in touch with my friends and family. For those of you that know me, know that I am in no way a computer genius. I sometimes feel like such an old person getting mad at these "young people" texting all the time with their "loud music" and not having any "social skills" because they don't know how to talk to people without using an electronic device. It takes me about an hour to figure out how to organize my pics on facebook. I really don't listen to that much music that was made after the new millenium. I felt so happy that my friend Kasey once jokingly said "I cant stand the youth of America". It was funny when she said it, but at the same moment I was wanting to slap the piss out of these kids sitting in front of us in the movie theatre. The point of this whole rant is that Im old and you'll have to bear with me as I tip toe through this new endeavor because my computer skills aren't anywhere near my num chuk skills.
Another reason I am doing this is because sometimes I feel so oblivious to things going on around me. Some of my main philosphies in life include the phrases "dont sweat the small stuff", "just roll with it", and "move on". To some people this could be seen as an "I dont care" attitude, but to me, I see it as a "no drama" attitude. There are so many things in my life I can be thankful for, so why sweat the small stuff. I've always been like that and I make no apologies. The only thing I do apologize for is using so many air quotes in this blog. But in all seriousness, I want to be more observant about things going on around me and figure out how lifes little tickles and hiccups relate to my life in the big picture.
Tomorrow I will be sharing stories of my grandfather who I recently lost. The other day I was talking to my mom about all the things I will miss about him and all the craziness. We both decided that it would be a good idea to write these memories down, so I hope you will be looking forward to that. Then I will be heading to Nicaragua for a medical mission trip, which I am super syked about, and can't wait to share with you. Hope you enjoy this and I will see you soon.
Jennifer
Another reason I am doing this is because sometimes I feel so oblivious to things going on around me. Some of my main philosphies in life include the phrases "dont sweat the small stuff", "just roll with it", and "move on". To some people this could be seen as an "I dont care" attitude, but to me, I see it as a "no drama" attitude. There are so many things in my life I can be thankful for, so why sweat the small stuff. I've always been like that and I make no apologies. The only thing I do apologize for is using so many air quotes in this blog. But in all seriousness, I want to be more observant about things going on around me and figure out how lifes little tickles and hiccups relate to my life in the big picture.
Tomorrow I will be sharing stories of my grandfather who I recently lost. The other day I was talking to my mom about all the things I will miss about him and all the craziness. We both decided that it would be a good idea to write these memories down, so I hope you will be looking forward to that. Then I will be heading to Nicaragua for a medical mission trip, which I am super syked about, and can't wait to share with you. Hope you enjoy this and I will see you soon.
Jennifer
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