A week has now passed since we returned from the medical mission trip to Nicaragua.
I'd like to share some of my journal entries from the trip:
February 27th , Day One
Finally got to bed@2:30am and was up again around 6:30! Wow! When did I become capable of functioning on so little sleep? Adrenalin, I guess. I’m very excited to be here and have the 4 precious students who came along.
My “before” impression of the kids:
T - outgoing-no problem! This one’ll talk to anyone and really jump in.
R – shy, a little worried, but seems to smile a lot, eat a lot, and generally go with the flow.
K – a bit shy at first, but friendly and kind. This person will make friends slowly and stay friends forever, I think.
C – very cheerful, this one will fit in fine. This student’s laugh rings through the air—you can always tell who it is.
9:05pm
Wow! That was a long day of goody bag prep. We spent hours putting shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes , lotion, bar of soap, and comb into goody bags to be handed out with the prescriptions at clinics. We also had to break down thousands of vitamins from bottles into packets of 30. We forgot to label the first 500 vitamin packets we put in goody bags—OOPS!
We finished a total of 812 adult bags and 541 kids bags, then ran out of vitamins. We’re shooting for 2,000 adult bags in total for the week and 1,000 kids bags. We’ve got a long way to go.
All four students worked non-stop except for a walk up the hill in the afternoon to clear our heads. C didn’t go because he got lassoed to carry some stuff to the dental clinic in town.
I’m sooo tired! And I see that K has fallen asleep while writing in a journal. Goodnight!
February 28th, farm clinic, Day 2
Awake since about 4, I think. A mosquito was buzzing around my ear—conveniently sharing the mosquito net with me—Yikes!
On the bus on the way to the farm, I was talking with Marta, one of the university of Matagalpa volunteer interpreters. I asked her about her family—there are six siblings. I asked if they have water where she lives and she said “Oh yes. Once a week.” She said they fill containers with the water to last them until the next time they can get water. We talked about university and her church. She said she heard a good sermon about how we wake up with huge stones in front of us each day that we face. We must keep our eyes on God to overcome the obstacles. I wondered if people in Japan wake up feeling that they face big stones, and if so, are those stones life and death problems like no water to drink.
March 1st , school clinic, Day 3
There was a sign in front of the school that said JAPON (or Japan) and a dollar amount listed. A young man who was one of our interpreters told us the money for the school where we held our clinic today was donated by a Japanese organization. He said there are a lot of factories from Japan and Taiwan in Nicaragua. He used to work for a Taiwanese factory in the office as an interpreter from 6am-5pm everyday for $200 a month. The actual factory workers who were sewing clothes made $250 a month, because they kept working past hours to earn more money.
I took a photo of R, K, and Marta working. Marta tried to get out of the photo, saying “I’m crying,” but wiped her eyes and joined the photo. Later I asked her why she was crying and she said while she was interpreting, a patient was telling her such a sad story about her life that it made her cry. Marta’s very tender hearted.
I sense some volunteers feeling frustrated about the imperfect treatment we can offer.
But some help, some love, is better than nothing, right? I feel joyful as I do the work. Brush and fluoride some teeth, encourage them to brush 3 times a day, send them off with a “vayo con dios” and a smile . . . Even if it doesn’t “take” the first time, they’ll begin to learn, won’t they?
I think I’ve learned patience by living in Japan. Things don’t change quickly there. But, with time, things do change. As a foreigner living in any country, a person has to learn patience if they want to get along. Patience is the key.
March 4th, day 6
Today we went to a BEAUTIFUL mountain village. K and I did fluoride treatments with Sue. Again the kids were so sweet, and K, of course, jumped right in and did a great job!
March 6th, leaving Nicaragua Day 8
My “after” impression of the kids.
I don’t feel right calling them “kids” anymore. I’ve seen all 4 of them work and share and make the best of every situation thrown at them in Nicaragua. They’ve grown. Or maybe I’ve just gotten to know them well enough to see that my babies were all grown up in the first place.
T - just as I expected, was a leader, a friend, and a steadying and vital part of the entire mission.
R- was an avid learner who carefully watched everything Dr. Kirby was doing and asked GREAT questions after the clinics. R is a calm and strong person who doesn’t waste words. I predict that his future patients will instantly trust him for his thoughtful and thorough ways.
K - I have learned that K was once very shy, but challenged difficult situations, like traveling abroad or volunteering as a mentor to foreign students in order to grow. It was a conscious choice that has reaped great benefits. Now, K appears confident, outgoing, and capable of anything to me.
C — our youngest member, reminded me of a puppy at first. All of that extra energy, like a puppy that’s always looking for something to chew on. But I saw him take on the role of big brother to kids that we met and realized that it takes real maturity to continue to smile and play game after game with them.
