Missing Stories

For one of the education boards, the pharmacy school girls did "work health." They were able to purchase a whole lot of bandanas to use over the nose and mouth, protecting people from the dust, dirt, etc. First of all, Michelle was super smart by checking to make sure we were not supporting any Ecuadorian gang's colors. Ha! Well, when Mama Gloria (our amazing cook) saw them she freaked! She was so excited. She really wanted one. Of course she got one. And, she has been wearing it every day since. So cute!

When that butterfly was taken out of the man's ear the other day, I made sure that everyone in clinic and pharmacy got to see it. Some where interested, some were not, Aneesh just squealed. I never have heard such a high pitched sound come out of someone before.

With the spiritual bracelets I had two of my boys struggle a bit. Jaunito attempted to help me make them one night, it only took him 10 minutes to put it together. I gave him a very hard time for that. Aneesh decided he could help me pump out some during a short down time in the pharmacy. Between dropping the bracelet, letting the beads fall off the string, an inability to tie knots, and so on, it literally (no exaggeration) took him 30 minutes to make one. I was so proud of him though!!!

The first day in clinic Aneesh and I had Pastor Ramon as our translator. He was wonderful! From day two on we have had David. Also wonderful! The first day with David was pretty funny though, he would blush anytime I would have him say the awkward words like penis, vagina, poop, breast feeding. Hahahaha! I found out today on the bus that this is his first medical mission translating. Poor guy didn't know what he was in for translating for us. He can say those words like a champ now without blushing.

I am always on again, off again with wearing gloves. Either way I make sure to wash and sanitize really well. For this particular story, I was not wearing gloves and my hair was down. The dream team (Aneesh, David, and I), were seeing a Mama with three kiddos. We went through each person, addressing their respective problems. When we were working on the last kid the other two were playing with my hair. As we were just about to send them out the door Mama asks, "what about the little white bugs in their hair?"........ I was horrified. All of the children had lice. I had let them play with my hair..... I was not wearing gloves.....Renae was such a sweet heart, she checked me for lice. Even though she thought I was being paranoid.

Baskets

Nobody is waking up early anymore. I know this because I was the second person out of bed this morning. Sister and Ma probably think that I am full of it. Ha! That NEVER EVER happens. Miss Sharron shared an awesome devotion this morning based off a song:

What if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise.

Today was the final day in Pachancho. Even with it not being a full day we saw a ton of people. I have been pretty surprised with how clean ears were this year. Last year, it was about one in every thirty who didn’t need their ears cleaned. Well, today was back to mass ear cleanings. We decided that today’s group came from a village that wasn’t seen last year.

Side note! We have had to make a trip to a local Ecuadorian pharmacy the last three days. Katty is now good buds with the pharmacist.

Today was the first time I have ever seen a ruptured ear drum. That was fun.

There was also a woman complaining of chest pain and fainting. When I put the stethoscope to hear chest I heard nothing. I just about lost it. Reane was able to find it, but it was pretty faint. No worries! She ended up being fine.

The women of Pachancho gave us the opportunity to purchase hats, scarves, and woven baskets that they had made. Beautiful!

Until next year Pachancho!!!

Butterflies In Your Ears

It was quite rainy in Riobamba when we woke up this morning. And, we dealt with the rain all day long. We saw tons and tons of patients. Full day of crazy activities. One man had a bug literally removed from his ear. Pharmacy had to teach a man with asthma how to use an inhaler. Funny, since he had no idea what it was or how to even begin to use it. I saw varicose veins on a woman that covered her whole left calf… she said it only hurt a bit. Oh, and there was this 52 year old woman. She brought in 3 children with her; the youngest was 6 months old. I was just about to ask if she was the grandma when she pulled up her shirt and started feeding the baby. Wow. Aneesh, David, and I make an amazing team. They are so much fun to work with and we have our own grove. We work like a well oiled machine.

There were a couple of pretty emotional moments today. A young girl (14 years old), who was at clinic yesterday, came again today. Mary found out that both her mother and father have passed away, along with a number of other crappy circumstances. It also happened to  be her birthday! The girl cried and cried when a group of Ecuadorian’s and EMM14 team members sang her happy birthday. Another little boy was having chest pain and was always super tired when he played with his friends. Maddie could clearly hear that there was a defect in his heart. In the United States this would be a super easy fix. In Ecuador, not so much. It is so heart breaking when there is nothing you can do but pray for someone.

Ecuador is filled with stray dogs; it is a big problem. Up in the village it is even more evident since we spend full days up there. As many of you know I am a huge dog lover. It breaks my heart to see these dogs starving to death. It totally devastates me that the people have so little respect for them that they throw rocks, hit, and kick the dogs. There is one that hangs around the clinic every day… every day I get to hear him squealing from a swift kick. So, I saved a piece of bread from my sandwich at lunch. As I was trying to feed this specific pup, the Ecuadorian’s were shaking their fingers and scolding me for feeding the stray. What did I do? You guessed it, I looked them in the eye and fed the dog. Sis, Bentley may have a little brother coming home!

Yesterday, a mama was able to hear her unborn babies heart beat on the doppler. What a great experience! After I posted last, I went downstairs to join the party. Half of the team was pre-counting medications, while the other half were making spiritual bracelets. The seminary was roaring with chatting and laughter.

The last two days have been full of laughter. I am not sure if it is because we all get along so well or if it because we are all oxygen deprived.

Mission To The Max

Today was our second day in the village of Pachancho.

We were able to see a whole lot more patients today compared to yesterday. Tasha and Aneesh, Renae and Blair, Maddie and Rachel, Steve and Kim have all been great fits together as clinicians in diagnosing patients and cleaning ears. Twilla and Linda have been manning the “lab” (more like a desk). It is SO nice to have them! Also, having Tara on this trip has been such a blessing. Last year we saw so much malnutrition in this very same village. Well, it is still a problem. Having someone who knows what they are talking about and can convey the information in a way that everyone can understand is great.

Our poor pharmacy was slammed all day long. But, they got the job done and did it well!!! Katelynn, Micha, Kim, Stephen, Michelle, and Tara keep that place running like a well oiled machine. It is amazing how they are able to counsel all of these patients (with the help of the translators).

The educational part of our mission has been a great success. Women’s health, men’s health, physical labor health, and dental care have been far more successful than anyone would have or could have anticipated. Mary and Katherine have been rocking it.

Miss Sharon and Sierra have been getting quite a work out playing with these kids! They are so full of energy and are used to this high elevation with a lack of oxygen. We on the other hand are not. But, they play with those kiddos until they cannot play anymore.

Pastor Ramon has been manning spiritual clinic on his own (as far as I know). From the report it has been a great success. The kids still remember the story of the bracelets that we gave out last year (and this year too). They are very excited.

Our translators have been amazing and so patient with us! We are so blessed to have them with us!!!

Pachancho Take Two

Today was our first day out in the field. We had an early morning meet and greet with an evangelical mission group from Tennessee/Alabama. They spent the day with us in Pachancho (this was our first village last year too!).

On the way up we did have to make a pit stop for pictures of Chimbaroza. This is the largest mountain in Ecuador, the 17^th largest in the world, and the highest point on this earth.

 

The other team put on a carnival for the children while we got organized for our 4 days in Pachancho. It was a bit crazy since we did not have the opportunity to organize last night, but we made it work. We were able to see about 35 patients in the half day of clinic. It was very exciting to be an independent practitioner this year. I was paired up with Pastor Ramon (as a translator) and Aneesh (who is interested in medicine). WOW! We were a bomb team! Aneesh soaked everything up like a sponge and had some many great questions. He pushed me, in a great way!!! We saw rheumatoid arthritis, infections, clogged ears, broken ribs, and so much more. I was even able to give my first dose of Rocephin… that is given in the butt.

It was an eventful day.

Second Fiddle

June 2, 2014

Spokane à Denver

Denver à Huston

Huston à Quito

We were greeted at the air port by Katty, Alexcita, and Juanita. It made me so happy to see some of my Ecuadorian family again!

I was very much looking forward to a nice hot shower after the full day of travel. Blair got a real kick out of me showering in the ice cold water last night… Every time I ducked under the water I would scream! We also had toilets…. But they didn’t flush.

June 3, 2014

I had the opportunity to lead the team in our first devotional in Ecuador. I shared with them the story of the second fiddle, which I first heard in Kenya from one of the most inspiring men I have ever met. He will never know truly how big of an impact he has had on my faith and my life. These words have transformed so many things about my life, that I felt compelled to share them with my team. Below is the devotion:

“Do nothing out of Selfish ambition or vain conceit, rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you the interests of others”
Philippians 2:3-4

Here is an example: In a bluegrass band you usually see two fiddlers. First fiddle and second fiddle. It is the first fiddle that is responsible for the melody while the second fiddle plays the accompaniment  or harmony.

The term “second fiddle” has come to be used for someone who plays a secondary role in support of another that plays the leading role. Often, the “second fiddle” carries the connotation of not being quite good enough. Musicians will tell you, however, that it is the second fiddle that has the power to create or destroy harmony in the piece. Some will even say that it is more difficult to play second fiddle. But, as hard as it is to play, it is even harder to find someone willing to play it. It is not a glamorous role. The hole point is to make the first fiddle look and sound good.

… to compliment

…to harmonize

… to blend

Leonardo Bernstine, the famous conductor of the New York Philharmonic said, “I can get plenty of first violinists, but to find someone who can play second fiddle with enthusiasm… that is a problem. And,, if we have no second fiddle, we have no harmony!”

Playing second fiddle on this trip will require humility. You may not be comfortable. You may not g3et to do what you want. You priority cannot be yourself, your comfort zone, or your own interests.

Playing second fiddle is challenging in a me-centered world. However, by putting ourselves first we have the power to ruin relationships and our impact.

By complaining rather than compromising.

By disrupting rather than harmonizing.

By resisting rather than blending.

Are you willing to play second fiddle and do so with enthusiasm?

If you play second fiddle well, the music can change lives… families… countries… and nations.

-Thank you to The 410 Bridge and to Khari Manuel. Published by The 410 Bridge

_______

Early rise and shine after a short night at the “hotel.”  We had a traditional Ecuadorian breakfast of fruit, eggs, and a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. After the devotional (above) we loaded on the bus and headed to the center of the world (also referred to by the team as “middle earth”). The military was not quite ready for us so we had to find something to do. We spent the day at lat/lon 0’0’ altitude 9,350 feet (2,850 m). Elevation in Spokane is  5,883 feet (1,793 m). Some went to the museum to learn some of the history of Ecuador, balance an egg on a nail, and see which way water flows on each side of the equator. A number of us just spent the whole day bargaining and bartering. My skills are still as sharp as last year!

The brave Mary had cuy (guinea pig) for lunch. The rest of us ate other Ecuadorian dishes that were more normal for us silly Americans.

Back on the bus!!! As we were waiting for everyone to get back to the bus we ducked into a wifi hotspot for a moment. A message popped up on my phone from the Board of Pharmacy saying, “blah blah blah, passed the MPJE, blah blah blah”! AAAHHH! I PASSED MY PHARMACY LAW EXAM!!!!!!!

The 5 hour bus ride to Riobamba was pretty uneventful. We made it to the seminary with no problems. Tonight we will be sharing the seminary with another crew who are just finishing their mission trip. They will be coming up with us to Pachancho tomorrow for their last day.

Quick side note. Someone asked Tara if she had learned Spanish in our 24hrs of being in Ecuador. Her response, "Yea! Haven't you been hearing me speaking it all day? I've been like 'buenos dias, buenos nachos'." Totally serious! Very very funny!

Buenos nachos everyone!!!!

One Heart Global Ministries - Ecuador Medical Missions 2014

One Heart Global Ministries:

In areas of great poverty it is not uncommon for undeserved populations to struggle with depression, hopelessness, violence, mal-nutrition, chronic diseases, parasites, and all forms of abuse. Sadly, the family unit is often the most impacted. Families are not always safe or a place of protection for children and without this connection, many children often are abandoned and left to survive on their own. In this environment, there is truly a sense that only the strongest survive.

As a native Ecuadorian, Katty Aguirre personally understands these struggles. Growing up on the border of Columbia and Ecuador, she was exposed to danger and violence every day. Katty grew up feeling rejected, and struggling to survive and meet the most basic of natural needs. After many long and difficult years living in these circumstances, she was introduced to the message of the Gospel.

After first rejecting this message, she soon started to hunger to learn more about the hope and love that was promised to her. When she opened her heart to be loved, she experienced a radical change in her life. The service and love that was extended to her by missionaries gave her the family that she yearned for and created within her a deep desire to see her own people rise from the depths of poverty and despair to experience the love that family and relationship with a loving God can bring.

“My life was changed, because they were willing to love me, share with me, and invest in me.  They were willing to make a difference in my life. You can make a difference too. Please join me in changing lives”

http://www.ohgm.org/







Ecuador Medical Mission 2014 Schedule:
     June 2: Travel
     June 3: Quito-Middle of the earth/Riobamba
     June 4-7: Pachancho
     June 8: Church service and rest day
     June 9-12: Clinic
     June13-15: Jungle trip
     June 16-17: Travel home

     June 25: Tasha taking NAPLEX (pharmacy boards)(aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!)