Goodbye to the final team.

Week 4 of life in Cajamarca, Peru has come and gone, medical clinics are finished for the summer, and the final team has left for the States.  It’s back to just the daily grind here at Villa Milagro with Claire, Larry, the workers, and the Heaths.

Let’s recap the events of June 30-July 4.

The team consisted of around 32 people, many from San Angelo, a family from Melbourne, Arkansas, a few from the Dallas area and some from Amarillo.  Saturday, the 30^th was the first clinic for this team.  We drove to a school in Huallaypampa, elevation around 10,000 ft, and got to work.  I worked the intake table, took names and ages and asked where the pain was.  The day was slow off and on because whoever was supposed to get the word out to this district about the clinic did not.  But nevertheless word spread pretty quick and we saw nearly 200 people I believe.

Looking down on the intake and triage tables.

Sunday, July 1^st was fun.  We went to church at Monte Sion that morning and then spent a few hours at the Aldea Orphanage that afternoon.  We played sports with the kids, painted fingernails, read stories, and gave out little brown sacks with goodies.  The Heath boys found a llama at the back of the orphanage and took me to see it and to take pictures with it.  I was a chicken and wouldn’t get as close to touching it as they did because it kept making growling noises and was preparing to spit on me.  I was proud of their bravery though and I got some cute pictures and a few videos of the three of them. 

After painting her fingernails.

My bravery...

The boys bravery.

Giving out the goodies.

Monday we held another clinic in Jesus which is only about 20-30 minutes away from VM.  A Peruvian family let us use their home for the clinic.  My job was to give parasite medication and vitamins.  I got to work next to Crissy as she taught people how to properly brush their teeth.  It was a good day but very hot and lots of little bugs everywhere.  No pictures from that day, sorry I don’t know why I didn’t think to take a single one.

Tuesday was the third clinic in Chamis.  This was an early morning with breakfast at 6:30 and leaving the farm by 7:15.  We traveled about 45 min to the area and set up the clinic at another school.  The building was really nice and the kids were fun.  Come to find out though, the advertisement for our clinic was for the students only so that changed a lot of things for our team.  I for one was out of a job because we weren’t going to give parasite medicine and vitamins to just children with no adults to explain to.  Also, the pharmacists had a lot lesser load as well because of the same reason.  The kids did see the doctors though so they could at least listen to their heart and just provide a general check up.  Every kid at least walked away with a toothbrush and toothpaste and some had a tooth pulled or their teeth cleaned.  One neat thing of the day though was before we began working the students sang a special song for us in a native language called Quechua and then a man played “an original Peruvian song on an original Peruvian instrument”.  It was a fun little presentation and a very nice thank you from them.  After we had seen the students we waited for a bit to see if any adults would come and only a handful did.  Therefore we closed up shop around 2:30 and headed back to VM.  I had heard about a little lake nearby so I walked with one of the doctors and the two van drivers to go see it.  First lake, or any form of body of water for that matter, that I’ve seen since arriving here.   

The school - really nice facilities.

The performance

Teaching the correct way to brush your teeth.

Ready to go with their toothbrush, toothpaste, and new testaments.

Things got interesting when we were bored. Celso, Kent Terrill (the team leader), & Sean

So pretty

Wednesday (Independence Day!) was the conclusion of the medical clinics for me for the summer.  It was the earliest morning of the week with breakfast at 6 a.m. and left the farm by 7.  This time we had to travel an hour and a half to Matara to set up the clinic.  The scenery was the best yet though which made the trip seem to go a little faster.  The pictures of the landscape just do not do it justice.  What was neat was our team met with a mobile clinic of nurses and doctors employed by Cajamarca to help us.  It took a long time to set all their tents up so while we waited I went with the Heaths to walk up the hill to the school.  On our way a Peruvian man invited us into his home to look at this art.  His house was neat, had a few carved animals around but the inside was even better.  Every wall in his living area was decorated with a different mural.  Each one represented some portion of Peru.  It’s neat to think how people are just born with natural artistic talent with no schooling at all.  After that we continued up the hill to see the school but the kids were called into their classrooms shortly after we got up there.  So we traveled back down to our site but didn’t start seeing patients until after 10 a.m.  There was no shade so some of the team set me up a nice little spot on the back of the Heath’s truck with a blanket that a Peruvian couple let us borrow.  I was the first station the patients came to and I gave out more parasite medicine and vitamins.  We had 4 doctors I believe, 3 or 4 dentists, our pharmacy and the mobile clinic’s pharmacy.  It seemed like chaos because of all the people but after lunch it died down quite a bit.  We still didn’t leave until after 6 p.m. though.  We finally arrived back at VM after what seemed like a 3 hour van ride, we were all exhausted from the work and the sun and definitely ready to eat.  Walking into the sala (the meeting/dining room) was a fun surprise, the VM workers had decorated it for the Fourth so we could celebrate a little bit even though we are 1,000s of miles from the States.  After dinner we had a fun little gospel session of sing-alongs and then hit the sack not too long afterwards.

Scenery on the way to the clinic

Setting up my fort

Hard at work

The clinic with all its stations up and running.

Sharing Christ's love with the children.

Melt my heart.

The sala

My fourth of July shirt!

Ryan also wore his shirt on that day and we took pictures acting like we were together. And Sader had to be a part of it too of course.

On Thursday the team was supposed to deliver food to some poor families and go to the plaza downtown to go souvenir shopping before they left but we heard that the strikes were going to be bad so they hung out around VM instead.  All 32 of them took off back for the States at 3 p.m.  It’s back to just Claire and I on our own here.  She is still working at the school teaching English every day but now I am out of a daily job.  Larry said he has plenty for me to do and not to worry, I fully believe him.  That man never stops working, he’s amazing.  It should be interesting what my days will look like, I’m thinking a lot more relaxed though. The big bummer for Claire and I though is no more meals cooked for us.  The food is wonderful here and we are very sad to go back to our own cooking.  We’ll manage somehow. 

And if anyone is wondering, here are some random foods I’ve been craving from home: a Hershey’s chocolate bar, pizza – any kind, from anywhere, Ichibans rice and teriyaki chicken, Johnny Carino’s cheese tortellini and caesar salad, Rosas’ cheese enchiladas and tortillas with honey, chips and salsa, and a vanilla cream Dr. Pepper from Sonic, easy ice.  All junk I know but mmm!!

Chao for now!

The last few days with wonderful new friends.

Well the first team has come and gone and I am now working with the second and final team of the summer. But to begin this update I will detail the events that occurred last week, June 25-29^th.

Sadly, it was the final week here in Cajamarca for the team from Geyer Springs First Baptist Church, Arkansas. Monday and Tuesday were spent working in the morning at a special needs school and the afternoons were spent at the special needs orphanage.  Prior to this I had no experience with special needs students.  Therefore, going into the first day I was nervous and did not know what to expect or what my role would be.  During the mornings part of our team visited multiple classrooms to do arts and crafts, put on puppet shows, and play with a parachute – I was a part of this portion.  Each classroom was different.  Some had students that were completely capable of participating and others had students that did not respond to anything.  In the beginning this was all a challenge to me.  How should I act, what should I do if the game or craft doesn’t work?  I’ll just say day one was a learning experience.  That afternoon was better for me.  We arrived at the orphanage, which surprisingly had very nice facilities for what I had expected, and a lot of the kids were already outside on a slab.  We played with the parachute, had another puppet show, and made some crafts.  The kids were in a great mood and loved having us there to play and talk with them.  The atmosphere was much more comfortable for me as well. 

Playing at the special needs orphanage.

Some of the team worked with the women at the orphanage to learn about new therapy treatments for the children.

Day two was the same schedule.  However, this time the emotions were switched for me.  The morning events at the school were much more comfortable.  The kids were more receptive to us and seemed to be in a better mood all around.  In one classroom we had students dancing for us – it was so fun to interact with them.  The afternoon at the orphanage just seemed…depressing, honestly.  The kids were all outside on the slab again but their demeanor just seemed different.  They were sleepy and many were easily irritated - lots of crying and screaming.  We were still able to play games and make crafts with quite a few of the kids but it was just a hard afternoon on the emotions. 

Coloring at the school.

Their "Thank You" dance for us.

Right before we left the school. Jamie (left) is from the Geyer Springs team and a wonderful new friend of mine.

On day three we spend the morning in Santa Barbara with about 30 local Peruvian women.  We started the morning with manicures and painted the fingernails of those who wanted it and then we had a short devotional about the different names and roles of Christ.  We ended the morning with a craft; we made big, colorful paper flowers and the women really seemed to enjoy it.  After that we headed back to the farm for lunch and then went back to Santa Barbara to hold an afternoon of Vacation Bible School for the children.  We made mariposas (butterflies), I led a few games of Simon Says (lots of touch your knees while dancing, or touch your feet and jump – so fun), we sang songs, and ended the day with snack time.  On the way back to the farm we drove through some of downtown and saw lots of people with signs against the mines here.  Many of the people of Cajamarca believe that the gold mines here are destroying their water supply and that the president of Peru isn’t doing anything about it.  Now whether or not that is actually true is yet to be seen, I really have no opinion on the subject.  Minus the fact that I wish there weren’t so many “huelgas/paros” (strikes/protests) because it makes it difficult to sight see or sometimes get to our clinic locations. 

Being a manicurist.

Happy customers.

Devotional time.

Group picture with the finished products.

Helping with the butterflies.

Leading Simon Says

Preparing for snack time.

An example of the protests in town.

Day four was again, the same schedule.  Women’s devotional in the morning – we made foam picture frames and gave each woman a copy of the group photo with their paper flowers to put in it, had another devotional, sang some songs, and finished with a snack.  Held another VBS that afternoon; this time with a puppet show, made wind socks, had a paper snowball fight, sang more songs, and snack time.  The kids are adorable and so ready to be involved with whatever we tried.  

Crissy is the most animated puppeteer I believe I have ever seen. Love working with her.

Paper snowball fight = chaos.

Me, Crissy, Jamie, and Anna Grace - taking a break from the VBS chaos.

Day five was sad.  The team from Geyer Springs left to go back home to Arkansas.  Many of them had been here for two weeks and I really felt like I was a part of their team, it was weird to watch them leave and know that I was staying here.  Made some wonderful friends though that I know I will stay in contact with!

Jake, Sally, Robert, Anna Grace, Jamie, Me, Kara

The Geyer Springs Week 2 Team, many were at VM for 2 straight weeks.

Got a little behind, but another post will be coming very soon to recap this past week and more clinics. 

Chao!

Experiences in the medical field.

To begin this second post let me just express one simple sentence of reassurance, both for myself and for those who know me pretty well.  And with this I’ll say that it comes after many prayers and now some experience.  So here goes… I am not meant for any career in the medical field.   After four days of medical mission work I have a deep, intense conviction that the Lord did not give me any sort of medical ability or especially any desire to be involved in anything remotely related to a medical career.  (Outside of thinking that wearing scrubs to work every day would be ideal.)  Now this is not to say that I did not enjoy my work last week with the team from Arkansas, however it does mean that all things that itch, burn, hurt, swell, flake, bruise, smell, etc. seriously gross me out.  My job during the week was to translate for the one doctor, Evelyn, who came with the Geyer Springs team.  First of all, she was incredibly sweet and gentle and obviously loves her job.  Getting to work with her was calming for my nerves and just comfortable from the very beginning.  As patients came in I would have them sit down and then ask what was hurting and where and translate to Evelyn what they had said.  Back and forth this process went, on… and on… and on… and on…

As I previously wrote about in the last post, the first day of this, Monday the 18^th, we drove a little over an hour to a small town named Jocus.  The morning was filled with patient after patient, with two doctors – Evelyn and a local doctor, Dr. Aldo – and then the afternoon was quite a bit slower.  Most of the time was spent just conversing amongst ourselves.  This was definitely the most challenging day location wise.  The building was tiny and the minute you stepped outside into the “waiting area” your body and especially face was swarmed by the most annoying, tiny little bugs known to man, possibly a cross between a gnat and a mosquito, and whatever else bites like the dickens.  On top of that the “facilities” were just about the worst I have experienced in my 22 years, most definitely made me appreciate my home and indoor plumbing.  And of course I was not warned before walking into that little surprise of stench and flies.  My new friends thought it was pretty humorous when I immediately opened back up the little tin door gasping and nearly gagging.  But even through the new experiences it was a good day; I learned some new vocabulary and made relationships with the team.  The highlight of the day was a seventeen year old girl who came for issue with her vision and headaches.  Evelyn was able to give her eye drops and Ibuprofen but we did not have any sunglasses for her to wear.  I had randomly thought to pack mine to take just in case I was outside for the clinic so I gave her my own.  She put them on and smiled, I told her how cute/fancy she looked and she seemed pretty pleased.  Made me think of the little things we take for granted, those were just $5 Wal-Mart glasses that I just picked up a couple days before I left to come here and thought nothing about it.  However, since then I have definitely been in her shoes and am anxiously waiting the day that Claire and I get to go shopping with the Heath’s so I can purchase a new pair and save my poor eyes from squinting every moment I step outside on a sunny day.

Inside the clinic, Day 1 - Patients just beginning to walk in.

Day two was busier and cleaner.  We drove another hour to a town named Matara and held our clinic at Jardin Ninos, a very small school or maybe even just a daycare.  For this clinic we had two doctors and a dentist.  Each doctor had their own small room to see patients, as well as a room for the pharmacy and another for the intake personnel.  The school had a fence and gate which made organization and maintenance of the patients and the VBS portion much easier.  This day was quite different from the first work wise.  The doctors and I, and the pharmacy, started seeing patients at 8:15 and worked until around 1, had a 15 minute lunch break and were back at it from 1:15 to a little after 5.  We were all exhausted.

VBS

Translating for Evelyn

 

For day three we drove through Cajamarca and quite a ways up a hill to a place called Lucmacucho.  Three doctors worked this day, all together in a dark, bare building that is used as a church.  The pharmacy and intake were located in a separate building next door.  This was another busy day but the swarms of people came and went instead of being one right after the other.  I only translated half the day this time and then switched jobs with the other translator and quickly became the manager for the intake and pharmacy and dealt with keeping patients in line and in order.  The highlight of this clinic came soon after lunch when an 80 year old woman walked into the intake building with no shoes on.  Her feet were cracked and filthy, who knows how long she had gone without shoes.  But her spirit was so happy, she was sweet and funny, so loving and kind.  One of the girls from the team, Jamie, did an amazing thing for this woman.  As she was visiting with the doctor, Jamie asked Larry if she could give away her own sandals.  Of course with his kind heart he said yes.  They prepared a plastic container with water to wash her feet in and Jamie took her t-shirt from under the sweatshirt she was wearing to use as a towel.  When the woman came back in for her medications Larry explained to her what Jamie wanted to do and the process began.  Her feet were washed, dried and lotion applied, the sandals were cut into a smaller size and then put on her feet.  She kept asking if this was all a joke and Larry finally sat down in front of her and explained that there are just some people in the world that we come across who have big hearts and are full of compassion.  He explained that Jamie is a Christian and because of her own love and the love from Christ she wanted to show compassion with the gift of her shoes.  It was such a neat thing to watch.  And also pretty humorous when the woman stood up and was obviously not used to having shoes on her feet, her first few steps she described as “walking like a duck” – which was pretty spot on.  To top it all off, as we watch her leave the clinic she walks over to a large pile of wood that is tied together, picks it up and puts it on her back.  She had carried it to the clinic and was preparing to carry it back home.  She strapped it on and started on her journey, down a hill, who knows how far.  Jamie watched her walk for a long time until she was no longer visible.  What a thing to witness!

The view of Cajamarca from the pharmacy

Doctors were on the left, pharmacy on the right.

VBS

Washing her feet.

Off she goes with her wood.

 

Day four was by far the nicest location of the week but also the craziest day.  This time we were in Cajamarca at someone’s home that is used as a church, Iglesia Esperanza de Vida.  We began closer to 9 a.m., with 3 doctors, and it was off to the races from the very beginning.  By lunch time (which was supposed to be at noon but wasn’t until 1) we had seen over 150 patients.  We drove back to the compound for lunch instead of having packed lunches like the other days and then headed back and began again around 2:30.  We were supposed to end the clinic at 5 but we worked until 6:30 or after.  At times the line for the pharmacy had at least 30 people waiting if not more so Evelyn would take breaks from seeing patients and run into the pharmacy to help with prescriptions and I would help fill bags to put the medications and New Testaments in.  The team out front doing intake finally had to stop taking patients and send people away, which was quite the feat because announcement after announcement hardly anyone would leave the waiting area.  I’m really not sure how many people we had to turn away. 

Translating some more

Just a portion of the people waiting to get in to see a doctor.

After four days of clinics I heard that the total number of patients seen was somewhere around 1,050.  Evelyn worked all four days and 3 other doctors switched days.  What a week it was! Thursday night a dinner was fun, halfway through the meal a mariachi band showed up and played music for us.  Claire and I attempted to get the team to dance but were unsuccessful until I started a conga line.  It was quite the party after that.  Then we left to go to the Heath’s to have our first night of our new bible study.  We chatted and watched a few videos, the real material started Friday morning.  We have things to read each day and reflect on and then we meet Thursday nights to discuss what we learned/thought.  I helped Sean again Friday morning with his soccer ministry at the school and then Claire and I went to their house again from 3-5 to help with their weekly event for the neighborhood kids.  14 people from the Geyer Springs teams left to head back to Arkansas.  Friday night, was eventful.  Claire, Jamie and I went back to their house after dinner to chat and just hangout.  We ended up leaving somewhat late and came back to the compound to find that the evening guard was nowhere to be found.  So back to the Heath’s it was for a slumber party! Jamie and I each had a couch and Claire took an air mattress.  It was fun and made for great memories.  We were back at the compound this morning just in time for breakfast – which by the way, the food here is absolutely amazing, be jealous.

They love to crawl all over me.

Saturday was relaxed.  A few more people arrived in the morning from their church for the second week of their trip.  During the afternoon we delivered some food to poor families and besides that we hung around the compound.  Sunday was church at 9 a.m. and then Monte Sion at 11 a.m.  Lunch at 1 and then back to Monte Sion to play with kids and hand out ice cream and hot dogs.

Playing volleyball with the Peruvians, they beat us like 5 games in a row.

Serving hot dogs. How cute is he!

That’s all I’ve got for now, another jam-packed week ahead - going to some special needs schools Monday and Tuesday and doing a women's bible study Wednesday and Thursday.  This team leaves Friday morning. I’ll be writing again soon.

With lots of love…chao.