Nicaragua Part 2

 We started our clinics on Sunday after church.  We saw patients on Sunday afternoon, all day Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday morning.  It was truly the hardest work I have ever done.  Dr. White gave us a "mini medical school" course one afternoon, and from that point on, we all (me, Cindy, Dana, Vikki, and Jeremy) were "doctors".  We had our own medical stations and saw patients and wrote prescriptions to be filled in our pharmacy.  It was SO exciting to get to use assessment skills that I don't normally get to use.  I learned SO much about so many conditions.  I saw lots of things that I had never seen before, dressed some cool wounds, and heard a lot of stories.  I've never in my life known so many people with "burning pee".  The area we were in had extremely bad water and the population had rampant kidney disease.

Of course, the real reason we were there was to share the gospel.  To be honest, this was incredibly hard for me.  Speaking through an interpreter is difficult, but trying to have a very personal conversation about your relationship, or lack there of, with God through an interpreter was downright difficult for me.  After stumbling through some awkward conversations the first day, I prayed a lot that night, and came up with some general questions that could lead me into the conversation.  My interpreter got comfortable with that, and from that point on it was easier.  I also decided that no matter what, I would pray with every single person that came to my station.  Needless to say, I prayed with hundreds of people before the week was over.  I just kept asking God to use my words to touch someone, even while I was stumbling over them.

One day a young girl came to my station, and I could just tell that she was longing for more information about how to know God, but her baby was crying and she was kept getting distracted.  Jake Watts (on a side note...what an amazing guy!) had told us that if we felt like someone needed more "attention" to find him and he would try to talk with them.  So, I sent Jake to follow her over to the eyeglass station.  About 30 minutes later, Jake was making an announcement that the young mom had accepted Christ!  That was definitely a highlight for me!!

Monday was probably the longest and hardest day of my life.  We saw over 400 patients that day.  I was SO hot, SO hungry, SO tired, SO mentally exhausted, I just didn't think I could go on.  But, the patients just kept coming.  After 13 hours of clinic, we finally finished.  I have never felt SO gross, and so utterly exhausted.  I might have had a little mental breakdown that night:)  But, I woke up the next morning feeling better, and ready to do it all over again.  We saw over 1500 patients during the week.  Pretty amazing!!

I have a lot of random pictures.  I didn't carry my camera at all, so they are just iPhone pics or pics that I stole from Facebook.

This is a lady carrying a load on her head, as we drove to clinic one morning.

 This was the addition to Pastor Lenny's church.  The last time I was in Nicaragua we painted the main building.  It was exciting to see an addition to house their children's program.

 This was a mural painted on the wall in the new addition.  It was dark, so the picture is bad.

 This is Erica, my most amazing interpreter!!  I couldn't have done anything without her.  I can't even say 1 word in Spanish, so she was truly my voice.  I got to know her well during our short time together.

 This was out behind a church where we had our "lunch" one day. 

 Relaxing for a brief minute, before we had to get back to it!

 These were some boys playing marbles in their yard next to a church where we had a clinic one day.

 This was my medical station for one day.

 This was Sherry and Teresa's dental station one day.

 The pharmacy, ready to go!

 Our waiting area, before we started letting patients in.

 Vikki and Jeremy getting their station set up.

 Ready to let the patients in!

 Sweet Sarah dipping pee.  Everyone's favorite job:)

 A cow walking really close to the van on our way home one afternoon.

 All of the following pictures I borrowed from other people on Facebook.  I want to remember exactly what I was doing!!

 My little battery powered fan was a life saver one day in a concrete block building with ZERO circulation!

 This was a severely disabled man whose mother brought him in.  I was very sick and I was SO glad that we could give him the antibiotics that he needed.

 This woman had a nasty pressure ulcer.  I love this pic!  Applying my first Una Boot with Jordan's assistance!

 Lots of little guys and girls that didn't feel good:(

 Sweet babies!

 I looked in A LOT of ears!! I even found a bug in an ear one day!  We finally flushed it out with water.  Super cool!

 The whole family would come to be seen.  Sometimes I would have 5 or 6 patients from one family at my station at one time.

 Another sick baby:(

 I love this pic!  One of the hundreds of prayers that Erica and I prayed over our patients!

 Another pic of me and sweet Erica.

Wow!  As I think back over this week, I have so many feelings.  Thankful for the opportunity to go, and also so thankful for everything I am blessed with here.  I will never, ever be thankful enough for air conditioner.  You just don't realize how hard life is without it, until you try to function and concentrate after your brain has been SO hot for SO long.  I'm totally not joking...the heat would absolutely zap my energy and my brain just wouldn't work.  I don't know why God decided to allow me to be born in America, but I can tell you for sure, that I AM GRATEFUL!!!