Belize- Day Six

Today has been a day of rest and relaxation. We are staying at a beautiful resort on the beach and today we were able to enjoy it. After taking a morning nap on the beach, we headed for the town of Placencia where we bought souvenirs and ate yummy ice cream. We didn't want to stay too long, so we decided to take a taxi back to the hotel instead of taking the group bus back. Let me tell you, the taxis in Belize are not the same as the ones in the US. They are primarily identified by having a green license plate. We weren't having any luck finding one, so we decided to go searching. We found one parked at a barber shop. The driver was getting his hair cut, but had his friend drive us. The van we rode in was fresh out of 1993, no air, and the driver had to open the door from the outside to let us out because the handle on the inside was nonexistent. It was all a little shady, but the driver was nice and we made it back safely. After our shopping spree, we hung out by the pool and got burnt. I was hoping for a Belizean goddess tan, but instead I got a burn. I'm still hoping it turns into a beautiful dark tan though!

Right before supper, four of our team members decided they wanted to be baptized in the ocean. It was amazing and brought tears to my eyes. It was just one more way God was glorified this week.

Today has also been a day of reflection on the entire week. There have been so many highs and lows running through, that we are spent physically, mentally, and emotionally. The things we saw and experienced will stay with us and impact the rest of our lives. I'll never forget the children, their smiles, their laughter, and their hugs. I'll never forget the mothers who so desperately wanted vitamins for their children. I'll never forget the people who I worked with who cared for over 500 people, trying to make a difference. Dr. Paul suggested we write down three things that impacted us the most on this trip. I have so many more than three, but I've narrowed them down to three:

1. My God qualifies the unqualified. I felt like I was going into this mission trip blindly. I had no idea what I was getting into, I just knew I had to go. I had doubts and fears, but God showed me that there was no question I was to be here this week. God's timing is perfect and should never be questioned. God also has unbelievable patience as I question so much, yet he always carries through.

2. I am blessed and selfish. I have so much while other have so little. I buy another pair of shoes when the $12 could be spent on sponsoring a child. I take my blessings for granted. I take healthcare, my family, my country, and my God for granted. God has showered me with more blessings than I ever deserve. My goal after leaving is to use the blessings God has given me and spread them to others, whether in Belize or in my own country.

3. I am blessed to have been raised in a country, home, and church where my needs were always provided for, where I have healthcare when I need it, where my closets are full, and where I never wondered where or when my next meal would be.

Belize- Day Five

I can't believe today was the last day at the clinic. We saw a total of 173 patients, plus many other who were seen but not charted on. The the line was forever long again when we came to the clinic. We were so busy today and it was so hot. Mom and I were able to begin the day by giving two little girls dresses the New Hope ladies had made. The construction team was building them a new house as well. The smiles on their faces were priceless. Many people in Belize only have one set of clothing. To have your clothing collection double is pretty awesome. While we were there a 4 year old neighbor girl came up to us with a severed foot that needed stitches. The mother and father were digging a ditch for their first ever "pipe water" and were unable to take the child to the clinic, so we took her 6 year old sister along to be the interpreter and packed both of them into the SUV. The child was so scared. I can't imagine being the little girl, having white people take me from my home, having them stick a needle in my foot and stitching up my foot, and not having my mom there. I also can't imagine being the mother and knowing my baby was getting her foot stitched up and not being able to be there for her. The girl's foot was stitched and everything worked out. The drive and survival of the Belize is amazing.

As the clinic got busier, we knew there was no way we were going to be able to see each patient. The medical director came up with a brilliant idea to have the nurses act like doctors and give OTC meds (vitamins, tylenol, etc.) to well children and also give them worm pills. This freed up the physician so that they could see more seriously ill patients. It was pretty cool, but I don't think it'll work in the states :).

The last thing we were able to do was hand out goody bags that New Hope VBS made for the children. We handed out 60. Each child received a toy, crayons, a starburst, and a toy. The smiles on the children's faces were priceless. I'll always cherish their hugs and love.

This week has had so many ups and downs. I've met some amazing, loving, and strong people. People like Delia, our interpreter, who aspires to go to America and obtain a degree in science. She is so smart. She interpreted everything from education on hypertension, to diabetes, to hand washing and food preparation. By the end of the week, she was able to teach the patients on her own and she'll be able to continue to education her village once we are gone. We have fallen in love with her and are hoping to be able to help her get into the US so that she can reach her dream.

I have fallen in love with Belize and it's people. I've been humbled and shown how blessed I am.

Belize- Day Four

Today was probably the most emotional day yet. We saw around 130 patients, which makes for a grand total of around 300! It's amazing how great the needs are. Many people don't have any running water. Many of the villager's water source is from a well or stream. How are you supposed to teach someone how to bathe, clean, and cook safely when they don't have clean water or soap? So many of the illnesses we have seen could easily be prevented if they just had the basics.

The most saddening, I want to take you home so I can help you, I can't believe it can get this bad, what can we do to help moment was when a 15 month old girl came in with a cast that had been cut open on her left arm. We learned from her parents that her upper arm had been run over by a car 3 months previously. They had taken her to a visiting doctor who put a cast on the arm and told the family he'd be back in 4 months and to keep the cast on until he saw her again. Three months has past. The father knew the arm was not healing properly and had taken the girl to 2 or 3 other doctors. Each time the doctors would look at the arm, it would rebreak. When our physician examined the child, the same thing happened. When he barely moved the cast, the arm visibly rebroke causing the arm to bend above the elbow. The physician was finally able to take the cast off. This only revealed large open sores, some as large as 2-inch circles, on her entire arm from having the cast on. Like I said, lack of cleanliness and skin issues are rampant in Belize. The poor child was in excruciating pain. All we had was tylenol and ibuprofen, which wouldn't even touch it. Now let me back up, when we were given a list of meds to bring to the clinic, narcotics were on the definite NO list. Somehow (well we know how....some of us call it "A God Thing") a bottle of tylenol with codeine, in liquid form no less, had been donated with the other medications. We gave it to the child with so relief. The doctor cleaned her wounds the best he could and made a make shift cast and sling. We are already trying to set up a way for the child to come to the US and have surgery, which she desperately needs. Without it, her arm will never heal properly if at all. Being an orthopedic nurse, this hit hard for me. If I was at work, if this little girl was in the U.S., supplies would be readily available, the arm would be healed by now, surgery would have been done within hours of the break. Instead, this child has suffered and the family feels helpless. Please pray that the family will be able to take the child to the U.S. quickly and that her arm can be healed. It could take up to a month for everything to come together. That's a long time, especially if you're 15 months old.

Now after a sad story, I must end with a happy one. The people of Belize are always smiling. It doesn't matter if they had to wait 7 hours to see a doctor or they have scabies and lice, they still smile, are thankful for what they have, and are always loving. They are so Christ like in their own way. It's so easy for us to get wrapped up in our "stuff." Sit back, soak in your blessing, and thank God for them. Then smile.

Beliz- Day Three.

I can't believe it's day 3 already! Today was awesome. I felt as though I made a little bit of difference in my patient's lives. They are so appreciative of our care. So far, we have treated 206 patients. We have been so busy, and we wouldn't want it any other way. Education went much better. We were able to work with the MD's and NP's on diagnosis and the patient's specific needs. We worked in the clinic starting at 9 and ending at 4:30, making for a long day. Some things I learned about Belize:

1. The people are happy. They are so poor, yet they are always smiling.

2. Families are big and the girls start having babies young. One villager told us sometimes as young as 14. I had one patient who was 23 and had 5 children including a 7 year old. I can't even imagine.

3. I am so blessed.

4. I taught a patient what arthritis is. I could see a light bulb click on when I told him his joint pain was from old bones rubbing on old bones. It made so much since to him. He told me no one had ever told him why his bones ached. He also called us angels and said God sent all of us for a very big reason. He was 80 something and quite the ladies man. He definitely stole my heart.

5. A one month old also stole my heart. She had fever and the mother had no tylenol to take the fever down. We take so much for granted. The poor mother could do nothing for her new baby's fever until she came to us.

6. God has made the unqualified, qualified.

Belize- Day Two

Today has been a full day, and whew we are tired! We began our morning by eating breakfast on the "dock", which is pretty much in the middle of the ocean. Not a shabby start to our day. We then had a short morning devotion with worship and then headed for the buses. We were then taken to a church that had been planted by International Servants and shown some living conditions. If anyone in the U.S. lived in houses (grass huts and dirt floors) like the people of Belize, child services and PETA would be knocking on the door. It's amazing how little they can live off of. The pastor we visited had 12 children and many grandchildren living in one grass hut. How? I have no idea. The children ran around barefoot without a care in the world. It's amazing how they can have so little and be so happy. Maybe there's something to that? They loved having their pictures taken and loved all the attention they could get.

We then traveled a few more miles to another grass hut homestead and ate lunch- chicken and rat. They call the rat gibnut, but my ears only heard rat. It's a delicacy here and the rat isn't little, it's more like the size of a oppossum. And of course I ate some....ok more like a teeny tiny bite, but I still can say I did it and I can also say that it's the best rat I've ever eaten. (BTW..I just looked up what a gibnut is, and now I'm feeling a little woozy.) It was actually quite tasty. The family also made homemade tortilla on their stone oven and fried chicken. It was finger lickin' good.

Finally after eating we were able to set up clinic. Mom, Nina, and I, plus one other- Melanie, have been put in charge for education. We were a bit overwhelmed and lost as to what to teach the people of Belize. Most of the patients we will be seeing speak only Spanish or an Indian language. None of which I know. And, to top it all off, we are the first group to have an education team. The day was pretty discouraging. Many patients didn't even come see us. I felt like I was not helping the people of Belize at all. I came here to help sew on fingers and save lives and lead people to Christ. How can I do that when I'm teaching them how to wash their hands? Those who have been on the trip before assured us that tomorrow will be better. God qualifies the unqualified. We must look at the big picture and how we can contribute to that. Hopefully tomorrow will be better. I know it will be. As long as I have God to guide me and rely on his plan, everything will fall into place.

Belize- Day One

We're finally in Belize! After many months of planning, collecting supplies, prayer, tears, prayer, sweat, prayer, and hours of traveling, we have made it to Belize. We left for the airport at 5:00 am this morning and landed in Belize City around 3:00 pm after making a stop in Dallas. We then met up with our team of 60 people, loaded our luggage, and hopped onto a bus for a 4 hour ride through the jungle. And it is jungle! Most houses are one room shacks on stilts and far and few between. After following a windy road, taking some dramamine, stopping at one of only two gas stations in the four hours we drove, we finally made it to the beautiful resort. It is luxurious! I wish I would've gotten married here. I'll post pictures tomorrow. I want to post some of the clinic first, so that you'll believe we're on a missions trip and not vacation. When we got to the resort, they took us to a dock and fed us till we could eat no more. We are exhausted, but ready to face the challenge God has placed on our hearts. We are forever grateful and amazingly blessed to have the support system that we have through our friends, family, and church family. We truly could not have done this without you. I'm headed for bed! Love and blessings from Belize!

P. S. I'm having trouble uploading pictures tonight. Hopefully better luck tomorrow!