This morning we bid farewell to San Salvador as we climbed aboard these little motor boats headed for the port of Ranchon on Island La Calzada--a little "forgotten" island. We drove approximately an hour or a little longer to get to the boat launch from the Mission House.
Once we climbed onto the boat, it was about a 30 minute ride through the mangrove forest. The waterways started large, and then as we twisted and turned though the forest, the ways got more narrow. There were lots of water birds to see.
There were also other boats-mainly with fishermen in them. Most of them were hand carved wooden boats like the two in the picture below!
They were loading boats when we got to the dock. Lots of fresh goodies!
When we got off the boat, Dr. Larry and Monica had a meeting to go to. They have been coming to these areas for 6 years now and they have made the decision to invest in this community as much as they can! They are currently trying to accrue a piece of land to build a permanent clinic on the island. They also have a donor willing to finance a water system on the Island. Right now, there is a sketchy 4 inch plastic pipe that transports water from the mainland to this little island!! We drove underneath it on our boat ride into the island.
Dr Steven and I were given permission to walk around a bit to check things out as we waited on the rest of our crew and our supplies and baggage. With my camera in tow and an eager spirit, we took off!
We turned onto a different street and I said “I’m pretty geographically challenged, so I won’t be any help finding our way home,” to which Steve replied, “Oh, I think we will be OK.” So we continued to walk and chat and my eye was to the sky looking at the flowers and produce on the trees…as well as from side to side looking at all of the little properties in the neighborhood and the primitive simplicity of it all. 
Houses were stick and mud; brick and mud; stick only; and some had adobe covering 
We decided to finish walking the last little stent so we could get a picture of their really skinny cows. So we did. Turned right around, and walked right back where we came from….except, that the turn that we made, was onto the wrong “street!”
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| sugar cane crop |
We walked and walked and in a bit became worried that we weren’t where we thought we were…SOOO… at this point. We have one phone with no service. Neither of us speak any relevant Spanish. It’s hot and we didn’t bring any water. We began to walk faster because we knew our team was going to need our help to unload…and I am becoming totally freaked out, because there are little roads going absolutely EVERYWHERE through this village. How in the WORLD are they EVER going to find us here.
The island has around 1500 people on it, and 4 small communities. We began asking everyone we saw to help us get to the school…or to the boat dock. They would ask questions that we couldn’t understand or answer. They would give us some hand motion directions accompanied by a lot of words…and we would say Muchas Gracias…and keep going.
We finally made it to A boat dock…and a woman that had a little more compassion. I begged her to go with us to show us where to turn...she had sleeping babies, that much we understood! So we took her directions the best we could understand them and kept going! Within about 10 more minutes, we had made it back to the clinic site… BEET red and so thirsty. JUST in time to fall into line to walk into the clinic that was ready to start.
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| I thought I recognized this woman later in the afternoon. She confided in Monica that she had seen us when we were lost. SHE was the woman that I was begging to take us back to the school! |
The funniest thing was, that several of the people that we had talked to that morning, we saw later in the clinics…and either they recognized us, or we recognized them. Because Monica knew where most of them lived, she would say, “oh, you were way over there?? And then for the next person we recognized that we had seen, she would say, OH, you were all the way over THERE? She confirmed that we indeed, had walked a LONG way. It was a scary experience for sure, but one that I can heartily laugh at now!
Just another little homestead
I enjoyed this clinic so much. We saw many people. We took our own blood pressures and did our own finger stick blood sugars and a LOT of teaching. It was medicine at its most primitive and the most beautiful. The only thing that would have made it better, was being able to speak and understand more of the language!! It was also a very good reminder as to how fortunate we are in the US in the medical field with so many resources available to us!
If you read yesterday's post, you will recognize this story again. But it was SOOO important as a sign of God's faithfulness that I want to recap it again!
One of the cool stories I have about God preparing me for this trip, was that my 8 year old stethoscope was wearing out and I was going to need to get a new one. I had heard from a peer about a new one that has noise cancellation and sound amplification. I looked at it literally for SIX weeks, unable to decide if I wanted to spend the money--it was double what a normal steth costs. I argued all the points, I rarely EVER work in the ER anymore or other noisy places where it would come in most handy. I could consider getting one in another 8 years when the next one wears out…It seemed extravagant and unnecessary. BUT…after 6 weeks of putting it off and putting it off, one day I just decided to get the amplification steth. I practiced with it for a few weeks and loved it…But on these clinic days where 5 providers and translators and dentists were all crowded into cinderblock rooms to see patients, I knew that the Lord had prompted me to get the stethoscope ahead of time so I had it for the trip. It made all the difference in the world as I examined these people!!
This little tiny thing was our pharmacist!! We loaded all the equipment back onto the boats, and they took us further up the Isla to Sister Magdalena’s house. She and her husband pastor a local church. She has a humble little cinderblock house with a tin roof, and another little building that has one dorm room with 6 beds and the bathroom that E.V.E.R.Y.O.N.E uses. So trying to get all 18 or so of us through the shower and toilet was insane!! The shower was cold. No hot water here. I do have pictures to show of their home in the next post!
There was electricity but only 2 outlets in our room and lights in the house. I know that I didn’t mention it earlier, but they are unable to deal with toilet paper in their septic systems, so every place has a little trash can next to the toilet. You wipe and throw it into the can. I only forgot once!! They also don't have any type of trash service. There is no place to deal with trash. Most people have a little place that they burn their trash regularly. Around San Salvador, it wasn't uncommon to see little lots turned into trash dumps, and there was a lot of trash in the ditches! I've never really considered what a problem it would be NOT to have something to do with your trash!!
It is mango season here. I didn’t like mangos until today. They picked them right off the tree, washed them and we peeled them with our teeth and ate them like heathens-with mango fibers hanging out of every tooth we have and juice dripping off of our chins and down our elbows. Some mangos we ate with chili lime salt, and some just plain!! They were SO delicious!! BUT, those suckers fall off the tree at their own will, and land on anything underneath them without discretion. And when you are sitting in the dark, and one falls off from 30 feet onto the tin roof, it sounds like someone just got murdered outside your room. It took me several times of this before I stopped jumping!
Dr Steve and Sylvita setting up for the clinic
Vanessa and her brother Francisco. These two are HILARIOUS! You can tell, even without speaking much Spanish, that they have a love for life and fun. They worked tirelessly on all the patients with dental needs! All the meals were outdoors under a tin roof. We enjoyed our first pupusas, the best food, allegedly in El Salvador. They are little tortillas, made like bierocks, stuffed with anything they want and then flattened around the filling and cooked on a hot surface. They were delicious. We enjoyed more fresh fruit, delicious avocados, the best refried beans, and fresh queso fresca cheese. We also had fried tamales, but unlike Mexico and US, these didn’t have meat in them, and they were more like a fried sweet corn bread. Very good!!
Most things that get said, including prayers, are translated either from Spanish to English or vice versa, depending on who was talking. As we began to learn one another’s personalities, I could tell so much about what they were saying by how they said it. The dentist, Vanessa, and her brother Francisco and I, would make a joke in our own language, and then the other one would follow it up with a joke in their own language…and then we would laugh and laugh. I have no idea if our jokes or comments even related to what the other had said, but we didn’t care. It was just fun to laugh together!! You don’t have to speak the same language to connect to people!!
Health clinic held in the school Before we dispersed to get in line tonight for the showers, we had a great lesson on the Good Samaritan and Romans 12. It was a beautiful reminder that our neighbors aren’t always neighbors logistically, but that anyone that we meet who needs help, is our neighbor. It’s been really rewarding to use my skills both to care for these people that have so little, and to support the medical staff and missionaries in this location-to help encourage them to continue serving and loving these people. Being Christian friends to those who won’t be going home on Saturday…but that will continue to pour out their hearts for the needy right here!!
Two more days to go!!
I love the song below. I heard it for the first time the week before I left! It was on a playlist on my treadmill, and I scribbled down some of the lyrics on a pad so I could find the song when I finished my workout...I knew it was another sign from the Lord that I was doing His will!!
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