El Salvador Take 2 Day 5

 Today was “un buen día”..a good day! It rained all night and i just kept worrying about dragging all of our luggage (HEAVY luggage still laden with supplies) through the back of the property to the dock! It has been a swimming pool all week! The rain did lighten up significantly about the time we had to load the boat up!

This adorable little man was our boat driver, and he was also gracious enough to load our things too. He grabbed my suitcase and tugged at it…realized how heavy it was and said “Ayyy.” Then with one swift movement, that suitcase was perched up on his right shoulder, he bent sideways and got a second small bag and away he went!

He built us a makeshift bridge of bricks…which made me think of the karate kid for some reason…I think because of found myself having to balance the entire load I was carrying just so, in order to get the front foot to the next brick without tipping over!! At any rate I ended up in the boat with dry-ish feet! 

Some of the house we saw along the way out! Most were covered with corrugated tin!

As we came around the one of the last docks on the island, a trio of people were waving…which apparently, in La Calzada, means PULL OVER. So he did and we gained 3 new riders with us!

Shortly after they got on, I saw the man pointing to the sky and talking to one of the ladies. I looked up and saw a large pink bird in the distance!! A PINK FLAMINGO?!! In real life. Not at the zoo!! Incredible!! It was an exciting find for me…especially after getting all excited that I was watching a monkey in the distant trees yesterday, only to be told that they don’t have monkeys here…maybe a squirrel 😳

These women were cracking a whole bowl of little hard shelled mussel like things that they just call Conch. 

The crew from CFCI was at the dock to take us to Pedregal…a small impoverished community. We attended church there a couple years ago when I was there! It was fun to recognize a few more faces!

People were lined up in the chairs waiting for us to start! There are about 800 houses that are inhabitable in the neighborhood and many more that have been abandoned because they are in such bad shape! This church does an outreach to the kids every day after school, and the pastor and his family have been pouring into this underserved community for years!!

A common thing for the patients to do is to come to the free clinic and then ask for their regular medications to be given to them…but generally they don’t know what the name of the medicine is!! So it makes it a bit tricky to get all the information in order to be able to help them!! I took care of a farmer today that grows maize and plantains. He was going to be out of medicine tomorrow and didn’t have enough money to buy more! Many of the people work in agriculture or construction or are street vendors. And the street vendors are everywhere here! They sell sacks of fruit or fresh bread or pupusas or drinks! 

This little guy had an infected fungal rash scattered quite a few places on his body! One of many of the things I haven’t seen in the past!

After clinic, we loaded everyone up into the van and headed to the CFCI office where we dropped off the team. We then headed for our own lodging in Ilopango, a suburb of San Salvador. We parked at the church and then walked to our little casa. The tiny little streets were SOOOOO sweet!! Beautiful flower and fruit trees.

A woman in the church had gotten some money and purchased a few little houses. She has been renovating them and their purpose is to serve the Lord by hosting missionaries as well as others! Dee and I got a little casa to ourselves and Dr Miller and Monica stayed in one down the street! We each had our own room! 

After settling in, we left Monica there since she wasn’t feeling well, and the rest of us met our friend Little Larry and our driver Ronald for dinner. Dr Larry had gotten his shoes wet while we were on the island so Monica suggested he microwave them. He told us that he hesitated on that, but decided to do it anyway. Apparently when you microwave wet shoes, they shrink, curl up into a little deformed ball, and the glue comes off. Sooo, he wore some old flip flops all day and we got to go to the mall so he could buy some new ones!! That was exciting!! They had a sketchers store ?…and he was able to find a pair in an 11. El Salvadoran men have small feet, so he wasn’t sure he was gonna find a pair large enough! 

Little Larry and I took a fast loop thru the mall while he tried on shoes and then we ate at a restaurant that sold all types of dishes!! I had 3 different kinds of pupusas with curtido (a fermented vegetable and cabbage topping) and a red sauce! Little Larry got tamales that he chopped up for us to taste! They were wrapped in plantain leaves and seemed to have more masa and were more moist than the Mexican kind we are used to eating!! The others had chicken or pupusas! We got home late and I was finally able to get the WIFI code, but didn’t have the energy left to journal. 

Tomorrow (which was today as I post) we leave early for a 2 ½ hour drive to Santa Ana. Here we will take care of women in a prison! They were arrested for protecting the gang members. Last year President Bukele ordered that all gang members be arrested and imprisoned. He also ordered that if anyone who helped hide them out, would also be imprisoned… which is how these women came to be here. The sentence was for 2 years!!

Our people are falling ill now, and we pray that God will keep us together until we finish this mission!!

As I reflected on the day, my biggest lesson came from a precious hour long conversation with Little Larry on the van ride home…

When we focus on the things that seem impossible…like the magnitude of the problems here and the many people that need resources and don’t have them…and then feel discouragement and frustration about the lack of fairness in the world…we put ourself in Gods place…

But when we work in obedience with the gifts He has given us, then we glorify Him best because we are showing up and making a difference in the only realm He ever intended us to make a difference in!! And when you look at life that way, Gods plan offers freedom! A freedom from doing that which He never intended you to do…or even to stress over. It doesn’t feel like enough…and a little bit overwhelming, like..if I can’t do more…why should I bother at all…like patching a boat hole with a bandage…it seems like a hopeless situation. But the situation isn’t mine. It’s Gods! And what I have to do is show up…ready to exercise my gifts and talents for His glory! Little did I know how much I would use today’s lesson in tomorrow’s agenda!! Only God can orchestrate the details in such an amazing way!!

El Salvador…take 2 day 4

 I finally got a pretty decent night’s sleep…and woke to my alarm, which has been rare! I survived my second cold shower, I have remembered to use bottled water to brush my teeth, and I have only forgotten not to flush toilet paper twice since arriving!! I’m calling it a win!! It has been raining so much in the area and they have had a number of casualties…so the President ordered a national “holiday” for today and ordered everyone to work from home if they could. Kind of like a snow day. It is winter here I guess!!

BUT what that meant for us…was another day at half staff. Yesterday, our of necessity, I learned to read Spanish medicines and where to look for dosages and ingredients on the sides of containers. But thankfully, a couple of local women were hired for today to write our directions on the packages for us and give them the meds…which was a total God send. 

The Millers have been working on this island since 2016, and they have been hoping and praying to be able to find ways to help the people improve their lives and to buy into the opportunities for better health they are providing…so for God to raise up this local help…was an answer to prayer for them!!

A woman named Roxana came in to help get breakfast ready while we were setting up!! This is the newly improved kitchen!! Tho there is running water, we still rinsed food, hands, and dishes off with the 5 gallon bottled water because the pipes and water sources are just not safe. Nearly everyone gets treated for parasites every 3-6 months because their water system is so unsafe. I treated a lot of people for that in the last two days!!

This banana was grown here on the island.. 

it was short and fat and DEEEELICIOUS!!! Roxana swept and mopped and mopped and swept the kitchen, the patio, and the exam rooms…just so they could get muddy all over again!! She also fixed lunch for our workers and translators and talked with the people! She would speak to me so slowly in Spanish, in the hopes that I would be able to catch on and understand….and as far as we both know, I did most of the time!!

This man, Juanito, has been here first and stayed till last for the past two days. He has some sort of learning disability and has the language span of a toddler…but he was there early to rake up the trash and then would just sit there and watched. I won’t lie that he completely freaked me out a little bit yesterday morning… because we walk from our room a ways to the bathroom… I had to walk past him to get there and I had no idea who he was! I had my pajamas on and toiletries in hand when I passed him…He just smiled…this morning I said Hola Jaunito, buenos días…and just kept going. He smiled and said the same!! Sweet servant heart with a desire to help his friend Dr Miller!

This morning a few people were trickling in about 9…an hour later than yesterday and we thought we might have a slower day…hahaha!!!

A local pastor came and read from the Psalms and prayed over all and we started rolling!! I love that they do this!! Some days they do a devotion or mini sermon before they start! A reminder to all about WHY the medical brigades go on!!

It has been so fun to hand out treats that were packed in the suitcases from home!! The slap bracelets are a favorite of the boys. While their moms are telling the interpreter what’s up, I let them pick a design…they have never seen them before so they don’t know what to expect…which is the best part for me…I show them how to hold out their arm and then I “slap” it on there!!! It has NEVER not resulted in a freaked out look of total awe!!! And then a slow, huge smile!! 

We handed out more dresses today to las niñas…and many older ladies chose bags or purses. The reading glasses continued to be well received and we have enough to take to the other 2 villages we will visit later this week!

A lady from my home community makes kits for women of child bearing years to manage their periods…they are washable kits and are amazingly cool!!! We gave over half of those out today and one of the young women remarked about how happy she was to get one because it would be so much more comfortable for her…and then I think a couple women made some symptoms up so they could come in and see me in order to get a kit for themselves 😊😉. The lady makes them for operation Christmas child boxes and was really interested to hear how they would be received here! Two thumbs up I will report to her!!

I continued to see patients with very high blood sugars…no medications…no follow up care because they can’t afford it. A man today told me that he needs to have a hernia surgery because when he lifts heavy at his construction work, it hurts…a doctor in the city told him it would be $200…and he can’t afford it 😳😢. It’s over $200 to get a wart or skin tag taken off in the US and people do it all the time and don’t bat an eye!!  It’s been excruciatingly painful to try and help people knowing that it’s a bandaid on a hole in the boat. But for today…we do what we can and we pray that God will continue to make a way for these people of His. 

Its also the wet winter season…and the fungal infections in their feet, in their ears, and some on the bodies has been incredible!! Their feet look like they have left a bandaid on their finger for a year without removing it to get air in it!! Deeply white tissue with cracks and open sores made me cringe with empathy every time!! The treatment is to get meds to it and keep it dry…keep it dry?! With their flip flops and muck boots and 4 inches of water everywhere you look….a vicious cycle. Devastatingly vicious cycle. The man in the picture above was a guy who chopped the back of his heel with a machete…many of the people here use machetes in their work on the farms…or cutting sticks to burn for fuel. Apparently many go into the mangroves and cut wood out of there. Anyway, he had nearly shaved off the back half inch of his heel and gangrene was setting in…he asked me if we could sew it back up. Uhhhh, nope. Dr Miller took him into the procedure room and trimmed it all off, cleaned out the wound and bandaged it back up. But we leave in the morning…so praying tbat there will be some follow up for him with the local doctor that comes in on Wednesdays!!

Tonight we packed up all of our gear, and in the morning we catch a boat back to the city. We will go to a small village and do visits there, God willing, with our whole team!! We will stay in the mission house Wednesday and Thursday nights. I have no idea if they have internet there…if they do, I hope to upload photos from the day…if they don’t…I’ll go to bed early and update when I get home!!

Today, it was apparent to me, that God brought me here out of necessity this week. This ministry is important to Him, and He has been doing mighty things here thru the work of the Millers and CFCI teams. God knew that they would need my help in the work…it’s amazing to me how God orchestrates the details like that. God drew my heart here to lighten the load and to care for His people. I am thankful to be part of His work here. Hasta luego!!

El Salvador Take 2-day 3

Today was a difficult day. More people showed up than we anticipated with soooo much rain!! In fact, they were arriving by 8:00 before our slated start time at 9! We started early, even though we didn’t have all of the supplies or the interpreters. My Spanish is WAY better this time than it was 2 years ago!!! But I’m still so bad!! I can speak sentences but when they answer I struggle to understand! It’s so isolating!!! I am a woman of MANY words..and so struggling to communicate is very hard!! The people are kind tho, and they like to try to teach me..and I like to try to learn!!! Much laughter has been had these last 2 days between new friends who are teaching me to speak!!! Love and laughter are the absolute same in ANY language!!

Unbelievably, people stood around outside for HOURS today…in the rain…missing lunch…holding sleeping babies…chatting with friends and neighbors just to be seen!! Unfortunately, our pharmacist didn’t come…but the suitcases of medicine did…so trying to locate the medications I needed in a suitcase full of medicines with a Spanish name and directions in another language was a major challenge! It took a lot of time and some frustration trying to figure it out on the fly!! Thankfully many medications have similar names that we use in America! 

The patient challenges were also huge…I’ve had 3 patients with blood sugars over 450 in the last 24 hours. The story is the same. No money. No medicines. No resources. Because the water here makes them sick or gives them parasites, many drink coke and sugar laden “fruit juice.” There is no fresh water on the island and they buy little tiny 10 oz bags of water to drink. Or sugar. Many choose the sugar. Education takes a long time in one language at a time, but much longer if you go between two languages!! Thankfully the nutritionist came today as she has diagrams and lots of helpful information to teach them! They also fall into the information trap…much of their information comes from misguided friends and sometimes even medical providers that they see if they have enough money to get to the mainland. Most don’t have the funds to do that. It’s so hard to imagine what you do when your medical access is soooo limited! 

We saw many people with colds, stomach pains, headaches, and  joint pains. Most have tiny little flip flops here too…so foot pain and even arthritic changes are occurring due to bad foot wear! I wear a different pair of shoes every day to keep my feet from hurting…and today I felt guilty about that! 

The glasses are a hit again!! This lady wanted some for far vision! She tried on several pairs before she exclaimed AHHH SI!! She was thrilled to be able to see better than she did when she came!!

This crew heard there were reading glasses available and came in specifically for those! My old eyes depend so heavily on that resource that it is worth it a million times over JUST to see them so excited about being able to see close up again!! Such a simple, simple gift to give!

We see lots of kids and their moms and elderly women! There were quite a few men hanging around too, but I suspect that Dr Miller saw most of them!! Today I was also able to hand out some sweet little dresses made by a church group in my hometown! The girls loved them!! Monica interpreted for me this afternoon…her beautiful smile and heart inspires me as well!! She has a passion for these forgotten people and is giving her life to make theirs better too!!

We finished our last patients around 5:30 and then caught a ride on a mototaxi down the muddy roads to eat Pupusas…a national dish…at Sister Magdalena’s! HOWEVER…the roads were SOOO muddy…and our 6 bodies were so heavy that the taxi got stuck twice. Once I got out to help push 😳!! After that she decided she didn’t have the skill to drive us, so we walked the rest of the way!! The trash piles up in the streets cause there is no where for it to go!! Also the leaves fall down and they are huge…and mangos are always falling…and rotting!! It made a quite a mess!! 

We had to deliver some eye drops to the little girl I diagnosed with an eye infection yesterday while visiting Luis…the boy with cerebral palsy. Her eye looked much worse today…so I was glad we were able to get back to her!! I picked out and  brought her a little pink dress from my stash that she loved! After I showed her grandpa how to put the drops in, she jumped off his lap and gave me the biggest, tightest, life-giving hug I have ever received from a 6 year old!! “Te amo…y Jesus te ama también” I whispered in her ear!! I love you and so does Jesus!! I’ll not soon forget her precious little face and soul!

When we got to Magdalena’s house, the girls picked some mangoes off the tree for us to eat!! Monica and I each ate two!! They are out of this world good!! The girls were trying to catch them in their hands before they hit the ground! They weren’t very good at it! Haha, but they sure were giggling!

As we sat, exhausted at the table tonight…devouring cheese and meat filled pupusas…the chickens were roosting 6 inches away on the ledges and the chairs…the dogs were running around in the patio under our feet…stories were being passed around…partly in Spanish and partly in English…and some Spanish and English spoken in the same sentence!! It was a sweet time of fellowship…and a reminder that one day, we will all be together!!! Gods children from US…from El Salvador…and from all the corners of the earth!! We will all understand one another in speech! For now, we will continue to understand one another with a hug, knuckles, an eyebrow raise, a wink, or a big belly laugh!! God made us all…in His image…for His glory! Today, despite the overwhelming tasks at hand…the hard truths of an unfair system and unfair circumstances…and wondering how THIS could be enough…I found myself camping on the goodness of God…that He orchestrated all the things about our encounters today…for a reason…because He has a purpose. It was ultimately impacting to my core. May He protect the words spoken in His name today…and that He would fulfill His purpose through them!! 

Tomorrow our whole team will be together!! It will still be raining…but it is another day that the Lord has made…and we WILL rejoice and be glad in it! Praying that the surgeries will go forward as planned since there wasn’t the manpower to do them today! That the dental work will go forward as well…that service is soo needed here!! And that people would continue to come forward with their families physical needs and that God would show us their spiritual needs at the same time!!

Dios te bendiga!

God bless you!

 

El Salvador….take TWO-days 1 & 2

God does it again!! 

Mission trip opportunity #2.

About 6 weeks ago, I received an email from Dr Miller telling me about his upcoming mission trip to El Salvador and La Calzada Island. I had really felt a longing to join his ministry again when I saw their posts from the February mission trip...He and his wife Monica usually lead medical and dental brigade teams three times a year...However, their work to provide sustaining aid to the people on the "forgotten island" has gone above and beyond a few visits per year!! They have been working at providing consistent health care, have helped improve a local school, and have made major improvements to a small clinic. 

As God would have orchestrated it, I was able to clear out my schedule for the week they were going and got airline tickets!! And the story begins!

The last time I went, a friend donated a large suitcase and I packed it full of stuffed animals, toothbrushes and paste, and lots and lots of eyeglasses. I thought that is what I would do this time as well...but God had other ideas!! Nevertheless, I set to work trying to collect some things to take along. 

While I did have some eyeglasses, and quite a few reading glasses...I filled an entire suitcase and half of my own suitcase with exam gloves, toothpaste, dental floss, sutures, wrist splints, menstrual kits, dresses of all sizes made by a church in my hometown, knapsacks and little sew purses, bilingual childrens books, NT stories of Christ, some bilingual story book bibles, stuffed animals, slap bracelets and some balloons. Additionally, enough cash came in that I was able to make up the difference in a monetary shortage for the medications we need for the week, and some extra cash to use during the week as the Lord leads. 

I spent several hours packing, repacking, and weighing before I closed those suitcases for the last time. Each bag, according to Jeremy's freight scale was 49.7 pounds. The backpack weighed about 35 pounds and the "purse" weighed around 20 pounds. I had a LOT of stuff!!

At the airport...the first bag weighed 50.2..which he allowed, but the second one weighed 51.4--because I had stuffed in a small can of bug spray and an extra book. The book was what I grabbed out of the pocket to lighten it up...and the man at the counter saw the title of the book by JB Hixson on end times and was asking me about it. It turned out that he teaches on spiritual warfare in his church...and he let the rest of the weight slide!

I met Monica and Larry in Houston in the airport right before we boarded the flight to El Salvador. Here we are with our giant load of medical supplies, and very small amounts of our own personal things. Christ for the City International sent their van to pick us up and get us around. Originally, the plan was to spend the night at a beach house..but due to Father's Day and several members of the mission team not being here...we ended up with no beach house and our first change of plans!

We ate lunch with a couple who have recently retired here and are interested in helping with the Miller's ministry! I was ecstatic to see the fresh cheese that I grew to love the last time I was here...as well as an avocado egg salad on the cafeteria line! I also tried little balls of chorizo and some type of empanada...Delish!

Before we caught our boat to the island Saturday afternoon, we stopped at local grocery store for some chicken and fresh veggies. This was on my bucket list this trip...so I felt like I hit the jackpot to be able to go in and check it out!! Even though El Salvador grows everything they need in their country, they are also becoming more and more dependent on processed foods...just like we are in the states...and their health is also declining as a result of it!

The front doors are wide open and the floor is concrete but we found all the things we needed!

So we unloaded all of our supplies onto the dock and into this little boat..And then the fun really started. It is winter here in El Salvador...also known as the "rainy season." And rain it did...It started not far into our 30 minute open air boat ride through the mangrove forests. All of us had rain gear...but it was all neatly tucked into the abyss of our suitcases full of stuff!! Additionally, because of the time of day...the tide was out, and the water was too low to get to the new boat dock at Oasis...the medical clinic and our home for the next few days.

So we stopped at the dock of Sister Magdalena, whom we stayed with the last time I was there. By the time we got there...it was P-O-U-R-I-N-G down rain by the bucket full. And Monica didn't have cell service due to weather...and our ride forgot to come and pick us up to get us the half mile or so to the clinic. So, we hauled our luggage out of this boat..up those slippery dock steps without any railings into the mud at the top. 

And then we stole this truck. Or so I thought!! Apparently, we found out later that they had left the keys in it in case we needed it...We threw all the luggage into the truck...in the middle of a monsoon...and Dr Miller drove us through the crazy muddy roads over to the clinic. Dee, another team member from Arizona rode up front...and Monica and I stood in the back with the luggage. There is no road maintenance here...and truly there are only a handful of vehicles on the entire island of 1600 people...so it works fine for feet, bikes and mopeds. But every time Larry hit the brakes, about 2 inches of muddy water moved from the front of the truck bed to the back, soaking the bottom of the luggage!

And once we got all the luggage unloaded---in a monsoon...and moved into the appropriate rooms at the clinic, we looked like drowned river rats!! But we were HERE!! Lots of unloading of clothes, supplies, and the shoes we were wearing had to happen next in an attempt to get everything dried up!! One of the neighbor ladies named Paca came over and helped us cook some dinner--grilled chicken, fresh pineapple, avocados, and veggies--all grown right here!

Challenge number two...not only is it monsoon season...and heavy rains are called for every day this coming week...We got news that Dr Morataya--the doctor that works closely with this medical brigade--and his wife Nellie, lost their pregnancy a couple of days ago. They have one healthy little 3 year old boy, but have had the misfortune of a handful of miscarriages in the past...and a new one to add to their heartbreaking collection. If that isn't enough on their plates, they both are sick with flu-like illnesses including fevers...so his needed services won't be available to our team for at least the first few days...

We had a team meeting to consider possibilities for moving forward with the work. 

This morning...Sunday...a new friend Chino came to collect us in his moto-taxi. It is essentially a golf cart pulling an open cart. He fashioned a tarp for us over top to keep us dry...which was great!! We decided to make some home visits today...and since Chino transports people around for a living, he was glad to help us!! 

Our first stop was down the road a bit to the house of a boy who has cerebral palsy...Until 2016, when the Miller's started coming to serve the medical needs of this tiny island, child birth death rates were really high. There were no doctors, and there wasn't a lot of comprehension about anything health related among the people. The boy is around mid teens...and can often be very violent. Today he was in a good mood. I found a bright yellow stuffed animal in my backpack and gave it to him...which he promptly threw across the one room house...We turned it into a game and enjoyed playing with him. The picture above is a photo of their "kitchen" with their house directly behind it, and their bathroom the small structure with steps in the right side of the picture.

Here we are inside the kitchen and his mom is getting ready to make tortillas out of this big bowl of dough. The open coals just smoke until she needs them!!

They also had a granddaughter there today...She had an eye infection that I noticed...I asked her in Spanish if her eye hurt...to which she replied it did..and it was "leaking milk." Tomorrow after clinic we will take her some medicine for her eye...and I promised to bring her new dress from my stash!! I can't WAIT to do that!! 

After that, we got a few names of people to visit from Sister Magdalena in a nearby community called Ranchon. We stopped and visited a lady that had a little boy with Downs syndrome-and his level of function was much like the little guy with CP. We also visited a few older ladies in their homes. Most homes here are open air in some degree or another. They may be made of cinder blocks or sticks too. It was a really good opportunity for us to talk to them about the medical services available this week...as well a with the doctor who comes in every Wednesday to provide more consistent care. One of the older ladies told us she has diabetes...so Dr Miller had me check her blood sugar. My monitor is new to me...but her reading wasn't in numbers...it just read HI. Which...turned out to be over 600....a normal blood sugar reading would be around 120 or less...We are hoping to see her tomorrow in clinic to get her some different medication!! 

It just breaks my heart at how very little they have...few possessions...few resources...and few people that even give them a second thought. 

When we were finished with the home visits, we went over to the school. We had the key to get into the new kitchen that was provided to them recently through this ministry...however, there was no key to get into the gate...so in addition to stealing a vehicle yesterday...today, we picked a lock ;-) 

Here is a common type of sink used across the villages...it's in the center of the school, which you see in the background.

Here is a little peak inside their classroom. Open air with bars. 

The bathrooms were in a different building outside!!

And here is why there are soooooo many loose dogs running around....They were pretty cute. Dogs and chickens...there are more of them than people...and this afternoon, while we visited Sister Magdalena...3 random horses walked by down the road...and 30 minutes later, went by again!! So different than I am used to!!

The school has a few different types of mango trees...Here is Chino snagging a couple of mangos for Monica and I!! 

This afternoon we got ready for a 4:00 church service but it was suspended due to the rain...again, everyone bikes or walks here...and it poured down rain all day long...so it isn't very practical for people to get out much during weather like this...It does make us a little worried for people not being able to come to the clinics this week either!!

So instead, we spent a few hours visiting with Sister Magdalena who is a powerful force of God on this Island. She lost her husband to poor trauma management about 6 months ago. He was hit by a car on his motorcycle in San Salvador...and essentially bled to death in 7 hours of no treatment in the hospital. It was a horrible story...but I believe that God will use that experience to fuel a new movement to help teach their doctors skills and knowledge that they currently don't have good access too!! 

Magdalena and her late husband Carlos are ministers and missionaries as well. 

It was good to visit and pray with people today...As of last week...we had our human plan...but as of today...we are offering open hands to GOD'S plan for our time. El Salvador, as of tonight, is in a red alert for weather...meaning that due to the excessive amounts of rain coming in will open up chances for devastating mud slides and flooding. Tomorrow we plan to continue with minor surgeries and well woman care--both things that aren't accessible to the people here!! Chino will go around to pick up people to transport them to the clinic for care!! 

Praying for a great day!!