El Salvador 2026…Day 7

All good things must come to an end right?? We have had the best week filled with teamwork, compassion, open hearts, and working in our gifting for the good of the masses. 

This morning we met over a typical El Salvadoran breakfast and spent some time sharing what things impacted each of us. It was really good to listen to each other.  After breakfast we loaded our big van and headed back to the city square.

We were planning to shop the market (a place I had not yet been to) and sight see a bit more in the buildings. We said goodbye to Dr Steve. He was a special part of my first ever medical mission trip…and of this one too. He thought Molly and Cami made a great pair, and he enjoyed interacting with them! Actually, the older guys enjoyed teasing and harassing the girls throughout the week. It didn’t take them long to figure out that the girls can be pretty spicy and weren’t backing down and that they could dish it right back. So it was pretty much Game ON!

This is just a photo of a typical side street!! There are tiny shops and vendors in and along the streets!! Lots of blind people hawking dulces (candies) on the street corners, as well as street vendors selling fresh fruit, candy, breads, beads, and flowers.

A few vendors on the corner before we hit the market. I got one picture of the girls walking into this mall…but I’m telling ya, once we were inside it was all over for thinking about photos…Think Walmart sized store, with much skinnier aisles…there are goods as far as your eye can see—overwhelming thing #1. Shoes, trinkets, clothing, toys, blankets, hammocks, purses, bags and hats. Each little cubby of a store sold different versions of the same thing. BUT, once you hit the outside of the store, women were at your elbow touching and telling you all the things they had, which was overwhelming thing #2…it was completely overstimulating to shop and be kind and not get bullied…Before we went in, I heard Marvin teaching the girls two words…Solo mirando…just looking…which we ended up using!! Cami bought me a hammock for my birthday (which was today)…and we got a couple of sundresses and a gift for her dad (whose birthday was also today). Molly found an adorable summer bag…and Sarah came out with some bags…and Ronald came out also carrying some of Sarah’s bags!!

Larry got a notification first thing this morning that the RO system on the island wasn’t working and he insisted going back to fix it. Monica insisted on going with him (he is 86 and she worries about him). So that meant Ronald was in charge of his American friends. He had been hearing about a nice steakhouse right where we were, which is where we decided to eat! It was hands down THE best food we have had…I had ceviche as well as an aguacate ensalada con pollo (that BEAUTIFUL avocado and tomato salad with palm of hearts and chicken). We had a very leisurely lunch and enjoyed trying everyone’s food. And drinks. With the same straws and utensils. At this point of the week, germs seem irrelevant.

The first church we went to see had mosaic pieces of glass ALLL over the buildings, a bit like windows but different. Unfortunately for us, there was a wedding and they wouldn’t even let us peak. 

The cathedral was having mass yesterday, so we couldn’t go in…and today the doors were all shut up…strike two. 

So we went back to Starbucks. (The sign says our matcha is your matcha). We sat around chatting some more. At some point in the last two days, we have morphed into caring, sharing, I got your drink or snack team. Such a beautiful comfortableness we have transitioned into. It’s always amazing to me how close people can get after a few days of sharing a common project, community wins, and making vulnerable the stories and their hearts. 

As we headed back to the van, the girls and I hit the supermarket for Monica’s recommendation on coffee, as well as to the first little shop we stopped in to pick up the chocolate we didn’t want to melt earlier!!

One of our teammates wasn’t feeling well, so we dropped she and her husband off and the remaining 7 of us left with Ron and our driver up to another volcano. We were still pretty full from lunch so we had cocktails and appetizers.

Linda Vista Gardens (translated Nice view) is magical. It’s a little ironic that I ate there on my 49th birthday at the beginning of my first mission trip…and I celebrated my 53rd birthday at the end of my 3rd trip. It didn’t disappoint this time either!

We were afraid we would miss the sunset but we were JUST in time!! A beautiful gift from God.

We have really enjoyed getting to know Dr Marvin and Dr Paul.  They will head out with us tomorrow morning. Paul flies out shortly after we do and Marvin will spend one more night on the beach before going home on Monday!

Adding to our picture here is Alfred who is 81 years young and his sweet attitude was such a joy. He is very laid back and was always looking at ways he could help us!! Sarah was also such an asset. She always kept us laughing!

My FAVORITE bird of paradise flower!

This restaurant is different levels of gardens and lights and water falls. We climbed up into the treehouse…for a better view!

Looking down into a level.

Sooo may beautiful tropical plants. I could have spent the day in a wicker chair with a coffee or cocktail…or both. 

This was our dining area…you can see Ron posing for me!! Cami and I decided that the junior class did pretty good designing and executing their prom theme “the enchanted forest” last year. This was the real version of that!!

After dinner we returned back to our retreat…we said good bye to the Millers and Sarah as they will be leaving around 4 a.m. to catch their plane!! The rest of us will leave around 10. We are praying for favor in Houston as their TSA lines have been 3-4 hours with government funding to TSA being halted. We have a two hour layover and we really just want to make it home in one day!!

The girls and I have had the most amazing time. There are things that have been said and seen that will remain in our hearts forever. We trust that God will continue to speak into our hearts over the next few weeks as we settle back into our normal lives. Pray that we can make space to hear what He has to tell each of us!

I want to do a wrap up post for my own processing purposes, and I have also saved some special pictures to share!! It won’t take me more than a week to get that done!! I also plan to verbally process the prison day for myself and anyone who is following along the story!! It’s been a little more difficult!

Thanks for sharing this adventure with us!!

 

El Salvador…2026 Day 5

 The place we are staying these next few days is so nice and I was especially glad to have a HOOOOOT shower this morning!! I despise being cold. And cold showers are absolutely not enjoyable to me. 

The property is perched on a steepish hill, and we walked up plenty of stairs to get to breakfast…

And made a new friend at the top. Dr Steve’s hand for reference to the size of this guy!! The biggest grasshopper locust like insect I believe I have ever seen.

Breakfast was a “desayuno típico” or typical breakfast…Beans, eggs, fresh cheese, salsa Fresca and plantains. It was a nice short drive this morning. The traffic is terrible. I had forgotten about how much people here LOVE their horns. They utilize them generously. It took us about 30 minutes to get to the center.

This is a senior center of sorts. They have activities every day and lunch for them. This was the most organized of all, as they had two groups of 60 patients to work thru…it again felt very chaotic as we were trying to share interpreters between a lot of us!! I was actually able to fly solo on a handful of patients without any problems. That was an exciting milestone for me, but it has to be such a simple problem as there are so many things I can’t understand. I did try using my phone translator. This can be helpful but so many things aren’t quite accurate. 

One of the ladies I was finishing up with alone started crying and talking fast. I asked her to wait so I could start the translator.

I was able to catch parts of what she said…and I screenshotted what I could so I wouldn’t forget. There were several more shots, but this was the gist of it…

 

She was so grateful because it is hard to get care for them. The people were so sweet and grateful. Most were in their late 70s to early 90s. One lady I saw needed a pacemaker but she was 88  and her daughter didn’t want that for her. Her pulse rate was around 40 and she had been falling. Her only complaint was that her neck hurt after she fell and now she can’t sleep. 

We were also able to catch some more prediabetic people that were very close to the magical number that deems them diabetic. Diabetes is much like obesity…you don’t just one day wake up obese…it’s a spectrum…a few pounds too many,  to a few more pounds, to overweight…and you know, that if changes don’t happen; that you will continue to gain. Same concept with diabetes and pre diabetes. We KNOW, that with those higher numbers, that the body’s metabolism isn’t working correctly…and that with more time and no changes, diabetes will happen. It’s an epidemic, not just El Salvador and Mexico, but in the United States and other places around the world…I’m so glad that we were able to be a part of this revolution of care! Please pray for a way that the A1C testing can be accessible to Dr M and his patients over the next year, so that they can become standard of care here, giving people the best chances to heal!!

Here was my office view this morning!

And my office later in the morning for the practicality of sharing an interpreter. 

The dental staff had a catastrophe first thing this morning…they plugged in their dental machine and it popped. It was irreparable. Apparently the electricity is pretty horrible here. And unfortunately the dental equipment succumbed. They were still able to work, but were unable to place fillings. Dr Vanessa and her brother Oscar are the dental staff that I have worked with over my three trips. They are always joking and laughing…and we were able to interact today and remember stories from my trip 4 years ago. And still communicating with hand gestures and facial expressions..as well as Spanish and English mix! I love them both so much!!

Molly and Monica were also on dental duty today. It sounded like it was a good day. Only one extraction needed so Molly got to watch and decided that would NOT be here thing…she was sticking to hygiene only!

Dr Paul is an eye specialist from South Carolina. He generally does eye based mission work, but he has really enjoyed this trip because it was something different every day. He has been a phenomenal worker wherever he is needed. He did all the A1C tests today for us..which was a great help!!

Dr Larry is loved by everyone for his gentle and quiet spirit. He is a true teacher at heart and loves to educate the masses about the many things he knows!! Today he worked with Sarah, an aspiring medical student. She also has been a great help doing whatever has been asked of her.

Dr Steve is from Buffalo New York. He and I served together 4 years ago in ES. We got lost on the island our first trip while we were waiting for the other boat to arrive while Dr and Monica were in a meeting. It was one of the scariest things in my life…but you will have to scroll back to my first trip blog posts to read that. I have truly enjoyed getting to know him. He has an inquisitive mind and also loves making house calls, which he has been able to do this week. 

Dr Marvin is here for his first mission trip from Long Island. Initially he was pretty quiet and kept to himself, but as the week has gone, he has really opened up and I have enjoyed it! He would be the stereotypical mafia guy in a good movie…the way he cocks his head when he talks, the tone of his voice, and the accent!! It makes me smile every time!! He has a natural, diet is medicine approach like I do, and we enjoyed connecting over some of those perspectives!!

We worked hard this morning into mid afternoon caring for the needs of the people. After that, we walked down the streets of Soyapango…the fourth most dangerous city in the world until president Bukele came down on the gangs. The CFCI headquarters are there, as well as Dr Moratayas office. We took a tour of the clinic building that they have been able to purchase. He works with no AC because, even tho there are two units, they run on 220 and the only electricity is 110. They need several thousand dollars to update the electric, and that sounds to be in the works. He is a saint with Gods heart for continuing to pour his heart and soul into the people in that neighborhood. I believe in his ministry, and he has needs that could be met with some additional financial support. If that is something that interests you, please message me!!

Actually as we were leaving, we passed by the electricity workers. Sketchy at the very best!!

Zoom into those photos and see if you notice anything that wouldn’t pass the US standards!!!

Soyapango street view.

This mural was on the wall outside the clinic. I love it so much!!! I’ve never seen anything quite like it!

After that, we drove to the San Salvador city center. They have just opened a new Starbucks. I’ve also never seen anything like that either.

Here is a view from the third floor looking down at the baristas!!

After that we walked around the square…went into the cathedral and the crypt underneath…and finally into a brand new library that had 7 floors and great city views.

I have always been fascinated by their police system. There are SOOOO many of them everywhere!! They always look so smartly dressed. People feel very safe now since the country has been under the leadership of this president. The economy is improving and that is good news!! People feel safe and it showed!

There were people out everywhere enjoying life. We ate dinner in the top of the library and caught  great evening view of their old government building that is now a museum.

And a stunning view of the cathedral. It was a very full, very exhilarating, sometimes overstimulating day. Tomorrow we report to the van at 6:00 for the two-ish hour drive to Santa Ana to the women’s prison. Cami and I will have to cut off our permanent jewelry bracelets and remove our ear piercings per the prison rules. 

They will search our bags, wand and pat us, and take our passports until we leave. The only pictures will be the ones in our heads because phones nor watches are allowed in either. They have 400 patients on tap. We will do what we can do. 

Please continue to pray over the people that we have seen this week. And thank you for continuing to pray for us as well. Everyone has stayed healthy. One morning of diarrhea for a handful of them, but nothing profound. 

My heart continues to be broken for the lack of resources here…broken for the people who are suffering…broken over the disparity of the world systems…and left wondering…where DO I fit in all of it. I am praying for Gods wisdom and His guidance to sort it all out for me!

El Salvador…Day 4

 

This morning started early again...getting up before 6 to share showers and bathrooms. We are relocating our housing to a really lovely area in San Salvador. It was a VERY long day, and we got here in the dusk, so we look forward to seeing the area in the daytime tomorrow. We should be staying here until we leave Sunday. The luggage all had to be loaded and taken with us, and sat in the back of that truck under the hot El Salvadorian sun alllllll day.  

The drive was beautiful. We stayed along the southern coast of El Salvador, so we were able to see the ocean part of the time. We drove through some tourist towns as well as a lot of areas of poverty. The traffic is SO crazy here...and the streets are absolutely every which way. My shout out today is to our facilitator and driver, Ronald. TODAY, the drive was technical and sketchy at best. He executed it all superbly and got us everywhere we needed to go in one  piece. 

The ride was around 2 hours and the last leg started out by having to go past the turn off in order to turn around and hit it from the right angle...We then drove a little bit of a terrifying ride straight up a one lane very rocky/rough road full of short switch backs. Going down, he honked at every switch to alert oncoming motorcycles that we were coming. Only a few times did we have to pull as far to the left as we could and squeeze our butt cheeks together while we waited to see if the oncoming traffic would make it by. The views were amazing though, and the town was small and sweet. We were a little late arriving, and a full house was waiting. 

The El Salvadorian team (including the translators) were about 30 minutes later than we were...so the chaos of trying to figure out who was going where, getting supplies where they needed to be and navigating in a very, VERY tight space was the first order of business. 

If all of that wasn't enough to fry my tired brain, this little sweetie wanted to talk to me and kept trying, but I just couldn't understand...well I couldn't understand his words...I completely understood when he was making toothless little pucker kisses. I finally blew him a kiss as I darted off to get something and that appeased him. The old, old people all look a lot like him...not many teeth, very deep wrinkles, and twinkling chocolate kiss eyes. The young people often look a lot older than they are, and many of the 40 year olds look 15-20 years older. 

The first problem of the day was that our A1C kits have to be between 40-83 degrees. We had clinic rooms with AC the last couple of days, but today, it was all open air. We had brought an ice chest, but the ice was leaking all over the bottom of the cooler and I knew that the reader would get too cold. So I pawed through boxes until I found something that would work for me...which turned out to be a tiny purple plastic sack. So I blew it up, knotted it off and put it on the ice...my reader in a baggie...and PRESTO...a perfect system to save the day. Once again, I was eternally thankful for these devices, as we were able to diagnose more people today with very late Pre-diabetes, and very early diabetes stages. That means that we were able to give them a good objective reason to make changes now. Most of them were sad to know but glad to know because they knew enough people with consequences of diabetes that they didn't want. Knowledge is power...and you won't change if you aren't convinced. I can't make them change...and neither can the medical staff here...but by the grace of God and generous donations, I was able to leave them with very compelling evidence as to why they should. 

The registration table crew took care of getting names, ages, complaints, and issues...they were also in charge of handing out dresses, glasses, colors, trinkets, and bookmarks. 

These kids were well spoiled today!! The magnitude of the health problems was much greater today and felt really overwhelming...Again, trying to decide how to best manage the problem at hand in a way that will be sustainable for another 6 months. I've treated more parasites in the last couple of days than I did the first day, and there continues to be a wave of viral stomach flu and a basic upper respiratory infection going on here. The educational needs are extreme as well, and I'm having to cut the instruction to the most basic things I can. Most of that is "quit drinking coca and juices." I have been afraid to ask anyone how much sugar they drink...I don't think I can handle the answers. But they know. I can see it in their eyes when I ask if they drink and eat a lot of sugar. 

Cami taught Paul to run the A1C tests today. Each of those takes 7-8 minutes to do from start to finish, so this made it much easier for her. He did a great job at it. A couple of the guys made a home visit early this afternoon and they wanted to do blood sugars on her because she was very obese. We stopped back by on the way out of the village...Her blood sugar was in the 180s, which made it more important for the A1C...which was packed away in that truck load of luggage you already saw. I would have given up, but the guys kept looking through, and Paul came running in with it just as we were getting ready to leave. Of course, then the reader was too hot...so we took turns holding it up to the air conditioning vents in the van where the rest of the team was very patiently waiting. The collection cartridge could only be open for 2 minutes before it would be invalid...but you didn't know if the reader was working until you put the cartridge in...I had already drawn the blood which was just waiting for the machine to play nice. As I stood up in the van squished between the door and the chairs...opened a new cartridge...found the reader STILL too warm...and had Paul count me down to 30 seconds remaining before the cartridge was no good. I turned it around and around in the cold air and asked for favor from the God that sent us...I'll bet you can't guess what happened. The cartridge was popped in...the reader worked...and we were able to get her A1C...She is .10 point away from being a diabetic...but if she doesn't change her ways, she will be...much sooner than later. We were, again, able to give objective evidence that her body wasn't working right...which gave more merit to the advice that we were offering her. 

Sugar is SUCH an addiction...as strong as cocaine. It will be hard for her to change. It will hard for any of them to change. But they must...They don't have the luxury of a "pill for an ill" that we have here in the US. They don't have the luxury most of us have of a doctor any time we want, or a fairly short drive to a specialist, or extra money for medications...especially without an insurance company to foot the bill so we can take a med and not make any changes ourselves. Our health care system in the US is sick...but I'm not sure the lack of a system here is helpful either. It's lose-lose. 

Molly will be back to doing teeth tomorrow, and the word on the street is that she may be learning AND doing some tooth extractions. Monica, above, will be taking her under her wing...I can't wait to hear about their day. 

We got to stop on the way back to San Salvador to overlook the beautiful Pacific ocean. We have been having a great trip...seeing different things, different peoples, learning different customs and systems, and even learning a different language. I have been so thrilled with the way my own language has improved. It's by far not great, but with continued consistency, I hope one day it will be. For now, I listen as long as I can, and practice as much as I can here before my brain overloads...and then I resort back to the comfort of the language I know.

El Salvador is a very beautiful and intriguing place...One day I would like to come just to explore on my terms...but for now, I will continue to explore on the terms that God put in place for my time here!

I was so exhausted by the time we unloaded our bags that I didn't care if I ate tonight or not...but the cooler air was refreshing...and so was the thought of the pupuseria...We drove a very short 7 minutes to eat our choice of the local delicacy, pupusas...Cami ordered a frozen mango with chamoy, something I'm sure that she saw on TikTok...and she and Molly slurped it up...so any viral flu we catch, is spreading like fire.

Tomorrow we have breakfast at the retreat center where we are staying, and we will head to what sounds like a senior center for clinic. I am soooo glad it is a 20 minute drive depending on traffic...Friday's commute will be 2 hours each way...and that is tiring all by itself.

Sonrie...smiles.

These are the same in any language. 

A kind touch.

The desire to be heard and known.

The pain of illness and loss.

A deep belly laugh.

These are the same in any language too.

God made us in His image. So of course we should expect people to be more similar than different. That is the lesson for today. 

We are no better than they are. But we are also not more favored or blessed than they are. 

God has put all of us on different paths...and we must live them in different ways. We don't get to know all the details...

But for today. Humans--no matter the color, the race, the language, the location...are more similar than different. And if nothing else, that concept deserves to be respected and honored. Amen.