El Salavador…take 2…Final thoughts

 All of the things that I have done and seen this past week...along with personal conversations with brothers and sisters in Christ, places I was in Scripture and the books I read while I was traveling...were all fashioned together to grow my faith and deepen my understanding of God's economy, God's plan, and to strengthen my relationship with Him...I wanted to share a few last things...in no particular order...and to no particular audience...they are just things that I don't want to forget...and the best way for me to do that, is to write them down. I also want to use this as an encouragement to others.

 I. AM. NOT. SPECIAL. I have no special superpowers or talents that other people don't have...I have no special merit with God, other than that I am His daughter...and He loves me like He loves His other children. Why He has chosen to allow me to get to participate in a ministry like this is beyond my comprehension...but above all.. I know that it is a gift...and I chose to accept that gift by going and working in my strengths. Each person that lays eyes on my rambling has also been created wonderfully and perfectly by the same Hands that created me....and you have strengths and weaknesses just like me. Those that have believed in Christ Jesus and accepted His Lordship over their lives...have also been given a gift--a spiritual gift---one or more of them actually…and they are given so that they might be used by each of us to glorify God and perform the many works that He has chosen for each of us to complete in the one lifetime that we get here.  

Here are some things that really struck me from the week!!

**There is power in kindness..in a look, in a touch, in your words. There are many people who don't see kindness very often in their world of circumstances. It was a news flash to me this week...that I could look like the face of Jesus to those around me...Like, I knew this...but in my heart I didn't KNOW this on a deeply meaningful level…I have seen people that have a countenance so sweet that you just KNOW they love and serve the Lord…but I had never contemplated that people might see that in ME!!  After working with the women in prison and having all this explained to me by a chaplain who was more tuned into the situation than I was...was life changing for me. Such a simple thing that can be so meaningful and life giving….and you don't have to go across the globe...you just have to be present in the moment.

You have to SEE them...though sometimes we have to take a step outside of our norm in order to reign in the attention needed TO see them!! Ask God to help you to see with His eyes!!You can give a tender pat on the arm, you can look into their face, or you can simply listen and say "I'm sorry. I don't understand why that happened to you. But God does. And He sees you and loves you." You can truly SEE your family, your neighbor, the widow at church, the struggling young mom trying to keep it together, or the people you can't stand that live across your town  that are barely making it...when we follow Christ, we need to choose to SEE more of what He sees. That is how we live our lives on mission. I'm not that good at it. But I want to be...and I ask Him to give me HIS eyes to see where He wants me to speak, work, and do in the lives of others. 

**He gives us the desires of our hearts when we delight in Him Psalm 37:4 tells us. A desire of my heart has always been to care for others...clear back to high school on the steps in the band room...the desire of my heart was to help others. It's how He made ME. I knew 25 years ago that I wanted to do medical mission work one day...over the years, He has given me opportunities to take kids on mission trips...He has grown me through those adventures, until finally, He orchestrated one...and then another...chance for me to go serve on a whole different, international level. The trips have been gifts. Good gifts...Hard gifts...but gifts from the Lord in His perfect timing! Never be afraid to dream and ask!! What is something for the Lord that YOU would like to do?? Chances are, He has already put that desire in your heart and He is waiting until the time is right!!

**Humans are all the same. We were all created in the perfect image of God...and in an imperfect world..there are plenty of opportunities for sin and mistakes and bad choices. Sometimes people seem to deserve the consequences of their sins...like the women in prison...and sometimes the people don't seem to deserve the consequences of sin in the world...like a 4 year old girl who was born into a hopeless cycle of poverty...or the 20 year old girl who found out her grandpa was her father--and has been living with the shame of a choice that was made completely out of her own control. But, in Christ--we have a redeemer--one who saves us from ourselves and from the power of hell...and He chooses to send His own children to demonstrate that redeeming power in a tangible way to the poor and powerless among the neighborhoods and nations..When we remember that we do NOT deserve the grace we got from Christ in His death/resurrection...it gives us a freedom to bestow love on those that we may not deem worthy of receiving grace from US!!

**It takes a team!! Jesus sent the disciples out in at least groups of 2…and Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes that two are better than one…for if one falls, the other might help him up again! 

It took all of us, each in our own gifts to get the job done!! This team worked together for a week, but other team members serve this population day in and day out and they feel seen when others show up to help bear the heavy load! There is something so special about sharing a load…and the trauma and drama and laughter and memories that come with working together!! It is just a reminder of how God put together His church…each member as a part of a body that has their own functions and strengths to do the work God has laid out for them individually and collectively!!

**The results aren’t up to you…or me. Walking on sandy beaches, like the iron swirled beach of Costa Del Sol above,  always makes me think of Gods promise to Abraham that said his offspring would be like the stars of the sky or the sands of the earth..that’s unfathomable really!! Abraham did nothing except trust God…even to the point of being willing to sacrifice his son! God did the deed!! He followed thru on the promise, all Abe did was to show up!! We have to be like Abe. There were a lot of reasons that I couldn’t have been available to go last week…but I believed I was being called for something much bigger than myself!! Has God been asking you to go out of your comfort zone and do something new?? Are you listening or arguing?? The hopelessness of the situations of many of these people was overwhelming me…until Little Larry told me that my perspective was wrong. And it was. There was a life giving freedom found in that revelation!! The revelation that my only job…like your only job…is to show up. Work in your gift…give what you can…and trust God for the results!! My focus was on how many physical needs I couldn’t meet…but the spiritual work being done while I tried to meet the physical needs the best I could…is the part I can’t see!! And the part I needed to trust God to work in!

**It's not about me...and it’s not about you...it’s about the God of the universe. We are His majestic workmanship every bit as much as this ocean sunset...He gave us gifts to use for His glory! THAT is His will for our lives!! In our culture, our lives are all about us..and our people. Many of us aren’t that good at looking around and seeing needs…but again, that’s where team work functions best!! In this case, I signed up for a trip and booked a flight. I identified needs that our team would have before I left and people delivered in their own ways…prayer, financially, sending supplies…and as I was able to show people the situation of the places we served in El Salvador, God has continued to press upon people a need to help as they can!! God is making the difference here and in His grace, He has allowed us to be part of it!!  It’s soooo cool!!

**Look around you...there are mission opportunities everywhere. You don't have to fly to another country or even another state. I doubt that Juanito even realized that he was doing ministry just by showing up early and seeing a need to rake up trash!

Maybe your gift is prayer…it isn’t out of line to call people in the church…or people out of the church to ask how you can pray for them..or pray with them…or start a prayer group. Maybe your gift is hospitality…engaging your gift right here in your community is a perfect place to start!

Maybe you are a cheerful giver…ask God to show you where to start!! And maybe you are an observer…find a team of people that can help you work to meet the needs you observe around you!! If this is overwhelming or challenging to you…I urge you to reach out to someone who can help you think outside the box!!

I’m thankful for the gift of this trip and the opportunities it provided both for me, and for those I spent my week with!! I’m thankful for the hearts of those who see the needs and launch the help to meet the needs. I’m thankful for the stirring of my heart and the stirring of the hearts that have been following this story!! God willing, there will be a next time in the fairly near future!!

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭25‬:‭34‬-‭40‬ ‭NLT‬‬

El Salvador…take 2, day 7

Friday morning...our last mission day. It rained all night again and was raining when we got up. Dee was still running fever though the night and had completely lost her voice, so she opted to stay in the little house we were in. Monica was also still feeling really badly, so she stayed home as well. Dr Miller and I were picked up by the team...and Dr Morataya had gotten us all breakfast from a street vendor...Pupusas and coffee!! They put their coffee in little plastic bags and then tie them shut and set them a little Styrofoam cup to keep it from spilling! He had gotten enough for everyone..and since Dee and Monica were gone..my dental friend Oscar got TWO...best day ever for him! :-) 

Thankfully for Google maps, the route we were going to take showed a traffic accident...which can stop traffic for literally HOURS...so we knew in advance that we should take "the long way" around to San Marcos-which was a couple hours of driving to the east. We saw a lot of flooding...and the roads in this little community are also pretty yucky, so our patient load was lighter than it has been all week...which was great because we were two men down!! And a little bit tired.

When we got set up, Dr Miller saw a crate of this "juice" and sodas sitting off to the side. Like in America, people are completely addicted to sugar, and often by the way of their beverages. He was taking pictures of the ingredient list and blowing it up so he could see it on his phone!

Most of the people here, don't really realize that there is very little "juice" in the "juice" that they drink!! Maybe Americans don't either. They also don't realize how harmful the excess sugar is...and just like here in the States, sugar is addictive--it stimulates the dopamine receptors in the brain like nicotine, alcohol, and street drugs do...and so they are always looking for their next shot of Coke or "juice" to perk them up. Dr Miller spent some time talking to them about the hazards of drinking so many sweet things. It's hard to hear for people...and many times, while they may WANT to stop drinking sweets...they find that they can't!! I have had several patients tell me that they actually went through WITHDRAWL (think alcohol withdrawl) symptoms when they cut their exceedingly high sugar intake down. 

Here is Dr Morataya watching the lecture...but I also liked this picture because it showed the layout of this big kitchen. You can see the white PVC pipes strung along and through in the back right corner. There is a large cistern of water connected to it. Everyone has flat top devices to cook...

And most people cook right over a small wood fires too. This was our lunch simmering away!! Its so absolutely fascinating to see!!

These girls were outside the front of the kitchen grinding corn that had been soaked. There is a water source that drips the water into the corn, and it spits out masa dough for making their tortillas.                                  

My friend Oscar and sister Vanessa below did all the dental work. Next time you go to the dentist...remember this little girls posture in a plastic lawn chair, and be thankful that you don't sit in one for your dental work..and then, if you don't mind, pray for more resources to be accessible in these impoverished communities!!

Oscar and Vanessa are people of light. They have such fun personalities...The last time I went, we would joke about something with our eyes or gestures or tone of voice (because we couldn't speak the same language) and we would just belly laugh!! It was not any different this time either!! It's amazing that God gave us a way to communicate with others OUTSIDE of a common language!! 

Again today, we saw a lot of people that couldn't afford their medicines or the cost of a visit to the doctor. So we helped to bridge that gap for them...and also had time to do a lot more educating today! 

We handed out the last of the gifts...I was swarmed by kids desiring a slap bracelet, even if they had seen another doc ;-) I could hear those going off all morning, along with plenty of giggles!!

They were practicing on each other!! 

Silvita is my tiny little interpreter. She has spent the most time with me through these last two trips! She was explaining to this young woman how to use one of the little menstrual kits. It was important to me, that each community was able to have someone in it that had the kits...in the hopes that an industrious person in their community could potentially craft a similar system for people. Having such a beautiful little package of comfortable pads to use seems like a little thing...that most people, myself included would have NEVER even considered a thing...but they were delighted with them..and several women came to see me earlier in the week primarily to get one for themselves. They will be well loved!

Dr Miller had brought more earrings to put in. I put some in a young girl a few days back, but many of the girls we saw already had pierced ears! This older girl was so nervous to get hers put in..you can the smile of anticipation. 

Today was a much more laid back day..so I was able to catch more photos and Sylvita and I had time to just chat. She asked questions about our traditions in the States. She hopes to visit here in 2025. She has been trying to work on the paperwork and process to get a visa to come visit.  She thinks the process is about done. She works for Christ for the City International, which is based out of Omaha, so she would like to come visit them...and her friends along the way!! Please pray with us for that to happen...and for the funds she needs to come in from the Lord whom she is petitioning!! I was able to give her a love gift before I left that will be very helpful in getting some plane tickets. She is hoping to go to Spain in September for her birthday to visit a friend. She has saved half the money for that ticket...and she has been asking God to provide the rest to her!! She is trusting His goodness! He is SO awesome that He provided some of that answer through the help of our community!!

We got to take off early and praise God...the rain stopped around 2....and didn't restart!! Juan took Larry and I to the beach house, and Pastor Cota brought Dee and Monica over. It was an absolute beautiful evening to overlook the beach and admire the artistry of God's sunset!! 

Like seriously...who could do THIS better!! 

We stayed at Tortuga Village at Costa Del Sol. It was beachfront with a couple of pools. Breathtakingly beautiful!! Larry and I walked on the beach while we waited on the girls. It was fun chatting..and we played around making some more videos :-) He is a pretty neat ole guy who has devoted his life to serving the least of these through mission work...and has plenty of stories to share. He will be 85 in September...if you take care of yourself, you are NEVER too old to do the Lord's work!!

We order dinner here and they bring it to your room..they had fixed smoker things on the deck to keep the mosquitos at bay, but we opted to eat inside instead. Pina coladas and seafood were on the menu for most of us. 

I had a ceviche that was TO DIE FOR. It was a mixed variety of seafood that is "cooked'  in acidic foods..in this case it was lime. Served with crunchy hominy and fried plantains and sweet potato. One of the best meals of my life.

Saturday morning I enjoyed an early, lengthy HOT shower and hair wash...and then grabbed my binoculars and my book and headed for the beach. Larry was heading out at the same time. He went his way, and I sat down to Facetime Jeremy and just soak up the SUN...breakfast is included with the stay, and a waiter appeared after a while and took my order and brought it right to me. Breakfast "Typicos" (eggs, fried plantain, refried black beans, fresh queso and coffee) with the waves, watching the herons and the fisherman!! Things that dreams are made of.

After that, I enjoyed my own really long walk on the beach with God. Enjoying the antics of the fisherman, watching the sand dollars try to sink their exposed selves into the sand to preserve their lives, admiring the "art" made by the swirling of the dark colored iron flakes in the sand, and talking with my Father. I can't even have imagined a better way to end the week! 

This week..I want to do one more recap post...because I don't want to forget to keep the main things the main thing!! There were a lot of answered prayers during this trip...and there were some life and spiritual lessons for me...and I have some advice for you all too!! 

Thanks for reading...

El Salvador…take 2 Day 6

 Hoy. Today.

We got up really early and were in the van for 3 hours to get to the women’s prison in Santa Ana. I loved the boys prison so much the last time, that I have really been looking forward to this ministry. As of yesterday afternoon we thought it had been canceled by the prison…but we found out in the evening that we were going to be able to go in. I had NOOO idea what was in store for us there…and I’m not entirely sure I will recover from it anytime soon. 

I’m sure my heart was overly sensitive secondary to the 4-5 hours of sleep I’ve gotten each night between the tossing and turning..I also recognize by this time in the week of work, I am completely exhausted on a mental level more than anything…

trying to overcome a language barrier and be efficient and effective at the same time takes SOOO much effort and attentiveness. And since I have been working on my Spanish EVERY day since March 2022, I have also been really tuning my ears into the patients words for as long as I can to try and learn to comprehend the language…

and maybe because we were working with women…who are more emotionally engaged because of the way God created us…I was more vulnerable to my own emotions..

The bottom line is…today was one of the hardest things I have ever done…and for whatever reason, I’m sure God orchestrated all the things to make sure my heart was right where it needed to be for Him to get his message across…and let me tell you…I HAVE. BEEN. SCHOOLED these last two days. Not by the patients, though I have learned from them!! But by my family in Christ that God has graciously put in my path this week to tell me things I needed to hear…at the level of my heart—not at the level of my head! I’ll tell ya that later. First, I need to make sure you all understand what I saw today…and I want to make sure that I never forget what I saw today!! PS there are no pictures from the prison (other than the one from outside below) because before we are allowed in, we take off any jewelry, no phones are allowed, our medical bags are checked, we are patted down, and our passports are kept in their possession till we leave the building. 

After all of that…

We walked through a few narrow open air corridors until we got to a large compound. When we walked into the door, we saw women all dressed in white shirts and white pants. All of them had on white crocs and some of them had white beanie hats on making them look a little bit like gnomes. Maybe 30 were sitting in rows of chairs waiting for us to start. Another 50 or so stood in a single line against the wall to our right. A few at the front of the line were clearly moving their way up a few steps. It seemed apparent that the women were taking baths behind the partition, tho their shirts were on and you could see them from the midsection up. It was confirmed later that was what they were doing. Across the back wall, were 8 iron barred gates. The doors were mostly closed and watched by other women who were also all dressed in white, presumably inmates with more privilege. All day long, there were faces peering out from behind those bars and there were girls standing as far back as I could see…when I dared to look. The gate guards would let some in and some out for different things…to go to the shower line, to take meal boxes in or out, or to get in the line to see the health team. I could barely see bunk beds in there. They must have gone back for a length because it turned out that in each partition, there were at least 100 women and probably more like 125 women and in partition #8 there were 175 women in there. Now I don’t know how deep the building was, but the length and width to the building we were in was roughly the size of my husbands automotive shop, about 100 feet by 75 feet. This prison held 18,000 women in it. 18,000 women all dressed in white.

I think the youngest patient I had was around 22 and the oldest was 70. Initially I thought that we were seeing women who were in there for a couple years for not ratting out the gang members they were tied to…turns out that was another sector. I couldn’t get the stories of everyone…there was too much work and not enough time…but the stories I heard were hard. Some were in because they had gang tattoos. Some were in because corrupt people lied against them…some were in for really committing serious crimes like murder and paying their time for their bad choices. I get it. It’s a prison. In one way or another, most of them technically “deserved” to be there by our standards. But darn. Listening to them tell us that they don’t know where their babies even are…to listen to them tell us that everyone in the world they loved has turned their back on them, to know they see others get a visitor and have to sit with the reality that no one in this world cares enough to visit them. For whatever reason they were there…I acutely felt the pain in those faces in front of me as I listened to their needs!  

It also caused me to wonder later…maybe Jesus refers to visiting those in prison because in reality…all of deserve to be in the prison of hell, but He set us free from that sentence when we trusted. Maybe He wanted us to remember that some bad choices don’t define who WE ARE in Christ…and so we should have care and compassion on those who also  aren’t defined in His eyes by their past stupidity. 

Again, as the day got longer and harder and as the weight of all that I was involved in felt more oppressive, God reminded me of Little Larry’s talk yesterday…I couldn’t help everyone of them…heck I might not have been able to help any of them for more than a few days…but I could share my gift, which is laughter and compassion and knowledge…and I could touch those that God presented to me today. 

We found out about 6 hours in, that the section of women we were seeing today were the ones with the chronic problems…the sickest of them all. We saw plenty of headaches, back pain, and scabies. We saw some injuries like the lady who probably has at least one if not two herniated discs in her back that have been worse since a recent fall. It took 2 people to help her hobble to the chair to see me. She was the one that told us that they slept 2 women in one twin sized bed. I gave her some steroids and a note to hopefully get a single bed for a few weeks.

Another girl had fallen 5 months ago and probably broke her forearm based  on the looks of the deformity in her right one. The prison put a splint on it and no hospital or doctor visit. Now both wrists hurt a lot, especially in rainy weather like they are seeing now. She is in her early 30s and will live with this forever. No one cares. Except her. And me. But my hands were tied and she has no voice. Lose/lose. 

I saw a 60 something with a pressure sore on her butt, among other issues. How do you tell her that she needs to take the pressure off her sore bottom when there are really no good options for where she can go to do that!

By the end of the day, after struggling to get thru the language barrier, struggling to make decisions that would be most helpful for the longest period of time for them, struggling to process my own thoughts and emotions let alone theirs…I found myself wondering again…how can my place here be doing anything positive. There are no good solutions for them medically…10 tablets of Tylenol or some cold medicine is very temporary. Bandaid on a boat hole.

My interpreter helped me clean up and as I gave her a big hug and thanked her, we found ourselves locked in tearful embrace. She prayed and rubbed my back. I have no idea what she said, but the love and passion in her emotional voice said all I needed to hear. I knew God knew.

The chaplain who had been hanging around all day also came to me and chatted. He was emotional as well as he talked. He had been watching all of us all day…and he wanted to tell me what he observed… he told the girls as they waited “You see?? You see how they smile at the other women as they sit down? You see how they interact with them? You see the love when you watch them work?? This is the face of Jesus you see in them. This is how Jesus looks at you.”

And it clicked.

Sometimes Jesus sends a person far far away from their comfort level and their home…to show a scabies infested woman in white from another land that He loves her so much that He sent His daughter 2000 miles to bandage her wounds in way that makes her feel His love and know that she is seen.

 

It’s still raining as I type…and we have one day left!! The rest of my gifts from the States will be given away tomorrow…and I will look into these last little faces, old faces, wrinkled faces, precious faces and use the gifts that God has given me…to use for His glory in their lives. To HIM be the glory. May I look at them as He looks at me!

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!!