Mission work is great work! When you take a week off of your normal routine and spend it on the mission field, it can be overwhelming. So much to do with a limited time to get it done.
Ten of us from Adrian area are on our first missions trip to Nicaragua. For all (but me), it is the first time for a Christian-emphasis missions trip. We have a medical emphasis and have 3 doctors, 1 paramedic and the rest of us are going to build relationships with the area residents.
With no sleep, we left Detroit about 5:30AM on Friday. In Houston, we met up with a team of 23 from Dallas, Texas area. And together we arrived in Nicaragua with a lot of medicines tucked in our suitcases. We have 30 different types of medications. We have 18,000 vitamins and about 10,000 other medicines. We even have an ultrasound machine that will allow pregnant mothers to see their babies. Most have never done this.
Day 1 was spent traveling 7-8 hours to El Rama. It is literally where the road ends in Nicaragua. To go beyond this area you need to take a boat to the Caribbean. This is one of poorest areas of Nicaragua with very little medical attention.
Once we settled in our rooms, we traveled to the church where we will hold a 3-day clinic. We are expected to see thousands of people in 3 days. The area has recent major flooding, so we had to walk much of the way because our vehicles couldn’t make the roads.
We were divided between Medical Staff and Evangelism Staff. The Medical Staff set up a pharmacy, created examining rooms, and divided responsibilities. The Evangelism Staff set up two tents in the church yard and made connections with the neighborhood children.
It was a long day. We got up at 5AM and we are still in the room getting ready for bed at 10PM. Tomorrow will be the first day of clinic. It will start at 8AM and last until church in the evening. We should be done by 8PM.
Every missions trip is different. I’ve never been on a ‘medical’ missions trip. But this will give us all an opportunity to meet some of the poorest people we’ve ever encountered. We’ve already met some great Christian brothers and sisters.
You can read about all the other days at: Nicaragua Missions Trip 2016.
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