El Plan, Masaguara
Our hearts are full as we listen to the sound of tonight’s storm on the tin roof of Alfredo House. Thursdays can be a melancholy day as team members find themselves wishing it were Monday, but Team 3 was cheerful and ready to serve. Robin started our day with a wonderful devotion, closing in scripture: “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged”. (Deuteronomy 31:8.) The message covered the team with the Lord’s loving comfort as we set out for the day’s longer travel.
We arrived at a beautiful school, complete with a play set, beautiful flowers and a mural reminding everyone to care for their community and put trash where it belongs. This was a smaller community, and we welcome the time this allowed us to gush over 6-day-old twin boys. They were precious. Pascuala gave the mother a lesson on how to breast feed two babies at the same time, essentially holding each baby by her side, and it was fascinating to listen and watch her demonstration.
A 16-year-old mother came to the medical clinic with her 8-month-old baby. The mother was in good health but the breastfed baby was losing weight. The general rule is that a child needs to be at least one year old to receive the deworming medication, but Doctora Moncada suspected parasites might be the issue with the little girl’s weight loss. She approved deworming with a medication more suitable for infants, and we are hopeful she will begin to regain her weight soon.
The eye clinic had a patient with complete cataracts on his right eye and almost complete on his left, so he was given a referral for corrective surgery. Elmer and Stacy discussed the options with the patient, and after consulting with Doctora Moncada they determined the surgery could return his vision to almost normal.
We received fantastic news at tonight’s dinner table. The specialist treating our heart patient from Tuesday’s village communicated that his condition is not cardiac-related, and he will be treated for his respiratory problems. Courtney G shared this evening’s devotion, and it is incredible to see how much each member’s devotion plays into other devotions and experiences from the week. Tonight’s message reflected on Robin’s thought of wishing it were Monday, and how easy it is to love on the children here. The important thing to remember is to love in a deep and meaningful way throughout our everyday lives, sharing various scripture including: “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil, cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.” (Romans 12:9-10.)
We send loving devotion to our brothers and sisters in the States, and we look forward to pouring ourselves on Friday’s village.
Today’s Numbers:
General Clinic: 156
Deworming: 76
Vitamin “A”: 17
Fluoride: 11
Dental: 41 with 52 extractions
Eye Clinic: 22
ECP Referrals: 2
There are more Tri-Cities team photos on our photo album page.
The Tri-Cities Team:
Janet Arnold
Rem Arnold
Mark Bartholomew
Carolyn Burk
Morgan Epps
Laura Fernandez-Collius
Bonnie Finck
Rich Finck
Courtney Gifford
Jeanna Gutierrez
Courtney Harris
Amber Hatcher
Stacy Licari
Kate McLaughlin
Robin Phillips
Mitch Temple
Tammy Williams
