Today, the team visited the community of La Union. The Harrisonburg team has been to this village for the last four years. It was such a blessing to see familiar faces and to have some of the community leaders and children recognize us. One girl in particular, Nicole, I have taken a photo with every year. This year we had the opportunity to spend more time playing with her and her friends--it was very special!
During our devotions tonight, we reflected on the many ways in which we have already seen God. The strength of the people, the joy in their eyes, the many ways they thanked us, big smiles after receiving flip flops, well-behaved children in all the clinics, community leaders becoming more involved and learning new medical skills, and the teamwork shown after only one day of clinics.
One amazing story from today involved a small 7 year old boy. He was the first patient through our clinic. His chin had a large laceration from being kicked in the face by a horse yesterday. It was a perfect example of God placing us in the right place at the right time. We were able to send the child to Peña Blanca for x-rays, sutures, and antibiotics. He was back in his community before we left.
Another wonderful story from today was the involvement of the community leaders. To encourage self-sufficiency and sustainability, FOB has provided training for community volunteers on a variety of skills. Each of the communities has a nebulizer machine, and the community health volunteer has received training on how to use it. Today Stan had the opportunity to perform a nebulizer treatment on a woman and use it as a teaching experience.
We had two referrals today. One was a girl with a cleft lip/palate who will come to the Barnabas House for an evaluation. The other was a girl who was born without an ear and was experiencing dizziness. She too will come to the Barnabas House first and then hopefully go for additional testing.
It is such a blessing to see the way God is working in the FOB here. There are so many positive changes happening, and it’s neat to see the advancement year after year. An amazing way to start the week!
Today’s Numbers:
General clinic - 190
Deworming - 70
Vitamin A - 15
Fluoride - 13
Eye clinic - 36
Dental Care - 27
Extractions - 49
Referrals - 2
Mallory Williams
for the Harrisonburg 2014 Team
Jack Garber
Stan Holland
Gary Lucas
Brad McMullen
Bill Mohan
Don Mundy
Karen Purcell
Phil Quagliariello
Paul Quillen
Rhonda Rexrode
Samuel Rexrode
Lisa Stark
Ben Williams
