Thursday, January 30, 2020

Today started like all the others.   It for breakfast we had amazing egg omelets.  Great way to start our day.  By 7:30am we were ready to leave the Mission House on our way to Los  Picachos, Santa Cruz de Yojoa.

Arriving at the school I was at first a little disappointed by the low number of people waiting for us.  Well, that was an incorrect assumption because we ended up seeing around 200 community people today.

For the  morning session I was in dentistry doing dental hygiene.  I saw 16 people that wanted their teeth cleaned.  I was a bit sad when I saw a pretty 15 year old girl and her two lower teeth were  mobile due to Periondontal disease.  So sad!!!! On missions like this you simply do, it have all,the conveniences of home so her cleaning was a little subpar by my standards.  One thing I have had to tell myself over the years of providing dental care in rural areas is you do what you can with what you have.

After I was finished in dentistry I walked over to pharmacy to find out they were very busy with scripts needing to be filled.  For the next thirty minutes I helped pull meds So they could be given to the patients.  The afternoon session I joined the pharmacy team, again pulling meds.   We filled prescriptions for 178 individuals today.  Most were given three or more meds!

I had a few minutes today and walked into the room where they were giving donations away, doing blood pressure and oxygen levels, and deworming.  At the deworming station, everyone, 2 years and up, is given a pill (Albendazole, 400 mg) to take with water which is good for two years.  For the children we mix the pill in water and have them drink it.  Vitamin A is given to the very small children by squirting it in their mouth.  Apparently this stuff doesn’t taste good because you can hear the children crying after they get their meds.  Poor kids!!  At the weigh station ten children were identified as malnourished.  At the vitamin station children and adults are given multi vitamins with instructions to take home

On the way home we had the privilege of stopping at Danilo Orellano’s house.  He was my translator for the week when I was in dentistry.  His parents own  a palm tree farm which palm oil is made.  He explained to us the ins and outs of harvesting palm trees for oil.  When we were leaving Danilo’s house I saw this tree with strange things hanging from it only to find out it is a loofa tree.  We were given one of the “pods” so we will each be able to take a small loofa home with us.  

Stay tuned for pictures.  I am still unable to post them from my iPad so as soon as I get home I will upload them.

Again ,  thanks for your prayers.