Tuesday

1The Fox River Clinic in La Esmeralda.

Day two began with a yummy pancake and Oreo cookie breakfast. Yes, that's what I said. :) We began seeing patients today around 8:00 and the team was off and running.

2 Michelle enjoying the intake process and all of the cuties. 3 Steve entertaining the kids waiting in the intake area. 4 Jan & Art worked together today, seeing many interesting cases. 5 The well deserved "Tongue Depressor" award goes to Jodie today. Jodie went so far out of the box today. She saw OB patients and did pelvic exams and learned how to do sutures. Great job, Jodie! I know she will have so many great memories from this trip!

6 Jodie, Kevin, Jan & Art

Look away if you're squeamish..... 9

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10 Kevin also got to learn how to do sutures.

11 Mark & Bev helped Jim in the pharmacy.

12 Nicole worked with Dr. Centeno today and then helped in the pharmacy. This little sweetie is one year old. He had high bilirubin levels at birth that didn't resolve resulting in oxygen deprivation and ended in brain injury. He goes to Managua weekly for therapy. Although he is healthy medically, he will not meet normal milestones and will likely not talk or walk. He is so precious!

13 The team worked so well today. The flow of the clinic was well established by the Nicaraguan team, and we all worked together to see 185 people today. We were all so grateful to be able to help so many people!

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Monday Afternoon

After lunch we headed in the bus to Limon and set up a clinic at a school. The team did a great job pulling together a quick clinic set up and saw 20 patients. Common conditions included back pain, colds and gastritis.16 Art 17 Nicole giving injections. 18 Teamwork! It was a great first day and we look forward to another productive day tomorrow. The staff at the clinic has been an amazing blessing and we could not do any of this without them!

A Word from Jan

Jan doing consults.14

Jan won my "Tongue Depressor" award today for going way out of her comfort zone and learning to do things that she was very nervous about. She was courageous and we are all proud of her.

A few words from Jan: God is working with me in ways I never imagined. he is giving me courage to learn new things; to diagnose and treat illnesses of the beautiful people of La Esmeralda. The staff at the clinic are so giving and my new friends from Fox River will forever be in my heart. 15

The Two Jims

Jim F. seeing a patient and Jim P. giving moral support. :)13

Jim F. uses such a caring and kind demeanor with patients.

A word from Jim: We arrived safely in Nicaragua after a long journey that left us tired and drained. Not knowing what to expect, the challenges have been placed before us. Our Nicaraguan hosts have made us feel quite welcome. It has been a very different experience than serving in Kenya, and just as rewarding. As we read from scripture this morning, "The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve others." With God's guidance we will put aside the quirks that make us individuals and come together as a team that brings the helping hand of our Lord to His children in La Esmeralda. I feel that our first day in the clinic has been a success with even better yet to come!

Monday

From Rosie: Today we were able see 51 patients in the clinic. Common diagnoses included chronic pain, headaches, UTI, and common cold. The sun was up by 6am. By 7:00 we headed to the clinic, which was a beautiful 10 minute walk. 5 This pond is in front of the dorm.

Breakfast was first with eggs and fresh fruit. The coffee, grown locally, was amazing! We met with the Nicaraguan team and discussed the details for the day. Everyone worked great as a team and learned from each other. 6 Jodie & Jim working hard. 7 Kevin doing a dressing change on a compound tib-fib fracture, working around the external fixator. 8 Steve 9 Michelle taking vitals. 10 Candy at the intake station. 11 The Pharmacy 12 Jodie, patient consultation, and her translator, Angel.

Sunday

From Rosie: We arrived in Managua at 1:15pm. The ride north, with 2 quick stops, took 5 hours. We arrived at the clinic just before dark and enjoyed a delicious home cooked meal of chorizo, rice & beans, avocado, salsa, bread & fresh fruit (fabulous chocolate cake for dessert). Following dinner we went to our dormitory. They ran a generator so we could have light for a short time to get settled and find our lanterns. After hanging our mosquito nets and making our beds, everyone was sound asleep by 9:00. It was a long day, but everyone was very excited to start the medical work the next day. 1 The path to our dorm. 2 The front porch of our dorm. 3 The girl's dorm. 4 Michelle reading with one of the books that was donated.

And they're off!

The team left Fox River around 3am this morning. They traveled by bus to O'Hare. The first flight to Miami went smoothly with the exception of having to gate check their carry on luggage. As I write this, they are in Miami waiting to board the flight to Mangua. Please pray that all of their luggage arrives with them. They will depart Managua as soon as they arrive and begin the 3+ hour bus ride to La Esmeralda.