We may not speak the same language, but your music brings us together!

TiTi & MoMo... Maureen and I with our new names the kids gave us!


Mable: Before she left for the hospital...


The little girls in their uniforms!


Love the SMILE!


Two beautiful sisters: The one who is 78 takes care of her sister
with polio who is 72 and in the wheelchair!

Jinotega, Nicaragua!

Well I was up for a little change of scenery, and I got it! This past week I found myself in Jinotega, Nicaragua! I was invited to meet up with Hope Clinic International for a 2 week long Pediatric Medical Mission to the poor of Nicaragua. Through the connection of Dr. Anderburg (otherwise known as Claire’s Dad) and Sherry Snyder, a nurse who is part of the community I grew up in, I was connected with this trip! It was an amazing experience! I was only able to go for the first week, which proved to be great because week two I ended up back in Honduras caring for one of the Friar’s who had a pretty serious accident!
In Nicaragua we worked with the St. Vincent DePaul Society, and they made sure to get the word out about the times we would be running the clinic. We saw more then 500 kids in the 5 days we were there! Having been doing this work now for 7 months, there is a sense of burn-out at times. I truly believe that this week rejuvenated my spirits; and brought me back to the backbone of why I am serving here. To see the hope and freshness of the medical team from the states was contagious! There was no “NO” for an answer, everyone was there to serve, and they would do no less. By the end of my week I was physically beat, but spiritually, emotionally, and psychologically renewed! I worked with the most wonderful people! I am always amazed that you meet some of the people that become closest to you in the oddest places! For example during the 3 or should I say 6 hour bus ride Maureen Berlucchi and I had each others life stories, and found crazy connections in our short lives so far! The beauty of shared experience turning into friendship! I have no doubt that some of the friendships made this past week will continue to grow, and hopefully I will continue to work with this organization in the future!
One of the patients this week was a little 9 year old girl named Mable. Mable came in and her entire body was swollen. She was nine years old, but so severely malnourished she had stopped growing. The reason for the edema (swelling) is called third spacing. Third spacing can be seen in severely malnourished kids. Third spacing is the mobilization of body fluid to a non-contributory space rendering it unavailable to the circulatory system. This puts the child at risk for hypovolemia. In other terms, it is a very serious and life threatening condition. The father of this girl had no idea why she was so swollen, and even though she ate it didn’t help her at all. She was no longer able to absorb vitamins. We sent this little girl to the ER because she was beyond our care. In the ER's here patients need to bring their own bedding and food, but the medicine is free if they have it in the hospital at the time. More often then not the medicine is unavailable. I talked with the local pediatrician after, and she told me that malnutrition is the LEADING cause of death in pediatric patients in Jinotega! She has begun a program to try to target the issue, but it is a huge struggle given the lack of public funding, and the poverty of the town.
It was eye opening once again to experience the suffering of another culture and people. The people of Nicaragua were so open to receiving all we had to offer. One other family that touched my heart was a small young girl and her Daddy. They were a poor humble family from the mountains, but what struck me was the rarity to see a young Dad with his child. In the poorer populations male father figures are slim to none. It is “culturally acceptable” or should I say “permitted” for a guy to get a girl pregnant, and leave for the next town. A large number of these men/boys take little to no responsibility for their children. The village I live in here in Honduras is 90% single mothers. So to see this young man with his daughter was so encouraging. I began to talk with them, and he told me that they were a family from the mountains and they had traveled hours to get to the clinic. They had no food, and when I asked diet information (because the little girl was in the 3rd percentile for weight), he said that the days they can afford it he tried to give her beans, but they could never afford both rice and beans.
It was obvious in the way this Dad spoke that he did everything for his daughter first before thinking about himself. We had been seeing people like this all day long, but I could not shake how my heart went out to these people specifically. While writing out the prescription for the doctor, I added on beans and rice and any clothing we had, so that those in the pharmacy could give them whatever we had. An hour or so later I was able to go give them the instructions for the medicine etc. When I went into the pharmacy to get the meds I told one of the nurses about how touched I was by this Dad. She immediately out of her own pocket gave me something to give to them. This is not something I normally agree with, because the money can get spent on all sorts of things, but somehow I knew this Dad was trustworthy. I went out to give this family there things, and they could not have been more grateful. I asked if I could pray with then, and I was stuck that as we said the “Dios te Salve” the little girl knew all the words to her prayers. Even though this Dad had so little to offer her materially, he still gave to her what is most important. His love and protection as her father, and passing along to her, faith.
As they began to leave I handed them the money from the nurse, and both of us couldn’t stop the tears. I told him what an example he was for all the young guys around the village to see a man who takes responsibility for his actions, and his children. He said there were so few like him, but I told him how important it was for him to be there for his kids, no matter what others did. I saw a living example that day of laying your life down for those you love in this young man, I can only hope to love and give with that same selflessness!
My time in Nicaragua ended with a Pan de Vida retreat with the CFR’s (the Friars) in Matagalpa. It was awesome! Once again to see people’s lives transformed by Christ, and for them to walk out changed! I sit and marvel at the ways in which I am able to learn these days… each day brings its new challenges and new joys… I am just trying to be present to each moment!