Med Mission Nica: Day 3

We began our first of four clinics today. These clinics are a pretty massive undertaking as far as the organization and set-up is concerned. We arrived in Los Cedros to the church to find a line of people already waiting with their numbers in hand. You could see the appreciation on their faces before we even saw our first patient. After getting everything set-up, the process began. A patient first goes to triage to get vitals, medical history and pertinent information recorded. Then they are taken to one of our three doctors (Buddy, Lisa or Trisha) who begin the diagnosis and treatment process. They are then escorted to a waiting area while our pharmacy team prepares their medications per the doctor’s orders. Finally the patient is called up to have all their medication and treatment plan explained. It really is quite a well thought through (and executed) process.

But it is so much more than a process... and we are striving to remind ourselves that it is all about the people. And thankfully, God gave us many opportunities today to connect with people. Being one of the non-medical guys, I had the opportunity to man the "kid's corner" and had a blast giving away our famous trinkets, playing games and coloring to help them pass the time while waiting to be seen. Many others on our team had opportunities to engage the people to better understand their story and even to pray with them. It was great for me to see some patients today that were in church the night before and had come down for prayer. We even had a good few patients whom we had worked with in previous missions - either through construction or children that had come to Campo Alegria with us. In fact, during our lunch break, we went over to see Sylvia and her family but she wasn't home and the kids were in school, however one of her relatives came out to greet us. We built Sylvia's home a few years ago with one of our construction teams. It's amazing how the connections remain strong through the years.

No Wildwood mission day would be complete without a visit to the Stop and Go for the fruit popsicles. They are so good and were such a treat to try to cool off after a long, hot day! We are also having some great team time together at night reflecting on what God has been doing in and through us so far. Thanks for the continued prayer support!