AL/CA/MD/VA Team Journal 6
Clinic Day - Cerro Azul, Taulabe Comayagua
Woke up early this morning to a wonderful breakfast then hit the road to the last village of this mission trip week. The trip to Cerro Azul was bumpy, of course, but Marco drove with his usual finesse and got us all there safely. This village was supposed to be visited on Wednesday, but was delayed due to a death in the village.
When we arrived in Cerro Azul, the first experience we all were able to enjoy was seeing Nury’s office! It was a wonderful suspension bridge over a beautiful river babbling over rocks and in a shady spot. This is apparently the place where she gets the best cellular service!
The facilities at Cerro Azul were quite large when compared to some other villages. There was plenty of room to house all of the clinics inside. When we arrived there were many people already waiting, many of them sitting in chairs in the shade. One of the first patients of the day was a tiny, feisty little elderly woman. She was about 90 years old and, we were told, one of the founding members of the village itself. Initially she didn’t want to sit in the medical clinic and be seen, but afterwards she didn’t want to leave. She went around the entire clinic, speaking to everyone. When members of the Friends of Barnabas staff attempted to redirect her out so that other people could be evaluated she let them know in no uncertain terms that she would leave when she wanted to and not before. FEISTY!
The families in Cerro Azul appeared to be quite large so it made for a very full day, providing care for almost 300 people. The residents of Cerro Azul appeared to be, on the whole, well-nourished and healthy. It seemed that the residents of this village were very interested in receiving medical care for specific conditions that they were experiencing, from chicken pox, to fever, to rash, to high blood pressure and more.
The long day was finally complete and the trip home commenced. Bouncy…..until we arrived at a roadblock….a dump truck, fully loaded, stuck in the mud in the middle of the road. There were people all around the truck trying to get it out to no avail. MARCO TO THE RESCUE!! The truck was connected to our bus by the winch on the front and Marco was able to free the beast with his awesome driving skills…as we all had a wonderfully exciting bouncy experience!
We arrived back at Casa Alfredo intact and safe. Virginia and Albita provided us with a delicious chicken dinner with rice, potato salad, and cucumbers followed by flan to finish off our exciting day.
