August 14, 2018
Today’s adventure led us to El Porvenir. This community consists of 60 families. There is no health center nearby. Graciousness was a common theme today as the community members were very expressive of their love and thanks.
Our team caught the bug of graciousness from this community, as many crosses were given out. I personally gave my cross to a little girl that instantly became my shadow for the day. She sat with me, laughed at my broken Spanish, and created a bond that I will remember forever. Alicia gave her cross to a little boy that showed a very protective nature over his siblings and mother while receiving glasses. She respected this characteristic and wanted to make sure the boy knew he was loved and protected by God.
This community was very welcoming to our team. Part of our day consisted of spending time and playing with the many children. Soccer, tickle attacks, handshakes, and fingernail painting were their choice of fun, and we did not hesitate to partake. The adult members of the community enjoyed watching us play with their children as much as we enjoyed their company.
While some of the team had fun with the children outside, the medical clinic was still in full swing. Melissa encountered a 20 year old woman who complained of a lump in her breast. The woman was referred to Dr. Moncada and will be sent to a cancer center to get further evaluation. Sharon encountered the largest group of the day, seeing a mother with seven of her children and one of her grandchildren. Sharon was challenged with keeping track of all eight kids as the younger ones did not want to sit still. However she persevered and got to address each one.
At the end of the day, we saw our youngest patient of the week. Outside Melissa and Sarah, OB nurses, were approached by a mother with a baby just shy of ten days old. The mother complained that her baby has a yellow undertone to his skin (jaundice). They took our last moments in the community to educate the mother about continuing to feed the baby and expose him to more sunlight to break up the bilirubin in his body.
We had a meaningful devotion on the bus ride home that continued through dinner. We shared many great stories about everyone’s experience throughout the day. Our main takeaway was the graciousness and love we experienced in the village along with feeling that we made a difference today.
~Kristen Jamerson
