First Visit to La Virtud

Friday, November 11th, 2022

This morning the devotional, given by Shirley, was based on Matthew 21:16. Then reference was given to the golfer Bobby Jones. In telling the truth, he lost the game and became legendary for his honesty. “If it’s one thing I’ve learned as I’ve gotten older, it’s the need to listen to others. I think I have great ideas, but the Lord may have different ones for me - and the messenger may be one of you. As we worked together with week, we kept our ears open, our minds tolerant and our hearts pliant. Much work was done together.”

The community of La Virtud was established in 1961 and has about 1200 people and 170 families. Most homes have indoor bathrooms but there are a few homes with outdoor latrines. The water source is a spring located 9km away. As in other communities this water is piped in and can be tapped into for use. There is access to electricity and cellular service.

Today was the last day of clinic and the first visit to this community. It was unknown what the health needs of the people would be. During the clinic it was obvious there were many needs, and many referrals were made. A number of children were referred for malnutrition and under development. Hypertension was prevalent and education is greatly needed. There were many young children and young mothers. In this community dental hygiene is poor as noted in the dental clinic. There were 59 dental extractions, the highest for the week.

The day took longer than what was anticipated but ended on a happy note. Everyone made a visit to the Pulhapanzak Waterfalls, and some went zip lining. This evening we’re all packing and getting ready to return home tomorrow. Thank you, God, for a blessed week.

Thank you,

Jessica and Yolanda

Team Dinwiddie

Shirley Woodlief - Team Leader

Pam Witt

Dr. Nareesa Mohammed-Rajput

Liz Laidlaw

Dale Field

Yolanda Baksh-Mohammed

Jessica Earhart

Matthew Comer

Elvin Floyd

Carlos Munoz

Tim Beck

Alex Comer

Evelyn Eley