Photo Album

Please click here to see more photos from our Nicaragua trip.  Thank you MaryAnn for being such a a great photographer and having such a keen eye.

Saturday Morning Photo Review

Maryann and I are quickly posting photos from our trip, here in the business center of our hotel in Managua before we leave the hotel at noon. We have limited time here and limited technical flexibility.  We have tried, really we have, to post photos but have been thwarted at many turne.  You will see more of our trip upon our return. We will be home tomorrow!

Wednesday, March 12

It is once again early morning, 5:42 according to the computer screen.  It seems this is the only time I manage to steal away to find quiet space to reflect and write.  There is so much to share, and I am keenly aware that the lines I set down here present a mere abstract of our days.

We began our day yesterday with yet another amazing meal.  These missives would be remiss if I did not mention that one of the highlights for all of us are the meals, prepared and laid before us by Marta, the cook here at the orphanage. These children are well fed with delicious, home cooked meals.  We have feasted on her homemade tortillas daily.  Each day we fill our plates with fresh pineapple and watermelon, rice or incredible rice mixtures, fried plantains (my personal favorite) and salad.  Apparently Wednesday is "fried chicken night," according to Joy, the director of the orphanage and fried chicken has never tasted better.  As if that were not enough, we also served ourselves from a mound of Marta's homemade rolls....oh my!

Our clinic yesterday was located in a neighborhood on the outskirts of Jinotega.  As we turned onto the road leading to the clinic, we encountered a road block,  piles of rocks heaped across the roadway. Before Oscar turned our bus around to go another route,  Brian, Kris, AJ, and Ben hopped off the bus, choosing to walk to the clinic site to scope it out and decide how to set up the clinic for the day.  Each day, our medical professionals (Brian, Judy, Kris, Ben, and AJ) set up examination spaces, registration space, and the pharmacy. Simon, who is simply Simon if you know him, is omnipresent.

(Ed. note:  I was just greeted by a sweet little face popping through the office window saying, "Hey good morning."  A good way to commence this day.)

Our day yesterday followed the same pattern as the preceding clinic days.  Although each day is flavored uniquely by the community we serve, every day flows with relative familiarity.  Patients line up, are called in in an orderly fashion, and with Joy interpreting for Sue, they give their name, age, and a description of complaint. Sue marks on the card if they would like a bible , also indicating if she thinks a prayer shawl is in order. They sit and wait on the white plastic stackable chairs we have lined up as a make shift waiting room.  Typically Bea's lab is set outside on a shaded portion of the porch, and I (Ellen) set up the arts and crafts table in a front yard area.  Our amazing teens (Luke, Maryann and William) float, weighing patients, facilitating the flow of patients, handing out bibles or coming to help me with the craft table. Sweet Alex will often help entice children to the coloring station. The patients are seen in order of their appearance.  Labs may be ordered, and all patients leave with at least vitamins, calcium pills and deworming medicine. If other medication is required the pharmacy provides that as well. Our translators truly make it all happen; without their able language skills, none of this would occur.  It is a pretty well oiled machine at this point, all parts running smoothing and in concert with Celeste functioning as our masterful maestro.

The craft table was hopping yesterday.  Rainbow looming is now enjoyed the world over I can tell you.  We have taught many children to loom--on mini looms, larger looms, and their fingers if all looms are commissioned.  At one point yesterday, I stepped away from the crowded table just to take it all in.  Our American teens sat side-by-side with Nicaragua children and youth, laughing and managing to communicate across the geographical, cultural, and political boundaries.  It is rather incredible how quickly kids connect. Friendships formed at that table.  Two incidents stand out.  Early in the morning, we had the cutest little boy who immediately made his presence known, telling us his name (all three names) and repeating it until he was certain we all knew him.  His animated and happy countenance quickly made him the center of our attention as well as entertaining all who waited in line. He and Luke devised a game with the rainbow loomed that both of them found incredibly funny and soon had us all laughing. His mother and I exchanged knowing nods and smiles. Maryann also made a friend and before the 14 year old girls parted, they exchanged notes written on coloring pages, earrings each were wearing, and bracelets loomed together.  Can there be better diplomacy be between countries or a better witness to the all encompassing of love of our God?

Last night the children of the orphanage sang for us and with us,  joined us in our devotions, and played games with us.

Today we will set up our last clinic, and late this afternoon, we will pack up and travel back Managua. I suspect this may be our last post and you will need to read the "rest of the story" upon our return.  Tomorrow will be a day for R & R--a day to shop the markets, zip-line at a volcano (the jury is out whether this fear-of- heights Nana will brave that one), and see another Nicaragua from the one we have experienced here in the mountains.  It will be hard to leave this place filled with the sounds of children, the air that Kris so aptly describes as "deliciously light," the beauty of the land, the colors of the town, and the warm open faces that greet us everywhere.  We have received as much as we have given.

Yesterday morning, Joy wore a shirt given to her by a mission team from Greenville, NC.  On the back of her shirt were these words:

Love God
Love Others
Love Nicaragua

And to that we add...Amen.

Tuesday, March 11

Buenos Dias!  It is 6:00 am here in Jineotega and I write this post accompanied by the morning sounds of roosters crowing, birds singing, dogs barking, and the children here preparing for school.  Before I recount our day yesterday, please know that we are having internet connectivity issues here at the orphanage.  Yesterday, we were unable to connect at all, and uploading photographs has proven to be impossible.  So if you don't hear from us each day, that is why!  When we return we will post photos (and there are many), so you may need to wait for the images of trip and rely solely on these words.to sketch it out for you.

Yesterday was another successful clinic day.  Once again we rode for about an hour to a community health clinic in Asterias Este.  We were greeted by a line of women, men, children, and babies waiting for a chance to be seen.  Concurrently with our clinic, the community health center was giving out vaccination,s thus many of the people of this town were able to be seen by our team as well as be vaccinated.

Our team saw a beautiful one month old baby girl with black curls covering her head as well as an impressively hardy gentleman who proudly claimed his age to be 101.  Our medical professions treated a women with a seriously ulcerated leg and a a 48 year old mother with an 8 year old son with Down Syndrome (there seems to be uncommonly high number of children we have seen with Down Syndrome) who complained of back pain and anxiety.  In a rather dramatic scene, Brian treated a man who appeared at our gate without a ticket but with blood dripping from a serious wound on his leg, suffered in the morning falling on a branch in the field.  Borrowing a suture kit from the clinic, Brian treated and sewed up the gash.

Our rides to the from the clinic open a window to the land and life of this beautiful country.  Yesterday, we passed several picturesque  lakes, fields, and valleys.  We saw a truck piled high with plantains (by the way, the fried plantains we were served for dinner last night were AMAZING!), colorful busses piled high with people, goods, and baskets, as well as all the colorful and inventive homes clustered along the roads and dotting the hills. This land appears unspoiled in a way that we don't see in our country, and yet we witness life in a still-developing country.  Even though we have traveled our share of bumpy, rutted mostly dirt roads, I must say I have been pleasantly surprised by the good condition of the paved roads I have seen; I didn't expect as much. And yesterday, we were stopped several times for construction for what looked to be a large project  that looked to me like a sewer or drainage system being installed under the roads.

Last night, Luke and William played a game of pick up soccer with some of the boys here at the orphanage.  They donned shirts donated by Luke's soccer team and played with balls sent by the team as well. 

This land and its people are captivating.  We spend our days working together in an already comfortable orchestration.  Our team has gelled and bonded.  There is laughter, constant conversation, and shared joy in our common purpose.  We spend time each evening praying and pausing to give thanks for the blessings our day.  Last night we ended by singing "I have the joy, joy, joy.." in Spanish.  God is so good...

Thank you for your prayers and all your support in oh so many ways.  Your gifts are being well used and mucho appreciated by us and the people of Nicaragua. We begin another day today....

Monday, March 10

This morning we traveled about an hour, following winding roads which revealed one beautiful vista, valley, and mountain after another.  After unloading our trusty school bus, we set up clinic in the community health center of Communidad "La Fundadora." 

It is amazing to me, as the newcomer on the trip, how quickly and efficiently the clinic is set up--the pharmacy is stocked and ready, examination rooms prepared, a registration table placed and prepared, a lab readied, the children's craft station stocked and readied, and then final the door opens, intake procedures begin,. and our patients and their families stand in line awaiting their opportunity for medical attention.

It was a very good day, indeed.  All who had tickets and then some were seen,  Our team worked well-- efficiently, effectively, and with compassion and good humor.  Prayers shawls and bibles were handed out, and beanie babies were a huge hit with the toddlers and babies.  Our translators were invaluable.

On the bus ride back to Jinotega, we swapped stories of the day.  Since we all have jobs that settle us in one particular area. it was good to hear what happened inside the clinic, the pharmacy, the lab for those of us stationed out front all day.   We stopped for a coffee and pastry treat at a favorite coffee spot, and then drove home through Jineotega just as a wave of school children, clad in crisp uniforms, walked home from school. It felt familiar and settling to be a part of the everyday buzz of town life.

Tonight we will share a dinner meal with the children here in the home, hold devotions, count pills and pack suitcases in  preparation for another clinic day tomorrow.  Our team is tired but gratified...


(We have photos, but we are having trouble uploading today.)

Arrived

Good morning from Nicaragua!  Our team arrived in Managua mid day yesterday.  After making our way through immigration and customs we left to airport to visit with a small Lutheran community and church in Managua, and an inspirational gathering it was indeed. 

After sharing lunch and stories, we left for the journey to Jinoetega.  We arrived at dinner time here, ate a delicious meal and began unloading and unpacking.  Soon we leave for clinic this morning and we will write more tonight.

God has already blessed our journey in many large and small ways.

Packing Day

Today was suitcase packing Saturday.  The challenge posed was squeezing all the medications, prayer shawls, bibles, toys, health care items, and the generously amazing array of donations for the children's home at Jinotega into suitcases that individually do not exceed 50 pounds.  While we did not completely finish packing, we did manage to make a sizable dent in the stash of stuff slated to go with us to Nicaragua.

To do that we

compressed prayer shawls

filled up large suitcases

and weighed them. Too light?  We added a few more things.  Too heavy?  Some items came out. Then, computer in hand, Brian logged every item each case contained.

Our intrepid trip leaders assured us that in two weeks, all of this stash will join us on the plane; we believe it to be true.  The reality of our journey assumed form today in this fleet of suitcases, with neon pink ribbons tying (and marking) their tops.