Mission Trips: Country Club Christian Church

Another gorgeous morning here in Guadalupe. We are enjoying a breakfast of bananas, cantaloupe, toast and jam, plus fresh pineapple juice. I have been surprised that our food has been good, and we’ve only had beans twice!! The family who lives here at the farm has been preparing our meals each day and they do a great job given the limited resources. They do have a refrigerator and a blender, but that’s about all in the way of modern tools. The food is cooked over an open fire. Dishes are hand-washed. Our medical team returned late last evening after a long day in the village. Kamille saw about 100 patients yesterday with the help of Jane and Sue. Lance rigged up lights in the community center, and Carla, Nancy, Carol, Mary and Linda set up and organized the pharmacy. Sue taught a brief class to about 50 families, instructing them on the proper way to brush teeth and wash hands, and explaining the contents of the home health packets.  Most patients were treated for things like skin rashes, minor infections, or general having general aches. Some patients were treated for chronic stomach ailments. One lady requested vitamins for her brain. (Carla said if we find any of those in our stash, she’d like some too.)  

  Village people form a line in front of the clinic, anxious to see the doctor.

Several patients were in serious condition. A boy, Raul, who was seen when our team was here last June was back. His serious skin infection around his eyes and scalp haven’t improved since the last visit; he is still in very bad shape. Our team arranged for him to go to the hospital in a nearby town to be treated for this condition. Our cash donation is the only way he and his family are able to go to the hospital.  

An 8-month-old baby was brought in with a skin rash. Kamille discovered during a cursory exam that in addition to the rash, the child has a serious heart murmur. We made arrangements for he and his mother to go to the hospital as well. At first his family was skeptical, and they certainly didn’t have enough money to consider visiting the hospital on their own. Carla asked how much they needed: 300 cordobas. That’s $15 American, less than most of us spend in one day on going out to dinner or a movie.  

At the end of the day, the team did a home visit to see an older woman who couldn’t leave her home. She was in such bad shape, Kamille thought she must be in her 80s. She’s 63. She’d probably had a stroke, and she is literally wasting away, unable to eat or drink anything. In the United States, if a doctor were to see a patient in this condition, hospice care would be encouraged. But they have no such resources here. We will visit her again today after a group visits the nearby town to buy Ensure (a nutritious shake-like drink) which will at the very least provide her some nutrition.  

Kayon tells us they are appreciative of our visit, because professional attention is simply something you don’t get when you’re poor. Despite the desperation in some families there are smiles and enthusiasm for our visit, especially as we are working to give them information they can use long after we’re gone. 

As Carla puts it, we hope to empower the community so that they feel stronger when we leave.