Where in the world is Nicaragua?
February 26, 2008
A Day on the Farm
February 25, 2008
The view of the countryside from the farm.
If you’ve been reading the blog, you’re aware of the massive amount of over-the-counter drugs we’ve brought with us to Nicaragua. After we packed all those pills, I was thrilled at the number of people we’d be able to serve – it seemed like so many bottles and boxes! (It especially seemed like a lot when we were all lugging the 50-pound bags through airport security.) Read the rest of this entry »
First Day in Guadalupe
February 24, 2008
The Mission Team at the CEPAD Nehamias Center.
Refreshed and rejuvenated after a good night’s sleep at CEPAD in Managua, our team journeyed to Guadalupe this morning, arriving shortly after noon. We are joined by three CEPAD coordinators: Harold and Carolina, who are native Nicaraguans, and Kayon, who is from Philadelphia and is spending a year in Nicaragua with CEPAD before going back to the states to pursue a master’s degree in public administration with an emphasis in international development. We are fortunate to be traveling with this worthy team, all of whom speak Spanish. Carolina especially is a tremendous translator with very little accent and a brilliant command of English slang. Read the rest of this entry »
We have arrived in Nicaragua!
February 23, 2008
After meeting Carla and Nancy and Greg Lear (our chauffer) at the ungodly hour of 3:55 a.m., we picked up Lance and arrived at KCI by 4:40 a.m., meeting the rest of our delegation. Checking our 28 bags was a bit of a challenge – some of the medical bags we diligently weighed on Monday night weighed way over on the KCI scale, so there was a mad shuffle to pull stuff out of some bags and put it into others. After a very brief stopover in Houston (and by brief, I mean we barely made it across the terminal to our departing flight in time), we arrived in Nicaragua shortly after noon. Read the rest of this entry »
Countdown to travel
February 22, 2008
We leave bright and early tomorrow morning for Nicaragua! I am riding to the airport with Carla and Nancy Lear (and perhaps Lance Jesse too) and my instructions are to arrive at Carla’s home around 3:45 a.m.!! Yow. Our flight leaves at straight up 6 a.m., but we’ll be on the ground in Nicaragua by early afternoon.
I’m posting from home today, where I’ve spent the day getting everything ready to go. I took photos of my nearly 100 pounds of luggage, but I can’t figure out how to post them (the Mac is great, Glen, but I can’t figure out how to use it!) , so you’ll just have to use your imaginations. Rest assured, it’s a lot of stuff. Two enormous bags plus a backpack. Yikes. With this much stuff, I could practically move to Nicaragua.
The most interesting thing I packed today was snacks. Granola bars, cashews, M&Ms, crackers and peanut butter packets, and cheese sticks. And, because I am impulsive, two Snickers bars which I couldn’t resist going through the checkout line at the grocery. I felt a bit like I did back when I was 9 or so and packing for a Girl Scout campout (which, incidentally, is probably the last time I really “roughed” it). But we’ve been told to expect to eat rice and beans, followed by beans and rice, for practically every meal while we’re in Guadalupe, so the supplementary snacks could help save our sanity from a culinary perspective.
The other thing that struck me as interesting today was pulling together all of my electronic paraphenalia. Digital camera, extra camera card, cord for uploading photos, digital video camera with two cords, iPod and cell phone. Clearly not all of this stuff is necessary, but as I’m intending to document the trip from as many angles as possible, I’m taking it all. Everything is charged, loaded and ready to go.
Keep us in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow and all week as we undertake this amazing journey. The next time you hear from us, we should be in country!
And if you’ll indulge me a little personal communication: Mom, it’s definitely too late to veto now!
Wish us luck!
It’s 91 degrees in Nicaragua today
February 21, 2008
This trip has been in planning phases for many months, and it’s hard to believe it’s upon us. We leave bright and early Saturday morning, less than two days from now. Read the rest of this entry »
By the Numbers: Medication
February 20, 2008
In trying to explain why we’re going to Nicaragua to my 3-year-old daughter, I wanted to put it in terms she could understand. She’s a pretty healthy kid and doesn’t have a whole lot of context for pharmaceuticals, but she knows when she feels sick, we give her children’s Motrin. Read the rest of this entry »
Preparing Part II — Stephanie Pilkington is a Saint
February 19, 2008
Last night the mission team gathered to pack the boxes and bags and bottles of medicines, vitamins, tooth brushes and other supplies we’re taking with us to Nicaragua for our medical clinics. This is quite a process! Read the rest of this entry »
Preparing for Travel
February 18, 2008
I knew, when I signed up for this trip to Nicaragua, that it would involve working with lots of different kinds of pharmaceuticals. Our teams always take things like ibuprofen, acetaminophen, antibiotic and antifungal ointments, antacids, allergy medications and prenatal vitamins in large quantities for distribution as part of the medical clinics we conduct. Read the rest of this entry »
On the road to Nicaragua
February 14, 2008
On February 23, a 14-member delegation from Country Club Christian Church will return to Nicaragua for the third time on a mission trip to conduct medical clinics and carry out construction projects with the people of Guadalupe, a small village in the Nicaraguan mountains.
Our team is diverse and experienced! Read the rest of this entry »
