I've been home since late Thursday night. I slept most of Friday, a good portion of Saturday and Sunday as well. No one really told me about how hard it would be for me to come back home. I missed my boys terribly, and was thrilled to see them. But, it's hard to leave a situation that helps define who you are as a person. I went on this trip, because I thought it would be a rather "enjoyable" mission trip. I knew I wouldn't be sleeping on the ground out in the elements somewhere or trekking through less than desirable conditions. Even when I told people I was going to Belize for a mission trip, they would wink and say "oh that sounds rough". I wasn't prepared for falling in love with these gracious people. They want to give so much. I felt ashamed so often to know what my life is like in comparison to theirs. Yet I never heard them complain. At All. Not when they sat for 6 hours to see a Doctor, not when their children were unruly, not when I was in their shack of a house. I want to be more like that.
I realize now that my purpose is more than I ever imagined. I am capable of doing things I never imagined I could. I can sit on the floor of a shack and love the person I'm looking at even though his body is crippled and deformed. I can sit on the bed of a dying girl who has maggots crawling on her body and love her because she's a human being and a child of God. I can scoop bugs out of my beans and rice and keep eating, because it just doesn't matter. My favorite scene in the Grinch is when his heart grows 3 times that day. Now I know what that feels like. Amazing.
Please take the time to go on a Mission trip. You'll grow and change in ways you can't imagine. You'll meet people and never see them again until you're together in Heaven. It's worth it. So worth it...
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
San Pedro!!
We left fairly early in the morning to fly by "airbus" to the island of San Pedro. This day was designed to be a day of relaxation before heading back to the real world. Our flight was approximately 20 minutes of beautiful scenery. The water was so clear, you could see schools of fish swimming.
Once on the island, a group of us walked through the town and found "Aqua Divers" and they took us out snorkeling. I've never snorkeled before, but it was fabulous. We saw some amazing coral, beautiful fish, a sea turtle, lots of sting rays and yes, a shark. Blondie was our tour guide for the day. He was quite humorous. He made the trip interesting.
After snorkeling for 3 hours, we headed back to shore and did some shopping on the beach. Everyone has a great deal for you. I did buy some fun things to bring home with me. We ate lunch at "Fido's". Wow, something other than beans and rice. I ate until I literally felt like I would explode. Chips and Salsa, Fajitas, Strawberry Daiquiri, Peach Daiquiri, yum. I was in heaven. Lana and I took off to do some more shopping. It was fun to walk through the town and see the life of San Pedro. I can't wait to go back.
On our last night, we had a farewell dinner down in the bar, which is right on the beach. We had a lot of good laughs and all of the team leaders did a short wrap up of the week and what was accomplished while we were there. Jeff had put together a final video which was hard to watch and yet rewarding at the same time. I had planned for this trip since summer and now it was coming to an end.
After dinner, we took a boat ride out into the pitch black. These guys were flying through the water and we couldn't see anything. The sky was amazing. The stars are breathtaking. I'm here to tell you, there's nothing like it. I saw at least 30 shooting stars while I was there. I think I hold the record. While we were on the boat, we looked for "red eyes" which would have been a crocodile, but we didn't see anything. I think I was okay with that. I just enjoyed the sky. Every once in awhile, the guys would turn off the boat and it was so quiet. It was deafening. How often do you get an experience like that. Rarely.
We headed back to Tony's Inn. I spent some time on the beach just enjoying the night. I think it was one of the best nights ever. The next day, I'm heading home...
Once on the island, a group of us walked through the town and found "Aqua Divers" and they took us out snorkeling. I've never snorkeled before, but it was fabulous. We saw some amazing coral, beautiful fish, a sea turtle, lots of sting rays and yes, a shark. Blondie was our tour guide for the day. He was quite humorous. He made the trip interesting.
After snorkeling for 3 hours, we headed back to shore and did some shopping on the beach. Everyone has a great deal for you. I did buy some fun things to bring home with me. We ate lunch at "Fido's". Wow, something other than beans and rice. I ate until I literally felt like I would explode. Chips and Salsa, Fajitas, Strawberry Daiquiri, Peach Daiquiri, yum. I was in heaven. Lana and I took off to do some more shopping. It was fun to walk through the town and see the life of San Pedro. I can't wait to go back.
On our last night, we had a farewell dinner down in the bar, which is right on the beach. We had a lot of good laughs and all of the team leaders did a short wrap up of the week and what was accomplished while we were there. Jeff had put together a final video which was hard to watch and yet rewarding at the same time. I had planned for this trip since summer and now it was coming to an end.
After dinner, we took a boat ride out into the pitch black. These guys were flying through the water and we couldn't see anything. The sky was amazing. The stars are breathtaking. I'm here to tell you, there's nothing like it. I saw at least 30 shooting stars while I was there. I think I hold the record. While we were on the boat, we looked for "red eyes" which would have been a crocodile, but we didn't see anything. I think I was okay with that. I just enjoyed the sky. Every once in awhile, the guys would turn off the boat and it was so quiet. It was deafening. How often do you get an experience like that. Rarely.
We headed back to Tony's Inn. I spent some time on the beach just enjoying the night. I think it was one of the best nights ever. The next day, I'm heading home...
Our last day in the villages
Our last day was in the village of Copper Bank. As you drive into this village, you get an overwhelming sense of not being in Kansas anymore. After seeing so much poverty in the other villages, Copper Bank looks like the "Right" side of the tracks. So the story goes... Copper Bank is convieniently located on a strip of River that has amazing money making potential. As the drug runners head up the river with their "load" of goods they sometimes dump the load if there is a fear of being caught. These little "White Lobsters" as they call them make their way to the shores of Copper Bank. There are people who spend their lives just waiting for these to wash ashore. If the drug runners come back to Copper Bank looking for their goods, they pay the village people a substantial reward. However, if the Coast Guard comes looking, you guessed it, they pay the village people a reward. So the houses in this village are more than shacks and they are painted bright colors. You can certainly see a difference.
We were in a school today doing clinic. It was a slower day. That was nice, though because we had seen 212 people the day before. I got to spend a lot of time with the kids in the school. I was amazed at how well these children were behaved. I spoke with the principal and he said that they rarely have discipline problems at their school. They each have chores at the end of the schoolday, sweeping the floor, cleaning the chalk boards, etc. If they do get out of line, they resort to the old standard of paddling. That's probably why there's not much trouble.
The Senior Pastor from Horizon came to the village with us today. He entertained the kids for hours with magic tricks. They loved watching his show. They crowded around him so he could barely get into his backpack. They just love a change from their normal routine. On recess, they wrestle with each other, play with Hot Wheels Cars and play Futbol, of course. We ended the day with a fun round of limbo and then they totally kicked our butts on the soccer field.
In between patients, some of the guys taught me to play euchre. We had a great time. It was a good way to wind down our week of village clinics. On the drive home, I did find myself being a little relieved it was our last day. It's so exhausting. Mentally, physically, emotionally. I can't even describe how I felt. But by the same token, I also felt incredibly sad. How can I leave this? I was so not ready to go home. Emotions were running high.
We were in a school today doing clinic. It was a slower day. That was nice, though because we had seen 212 people the day before. I got to spend a lot of time with the kids in the school. I was amazed at how well these children were behaved. I spoke with the principal and he said that they rarely have discipline problems at their school. They each have chores at the end of the schoolday, sweeping the floor, cleaning the chalk boards, etc. If they do get out of line, they resort to the old standard of paddling. That's probably why there's not much trouble.
The Senior Pastor from Horizon came to the village with us today. He entertained the kids for hours with magic tricks. They loved watching his show. They crowded around him so he could barely get into his backpack. They just love a change from their normal routine. On recess, they wrestle with each other, play with Hot Wheels Cars and play Futbol, of course. We ended the day with a fun round of limbo and then they totally kicked our butts on the soccer field.
In between patients, some of the guys taught me to play euchre. We had a great time. It was a good way to wind down our week of village clinics. On the drive home, I did find myself being a little relieved it was our last day. It's so exhausting. Mentally, physically, emotionally. I can't even describe how I felt. But by the same token, I also felt incredibly sad. How can I leave this? I was so not ready to go home. Emotions were running high.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Did you know the sky was blue?
Here in Belize, when you look at the sky, it's the most beautiful color blue. I don't see that much in Cincinnati. At night the sky is so amazing. There are no city lights to distract the beauty of the stars. It looks like you could touch the Milky Way. Wow. It's truly amazing.
My day today was yet again amazing. We went to the village of Progresso. It was right on a Lagoon. We were in a large cement church building. It was quite loud, but nice that we were all in one building. We started the day saying the Lord's prayer together with the Belizean people and then we welcomed the people in. Today started off a little more slowly, because a lot of the children were in school. It was amazing to see these little girls and boys coming to see us dressed in their finest clothes. You could tell this was a big event for them. The girls had on velvet dresses and bows in their hair.
I met a young mom today with the most beautiful 6 week old baby boy. Of course, I asked to hold the baby and she graciously allowed me to do so. She asked me to give him his bottle. When I was chatting with her, she told me that her baby would not breast feed. In Belize, this is such a horrible thing. Breastfeeding is almost like a badge of honor. I could tell this girl, all of 19, was feeling to blame for this. I asked her how the baby was doing. She told me he wouldn't sleep and he had colic. I asked how she was doing and she began to cry. She is suffering from post partum depression. My heart broke for her. I knew exactly how she was feeling. I made the nurse aware of her situation and I later talked to her Doctor and her assured me she is being treated for post partum depression. I was so happy to know that she is getting some help. Suicide is very high here for these teenage mothers for obvious reasons.
We had our lunch out by the lagoon. Beans and rice. That's a staple for the Belizean diet. We also had chicken and they always make cole slaw too. We were told to not eat anything "salad" because it's washed in their water, if it's washed at all. So many things you have to be cautious of.
On the previous day, two of our doctors made a house call to a family in Chunox to a mother with 4 children. 3 of her 4 children had a genetic disorder that has caused them blindness, some paralysis, etc. Only 1 of her children was considered in good health. The oldest daughter, Clarisa, is 14 and weighs about 35 pounds. She lays on a maggot infested mattress all day long. She is basically pre mortem and if she lives beyond this year, I will be surprised. The next child is Arony. He is 10 and he sits on the floor bent in half. He too is blind and can only scoot from one place to another. Next is Mari. She's 7 years old. She's able to sit upright somewhat but this will continue to deteriorate as time goes on. The youngest is the healthy one. She runs and walks and talks. Hard to imagine she's in this family. The mother is also 8 months pregnant. Of course here, there are no real ultrasounds, and no genetic testing, so she has no clue if this baby will be healthy or not. She takes care of these kids every day. And has no relief.
While we were at lunch Dr. Kathy Peterson, asked if I would be willing to ride back out to Chunox (an hour ride) and DNA swab these children. One of the ladies from River Hills, Susan Phillips, works in Cincinnati as a Genetics Counselor and was willing to bring back samples to be studied so maybe this will give this mom some peace of mind. I felt honored to be able to go meet this family. As we drove to her house (Tyler, Jeff, Raphael and me) we were all trying to prepare for the situation we had heard about. No one really said much on the way. When we arrived, we saw Arony sitting on the front porch with his head propped up against the side of the house. He started talking to us as we approached even though he couldn't see us. We asked him how he was and he said "Bien" which means "good". This boy has the sweetest voice. I don't think I'll ever forget it. His mom was bathing them when we arrived. I watched her lift each child one by one and place them in a plastic bucket. Of course she used the same water for each child. I was struck by how clean the children were and also that her house, as run down as it was, was also very clean. She took care of what little she had. I swabbed each of the children and then we walked around observing things that make life easier for this mom. We decided that a fan would be helpful and new screens for her house. Before we left, Arony asked me what my name was. He repeated it over and over. He told me he was glad I came to see him. I cannot wait to meet this little guy in Heaven once his body is restored. I felt quite drawn to him. He has a sweet spirit.
We prayed over this family before we left. The ride home was quite emotional. You want to make their life better, but you know your options are limited. As we drove back to Progresso, we saw the most amazing Rainbow in the most amazing blue sky. What a perfect symbol of God's promise to us. I think this gave us all some peace.
My day today was yet again amazing. We went to the village of Progresso. It was right on a Lagoon. We were in a large cement church building. It was quite loud, but nice that we were all in one building. We started the day saying the Lord's prayer together with the Belizean people and then we welcomed the people in. Today started off a little more slowly, because a lot of the children were in school. It was amazing to see these little girls and boys coming to see us dressed in their finest clothes. You could tell this was a big event for them. The girls had on velvet dresses and bows in their hair.
I met a young mom today with the most beautiful 6 week old baby boy. Of course, I asked to hold the baby and she graciously allowed me to do so. She asked me to give him his bottle. When I was chatting with her, she told me that her baby would not breast feed. In Belize, this is such a horrible thing. Breastfeeding is almost like a badge of honor. I could tell this girl, all of 19, was feeling to blame for this. I asked her how the baby was doing. She told me he wouldn't sleep and he had colic. I asked how she was doing and she began to cry. She is suffering from post partum depression. My heart broke for her. I knew exactly how she was feeling. I made the nurse aware of her situation and I later talked to her Doctor and her assured me she is being treated for post partum depression. I was so happy to know that she is getting some help. Suicide is very high here for these teenage mothers for obvious reasons.
We had our lunch out by the lagoon. Beans and rice. That's a staple for the Belizean diet. We also had chicken and they always make cole slaw too. We were told to not eat anything "salad" because it's washed in their water, if it's washed at all. So many things you have to be cautious of.
On the previous day, two of our doctors made a house call to a family in Chunox to a mother with 4 children. 3 of her 4 children had a genetic disorder that has caused them blindness, some paralysis, etc. Only 1 of her children was considered in good health. The oldest daughter, Clarisa, is 14 and weighs about 35 pounds. She lays on a maggot infested mattress all day long. She is basically pre mortem and if she lives beyond this year, I will be surprised. The next child is Arony. He is 10 and he sits on the floor bent in half. He too is blind and can only scoot from one place to another. Next is Mari. She's 7 years old. She's able to sit upright somewhat but this will continue to deteriorate as time goes on. The youngest is the healthy one. She runs and walks and talks. Hard to imagine she's in this family. The mother is also 8 months pregnant. Of course here, there are no real ultrasounds, and no genetic testing, so she has no clue if this baby will be healthy or not. She takes care of these kids every day. And has no relief.
While we were at lunch Dr. Kathy Peterson, asked if I would be willing to ride back out to Chunox (an hour ride) and DNA swab these children. One of the ladies from River Hills, Susan Phillips, works in Cincinnati as a Genetics Counselor and was willing to bring back samples to be studied so maybe this will give this mom some peace of mind. I felt honored to be able to go meet this family. As we drove to her house (Tyler, Jeff, Raphael and me) we were all trying to prepare for the situation we had heard about. No one really said much on the way. When we arrived, we saw Arony sitting on the front porch with his head propped up against the side of the house. He started talking to us as we approached even though he couldn't see us. We asked him how he was and he said "Bien" which means "good". This boy has the sweetest voice. I don't think I'll ever forget it. His mom was bathing them when we arrived. I watched her lift each child one by one and place them in a plastic bucket. Of course she used the same water for each child. I was struck by how clean the children were and also that her house, as run down as it was, was also very clean. She took care of what little she had. I swabbed each of the children and then we walked around observing things that make life easier for this mom. We decided that a fan would be helpful and new screens for her house. Before we left, Arony asked me what my name was. He repeated it over and over. He told me he was glad I came to see him. I cannot wait to meet this little guy in Heaven once his body is restored. I felt quite drawn to him. He has a sweet spirit.
We prayed over this family before we left. The ride home was quite emotional. You want to make their life better, but you know your options are limited. As we drove back to Progresso, we saw the most amazing Rainbow in the most amazing blue sky. What a perfect symbol of God's promise to us. I think this gave us all some peace.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Today I Watched a Tonsillectomy...
Sunday morning started out with group devotions at 7:00am. Right after, we hopped in our vans and headed to the village of Chunox (pronounced "Shinooks"). On our way we had to cross 2 rivers and they didn't have bridges! They have a "ferry" system that you drive onto and then "crank" yourself across the river. What an experience. We each got a turn to crank. You can see the pictures. It was fun. Our van died during one of the ferry trips and we had to be towed 2 miles to the village. Thanks to a messed up fuel pump. One of the men on this trip is "Tom Gill" of Tom Gill Chevrolet. He helped us figure out what was wrong but since there are no CarX, or other repair shops handy, we had to bring a mechanic all the way from Corozal City which is at best an hour away. The roads here make the orange barrels of cincy seem like no big deal. Potholes are at least 1 foot deep and sometimes more like 2 or 3. They are not every once in awhile, they make up most of the road. It's quite a bumpy ride. Throw in the random animals wandering, random people wandering, and the sugar cane trucks and you can imagine how crazy it is.
The building we were in today was very small and cramped. There are so many young moms here. A lot of girls are babies themselves and they are carrying around babies of there own. I helped the pharmacy people today. We give vitamins to both adults and children as well as worm medicine because that is a huge problem here.
At lunch time I left with a small group and we went to see the screen team in action. They make screens for the local village people at no cost because Malaria is so prevalent here. They are so gracious for these screens.
We then headed to Orange Walk Hospital. Wow is all I have to say. I will never complain about sitting in an ER waiting room again. The conditions are more than deplorable. People just lay on benches in the hallways and wait to be seen. There is a terrible outbreak of scabies right now. We have a Dermatologist here this year and I got to see some of his patients. They have huge open wounds all over them. Children are just pulling at their skin to try to get some relief. People are coming all the way from Belize City to see the Docs and to get some relief.
So....Dr. Ric offered to let me come into the operating room. There are not really any regulations here about that sort of thing. The operating rooms are not sterile environments. I got to literally stand over his shoulder and look into a girl's throat while he removed her tonsils. The operation took about 15 minutes. After about 10 I almost passed out. I have decided I am certainly not cut out to be a surgical nurse! But I am thankful to have had the opportunity!
On the way home, we stopped at a local church that our Ambassador "Raphael" attends. The roof was stripped during the hurricane last fall. Our construction team replaced the roof and the congregation was there today painting the building and giving it a good clean up. I got to play football with some children who lived next door to the church. They are so beautiful.
Something I hadn't anticipated was the fact that I am a rare sight here in Belize. It's not often that they see blond, American people. Everyone stares. It made me realize how I must stare at people sometimes who look different.
Quote from the day:
"Turn left at the horse" - quoted from Felipe who was giving us directions.
Love to you ALL!!!
Chelisa
The building we were in today was very small and cramped. There are so many young moms here. A lot of girls are babies themselves and they are carrying around babies of there own. I helped the pharmacy people today. We give vitamins to both adults and children as well as worm medicine because that is a huge problem here.
At lunch time I left with a small group and we went to see the screen team in action. They make screens for the local village people at no cost because Malaria is so prevalent here. They are so gracious for these screens.
We then headed to Orange Walk Hospital. Wow is all I have to say. I will never complain about sitting in an ER waiting room again. The conditions are more than deplorable. People just lay on benches in the hallways and wait to be seen. There is a terrible outbreak of scabies right now. We have a Dermatologist here this year and I got to see some of his patients. They have huge open wounds all over them. Children are just pulling at their skin to try to get some relief. People are coming all the way from Belize City to see the Docs and to get some relief.
So....Dr. Ric offered to let me come into the operating room. There are not really any regulations here about that sort of thing. The operating rooms are not sterile environments. I got to literally stand over his shoulder and look into a girl's throat while he removed her tonsils. The operation took about 15 minutes. After about 10 I almost passed out. I have decided I am certainly not cut out to be a surgical nurse! But I am thankful to have had the opportunity!
On the way home, we stopped at a local church that our Ambassador "Raphael" attends. The roof was stripped during the hurricane last fall. Our construction team replaced the roof and the congregation was there today painting the building and giving it a good clean up. I got to play football with some children who lived next door to the church. They are so beautiful.
Something I hadn't anticipated was the fact that I am a rare sight here in Belize. It's not often that they see blond, American people. Everyone stares. It made me realize how I must stare at people sometimes who look different.
Quote from the day:
"Turn left at the horse" - quoted from Felipe who was giving us directions.
Love to you ALL!!!
Chelisa
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Today I Was A Triage Nurse!!!
Today started bright and early at 7:00am. We traveled on a bus driven by "Rudy" to a small village in Corozal called Louisville. We set up our Village clinic in a school house. It was a very run down building even though it was less than 5 years old. I got to work as a triage nurse. Julie Hall from River Hills, taught me how to take blood pressures and glucose readings. One lady I was working with denied having Diabetes, but when I checked her glucose, it was over 600. She was sent immediately to the hospital for treatment. How amazing to be a part of someone's in that way. People walked or rode their bikes from all over to see us. I got to hold lots of beautiful Belizean babies and met so many sweet children from the village. Some local ladies made us a homemade lunch of Tamales. It was great to experience more of their culture. We saw 172 patients today. Can you imagine? I can't begin to tell you how amazing this all is. On our way home we traveled to St.Victor which is where our construction team is building two houses. These people are so gracious for what they are getting, which is a rectangle box. There is of course, no indoor plumbing. Their kitchen is a separate area in the back and they cook over an open fire. The love chatting with us. The children love to have their picture taken and when you show them the digital picture they are amazed to see themselves. Everywhere you go, animals wander around. Dogs, Cows, Donkeys. We even had a cow chase our van today. We nearly ran over some goats. Just so different from Ohio.
This is Sugar Cane Harvest season here. Sugar Cane is the biggest source of income here. There are fields everywhere. They burn them from the outside to chase the snakes out before they cut the sugar cane down. There is smoke everywhere. They pile the trucks so high with the cut sugar cane and it is quite scary to see them coming toward you on a very narrow road that is not paved.
I have made so many friends. I can't even begin to tell you. I hope to carry them with me once I get back to Cincy.
I love you all. Thanks for being so supportive.
Talk to you tomorrow!
Chelis
This is Sugar Cane Harvest season here. Sugar Cane is the biggest source of income here. There are fields everywhere. They burn them from the outside to chase the snakes out before they cut the sugar cane down. There is smoke everywhere. They pile the trucks so high with the cut sugar cane and it is quite scary to see them coming toward you on a very narrow road that is not paved.
I have made so many friends. I can't even begin to tell you. I hope to carry them with me once I get back to Cincy.
I love you all. Thanks for being so supportive.
Talk to you tomorrow!
Chelis
Friday, January 11, 2008
I'm Here!
We flew out of Cincy today at 6:15 am. We landed in Houston and after a quick layover, we headed to Belize City. We made it through customs without any problems. We took a quick trip by van into the city and ate lunch at an outdoor restaurant called "The Smoky Mermaid". It was quite tasty! We then took a two hour van ride to Corozal City which is where we will be staying for the duration of our trip. We are staying in an amazing little resort called Tony's Inn. It's right on the beach and so beautiful. We are having a "Welcome Party" tonight on the Beach. We will be meeting some of the people that we will be working with this week. I've only been here a few hours and I've met some AMAZING people. I feel so blessed to be here. I can't wait to post more.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Bon Voyage!!
I'm less than 11 hours away from my flight to Belize. I am so excited. I just know that there are people waiting for me in Belize to show them God's love in an amazing way. What a responsibility! Everyone keeps asking if I'm ready to go. I don't know quite how to answer that. My suitcase is packed, but how does one prepare for an unknown experience? The good news is that I don't have to be prepared at all, because God has already paved the way for this trip. He is way ahead of us. Preparing the hearts and minds of the people who are there. Love to you all. Check back soon. I hope to post tomorrow night after we land in beautiful, 90 degree Belize!
Monday, January 7, 2008
Getting Ready...
I'm getting so excited about this trip. For me, traveling has never been a consideration. I think it has simply been fear of the unknown. Now, here I am, heading off to Belize and I can't wait! Yesterday we had a packing meeting. We each brought an empty suitcase and filled it with Medical Supplies that will be used on our trip. Each day we will travel to a different village around Belize and meet with people who need medical attention. I will have the privilege of working with children who are waiting to meet with the Doctors. We will keep them entertained. I have the chance to envelope myself in a whole new culture. How often do people get to do that? I know this will be a life changing experience for me.
I will have access to the internet while I'm away, so check here for updates. Feel free to leave me messages so I don't get too homesick!
Chelisa
I will have access to the internet while I'm away, so check here for updates. Feel free to leave me messages so I don't get too homesick!
Chelisa
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