First Day at Work

What an exciting, satisfying and blessed day! We started early this morning. At 7:30 we left in the trucks (as you can see in the photos) for a 45 minute drive to an area near

the small village of La Cieba. As the crow flies, it was only 6 or 7 miles from El Ayudante, but traveling on Nicaraguan roads can be a challenge. This was a very poor area, but the people were truly beautiful. They were respectful, appreciative and open to receiving treatment and hearing about how much God loves them. Sister Joan had made signs to put on the walls to tell them that we were there to help them because Jesus loves them and cares for them. This was a good reminder for us to present that message to them all day. Serving Him through serving the people was a powerful blessing for us all.

Dr. Hardy and Dr. Sayers were pleased to see that their patients were healthier than expected. They suffered from many of the same ailments that are found in our community, but they normally have no resources for treatment. They treated 210 patients in a six hour work period--truly amazing. The nurses, pharmacists and staff worked hard to help make happen.

The dental team was busy giving much needed flouride treatments to children. It was remarkable to see how trusting these young patients were of the dentists. It is a testament to their gentle and spirit-filled bedside manner that very few tears were seen in the 105 children that were treated. Seventeen people were relieved to have very painful decayed teeth removed. For years, Frank has teased about wanting to deliver a baby. Well, today, he did not get to do that, but Dr. Stephen allowed Frank to deliver a tooth! He pulled a tooth--with a lot of supervision. Fortunately the patient did not understand English as he asked "Which tooth do I pull?"

The day ended with a powerful devotion from Stephen and Shannnon Thomas. Although the Aldersgate gang just met them on Saturday, we all feel they are now part of our family. After a discussion of the day's events, we finished with door prizes (yes, a mission trip with door prizes!) and the Puzzle of the Day winners. Tonight's winners were Laura and Brooke. This is a repeat win for Laura. They received fabulous prizes chosen especially for them!

Buesnos Noches from Team Aldersgate.

posted by Genie