Chiapas comes to an end….109 Surgeries and lives changed

Today was our last surgery day….we had 21 patients scheduled, about 9 cleft lips, some frenulectomies (tongue tied) and some ear tubes- a new procedure for me on a mission but there is some research on the hearing/speech difficulties in children with cleft palates so they have started this in Mexico. It was a more rapid pace than any other day but also fairly simple surgeries. None less important today than any of the other days and just as many darling children. We were done by 2:30 & back at the hotel. Brittany was resting since she worked last night so I took an hour nap & then we both got up & visited – really, we had not had much time together being on opposite shifts & it was so wonderful to have that hour or so to just talk. She is such an amazing Christian young woman with the best heart. I am so glad we had this time together again! By 4:30 we were starving so we went to the hotel restaurant (which everyone has eaten at & is “safe”) and I had chicken fajitas – the BEST meal I have had all week!!! Kristina the PC came & joined us & the 3 of us talked there until 6. I love meeting these young women who teach me so much & always feel like “extra daughters”. The “Team Fiesta” was to start at 8 so we all then needed to get ready.

The fiesta was walking distance away which was nice & they had a social hour, showed the slide & video show & then had tacos. I thought that Jen & Georgia Salke had already left today & then they came up to me at the party & said “we’ve been looking for you”. We talked about the mission, the children, the wonderful work they do as advocates & I said it was so lovely to have met them & had that day with them. Jennifer said “well we WILL see you in Park City – it is a very chill 2 days – we can watch the races in the tent, have a lovely lunch – you will love it & we will get you all set up”. I really didn’t expect #1 for them to seek me out & #2 for her to talk again about me coming to the event in Park City…was this another “mission Connection” I was intended to have here in Chiapas? I talked to Georgia a bit & said by the time I see you again you will almost be done with your freshman year at Brown & I want to hear about that. She said I would meet her twin in Park City. They were just genuinely nice people who I am sure make a difference in many circles but here my little world intersected with their world – that would have never happened anywhere else… They too have a early private flight to LA in the morning so they left right after we talked & I said my goodbyes to others & left shortly thereafter taking in the cobbled walkway & people & sounds of Chiapas as I walked back to the hotel.

My week in Chiapas is coming to an end – literally in 5 hours (3:30 am) I will be on a shuttle to the Tuxtla airport to catch my 6:15 flight to Mexico City & then my flight from Mexico City to LAX. I truly have been “Off the Grid” this week and been so blessed to have this time here. Something that 3 weeks ago was not “in my plan”; and I am typically all about plans & calendars and schedules. This reminded me I need to be open to the unplanned & unexpected. I need to take more cues from the opportunities that show up that take me to places and people like this, that remind me we are all God’s Children all over the world & we need to reach out in love & service, put aside differences of opinions, politics, ethnicity, religious beliefs, and pre-conceived ideas about others and look for all the ways we are alike and lift & love others. It reminded me also to be gentler and patient with myself and how very blessed I am with a wonderful family and friends who support me in my desire to serve in this capacity. These are not all new lessons, but they were ones that perhaps had gotten misplaced in schedules & agendas & meetings at work, family responsibilities, day to day life and a million other little things. Chiapas & this mission did for me exactly what I needed – flipped my brain, gave me an opportunity for OSI mission experiences, meeting new people, loving strangers, being a cog in Heavenly Fathers plan for some of His children’s needs here – Andrea, Carlos, the grandma & her grandson, Omar, Domy, the missionaries here in this area and the 109 families whose lives this team changed and most importantly changes in me. Life is about constantly changing & refining yourself & being a better version of who you are meant to be & I have a lot more changing to do….I leave with a full & humble heart there were 109 new smiles made by the team +1 (mine) so 110 lives changed.

I am ready for my soft bed, clean water from the tap, a warmer shower, not worrying if there is toilet paper in the bathroom & eating a salad & fresh vegetables without worrying about getting sick. I am appreciative of all medical care & technology we have in the USA where these cleft lips are corrected in the first weeks of life & children are not teased or shunned because of them. I recognize the innumerable blessings & resources I enjoy every day & don’t always recognize….I am SO BLESSED

Good Night for the last time from Chiapas. Until my next OSi mission 😊   

       

Thursday May 9th Chiapas – A Full day with 24 more Surgeries & I was the PACU PR Person for our VIPs :)

They had us wear our team shirts this morning to the hospital so we could take the team photo which was fun but led to a bit of a later start yet again…but in Mexico time seems to just be a suggestion not a definitive 😊 On the way to the hospital this morning we had a road delay due to a herd of goats in the road & we also saw a pretty sunrise out side the hospital as we were taking our photo. Before we changed Estela & I went back to the Farmacia to get the cream & additional prednisone that the grandma & her grandson needed – the cream alone was 900 pesos which is about $55 dollars – I was AMAZED & Estela told them it was for her grandma & she is fluent in Spanish so we were not getting price gouged…they were right – all of the meds total were over $100 there is no way they could have ever afforded them? We were also able to get a brace for her left wrist.

Not a surprise we had 2 more team members sick that needed our IV cocktail – a young Anesthesiologist who may have been our worst patient…clearly not good at being sick…very needy & laid there with his fingers in his ears because YES there are tons of crying children in the recovery room & a surgery resident who had to be on a mattress on the floor cause we were full of patients – it really isn’t glamourous treatment. We did come up with the 12 Step Chiapas Program to Wellness:

1. Acknowledge your illness – admit you are sick
2.     Seek help or treatment
3.     Accept the help and treatment recommendations – let them do what they know is best
4.     Accept IV Fluids
5.     Accept IV Medicines
6.     Complete the inpatient PACU treatment
7.     Successful begin oral fluids
8.     Begin Oral Cipro
9.     Begin probiotics & commit to a healthier lifestyle making less risky food choices
10.  Thank your wellness sponsors in the PACU
11.  Transition back to work
12.  Support others with similar problems & bring them to treatment

Seriously I cannot count how many of the 100 team members got sick at varying levels but I think it was close to 60 – we ran a VERY BUSY Urgent Care in our PACU!!!

I again went up to pre-op & there I met Uriel Vasquez Garcia who was clearly the “Patient of the Day” he is 11 years old & has a cleft he has never had repaired because of the distance that Chiapas is from his remote home (11 hours) he is here with his dad who is older & together they sing – I have a video. They sang up in pre-op & sang again before he came into surgery smiling & waving. (I have a video of them singing)

This was also the patient that our VIP’s were following (look up Jennifer Salke on Google – I had not idea who she was until I just now looked her up….that’s who was here with one of her daughters & a friend Ari who is a music agent/producer in NYC? So they walked him in & as soon as he was under anesthesia came out to talk (some VIP’s watched the surgery but they have done this several times so it was nothing new…and they wanted to talk so I was elected to be the PACU PR person as that is where they came to sit during his surgery. They are super nice people & we chatted about my missions with Op Smile & family etc. She said she told the moms here that “we love our babies as they come to us & while we want them to get their surgery a part of us misses that imperfect face” rather profound I thought & the moms could relate. It was their son who at age 8 suggested starting the Park City Op Smile event & they invited me to attend next year & possibly speak about my mission experiences….we will see.

Uriel came out of surgery & I took care of him & in 30 minutes he was awake & smiling & truly had a whole new face & what his father says will be a whole new life – lots of photos were taken. I cannot share the “after photos” on social media but will in person. He was SO SO SWEET and today his life was changed!!!

Mid morning the intensivist sent out for “real coffee” & I got “Chocolate” it was legit shaved chocolate melted in hot milk & was delicious!  The day itself seemed to go slow – we had only seen 6 patients by noon, 10 by 2 & 12 by 3:30 this was looking to be our late night. We also had 2 patients with bleeding go back to surgery so that is always a delay but both were minor needs. I was not at all stressed about getting out late I have been home early the last 2 nights & Monday when I was on call I was back by 9:15 – it’s all a part of a mission & I am simply so so grateful that I had the opportunity to come here for so very many reasons. So a crazy palate repair day was okay with me

Another cute patient was Dalia she was 1 year old & dispelled my pigtail theory (although for the record 9/10 with pigtails were problems – she was the exception!) By 8:30 there were only 2 more lip patients so I stayed with Estela to finish those 2 up & we were done by 9 then we needed to go back to the Farmacia to pick up our items we already paid for this morning & I texted the missionaries to meet me at the hotel again.

Today I got a text from Bro. Perez re. the dental needs of Carlos & will be able to help him – again because of generous friends. It seems like not a big deal but it really is because without this dental work taken care of all at once or over 2 weeks – for them to pay for it would have taken about 4-5 months & now he can turn in his missionary papers much sooner. I have pondered who else I can help in any way & wondered about Domy the nurse student working with us – she only speaks Spanish so Estela talks to her a lot & I asked Estela what she thought. Domy told Estela she knits items to sell at markets to help support herself. So we told her to bring in some items & shedid today - nice scarves & really cute beanies so I bought those from her & told her she was not charging enough they would be so much more in the USA so that I could pay her triple what she sells them for & let her keep her dignity so she’s not taking a “donation”. I also felt like I should do the same with Omar the man in the hotel lobby selling items who I bought earrings from the other night. So I found some thing he was selling & did the same thing paying him 3 or 4 times his price.

The missionaries were already at the hotel when I got there so I passed off the rest of the meds & the brace to them & asked if they knew of any other needs as I likely would not see them again. They had visited with a family today who did not have much food so we quickly walked to a nearby store & for $50 got them a months of food (so they said) rice, beans, corn masa, and some canned items. I asked th missionaries about their food supply & they said they were fine but I encouraged them to get some things maybe they didn’t have & they did – Cream of Wheat, pasta, soda & random stuff – I told them it was like grocery shopping with my college kids again 😊 We can go out with friend & spend $100 at Outback for 4 people & that will feed a family for 2 months…again such perspective and then to top it all off the idea of our VIP millionaire or billionaire & the immense poverty here & everyone in between – you don’t often see that in the same place in one day….

The week has flown by when I called Doug tonight we were talking about him picking me up in LA on Saturday…. Just over 36 hours from now. This mission was unplanned by me but clearly in Gods plan for me & also in Gods plan for some people here who needed some help from people they don’t even know & never will meet – that is the ultimate service to me. I get to be the “go between” & that is so humbling. Missions are like that also with the skills all members of the team have we all work towards providing this care to people we will never see again – in this situation where we did not bring parents into the PACU we served parents we did not know – but for those of us who are parents it is always easy to imagine how they feel, how I would feel in their place & it is such an honor to do this work…especially during Nurses week…being a nurse is a big part of who I am not as the Executive Director at CHOC Children's but as a person trained at BYU in the Healers Art to assist those in need wherever they are in the world including at home & to meet them where they are at & help them maximize their health – physically, emotionally, spiritually – there are not many “professions” that proved the experiences that Nursing does &    has given me. It is also tender to be here before mothers day…what a gift these surgeries are to the 120 or so mothers of these children.

One more day of surgeries – mostly lips & frenulectomies – so likely we will be done by afternoon  then an evening fiesta & an early flight on Saturday…what a gift this week has been to me

 

Wednesday May 8th in Chiapas – BEST DAY SO FAR!!!!

Today I have felt the most “healthy & had such good energy” of any day I have been here. I has not been sick but as I mentioned in an earlier post I had some random nausea etc. most every day & yesterday felt my stomach “rumbling” a lot last night so instead of dinner I just had liquid protein but even with that I had diarrhea twice (Sorry I know that is TMI but remember this is really my journal). I decided to proactively start Cipro (for traveler’s diarrhea) but knew that everyone who has been getting sick has been VERY sick nothing mild at all – hence all the needed IV hydration. But I was also very distinctly reminded that I have MANY people at home praying for me & this team & I know they are praying for my health specifically. I was also reminded of the blessing that Doug gave me in Heber before I flew out of SLC and as I said my prayers before I went to bed I knew I would be sustained in my health & exercised my own faith…I slept well (as well as I could on my HARD bed) and did not have any other issues all night & when I woke up this morning I felt fine & truly as I titled this post had great energy, felt good & know I am being blessed in my health.

When we got to the hospital Estela the other PACU nurse went with me to the Farmacia to get the medicines 7 different prescriptions for the sweet grandma & her grandson. I noticed that the prescriptions were dated Mach 1^st…… I can’t imagine not being able to get some fairly basic medicines    (steroids, Vitamin C, Stomach meds, creams & eardrops) for 2+ months. The Farmacia across from the hospital had all but one med they will get for me tomorrow & not enough of the steroids for a month’s course. It was 685 pesos today or about $40 USA – yet another reminder of how blessed we are.   

We had VIP Visitors who arrived from LA today – she is the President/CEO if Amazon studios? I know Amazon has music but had no idea they had studio productions??? Anyway, she had a son with a cleft so they are long time Op Smile Supporters (like for the last 15 years) Her daughter Georgia was here & it was Georgia’s 3^rd mission. She is a senior in high school & has an identical twin sister & both are going to brown University next year. It was fun to visit with them. They also help to organize the Op Smile event held in Park City each year. They will follow patients tomorrow in surgery. it was VERY chaotic when they came into the PACU today – REAL LIFE…but they were super nice!

We had a pretty good on time start today & got our first patient back at 9:30. Many of these children have underlying respiratory problems especially the ones from the outlying indigenous communities where they have wood burning fires in their “homes” for cooking, so the children are constantly exposed to smoke. My first patient Olivia was one of those & I needed to give her a few breathing treatments & she was not a happy girl…she too had cute pigtails but so far 3/3 with pigtails have had problems so my research suggests that pigtails =  problems!

I did go to pre/post this morning before we got started & saw some of the cuties scheduled for today. I also saw a patient on our “crash bed” & knew we didn’t have any unstable patients last night so I asked about that child – Geronimo was his name & they said he had gotten gastro (diarrhea & vomiting) & I didn’t think anything of it. Then at about 1 pm there was a very tearful mama at the patient passing area where the kids come into surgery & it was Geronimo’s mom – so sad they had traveled 6 hours to get here & now her baby won’t have surgery because he is sick. If he improves they would consider letting him have surgery Friday. But to this mom she had made this tremendous effort to be here & get him surgery & now she would need to possibly wait another year.  My heart broke for her.

One of my afternoon patients was a mission first for me….a 5 year old girl who was to have a palate repair BUT her tonsils were so big that they were worried if they closed her palate she would not be able to breathe. So she ended up with a tonsillectomy (performed by a plastic surgeon), had 7 bad teeth extracted, her palate repaired & ear tubes put in…suffice it to say that sweet little girl Iris was pretty miserable as she woke up after surgery but overall did well all things considered.

At 3 I went to take my break up on the 10x10 roof/patio where they also serve the parents meals. On the roof I met the mom of Lucia. I spoke to her in my Spanglish & she said I spoke Spanish well (LOL) We chatted quite a while & she told me Lucia had gone into surgery 40 minutes ago so I told her after surgery she would come to me & I would help take care of her. She was so sweet & thanked me & hugged me – such simple moments like that fill my heart. So at 5 pm I helped care for Lucia after her palate repair 😊

It was another rainy afternoon – you can “smell the rain” even in the PACU with open windows in the area. The day went by quickly & at 5:30 pm we only had 5 patients remaining – 3 lips & 2 palates. We send Domy home as she was not feeling well & then we offered for Estela to go but she was waiting for friends in the OR so I didn’t need to be asked twice & left at 7 pm. I got back to the hotel, showered & got myself organized for tomorrow then went to the lobby at 8:30 to meet the missionaries & give them the medicines I had gotten. We also talked about the grandmas broken arm & being unsure of how that is treated in Mexico? We decided I would try to get her a brace tomorrow at the Farmacia to immobilize it. I also offered to take them out to dinner which NEVER happens here because the people simply don’t have the means to do that. Elder Palomar is the District Leader & knew the area & Elder Schmitz has only been here for a week today. We went just over from the pedestrian walkway & went to a little restaurant where for $8 American they each got a combo – burger, fries & wings…I only had sparkling water! It was fun to talk to them. Elder Palomar is from Mexico & has a twin brother & a mother. It has always just been the 3 of them. The 2 boys joined the church when they were 13 & then their mother joined the church a year later. She is currently the Relief Society President in their home branch or ward. He & his brother made a plan that his brother would go on a mission first then when he got back Elder Palomar would go  -that way one of them was always there to take care of their mother – during this mother’s day week that truly touched my heart. They are great young men & are here to serve the Lord. They have 3 other companions of sisters in their district & were going to have a District meeting on Friday so I gave them some money & told them to go have a "District Dinner" from people in California who appreciate their service. They were hesitant to accept it but I insisted & told them those 6 sisters need a good meal too & I couldn't take everyone out tonight & they agreed. They walked me back to my hotel & now I am just about ready for bed…I can’t believe it was already our surgery “Hump Day”. 24 more surgeries were done today – changing lives one smile at a time and my life is changed in so many ways by the different people whose paths cross mine on these missions. Part of my reason for coming on this last minute mission was personal as much as it was to serve & I am getting the perspective I need more & more each day 😊

Tuesday May 6th – Surgery Day #2 & the Team is falling fast!!!!

So at breakfast Kristina the Program Coordinator said that the only 3 international volunteers not sick are me, Estella & Donna – which makes me nervous because the odds are against me! Plus several of the Mexican volunteers from Chiapas & from other states in Mexico are also getting sick – I guess it is the Chiapas Revenge!!! I slept well last night although it really does feel like I am sleeping on a piece of wood? But 7 ½ hours of sleep was wonderful. Essentially, I have my own room since Brittany is a night nurse so when I get back I play music on my phone, shower, journal/blog then go to bed 😊

While I am not sick I do wake up each morning with my stomach rumbling a little – I am not sure if it is nausea or hunger but I have a protein mix in water & some kind of a bar. The breakfast buffet at the hotel is…”interesting” tamales, chilaquiles (sp?), rice, beans, & scrambled eggs with chorizo & salsas & some breads. For right now I will stick with what I have brought, although I did eat a mini banana this morning.

Katrin & I went up to the Pre/Post area before we went to the PACU (since we become sterile once we cross the magic bench). There were some cute patients for today & they are all staying in one large room with mattresses on the floor because that is how they would sleep in their homes…so it’s really to make them more comfortable in the hospital setting.

Our first 3 patients were all team members – Marlin a pre/post nurse who needed an IV & Elena an Anesthesiologist from Spain – we make a great IV cocktail with Zofran to help with nausea & Zantac an antacid & gave them 2 liters each. I also did blood pressure re-checks on the 2 ladies with hypertension & one of the surgeons came in because he tore a calf muscle a week ago & had a lot of swelling. This afternoon Federico one of the students from Monterrey Mexico has also been sick so he too got the IV cocktail. Kristina PC said she would add “Team Nurse” to my PACU namebadge.

We got our first patient at 9:50 – I expected it would be earlier but I guess there were issues sterilizing all the instruments over night so they had to do some flash sterilization. At 11 am we only had seen 4 patietns so we had 21 to go…until 2 were canceled because the kids were sick & one was a no-show. It is always heartbreaking when they have to be canceled because unless they get better in the next 2 days their opportunity for surgery isn’t until next year ☹

I had lots of cute little girls today – Angela who was 18 months, had cute ponytails & reminded me of Kensie (but is a lot smaller!) She only wanted to be held post op so I just sat on the bed & held her for an hour as she woke up from surgery…I figured that is what her mom would do & really I LOVED IT!!!! It said on their chart they took several buses & lived 8 hours away. I asked Kristina if we could help them get more direct transportation than vans, open bed trucks etc so she is going to let me do that for Angela & her mom who are staying in the shelter – her dad left when Angela was born with a cleft lip. I really thought of Kya having to take a journey like that with Kensie by herself for 8 hours & there was no way that I could not try to help.

Jenny was my next patient & she was 2 ½ having a cleft palate repair – she was a bit fussy & crazy & needed meds to reset her brain so she could wake up happier. I held her for about an hour too. Her parents brought her on 10 hours of travel from Tabasco Mexico. Her mom is 21 & her dad is 22 & they are both here but very worried about dad being away from work because every day missed is a day without income…they too are on my list to help with transportation etc. That seemed to be the theme today & I am so grateful that it will work out. I will just give the money to Brian the local Mexican PC & he will coordinate both of their travels.

By 2 pm we were halfway done with 12 patients finished so that was encouraging & I actually got to leave at 7:15 & was back at the hotel by 7:30 so this was a great night!!! Lunch is served from 2-5 pm outside & today there was a HUGE thunder & lightning storm with lots of rain & hail so the eating area was flooded & during that time we lost power for about 4 minutes which seemed like an eternity!!! During an hour of "down time" with few patients Estela who is fluent in Spanish went with me to the "Farmacia" across the street. So it turn out the text photos of the meds that were needed that I got from the missionaries was a bit "incorrect". So I text them & they dropped the actual papers off at my hotel & Estela will help me get the meds for them tomorrow. As a PS they told me that the mom also has a broken arm & they didn't know why she didn't say anything but they wondered if I could go by & see it...I am not sure when I could go there - maybe Friday if we have a half day but the bigger issue is I am not sure what I can do about it??? So I need to give that need to God & figure out what I am supposed to do.

 My roommate Brittany was not feeling well yesterday & got A LOT worse today – so much that she didn’t think she could get in a taxi to come to the hospital for an IV. SO we sent our IV cocktail & 3 other liters to the hotel & another night nurse started her IV. When I got home she was just finishing her 3^rd liter & I insisted she go ahead & take the 4^th liter. This stuff whatever it is is bad.

I had time to reflect today on this mission opportunity – Kristina the PC said – last minute needs are hard to fill & when she saw my name & my previous mission reviews??? It was a no brainer for her to take me for whatever time I could come. She didn’t know anything about all that’s been going on in my life & I didn’t need to tell her but how grateful I was that my “past performance” gave me this opportunity. And how fortunate I am that I can instantly love & serve these people & try in small ways to make their live a tiny bit easier for just a moment in time. Yes this is WAY DIFFERENT than taking a week off at the beach & watching the waves which I do love, it puts me in a different mindset. There is great poverty here in Chiapas & the peso is so devalued. Omar the man who has sold items at the hotel for 14 years had a slow day & my “deal her gave me” that I bought for 100 pesos made a difference to him – that is $5. As we left the hospital tonight all the patients for tomorrow were waiting in the lobby to be admitted to the pre-op area so we can be certain they don’t eat or drink. I looked in the faces of those parents & was SO HUMBLED at their circumstances not even knowing them or how far they traveled or anything else – I just saw them as precious children of God who live a much more difficult life than most people in the USA. As I said Missions “flip my brain”. Getting to bed early tonight Hooray!!!!  

Monday May 6th Surgery Day #1 20 Op Smile Patients & Lots of Team Patients

So at breakfast before we went to the hospital we found out that there were A LOT of team members sick – mostly with Montezumas Revenge – (vomiting & diarrhea). The 4 students from the student team & the Program Support person from OSI HQ didn’t even go with us to the hospital & the students are from Mexico???? The team doctor was handing out medicine like candy…. I felt a little queasy but I thought it was just because I haven’t been eating well so I had some liquid protein in water to start my day & that seemed to help – I am actually 100% committed to only eating the food I brought for now.

The first day is always a slow start – we left the hotel about 7 & got there about 7:15 but the first patient wasn’t on a table until 8:30 by the time we go thru all of our emergency training – which included the exit route in case there was an earthquake – that was a new one for me! The first patient in the recovery room was actually patient #1 the first child screened so that was sort of fun – he didn’t get to us in recovery until 10 am & his name was Lucas. A few things about a Mexico mission that I forgot…parents cannot come into the recovery room to be with their children, there is this “magic line & bench that divides the sterile from non sterile area in the operating room & recovery room area. The patients are passed across the line & bench & those of us in the OR or PACU cannot go on the non sterile side – even for the bathroom that is 20 feet away – we have to go thru the sterile side & enter thru there – but it is the same room??? Also in Mexico Op Smile does not send Cargo so we use all in-country supplies which can be a bit challenging – like the face masks & shoe covers.

In the Recovery Room (PACU) it’s Katrin ,me & Estela a PICU nurse from UCLA plus Domy a “Nurse in training” here at the hospital. At 11 the mission photographer came in to the PACU not feeling well 0 she had been sick yesterday. She was pretty pale so Tom the Team leader of Anesthesia put an IV in her & we gave her 2 liters of fluid. Less than an hour later one of the Pre-Post Nurses came in in tears – she was miserable so she too got an IV & 2 liters of fluid & both rested in 2 of our 4 PACU beds for about 90 min each. In the mean time we had patients coming in but were managing it. Then around 1 pm the Medical records volunteer had a headache, burst a blood vessel beneath here eye & had a Blood Pressure of 182/90 – not good. I always tell people that I don’t do “Big Patients” but really I had no choice. The team doctor called a friend of his & we ended up getting her some oral blood pressure medicine & watching her for a couple of hours. Then the Speech Therapist came in with almost the same things headache, high blood pressure & a blood vessel burst in her eye. It was CRAZY!!! I made up handwritten charts for them so I could see their BP & meds etc. I really felt like I was running an urgent care 😊

This afternoon they did “Combo Repairs” meaning both lips & palate repaired on 2 older boys 18 & 19 years old who were brothers. For whatever reason their mom never let them have surgery but now they were old enough to consent themselves & came together to have surgery. It was super cool & when I showed the 18 year old his “new face” on my I phone photo screen he gave me a thumbs up & HUGE grin!!! They were both 3 hour surgeries. By 2:30 we only had 9 of 20 patients completed bit we got a rush & by 5:30 we only had 5 patients left. Somewhere in there was a lull & I am pretty sure I nodded off for 30 minutes. The next 3 patients came out in a steady flow….Guero who was the 230^th patient screened & was fortunate to have surgery today on Monday. He had 8 older siblings & was the only one with a cleft & I am sure this family would LOVE his new smile. Karin was also one of the last patients she was 8 months old & had cute little pigtails. Then we had a HUGE stall for the last 2 patients…tonight was my night to be on call so at 7 we sent Estela & Domy home & Katrin stayed for the last 2 patients with me but the last one would not wake up from the anesthesia, so I sent Katrin home & then I finished at 9. It was a long day but not exhausting & my call night is done!!! I do miss not having the parents come in because the moments when a mom or dad sees their child with a repair is magical. All in all it was a successful day #1 – tomorrow will be busier – we have 25 patients & 13 are palate repairs :/

On another note the missionaries’ text me the info re the fungal medicine so I am going to try & get that taken care of tomorrow for that sweet mama & her son. I am off to bed!!! Good Night

Sunday in Chiapas May 5th 2019

Happy Cinco de Mayo to my friends & family in the US…because they don’t celebrate it here in Mexico??? After getting to bed about midnight & thinking I set my alarm for 8 am (I didn’t) I woke up at 8:30 after a pretty good nights sleep – the bed is pretty hard but clearly I did get some sleep! Brittany went with 4 others to go on a river boat ride & I got myself ready for church – on google maps it was a 5 min drive or 15 min walk. I got a taxi on the way there. Omar who sells gifts outside the hotel helped me with the taxi 9 I showed him where I wanted to go “a la Iglesia” & he said Los Mormones Iglesia??? So he directed the taxi right there. Apparently one of the senior couples have talked to him & bought items from him – small world!
The church building there is small – I attended the San Cristobal de las casas Branch or District – they had about 45 in attendance when the service started at 10 am & maybe 60 by the time it was over. Everything was in Spanish of course including the hymns which we sang acapela – they do not have anyone who plays the piano. Just sitting in that tiny branch I had such an awareness that God our Heavenly Father loves ALL of His children and what diverse circumstances we are all born into & how blessed are we in many parts of the world where there is more abundance. I watched many members  get tithing envelopes and some put in 50-100 pesos (About $2.50-$5.00) I was reminded of the widows mite & how great their faithful contributions are.  

It was testimony meeting & I could understand much of what was said…Jesus Christ lives, He is my Savior, brother, prophet & friend. SO MANY of the children (los ninos) went up & there was not a pause in between from the start to the finish of the meeting in those who wanted to go up & share their faith & testimonies.  The 2 missionaries in the branch were elder Schmitz from Colorado who has been out for 6 months but in Chiapas only 2 weeks & Elder Palomar who is from another state in Mexico. Brother Perez met me at the church & after the worship meeting we went into a room to meet with some of the people there who had some unique needs. Andrea is a young girl who is 21 – her family lives in a tiny village 20 km away & they are the only members in that village. Their family consists of her mom, an aunt, a sister & 2 brothers. Her father died many years ago & they joined the church 18 years ago & have been faithful followers of Christ. Andrea wanted to serve a mission & just got her mission call last Sunday to go to Columbia on May 29^th in 4 weeks!!!!!  Her mother is so happy for her but assumed she would serve somewhere in Mexico & now the cost of her required shots & passport was something they did not have. She was worried that perhaps they would have to ask if Andrea could serve in Mexico but Andrea said she was “called to Columbia & God will get her there”. There are people in the branch to help her with clothing but the actual fees for shots & a passport & visa were about 4800 pesos or $250 American. I told Andrea & her family that I felt very confident one of the reasons I was in Chiapas was to give her those sacred funds from some very kind & generous church members in California who know she is their sister & want to help her serve the Lord. I really could not say that without crying….. They typically just have home church in their indigenous village where they live but they traveled today to this  branch because Brother Perez told them their prayers are being answered. It is so very humbling to be a tiny cog in this eternal wheel of lives intersecting. I took some photos with them I will post on social media. During our tearful farewell I told Andreas mom that we all have “mothers hearts” & as mothers we will help each other with our children.

After that Bro. Perez brought in members of this branch – the first was a mom Elena & her son Victor – both with bad skin infections – either fungus or MRSA I am not sure – for 3 months they have had prescriptions for 4 week courses of oral & topical medications for both of them but did not have the money to get them filled…they are supposed to be $100 US which seems like a lot but who knows. The missionaries are going to bring me the names of the medicines so that I can go to a “farmacia” & get them what they need. I may be out of touch with healthcare in the US & perhaps there are needs like this….but it seemed so unreal that there is no healthcare infrastructure whatsoever & absolutely no resources for them & so many here just have their illnesses untreated. They seem to be able to get to a doctor but cannot then afford the treatment.

The final person who came in was Carlos who is 18 years old, and lives with his grandmother & was VERY enthusiastic about getting ready to turn in his mission papers but first he needs to go to the dentist & possibly have dental work….I shared with him the generosity of others in California who would love to help him get that taken care of so he can prepare to serve the Lord – he was just such a nice young man!!!  Bro. Perez is going to stay in touch with me this week so we can get it figured out. I was SO SO HUMBLED to be able to help these faithful people & hear their stories – I am so blessed to be the conduit of others generosity & goodness.

I asked about taking a taxi back or walking & they assured me I was safe to walk to I enjoyed my 20 min walk back & had time to reflect on these small miracles that were starting my week here in Chiapas. At the hotel I changed clothes & decided to walk on the “pedestrian” street near our hotel” there are many small restaurants, lots of chocolate & coffee shops and a variety of local crafts. The biggest seller seems to be the young boys selling umbrellas because although my weather app showed thunderstorms each day the intensity is CRAZY…from about 2-7 each day the skies open & there is thunder & it ours rain. Needless to say I purchased an umbrella so I could continue my explorations. It is really a lovely little town.

My friend Katrin had planned for us to go get massages today before the start of surgery week but unfortunately, she (& a few others) are sick…all they can figure is maybe the herbs in their drinks were not properly washed??? Poor girl she was miserable. So instead of that plan for she 7 I Brittany & I went & had our $20 hot stone massages…it was WONDERFUL!

Tonight, was the “Pre Surgery Meeting” – they have scheduled 119 patients for the week. As is always the case everyone on the team is very nice – many are from Mexico & I know it will be a great week for everyone & just what I needed for me 😊 I am grateful for these experiences & feel so blessed!

Travel Day SLC to Chiapas via Mexico City

So this if the first time in 15 missions that I did not bring an overstuffed 52 pound suitcase or 2!!!      I actually “packed light” with a 35 pound carry on & probably a 25 pound backpack. The no checked luggage was WONDERFUL!!!!! I decided a lot of what I sometimes bring for the kids I could get in country as I understood the needs.

The flight from SLC to Mexico City was easy – one movie & some reading & a snack & we were there. It was all uneventful until we landed & I grabbed my cell phone that had been plugged in & on airplane mode I thought BUT had somehow decided to update itself on the gogo wireless…at least to the point where you have to log on & it has a “few more steps” that of course require wifi that I of course didn’t have when I landed. I breezed thru immigration – I had been shown how to complete everything on line & printed it out so that was a breeze but after immigration you have to go back thru security with your next boarding pass…the electronic one that was on my phone I couldn’t activate!!!! One of the ladies just outside of immigration tried to help me with my phone but there is no internet in the area she did help me get a paper boarding pass so that I could get to the gate area….bless her heart. In the terminal I assumed I could get on wifi but that was wrong – I tried 3 different restaurants or bars with wifi & none would get my phone activated.  At this point I was desperate realizing that I would be landing in Chiapas with no way to call or contact anyone if I needed to….no whatsapp, no calling, no texting – YIKES!!!! But I decided to not “borrow trouble” something I tell others.

The Tuxtla airport was TINY it had gates for 4 planes but we were the only plane there….aside from one very old plane off in a grassy field. They did have a jet bridge though & some places I have been have not had that. It was pouring rain when we landed & hot so think sauna like conditions. AND….once I got outside the luggage area (that I didn’t need to stop at 😊 ) there was a young man with an Op Smile sign & my name…so it all worked out without a phone!!!

My driver was Edgar who was 26 & has lived hi entire life in San Cristobal – he drove a beat up car I have never heard of or seen on the roads on the US….but I was okay with that. He spoke only Spanish & my Spanglish was very rusty from the last time I used it over a year ago….I REALLY need to learn Spanish 0 that Rosetta Stone still in the box is not helping me -I need an immersion class or something!!!  The drive from the airport to San Cristobal was about 90 min – mostly because the speed limit was 90 Km/hr & the car only went about 60 km/hr. We drove on a 2 lane paved road that wound thru the mountains – I din not expect that at all. Edgar drove very close to the right side of the road so that all the other cars could pass him. Our conversation was probably at a kindergarten level based on my Spanglish but I found out he has one older brother, his mom died of breast cancer when her was 12 & his father is not in the picture so it has been him & his brother raising each other.

He talked about San Cristobal with a sweet reverence saying he loves it there it is “muy tranquil” & muy bonita”. They do burn trash here like in other countries so we saw that a few times along the drive. He was super nice. There were not many places where people seemed to live along the way – a few small “shanty towns” but no real infrastructure. San Cristobal is a larger city with a large church in the main town square & cobblestone narrow streets with a colonial feel to it – much like some of the other South American countries I have been in.  I got to the hotel & mission #1 was to see if I could get my phone to wor – within 5 min I was on the hotel wifi & my phone set up completed – HOORAY!!! Brittany the darling girl from Denver who was my Morocco roommate is my roommate here so that is really fun. I got settled in & when I scanned my emails I saw that Brother Perez from my church had emailed me back & has some very specific needs of church members here – I immediately teared up & realized – I am on the Lords errand. Perhaps I thought this mission trip was for me to get my self rejuvenated but really I am here for many other purposes still to unfold. I am going to church tomorrow & will met Brother Perez. Brittany came back – they have screened 300 children & we will do 110 surgeries this week. A group were going to a local place for dinner so I joined them.  Katrin my dear sweet friend was out with another group so we connected & walked back to the hotel together. She comes on this mission every year so she is my official “guide & leader”. Brittany & I talked & got caught up & now it is almost midnight & time for bed. I am SO GRATEFUL to be here & see how this week unfolds for me, the children & families here in Chiapas & the local member of my church. There is a master plan of that I am sure but I don’t know what it is…I do know I am supposed to be on this mission for perhaps MANY reasons & I am BLESSED. Good Night from San Cristobal de las Casas Chiapas