April 4 - PART 2 - Because of others 50 families will be helped - The Miracle that's happening in Porto Velho

 We had a plan for the sister missionaries to pick me up about 6:45 in their Uber & go to the church to meet w/ Pres Rocha. Most of the team members were going out to a steak restaurant for dinner & if I got back early enough, I intended to meet them. But…I got back about 9:30 pm and had just enough energy to post my Part #1 blog for the day & send a few texts & go to bed 😊

The Ubers were running slow, so we got to the church about 7:15 & as we arrived, we were greeted by a woman who does the cleaning there. The sisters chatted w/ her & introduced me & she got very emotional sharing with me (since I was from the US) that her son from here in Brazil served a mission in Salt Lake City & while he was there had a terrible accident & for some time his mobility was limited. She said it was hard as she could not get him back to Brazil & care for him and when she told his mission president that he said “your son is now my son” & the mission president cared for him for months until he could walk & return home…he is now doing well and working in Sao Paulo. It was a very emotional memory for her and such a sweet story about a SLC Mission President.

We were then greeted by Lucas who is the Stake Clerk & speaks good English. He took us to Pres. Rocha's office where I met him & his wife. I was also introduced to Sister Nacimiento the Stake Relief Society President who is in a “high position” at a finance company & was just released from the hospital on Sunday, Sister Gabriella who is an attorney & the stake 1^st counselor and a Stake Communications person. After the emails & video call meeting Pres Rocha was like meeting an old friend – he is very energetic and so positive!

He started by asking me if “I had a plan” for the sacred funds. I explained that typically I do not as is the case here – that my generous friends & I simply want to help wherever is needed & I gave him examples of how we have helped in various ways in other countries. Then he said, “after hearing from you we have been praying and we have a plan”. There are many families in the boundaries of our stake (which is very big) who struggle to have enough food every day. Even last week a ward Relief Society President who is a single mother with two children called to see if there was any help for her family as they had run out of food. While Sis. Nacimiento was in the hospital Sis Gabriella called all the ward Relief society presidents to ask about needs and food was the highest need for church members and others they know in the area. As they gathered up the names and total number of families Sis Gabriella priced out how much money for food was needed to give families “the basics” that would last one month. The basics included: rice, beans, spaghetti pasta, flour, oil and lard. It would be about $30 per family & they were concerned as when they totaled up all the struggling families in their boundaries it would be 50 families & that amount would be R$6550. Well, that is when my tears started flowing abundantly & I knew that is why God sent me to Porto Velho to help feed his children 50 families here specifically.

You see at the Sao Paulo airport I had exchanged $1500 in US dollars & with the exchange rate of R$ 4.4 to 1 US dollar & the associated fees I had received from the exchange & had in my envelope from the exchange bank R$6525 the R$25 difference was equal to about $6 US. As I pulled out the money & gave it to him there were many more emotions and tears of gratitude in that room. Pres. Rocha stopped us then to offer a prayer of thanks for this “miracle” and when he said that prayer it was a very long prayer of expressing gratitude….that I was sent to this country and the state of Rondônia and the area of Porto Velho specifically. He expressed gratitude for the generosity of the individuals who selflessly gave money to help people they do not know and will never meet, gratitude for their pure hearts, that by doing this they will be feeding the hungry and blessing the sick there will be tears of gratitude from these families.  

After the rest of that prayer – I don’t remember all of it just the beautiful spirit of it & we all were emotional I told them we all needed to pause to remember this moment and recognize the many steps we were all a part of in this miracle-

1.      I was asked to come to Porto Velho by Op Smile

2.      I said YES to the mission despite some rough travel.

3.      My stake leaders got me Pres. Rocha’s email.

4.      I have generous friends who care about their brothers & sisters in Porto Velho & I was given these sacred funds – the most I have ever brought on a mission.

5.      I contacted Pres. Rocha 2 weeks ago & he replied.

6.      When I had some anxiety over the travel, I reached to make flight changes & Op Smile made the changes.

7.      Pres. Rocha brought his leaders together & they talked about these sacred funds.

8.      I exchanged my cash in Sao Paulo

9.      The church leaders together decided on providing food-then prayed over the list of families to find the 50 families.

10.  The amount of money needed was almost the EXACT amount I had exchanged.

11.  To me it is clear the Lord is in the details of our lives and in this work

I also said this is a lot of work for them to do all the shopping & out together all the items. They plan to get baskets for the food & wanted to know if we wanted to have a message of who it was from…I was a little unsure about that & then said to just tell them it is from their brothers & sisters in Southern California who care about them and love them. They liked that idea because the farthest point in their stake in Nueva California – (New California)

They continued to share some of the unique situations people were in…widows who were older women, single mothers trying to work and care for their children, families with significant health conditions prohibiting them from working, and a myriad of other struggles. He said the poverty rate is high in this area and this will make such a difference in so many lives and it will be delivered as if it came from the hands of the Savior. I did mention that I received another $200 I did not bring in cash but could use a credit card if they needed to buy the baskets other items.

Pres. Rocha again said he was so touched to know there are other people far away worried about his people – in a time in the world when most people only think of themselves, He also said that for weeks and months there will be many prayers that those who gave so generously will be blessed for their kindness and will feel and know that they are literally saving lives and spirits in Porto Velho.

Pres Rocha concluded by reading Helaman 10:4-5 where in verse 4 the Lord points out the qualities of Nephi - that he was not thinking of himself, he was taking care of people he did not know he was not worrying about his own life  and because of that in verse 5 those traits were identified – kindness/goodness/loving and he was promised many blessings and that I and my friends have these qualities – worrying about people we do not know, seeing that there are children of God with needs blessing other people and will receive the same blessings that were promised to Nephi.

He then handed the envelope of money to the Stake RS President and said my contact would now be with her, based on my weekend mission schedule & her schedule she said she would come for me at my hotel at 1 pm on Monday (I am just here that day waiting to fly out that night). so, I will see her then with the sister missionaries too so we can get any other items to “package or prepare the food”. They will get together with the ward Bishops and Relief Society Presidents next Saturday to assemble these “gifts from God – like manna from heaven”.

When we finished at 9 pm I felt soooo drained because of this experience and also soooo overjoyed. I could visualize & hoped that these people who will receive food will feel the love and support with which it is sent. That hunger will be relieved for 50 families, the hope and joy they perhaps will feel. These faithful leaders in Porto Velho (some of whom themselves struggle)  are being our  “long distance hands” from California.

I am still processing all of this but one thing I am certain of is….GOD OUR FATHER AND JESUS CHRIST ARE IN THE DETAILS OF ALL HIS CHILDREN'S LIVES! That does not mean we always get our miracles or life is easy, that we don’t experience grief, heartache, loneliness pain, or sickness, It just reminds me we are never alone & they are always there…I am so very humbled to simply play one small part and be the conduit thru which this miracle in Porto Velho has happened.   

April 4, 2024 - Part #1 SCREENING DAY - I LOVED IT

 I got a good nights sleep last night, had packed my backpack before bed & that set me up for a GREAT DAY & WONDERFUL NIGHT 😊

A few “catch up things from yesterday – I also met Brother “Carlos” who is in charge of LDs Helping Hands in Northern Brazil – such a nice man & he was also on the video call the other night. We took a photo together that I posted on social media. Also I did not give the “Acai” it’s full credit..I didn’t realize that it is grown here in Brazil & actually in this Northern part of the country (or so I am told).

Breakfast was at 7 & the bus was to leave at 7:45. There is mostly very Brazilian breakfast options but I am good with my “mission standard breakfast of scrambled eggs on a piece of toast with a slice of cheese on it – perfect for me. They do have some fruit – bananas & apples and also a jar of….BRAZIL NUTS!!! So I put a few of those in a baggie for an afternoon snack.

The drive to the hospital was uneventful however they parked the bus in the opposite side of the street that the hospital is on & as I went to the front of the bus this sweet Brazilian team member grabbed my arm to be sure I crossed the street with her safely dodging the cars & motorcycles 😊 Screening was all set up & organized which was wonderful. I went into the “Nursing Room” to do vital signs & heights & weight on all the kids. It was fun to “be in the thick of it” because often I get other assignment on screening day so I enjoyed this one & seeing all the cute kids coming thru. It also helped me get to know the other nurses who will be in surgery & pre-op/post-op. S far I have not met the PACU person I will be training but I have met my other international volunteer Norina who is from Toronto Canada & very nice.     

We saw our first patient at 10 am & I was AMAZED at how well these first 10 kids all did, very few tears, sweet moms & the local nurses would sing or get them laughing to keep them distracted. I took a few photos – one with Jovanna a cute lil girl who needs a lip repair with a sweet mama. They had traveled 28 hours by bus from a state in south Brazil just hoping she could get a lip repair. She is staying with the friend of a cousin here. I could tell the mama was tired & she said that they had gone to that house to change their clothes & “get dressed up for the doctors” – melted my heart. I just wanted to bring them back to the hotel with me. 28 hours on a bus is like driving to the Midwest from California. I will be praying she will be on Saturdays surgery schedule – I am pretty confident she will.

As time went on even the toddler kids were good  -they would put their hand out for the oximeter after I showed it to them on my finger & were pretty good with the “hug” of the blood pressure cuff. BY 11:30 we had screened 26 patients which I thought was a good pace & we had a good system. One  of the missionaries was outside our door & would receive the patients to be screened & let us know someone was waiting & we rotated them in. We had 2 Vital Sign stations plus a weighing station & moved them all thru quite nicely. Yassmin was a little one that stols my heart…her 5^th birthday is tomorrow & she was in a cute teal dress. She needs a palate repair as it had opened up impacting her speech & eating. She was SOOOOO CUTE & reminded me of my Charlotte.

We actually had all 10 of the local missionaries helping today so I met the other 3 young men who are all native Brazilians & equally as nice. It was warm in the screening area so each time I went to get a water & grabbed a bunch to keep them all hydrated as well. We also has 6 helping hands volunteers -both men & women her to help their “neighbors” as they said. I had Sis Wright put some basic phrases on a piece of paper for me so I can at least communicate “good morning, introduce myself etc”

By 12:30 we had screened 43 kiddos so 17 more in an hour; which seemed like a really good pace to me. It was energizing teamwork between all of us in the room. Everyone is her for the same reason – to help these kids & families get care. By noon some people were breaking for lunch & the patient flow slowed a little. I am told that the food they are bringing in for us to eat is a very standard “main meal” here…a bowl with rice, spaghetti noodle & beans (yep lots of carbs) and then either some beef in sauce or chicken in a sauce & they have a veggie option too. It was offered yesterday & today & will be every day I am here I assume. It did not look bad but I happily packed my peanut butter sandwich & ate that; which made me realize I pretty much only eat PB Sandwiches (no jelly) on mission trips!

Aside from the 28 hours bus ride patient we also saw 3 patients from Bolivia (which is a close neighboring country) and one from Venezuela which is FAR away & someone said they may have been sponsored on a flight to get here? We also had several Indigenous families from communities along the Amazon river.

Our education yesterday & todays screening is at a private jr high/high school & yesterday I thought maybe it was a “school for athletes” cause all the kids were in red sweat pants & a white shirt w/ the school logo & their name. Come to find out today those our “typical school uniforms” and it is a private military school. My hot tip & how I connected the dots was seeing one of the students arriving and then “saluting” his teacher while standing at attention. Plus the teacher had his name Sargent….on his shirt. Bad guess yesterday!

One of the OP Smile directors from Brazil came in during a time when we had a “lull” & shared some really interesting info with us…Brazil actually has 7000 plastic surgeons in the country which is the 2^nd highest # of Plastic Surgeons in  a country after the USA – however they are all in the ‘Southern states” of Brazil like Rio de Janeiro & Sao Paulo doing Botox & cosmetic surgery with patients lining up to get in. Only 0.4% are in the northern states =28 for a huge geography & they all have successful private practices & make good $$$. So recruiting them to learn and do “volunteer palate work” is tough. Op Smile looks for & recruits that “diamond in the rough” plastic surgeon & essentially “courts them “ to take on this opportunity & work in this environment. She said it is a great opportunity for them to learn from world class surgeons from other countries & those who do come for this type of training return to their work after the mission training experience “changed” it elevates them as people-which I think it does for all of us here. It also makes sense why here we are doing our days of surgery Sat & Sun so that these surgeons are away from their practices a minimal number of days. She also said in this state of Rodonia 200 km is “your neighbor” and just the state of Rondônia top to bottom is 1000 km or about 620 miles. It was a very interesting lesson…

We finished screening at 3:30 pm & saw 72 pts total. It makes me a lil sad because I think we are only expecting to do 35-40 cases in the 2 days – so some of these little ones will have to wait ☹.We got back to the hotel & some of us went over to a nearby grocery store – they were getting beer & going to enjoy the pool. I got myself some Coke Zero & came back to the room to empty my backpack, have a snack, start this blogpost so maybe I could get caught up and get ready to meet the sister missionaries to go meet Pres. Rocha.

I just returned from our time at the church & will make a separate entry for that time & experience

Wednesday in Porto Velho -An Education Day

 Well it was a short night – 4 hours of sleep was about all I got so I was a little jet lagged today. Lipson (from last night’s video call) did come find me at breakfast – he’s energetic & an Op Smile Volunteer in another “state” in Brazil & came here to facilitate the church’s involvement in this mission. He only speaks Portuguese, so we did a lot of “google translate” on our phones to “talk”.

The “school” where we were doing the education sessions & screening is only about a 10 min bus drive away & imagine my surprise & excitement when I got off the bus & saw 3 young men – missionaries walking into the school. I walked in with them & got their names & where they were from & they said just last night they were asked to come & help translate the educational sessions today! I was even more excited & surprised when I walked inro the education session room & saw Sister Wright from the video call last night – here to be my “personal translator” – never had that before!!!

I got the update on the church’s involvement here – the Church Humanitarian Dept is helping to fund several Op Smile missions in Brazil to help the infrastructure of surgeries in this country-which is so wonderful. It reminded me of my first mission that the church also supported in Kenya. Sis Wright (from SLC) & her sweet companion of 5 days Sis Rueda (from Mexico) said they were only asked last night to change their schedule to help this week 😊 and that they are also asking for members to help volunteer tomorrow at screening. In the morning we started w/ 3 Elders two from Utah (Kamas by us in Midway & Syracuse), the 3^rd was from Spain plus the 2 sisters. Mid-day we got 2 more Elders – Elder Chase from Logan – Doug’s hometown & the other from Texas. There are 170 missionaries in this mission which includes a large area of the Amazon & the mission headquarters are 10 hours away in Manaus. This mission is going to be split July 1^st simply because of the large geographical area it covers. They have 10 missionaries in Porto Velho & we had 7 of them helping us. They were all so helpful & nice. Sis Wright told me that the church is struggling in this area with member engagement and activity often because of peoples need to work. There are 6 congregations in this stake(diocese) and each has attendance of 30-50 members who attend regularly, There have been conversations of changing it from a “Stake” to a district” which has caused a bit of a “call to action” for church members to increase their participation. They are hoping that helping their neighbors and volunteering with this mission will spark some enthusiasm for service. 

Sis. Wright sat by me as my Translator for the opening meetings which was an explanation of the Champion program (which I was already familiar with from Guatemala). Ambra did part of the presentation, so it was in English translated to Portuguese. The program intro was really well done & explained the need for programs like these as in most areas of Brazil patients & their families live in remote areas & have to travel by walking, crossing rivers, and riding buses for many hours to get to the “larger cities” for care. Training teams in smaller areas multiplies the access – after training one trained plastic surgeon can potentially perform 200-300 surgeries a  year in the right environment & with the  support of anesthesia, nursing etc. The videos of patients in this area needing help were very moving reminding me of the original Op Smile tag line “Changing Lives One Smile at a Time” & here they say “A SMILE makes all the difference.”   We were trained on the new electronic healthcare record and training principles & evaluation. Later in the day we had MANY classes – on occasion it felt like “powerpoint overload” & some were in Portuguese so Sis Wright was translating ALL DAY! The difficult Airway Management presentation was in Portuguese & I was surprised that with my limited Spanish but strong knowledge of the content I was able to understand some of it & anticipate what he was talking about – my own version of “predictive English translation “simply because I know the steps of intubation, chest tube placement etc. We also had a PALS review that I was very familiar & comfortable with and understood the principles he was speaking about despite the language difference 😊

 News to me…or maybe I didn’t pay attention in the emails but I guess I am now part of the Brazil Champion Program??? And committed to coming here once a year – the travel certainly is not as convenient as Guatemala was but the needs are the same & the people here are lovely,

We finished about 6 pm & were to have a Team meeting at 8. The missionaries would also be attending that so  I offered to take them all out to dinner nearby in the 90 min or so we had. They could pick the spot & we ended up at a hamburger place withing walking distance so I took the 7 of them plus Lipson out to eat. After our burgers we got Acai at another place on the walk back. They were a really great group of young adults here as missionaries to “just serve” & teach people about Jesus.  They jokingly said “so this is what it is like to be on a mission in the states where there are members who treat you to dinner”. I was so happy I could do that! During dinner Pres. Rocha sent me a message & wants me to meet him at the Church building tomorrow with the sister missionaries as my translators to talk about the humanitarian needs of people in his area. I am SO EXCITED to meet him & hear about the people in this are that “we”(my generous friends) can help <3 . We got back to the hotel by 7:40 & the Team mtg didn’t start until 8:30 & it was 10:30 when it ended after everyone introduced themselves & they went over the “preliminary” schedule for the week. We also got our team shirts one for screening & another for the last day.

By that time I was REALLY TIRED & as I was going to my room a group invited me to join them for dinner but I politely declined…all I could imagine was my pillow & my bed & I knew as is Latin American style they would be out until after midnight. My roomie Jumi, who is an Anesthesiologist, on the mission & from Paraguay joined them.  I showered, talked to Doug & am headed to bed for a real full nights sleep. I am really feeling like I “belong” on this mission and am so glad I am here – It’s Screening Day tomorrow….often chaotic & always uplifting to see the sweet families & kids. Good Night!

Travel Day & SO MUCH MORE!!!!

 

It was a total of 8000 flight miles on 3 flights that started with me arriving at LAX at 6 pm on Monday April 1st for my 9 pm flight and ended 28 travel hours later plus a 3 hour time zone change at 1:05 am on April 3rd when I landed in Porto Velho Honestly the flights were not too bad…I slept about 5 hours on the first 8 1/2 hour flight (LAX to Lima) & was fortunate to have a window seat to sleep against & an open middle seat! I had only a 2 hour layover that went quick, and once next 6 hour flight napped an hour, watched movies & listened to podcasts en route to Sao Paulo (South Eastern part of Brazil-which is a BIG country).

In São Paulo I had a 6 hour layover but had to go thru customs (when they asked if I was here for business or pleasure I said “humanitarian-medical mission”. After she stamped my passport she said I could stay 3 mos!!! I assured her I’d be home in < 2 weeks. I then had to claim my luggage & keep it with me until it was 3 hours prior to my next flight??? I also exchanged $$$, found pizza to eat (it’s universal) rechecked  my luggage & the absolute best $30 I spent was for a 3 hour pass at the Urban Lounge!!! Not like an LAX fancy lounge but a quiet place where I relaxed a bit had several Coke Zeros & MOST IMPORTANTLY took a shower so that I was fresh & ready for the last 3 1/2 hour flight northwest to Porto Velho. 

Geography is NOT a strength of mine but this flight pattern seemed a bit crazy but “everyone’s on the same flight pattern” I am told either from São Paulo or Brasilia.

Shortly after I arrived in São Paulo, Pres. Rocha WhatsApp called me to “Welcome me to Brazil” & ask if I could join a video call from the airport at 9 pm tonight.  He does not speak English & I don’t speak Portuguese so it was interesting communicating! After my 3 hours in the lounge I had to go back thru security & to my next gate. By 9 I still didn’t have the video call appt so I text him & then it was sent. 

I was amazed & overwhelmed that Pres. Rocha had put a video meeting together with some bishops, Relief Society presidents, and a couple missionaries acting as translators to talk about the many needs in this area. PLUS there is also someone local who is LDS working with this Operation Smile Mission who said he would look for me at breakfast in the morning to meet in person! 

They are planning on connecting with me every day and working through the Relief Society sisters for the most urgent family needs. 

Clearly this is why God needed me to be on this mission and why friends have been so generous in sending me with $$$. I was both humbled and so uplifted at the same time that I have the opportunity once again to be the conduit of others goodness & generosity towards people in need that none of us know…. SO AMAZING how Gods hand is in the details of individuals lives & I believe my anxiety over coming was the adversary trying to get me to doubt going….

During my video call I got a text re. a friends needs for a grandchild going to the CHOC ED, so I was trying to text a bit during the call then able to call friends at CHOC to give them some TLC. I had stepped away from my gate for all of this & the whole time I was talking a couple was staring at me & later I saw an Op Smile tag on their backpack & they are local volunteers from Brazil on this mission team & they had come in from another state in Brazil & waited 12 hours in the São Paulo airport for this flight. She is an OR nurse & he does medical records & they were SO KIND!

Once I was seated on the plane I saw Ambra the Op Smile Champion Director who was the person who requested me as a “Champion Educator” on this mission & perhaps has no idea that she was the first “domino to be stacked” for all of these wonderful things to fall into place. Emma another Op Smile Volunteer coordinator was also with her so it was nice for the 5 of us to get our luggage & travel to the hotel together! My luggage was the last one to come out & I did have a few moments of panic & was so happy to see my bag! We got in our taxi to drive to the hotel &I got the distinct idea that stopping at red lights is optional here at least at 2 am as we rolled thru about 5 of them on the drove at a normal speed.

Once I got to the hotel my good luck ran out…they could not find my name on the rooming list, possibly because I arrived a night later than planned. Ambra helped sort it out & found where I was supposed to be so I headed there, went in the room & woke up 2 other Op Smile volunteers at 2 am who were already in the room & sleeping. Not my finest moment.   I went back down to the lobby & they placed me in another room with only one person this time but when I went back up the key didn’t work because that person had bolted the door. So I went back down & they called the room, woke my roomie up & I went back up & got in 😊 It’s 2:30 am am & I wrote this as a “note” in my phone so I wouldn’t forget & could add it to my blog today which means I will always be a day behind. I think our wake up call is 7 am. So good night from Porto Velho. My heart is bursting at the INCREDIBLE blessing it is for me to be here as a part of this Op Smile Team and impact some children’s & families lives, to train others so they can continue this work and then to see Gods hand in connecting me  with these dear church members who live & serve one another in Brazil. I am immensely grateful as I go to bed! 

Porto Velho Brazil Here I Come! Operation Smile Mission #19 Flying out tonight :) This is just the "Backstory"

As I start another mission this is just a reminder that this blog serves as my journal so while this "pre-departure" blog entry and is truly just the "backstory" it is my story I want to remember. 

Tonight I leave for Porto Velho Brazil & since this is my "Mission journal" here is "the backstory"         On Feb 13th while we were up in Utah I received an email from the Operation Smile volunteer coordinator with the following message:  I just received a program request for you specifically and I wanted to share. Here’s the information: Location:  Porto Velho, Brazil Arrival/Departure Dates:  April 2 – 8, 2024 (does not include travel time) Program:  Champion – with a 4 table, 40 patient objective Role:  PACU Nurse.  followed with - let me know your thoughts and if you are interested/available!

I looked at my calendar which at times can be a lil crazy, contacted my boss at CHOC to see if she would approve the time off and less than an hour later replied YES I can absolutely go- please put me down as a PACU nurse & Thank You for this opportunity! 30 min later I was "officially confirmed" and honestly had no idea where exactly I was going. I started looking at flights which seemed a bit rough as getting into Porto Velho which is in the northern part of Brazil near the Amazon is a one flight a day option but figured it would all get sorted out & soon I started getting flight info from Op Smile that was not ideal but I figured I would "make it work". I would sort it out. About a week later I went back to those emails & sent another email reply to the one that said they requested me specifically - asking if it was me for this mission, me as an educator or me Nancy Kraus specifically cause this was a new approach that I was curious about :) The coordinator replied - it was the Champions Team & it was you specifically...when she said that I thought Awww that makes me feel like I am really meant to be on this team. Mind you I didn't read the details that it was a "Champion Mission" meaning that we do a lot of training I was just glad the dates "fit in" with my work & family life. The next day I searched flight options on Google flights & other sites & they all looked like 32 hour flights both ways unless I changed airports in Brazil? & that I had to "overfly" Porto Velho by about 3 hours & then fly back into that airport. In my mind it was like flying to NYC to then backtrack to Texas the next day. The next day the Op Smile Travel team sent me flight options & none were ideal but I picked the one they selected that got me in when I needed. Unfortunately it had a 16 hour layover in the BSB airport but I was determined I would be okay. 

March 16th (2 weeks ago) I sent an email to some friends & family letting them know I would be going on my next mission leaving on Easter Sunday morning. I had also already reached out to the local church leaders there letting them know I was coming & hoping I could connect with them while I was there to help local families with needs. Clearly I sent WAY TOO LONG of an email and didn't translate it to Portuguese & the reply I got was probably as confusing as the email I sent because Pres. Rocha the local church leader thought I was already in the country, that I personally was coming to do surgeries & he very quickly was was going to set up the church, get me resources & even said "Please call & we will even pick you up at the airport and if it is expensive you can stay at our house it will be a good experience. Thank you for your willingness to help the people in this part of the Lord's vineyard" My heart melted & I quickly sent a clarifying reply in Portuguese using Google translate.

Last Saturday March 23rd I received the 1st team packet & noticed 2 things. First on the team list the "Op Smile Champion Program Director" is Ambra who is an amazing young lady I have been on a few missions with & that made sense as to "who would have requested me" I am excited to work with her again  The 2nd thing I noticed was that the "mission"  education & training didn't actually start until April 3rd so now I had a 6 hour layover, another 6 hour layover, and a full day before the mission. So while I could maybe take a local tour in Porto Velho it seemed like a lot of time "pre mission" I had a very sleepless night with a lot of anxiety about all of this which is not my norm. So on Sunday I looked at other flight options & sent an email to the Op Smile Travel Dept. & this missions team leaders saying I noticed the new schedule & I accepted the flights I was given thinking I needed to be there by April 2nd but now it looked like it was April 3rd & I was wondering about perhaps changing my flights & sent them a few options that had me leaving today Mon April 1st mid day thru Houston or tonight more direct LAX to Lima Peru. I understood that there may be a flight change expense. I just prayed that something would work out to alleviate my intense anxiety.

Last Monday morning I awoke to an email saying that they would change my flights to either of those & asking which flight I preferred. Yet again it was a reminder that God is in the details of our lives - even travel details!  And the flight changes were approved by Op Smile Brazil with no flight change fees to me. My anxiety was immediately relieved - I am taking a more direct flight leaving tonight LAX to Lima - 90 min between flights then Lima to Sao Paulo-  a 6 hour layover there to exchange money eat & then get on my last flight to Porto Velho arriving at 1 am & the hotel is 15 min away & the education day starts at 9 am - very workable!!! SO last Monday flights were changed! Plus I was home and off work from Good Friday thru Easter Sunday, and able to get packed, go out to dinner with Doug, go to church celebrate Easter with friends & facetime family and enjoy Holy Week.   

I am tying up a few loose ends at work for a few hours and a dear friend is taking me to LAX tonight (because Doug was already scheduled for a couple days in Utah since I was supposed to be gone!)  I have had more email & WhatsApp communication with Pres. Rocha & sent him my schedule so I am looking forward to meeting him & helping with humanitarian needs in Porto Velho. I an excited to be to teaching nurses in Brazil & helping them learn the international recovery room standards in order to be self sustaining in doing small missions without the needs for international volunteers. I am looking forward to meeting this team. Since it is a "Champion Mission: there are only 5-6 international volunteers - myself & an OR nurse from the USA, one from Canada & some physicians from other parts of South America. I know it will be a wonderful experience & my focus is always on the children's lives we will change with these surgeries & their sweet parents & families. I am READY and I always feel that I end up going where I am supposed to be on these missions & there are no coincidences in where I am sent or who I interact with. Looking forward to seeing how the next 9 days unfold! I am immensely GRATEFUL for the kindness, generosity, prayers & support from family and friends. I feel that support and take it with me on each mission as we "do good together " & I am just the one who does the travel :)       

Better Late than Never….Cairo Day #4 of Surgery & Travel Home 😊

 So, I got home 6 days ago but it has been a busy week at work and a big adjustment to the time change. and I am just now “closing out” this blog. Fortunately I put notes about each day in my phone so I don’t have to try & remember a week ago …..

After our busy day on Friday, I got a good night’s sleep. I was on call & truly thought I would get called in but fortunately I didn’t. Post Op did have some issues w/ the last patient bleeding, but he did not have to go back to surgery, so I was not involved. Days like yesterday remind me I am still an “RN- Real Nurse” & can thrive in the chaos and quickly changing clinical situations that require my brain & my skills. It’s just a nice validation since those are skills that I don’t use every day in my Executive Director job at CHOC and I’m pretty certain all my critical care staff don’t even know I still have these skills…LOL

This morning at breakfast Chris & I were told that Morag was ill. She ate lunch at the hospital -I NEVER eat the lunches provided – it is always a peanut butter sandwich for me but since we were at the hospital so late last night, I was hungry & went up & grabbed a lunch at the end of the day as Morag said it was a good chicken sandwich & brought it back to the bus when we were waiting to go home last night - in general getting a lunch 5 hours after it was brought is a bad idea - I was hungry  not thinking.  Fortunately when I opened it up it was beef not chicken so I offered it to the bus driver & I didn’t eat it ….SOOOOOOO GLADDDDDD when this morning I found out that was the last thing Morag ate & likely what made her sick. Truly feeling like it was a tender mercy. The last thing I needed today was to be sick again. Basically, this week I survived on eggs & bread each morning at the hotel along with a bit of fruit & the rest was my PB sandwiches, protein bars, dried apricots & nuts I brought.

We got to the hospital & made a quick trip upstairs, saw a few patients then Chris & I made arrangements to get IV fluids for Morag & then take a car back to the hotel & the car waited for us. In 20 min we started an IV on Morag, got about a liter of fluid in her, “macgyvered” a way to hang another liter above her bed flowing in, & taught her how to discontinue it when it was done. Amazing efficiency if I say so myself!

We got back to the hospital & had an hour before the 1^st patient came back at 10 am & all the 1^st 5 were in the PACU by 10:20. Of course the 5^th one was a feisty one we had to give meds to hoping he would wake up better the 2^nd time. Typical calm then chaos. My first patient was Kareem – he was 4 years old. His sister who was 23 was w/ him & she is studying to be a nurse. Kareem’s mom is 39 – so she had his sister at 16 & then him at 35…bit of an age gap 😊. He was such a sweet boy but once he was fully awake, he started crying telling his sister all about the surgery…that they “tied down his arms & put the mask on his face” he was very passionate & detailed – it broke my heart! Rebecca our Child Life Specialist said he did all the medical play before surgery but clearly the real thing was different. His sister said Kareem could be a bit “naughty” & he does not forgive easily so no one related to the surgery could be trusted. She also said that she had promised him a trip to the sea after the surgery. When it was time for him to go up to post op he 1000% refused to get in the wheelchair – no way-no how. He wouldn’t even let his sister sit in it & be on her lap. Then he asked for slippers (which he didn’t have) so he could walk. Making no progress his mom came down & he just cried to her & told her the story too…poor Kareem.

We finished up by 3:30 – and ended up with a total of 63 patients who had surgery. That’s 63 children who would have never had this medical care without our team in Cairo – changing lives one child at a time! I was back at the hotel at 4ish & Pres. Marcous had text me that he was in the area with his youth from the branch & wanted to stop in & say goodbye to me. He came & we went to a little café next to the hospital – I had to explain that I didn’t want to eat but would have a soda. He shared with me more info about the church branch. They have 10 youth but today there were 9 others who were friends of the youth – most were Sudanese & they used $20 American form the money I gave him to have this "BIG Youth Activity" and went to Abou Tarek’s (where I had gone) for lunch to celebrate some birthdays after their service activity. He shared with me the video which was so nice to see.  

He had hoped his primary President could join us to tell me the plan for the children's schooling but she was unable to come at the last minute. We chatted and he said many of the church members here walk 45-60 min to come to church & others are as far asway as Alexandria & Aswan. He shared that Egypt as a country is in crisis. 1000 factories have closed & they cannot import products to make items that were made in the past & they are exporting so much food that there is a scarcity of food in the country. They measure inflation by eggs & 6 months ago it was 1 Egyptian pound for an egg (about 5 cents US) & now it is 5 pounds or 25 cents. He said there are shortages with medicines & food/grain. He is diabetic & has to go to multiple pharmacies to get his needed medicine. The churches Bishops storehouse is working with the Egyptian government & supporting many in Cairo from all religions – Muslim, Coptic Orthodox Christian etc. he said that 6 months ago the storehouse gave away $7,000-9,000 Egyptian pounds of food each month. Now with both the inflation & added needs last month they gave away $70,000 Egyptian pounds of food.  He said that in Sept he & other church leaders are scheduled to meet with the US Ambassador & Minister of Affairs – since the church is US based & has given 2-3 million dollars of aid in Egypt. Much of it to widows in the Coptic Orthodox Christian Church; yet that church just worked to write & pass a family law in Egypt that if a spouse changes religion you can automatically get a divorce and the LDS Church is at the top of that list…so odd that on one hand they want to partner to help widows & others with food needs but also I guess are threatened by another church? He also said that the Diplomat Branch is very supportive & caring of the Arabic Branch – they have helped 3 members take classes from BYU online to assist with the goal of more education for church members.  Self-reliance is hard when it is so difficult to survive in general. It was again very humbling to talk to him – he said that he knows God is working in Egypt he has seen what happens when people get to know Jesus and that it is his goal to teach people about Jesus & Jesus will change their lives. Pretty profound & applicable worldwide. He said he hopes to be remembered in Egypt as an “early saint” who helped the church to grow there. I assured him I was certain that would be the case.

By the time we got back to the hotel it was already 6 pm & Chris was in the lobby a bit frantic canceling her debit card that she had lost. Morag was better & the “final dinner party” was starting at 8 & I knew it would go until MN & I had to leave for the airport at 1 am. Knowing how these parties go all 3 of us opted to stay in. I finished packing & tried to get 3 hours of sleep before heading to the Cairo airport & then staying awake for 8 hours until I was on my “long flight” from Istanbul to LAX. My first flight was delayed taking off so my 90 min window between flights turned into 50 min & the girl I sat next to was from Dubai & going to San Francisco for a business meeting. She spoke great English said this was her first time connecting in Istanbul, but friends said you need 2 hours between flights…not ideal. We were only about 4 rows behind 1^st class, so once we landed we rushed off the plane & truly RAN together about 3 miles – we had to go downstairs out of “passport control” then back upstairs into the terminal & run thru 4 LONG terminals. When we started out of passport control the signs said a 28 min walk to terminal A-I was stressed but grateful I was healthy enough to run thru the airport. I got to my gate & there were 3 different security areas you had to go thru to get to the gate. I was in the gate area as they were boarding & went straight on the plan – thankfully I made it! It was a full flight; I had a window seat & once we were in the air I took a sleep aid to be sort of on Calif time. I slept about 6-7 hours of the 13-hour flight then was awake the rest. I was concerned about my luggage wondering if it made the connection but fortunately it did! I got my bag & Doug was waiting when I came thru immigration. What a night & a day & now another day. I made myself stay up until 8 pm to try to get on a Calif time schedule but I had to be at work at 7 am Monday & its been a rough adjustment all week. Finally, by Friday I started feeling like I was rested.

So Op Smile Mission #18 in the books – always grateful for the opportunity to do this work & always amazed at the opportunities I have to connect with church leaders & be a conduit for the generosity of others in ways I could never imagine. What a blessing it is to serve….it was a rough start but a good finish and seeing a bit of Cairo & the pyramids was a nice bonus!

July 21, 2023. Surgery Day #3 – There is always ONE Crazy, Chaotic Day & it was today!

 Since it is always empty in the PACU for the 1^st two hours or so until patients finish surgery; Chris & I again went up to pre-post to check on the kids who had surgery yesterday. Some of the cute 10-year-olds we took selfies with at screening had surgery yesterday so they were excited to see us this morning, since they have had their surgeries & will be going home – more photo ops of course and some sweet hugs – they are all so precious!

Chris & I got matching Egypt scrub hats & wore them today to be “ALL IN” for this Cairo Egypt mission. Little did I know that maybe we bothered the ancient Egyptians because today was “THAT DAY” for this mission; teaching me that even on smaller, complex missions you can have CRAZY & CHAOTIC days & this was ours from start until our 9 pm time back at the hotel – yep, you’d not expect a late night with only 17 cases but we had it! I feel like I was also “the med nurse” today because I am sure I gave over 20 meds on my patients & others. Also, several of my patients must have signed up for the “extended stay package because they were not progressing & stayed way too long!

The first patients again came back starting at 10 am & it was steady all day. My first patient was a very unhappy 2-year-old palate who even with meds was crying. The mom was also distraught & bless Morag she took the baby & rocked & sang to him & after about 20 min of that he fell asleep. But during that 20 min. the mom of Chris’ patient came in & was overwhelmed by the PCU & her baby & decided to go back out w/o telling anyone & fainted on her way out but fortunately was caught by one of the students by the exit door. We elevated her legs & got her juice & settled amid all the crazy.

My 2^nd patient was worse than my 1^st…cute Abdul. Anesthesia said he had a bronchospasm at the end of the case & was having some difficulty breathing so they put a nasal airway in – wonderful makes sense. BUT…he then pulled the nasal airway after he gave me report & the patient immediately crashed as he walked out f the room dropped his oxygen level to 70%, working heard to breath, heart rate up. We found a nasal airway & inserted it, put him on oxygen, gave him a breathing treatment – pretty much all simultaneously & I was just about to assist his breathing when he started to improve. It was a CRAZY 1^st hour with him trying to figure out what was going on keeping him sitting up. Every time I tried to wean the oxygen, he dropped his O2 level – I gave a boatload of meds for pain, plus a diuretic cause his lings sounded a wet & some steroid & FINALLY he turned the corner after some “intensive care” for 2 hours & I was able to wean the oxygen & watch him another hour; Yes he had the 3 hour PACU extended care package. He was REALLY cute though & when he did finally wake up had the cutest smile. I took a pic w/ him & his mom as I took them to post op. By now it was 3:30 as my 2 patients had stayed a total of 5 hours???

As I walked back into the PACU the same anesthesiologist was bringing back another patient this one w/ an oral airway & special needs who was really kicking & having a hard time coming out of Anesthesia – seemed a little bit like ground hog day & fortunately Saben took one for the team & cared for that patient. The post op floor was bringing down a patient who was having some bleeding, so I took that patient & we were able to get his bleeding stopped with a lot of pressure on his palate for about 30 min & thought we were good but watched him another 30 min & he started to bleed again so I added a tea bag on a tongue depressor to my pressure regimen &that seemed to work – Hooray! When I took him back upstairs the post op ward was “drowning” a few kids weren’t doing well plus they were getting all the kids from us & they legit said “we need help”. So, I said I would send people up & when I went back to PACU there was only one pt left to come in so we sent 2 nurses & our doctor up there & Saben & I stayed in PACU. Our last patient clearly knew the theme of the day – “create chaos” & had a rough surgery so the anesthesia team gave him plenty of sedation & he came out sleeping for about 10 min til he woke up & was also bleeding. Thank goodness Morag was with us because he too had special needs & it took all 3 of us to keep him in bed. Secure his IV so we could give meds, and try to stop the bleeding. We sent SOS texts on our team WhatsApp to now ask for help from us after we sent all the help upstairs. I know it sounds comical, but it wasn’t feeling that way in the moment. A surgeon came back & our PACU doc & they did some work in his mouth in the PACU & got the bleeding stopped so he didn’t need to go back to the OR which by now were all being cleaned…when we took that LAST patient up the post op ward was still very busy but they had some help, so I think they at least felt better & supported. BY now it was 8 pm & we needed to wait to fill the bus w/ everyone still at the hospital so that took awhile & then the drive home had lots of traffic on a Fri night that was also Islamic New Year…maybe that is what made this day CRAZY!?  

So yes even missions with less patients can have days like this 😊 The PACU mantra is we are typically pretty chill with intermittent chaos & today was A LOT of chaos & intermittent chill. I can’t believe tomorrow is our last day of surgeries & then I head home WAY TO EARLY on Sunday. My flight is at 4:15 am (I really thought it was 5:15) so I am thinking there will be NO SLEEP & we will have to go to the airport by 1 am or so – we will see. Still, I would sign up for it all over again even with a day like today. Shower, Blog & Bed were all that was on my agenda for the night so off to sleep I go!