Second day of clinic.......Clinic in Chuchipaca

This morning we loaded the bus and headed to Chuchipaca.......and what a day we would be in for! I think for many it was their first exciting bus ride! There were a lot of "oooohhhhhhhsssss" and squeals as we made our way through the hairpin turns on the narrow, muddy, mountainous roads.
Once we got there we began to set up......This was preparation in the dental clinic. Kelsey and Bret from the last MET program were able to join us for a clinic and here they are with Dentist Jessica.
Once we were set up, we went outside to pray with the patients. Many have heard me say this my favorite part of the day. We had Juan from Chuchipaca read some scripture and then Ervin lead us in prayer.......................let the clinic begin!!!
It was a fast paced day. Many people headed down to a community area and painted a school area. I was not able to go and see but I heard from many that it was a very positive experience and the community really appreciated it. They arrived back in time to have lunch with us and then pitched in so we would be able to see all of the patients and be on the road before dark. The translation from K'iche' to Spanish to English takes quite a bit more time......but we were able to provide care for 72 medical patients, 97 dental patients and 10 patients for dental cleaning. This little girl was precious and wanted us to see her coloring.
This little girl was a little more timid but wanted to smile for the camera as her mother encouraged her.

The sad part of the day was when one patient came and told us that she was weak and could not eat. When we went through our usual list of questions, she denied any other problems. Eventually, she told us she was sad.....then we began to hear more of the story. Her husband died 4 months ago and she just delivered her second baby 15 days ago. We talked to her for quite a while because she asked us for medicine that would take away her sadness. We talked to her about how important her relationship with God was at this time and that only He could heal her sadness. We talked about prayer and how difficult life is sometimes........but again that only God could provide the comfort that she needs. I really encouraged her to come back to the next clinic and talk to us some more.................she then wanted us to meet her two children so she brought them back and we talked some more. I pray that she will return to the next clinic and I will keep you posted.