March Happenings!

This past month has been so fun filled and entertaining and has gone by EXTREMELY fast. There have been some huge changes and happenings lately here at CFCI Nicaragua. First and foremost, my friend Kate Maccarone came to visit me for a week. She got here March 8th, and we had a great time exploring and viewing the beautiful country of Nicaragua. We visited the tourists’ attractions of course, with my wonderful host family as guides. We went to Granada, and Catarina and the Masaya Volcano. She really enjoyed her time here and it was great to catch up and to be able to share my experience and what I do daily with someone so special to me. I miss her so much but it was great. I think we watched a totally of four movies while she was here. We were in no way bored, but it was her spring break from school and we wanted to relax. I took her to work with me for a day and it was great to have here there! The clinic was not as busy as it usually is on Mondays, but she got a little taste of what I do. The next thing that happened was another medical brigade from South Carolina came down and the CFCI staff and the team ventured to Matagalpa. It is about a 2.5-hour drive from Managua into the northeastern part of the country about 4,300 feet above sea level. It was very chilly at night and very relaxing and quiet where we stayed. We stayed at a hotel named “Selva Negra”, which means black forest in English. It is owned by Germans, so the food was prepared and usually not the typical Nicaraguan food. It was very nice to be able to work with a team that got along and mixed so well. We had three different generations there and we all got along so well. Usually at the end of a week mission trip as many of you know, there tend to be little cliques formed and this group had none! I could talk to someone 62 years old and then turn around and talk to someone who is in their mid 40’s and enjoy my conversation just as much with both people! It was awesome to see God move in people’s lives. I saw miracles happen. 40 people accepted God as their Lord and Savior, one man said he wants to move to Nicaragua and that he has known in for a while, he just needs to act, and I saw patients (like as a doctor). These were all things that I remember clearly from the brigade. I saw about 60-70 patients during the compilation of these four days and each day was a totally different experience. Some of the days I did not feel great, but I knew I had to keep going and push through, because these people have never had an American team visit and needed this blessing more than I needed to lay down and rest. This pain I had was causing me to lean over because it was one of the only comfortable positions that allowed me to feel a little better. I saw a number of patients who needed the typical Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen for pain that they get regularly down here because they live in this dreadful heat and do not drink enough water. It is very common here for the locals to get headaches or back aches and overall body aches because they do not drink even the equivalent to one bottle of water. But I also got to see some patients who needed just someone to listen to them and others who needed some cool things like warts or moles removed. If you know me well, I am into things like that and getting the self-satisfaction of taking away things that people think are ugly; my prime example and ultimate favorite is popping pimples. I know it may seem gross, but it is something I like doing. I also got to inject a muscle relaxant into a ladies knee. She was having joint pain and Dr. Kyle (orthopedic) helped guide me to where to inject this medicine and it was a great experience. This team brought down 19 people. Two doctors, two physical therapists, a PA, guys for construction, people to work in the pharmacy, people to work triage, and people to play with the kids. Usually with a team that size, you have a great effect on the community you are outreaching to. We saw 40 people accept Jesus, which is awesome! This country has a huge Catholic influence and it is hard to sway their views. I was able to pray for each of my patients individually and it was a blessing to be able to pray in Spanish with each person. Some would look at me and give me a huge embrace before leaving the consult area and others would shake my hand and thanking me for all I did. I was in awe of the kindness of people and their willingness to open up to me as their doctor. This was a great team and I had the pleasure of getting to know everyone on a deep level! I have even looked into Greenville (the town in South Carolina) as a place to possibly live in the future. A lot of people said they would house me until I get on my feet. I am definitely considering it! Praise God for people who are willing to be so kind and courteous! I am having the time of my life down here and I wouldn’t change it for anything! Traveling and getting to serve the people of this beautiful country is what I absolutely love! Another huge thing happened this past month. Shelby; the other missionary and my beloved friend left to go back home to Minnesota where it is cold and so I am once again solo ☹ Many people were blessed by her abilities and gifts she used while she was down here and it was great to work along side her and see her gifts reach the hearts and souls of Nicaraguans and the people she shared them with. She was so happy and such a joy to be around all the time and it was great having her here with me to share my stories with and to hear her progress as a person and in her work here as well. I loved how she was so devoted and a “go getter”. She felt bored on some afternoons so she made it appoint to look into working with another organization and made her mark there as well! It was an awesome person to be with for the past two and a half months. She is already greatly missed here! I hope she is not freezing in the snow in Minnesota! I hear it is quite cold up in the states for this time of year. Well, you’re lucky, I would trade a week of snow for a day of this heat. Trust me people, you have it good! As many of you may know already or heard through the grape vine, that I became sick or have been sick for a little while and just went to get tested and found that I have something that many people get doing missions or traveling. I am on medications for a certain intestinal worm, but still 100% unsure of what one I have, and who knows, maybe I will never bee 100% sure. I have had God guide the steps of people into my life to specifically help me and advise me on what they think should work best with past job experiences and things they have researched for many years. I have also come to realize and have known for a while that some of the most vulnerable people are those who are sick. Sick people with terminal illnesses, sick people with chronic reoccurrences, and sick people with unbearable pain are the most vulnerable. I think I would place myself into the last category. Sometimes this pain required me to stop all activity and just sit and rest and just wait until the pain went away. I have told my mom that if it keeps happening, I am coming home soon. I was determined that I would come home and leave because it was so bad. I know this attack is from the devil and it is a spiritual attack. The devil knows what I am up to for God and he is mad. The devil is angry and wants to pull me back down to where I once was. But too bad, the devil needs to face it and know that I will NEVER turn back or be the person I once was because those times are forgotten and forgiven by the gracious and loving king I call my father and Lord of my life! He is my creator, my life, my soul, and my reason! Nothing else matters with out him because I would not be matter with out him ;) This week I am not at work once again and I feel bad, I feel like I have skipped this whole month at the clinic. This week in Nicaragua is “Semana Santa” which means holy week in English. It is about that time of year for Easter to roll around and I am going to miss hunting in my house for an Easter basket ☹ (maybe I am a little too old for that) But I like living as a kid every once in a while. I have had many special people on the CFCI team step up to bat for me while being sick; taking me under their wing, bringing me to their house to stay, bringing me to their house to enjoy some games and a meal. I love the team I am here with and it is such a cool thing to have Christian friends and be able to share the same beliefs and hang out! It truly changes your desires and your perspective on life when you are continually filled with people who uplift you rather than try to derange your thoughts and pollute them with bad things. I am so blessed to be a part of this team! It is an answer to my prayers! Thank you all for keeping me in your prayers! Specific prayer requests I have for this upcoming month and next couple weeks: Please pray that this sickness is eradicated and the tests are negative when I get re-checked for the intestinal worm I have. Please pray that as I start to look for job opportunities at home that doors are opened and so is my heart to new possibilities. Please pray for these last 5 months to be the most impactful and that God continues to use me as much as he can! I am so honored to be a follower of Christ and love every second of it. Without the help of all my financial support and continued prayers, I would not be sitting here in the heat sweating and writing this blog post! Keep the prayers coming! I am on this wonderful journey and only want you to feel like your by my side! Enjoy! Thanks for reading!