THANK YOU! Written 11/8

First and foremost I want to thank all of you who have sent or are sending stuff for the kids for Christmas! These kids appreciate everything...and will love anything that you send to them! In a place where Christmas is just another day, where you might get some candy and cookies...toys and clothes are things extra special. 

Today I had the awesome opportunity to go to one of the communities, Mariano Acosta, where I worked with one of the dentists. Mariano Acosta is more than 3,000 meters (I have no idea what that means) in the mountains, if my calculations are right thats about 10,000 feet. I mean I live at about 8,000 feet but going up to that community makes me feel as though I am in the sky. The sun is strong, though it is chilly (today at least)...feels like a nice warm winter day in the states (when its sunny-if its overcast its just freezing). My reason for going was to work...that I did. I got to extract teeth, suture up the holes left behind, drill out cavities and fill them, and to learn what its like to be a dentist! Definitely not my favorite orifice to work with but another awesome experience to add to my book. Thanks a ton Dr. Rivera!

A little about my life here...some days are full and busy and some days are lonely. I know that that is to be expected, but on my “lonely” days I find myself wondering what else I could be doing. Where else could I go? What else could I be doing? Normal, Im sure but it really frustrates me! I really do love being here, and I love the people and I love what I am doing...but sometimes it is lonely. I know it is to be expected because essentially I am here alone...in the end I know that it is all worth it! I am here for a reason and I will fulfill that reason! 

Christmas is coming!!!

I brought down donations, I have shipped down donations and now I am putting together packages for Christmas for the kids and I need your help!! Anything that you would like to donate will be put to good use! I have found a way to easily ship here, directly to me...so if you are interested in helping please let me know! All of your donations are tax deductible too!!! 

Small toys, crayons, coloring books, books, anything...anything is appreciated by these kids. Please let me know asap because it takes about 2 weeks for me to receive stuff that is shipped and Im only here until December 18! 

Thank you in advance for your help and support! 

OPERATION SMILE

I had the awesome privilege of working with Operation Smile! Because of the baby that was born a few weeks ago with cleft lip, I decided to look and see when Operation Smile would be in our area, to my surprise it was the week after I was looking! Unfortunately I could not take this newborn to be operated but I did take 3 other for evaluation. Before hand I talked with the director of OS here in Ecuador and he told me what to expect and what to make sure that the kids had before we went. Because of that when he asked the kids that were with me where they were from he remembered Pimampiro and immediately knew who I was. We spent the whole day waiting to be evaluated, one of the three qualified for surgery! The other two are older and have had previous operations. 

The newborn I will take to Quito with me in January to be operated! All the kids must be at least 3 months of age and 5 kg. He will be that in January! 

At the end of the day the director found me and asked if I would like to work with them, yep as a nurse, during the time they were in Ibarra. Of course I took the opportunity and worked with them!! We did surgery on 79 kids!! Amazing how “easily” a cleft lip and/or palette can be fixed! Also they do other cosmetic surgeries, for instance a 28 year old girl who was burned by boiling water from the chest to the knees we loosened up her skin some so that she could be in less pain. A kid born with no skin around they eye, they constructed an eye lid. Kids born with their mouths much larger than they are supposed to be, so we made them smaller. So many surgeries in such a short time...and the most amazing part are the parents. When the child wakes up from anesthesia and is able to drink we take them to their parents which then go to the floor to be watched for 24 hours...the look on the parents faces is amazing! Especially the kids who had an open cleft lip and now have a full “normal” lip. How amazing!

I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to work with Operation Smile! The amazing thing about Operation Smile here in Ecuador is that there is a director here and a group of surgeons and nurses who work together, in all 4 cities every year. I will be working with them from now on, and our next mission is Quito in January! I am super excited to be able to work with them again! 

How fast time has gone...

10/5/2012

Wow, how fast time has flown...how much things have changed. I am back in Pimampiro, things seem to change all around but this little mountain town seems to still have the same people doing the same things...its like i never left. It has been amazing to see everyone and to see their smiles when they see that i have returned. 

I went to visit the kids at the daycare this week and before i could even get in the door they were yelling my name! There are lots of new kids and most of the older ones have gone to kindergarden, and most of the teachers have changed. But there is one particular “new” child that I am worried about. She is one year old, but looks like a newborn. The teacher told me that she expressed her concern to the parents and the parents said that all of their children were small, but this child is not only small she is sick. This week I will go through the process of talking to her parents to see if they are open to the idea of me getting this child medical care. Lets pray that they are willing to allow me to help them. 

There was also a baby born this week with cleft lip, he is currently in the hospital after being born at home. No one is sure as to why he is in the hospital but the plan is he will stay there for a few days then head to Quito to have surgery. This family has 9 children...and this surgery I imagine is not cheap. But, Operation Smile will be less than an hour away from us in 2 weeks! How is that for timing? I am currently in the process to find out what I need to do to get this child seen.

The house is still being worked on steadily but still is missing quite a lot. Every month the story is...one more month. So, we shall see.

I went to see the elderly people and they were super excited to see me! I am going to spend one afternoon a week doing projects with them and giving them a chance to tell me their stories.

I am going to try very hard to do better at blogging...we’ll see how that turns out.

Written 3/18

I know that I say this every time but time flies, looks like it has been almost an entire month since I last wrote. Where to even start...

I need a break, I need to go home, I need to be with my family, I need to work. I love it here, don’t get me wrong but sometimes a break is overdue. In the past few weeks lots has changed, Im living in the apartment I used to live in with Liz with another girl...which is nice to have my own space again. But on the other hand not so nice because I apparently forgot how often there is no water...especially no hot water. The shower is amazing IF there is hot water, but the chances of that happening aren’t too great. I think I have boiled more water and taken it into the shower than I have actually taken a real shower here. Cant wait to get home and take a real shower! Also I forgot how expensive it gets to buy food and cook all the time, and how annoying it is to have to cook. I had it good with the family...

The original plan of me living in the house has now changed, Paul wants to live there so we are working out details as far as what my role will be in the house. He has been traveling or gone a lot so we haven’t had much time to talk about details but I think the plan is that I will be bringing people down to help and also managing the programs that go on at the house. But, its looking like the house will be done in just a few weeks! Its painted and the upstairs floors are in, the front is gated off. There are plants growing in the gardens...it’s all coming together!

But...I have also been working on some other projects and talking about partnering with some other people. Nothing concrete yet, but things in the works.....things that I am hoping work out soon!

Tomorrow I get to take one of the little girls to the dentist for some extractions! Her bottom middle teeth aren’t growing up they are growing out, so they are coming out of her gums below where they should be. So, tomorrow I am going to take her to the dentist and help him remove them! I don’t know much about dental stuff but I am interested in learning and he wants to teach me!

The past few weeks I have been spending quite a bit of time with the kids, teaching them English and helping in the daycare. Getting to know the families of the kids and just being present in the community. I love being a part of the community and having the opportunity to really know the people and their lives. This is the best part about staying in one place and working. The daycare always needs help and always needs stuff! This week they asked for pitchers to make juice in and spoons. They only have giant spoons for these little kids to eat off of. I gave them some donated baby spoons but they say they are too small. Haha! So this week Ill get them some spoons and pitchers but always remember that if you are throwing things out they are useful here! Save them, and every time that I come down I bring more and more stuff.

Thats a short update, I know...but my life here has become like my life in the states, it’s my life so I don’t remember day to day things to write about. I used to be so good at it, making notes or blogging every few days. After a year of being here my day to day isn’t much to write about, not as exciting as it used to be. But...this week hopefully I will buy my tickets to go back to the states, I’ll talk to the hospital and secure a job, and I’ll figure out exactly where I am going with my projects here.

Keep this little girl in your prayers, I am still waiting for a response from Shriners. Pray that they accept her and that I can bring her to the US with me and she can have this back surgery that she desperately needs. At this point the curvature of her spine is 90% and I can definitely tell that it has increased since I met her a year ago.

By the way, we are waiting for the 501c3! All the paperwork is in, it is being reviewed and we should have this status sometime soon! Thanks again to everyone that supports me and keeps up with what I am doing.

written 2/21

Time goes by so fast, I havent written in so long. The days are long here, but seem to pass ridiculously fast. That doesnt make any sense but thats how it feels. I have been here more than a month and will be leaving in just about 2 months. I cant believe that I first came here more than a year ago...

So much has happened, and changed. I have become a different person, or so I feel like I have. I have experience living in another culture to the fullest, something I have always dreamed of doing. I havent mastered the language yet but I am learning every day. I cant say that I am fluent but I can say that I can communicate, people can understand me and I can understand them. I had always hoped that once I lived in the culture that it wouldnt take me anytime to learn the language. Unfortunately it isnt that easy. I hope that someday Spanish comes to me just as easily as English, and I hope that that day comes very soon!

I have been spending a lot of time with the kids at the daycare.  They are so happy and beautiful! I love when I arrive and they all start yelling my name and jumping on me to give me a kiss! They always have smiles on their faces and always want to give hugs and kisses. They all have been wearing their clothes that were donated and playing with their toys. I have gotten special requests for more transformers! haha, no one can figure out how to transform them back but they all want them. I want to do more for these kids, thinking of some specific projects that can be done at the daycare itself and for the kids and maybe even their families. 

The house is coming along, slowly but surely. Could always use some construction help if anyone has time and wants to come down! We are getting down to the end, tiling and bathrooms, painting and all that good stuff. We are hoping to be done in the next 2 months. We have had several meetings with lots of different people who want to get involved, who see this place being a center to really enrich the lives of these people. We can only hope that we can help reach a handful of the people of this community and to really make this community a place that people want to visit. As of now the people of Pimampiro (only 3 km uphill) either dont know Paragachi at all or think that it is dangerous. We are hoping to change this, hoping to make this a place people want to go. 

This weekend was Carnival! What a weekend, full of paint and foam and water. These people are crazy, you cant walk down the street without getting hit with one of those three things. All sorts are covered in one or all of these things, and the best part no one works! There is a town in the Chota Valley that is known for its party, there are bands playing all sorts of music and everyone is wet and covered from head to toe in paint and foam. Definitely an experience, and they cant seem to figure out why we dont celebrate Carnival in the US. 

The old people are all super cute, a lady that works with the foundation is here right now and she does all sorts of art projects with them! They are so stuck in their ways that they dont like to do anything but color, when we give them something new to do they ask to just color. Haha! But, she has gotten them to do some really cute things.

Anyway, I am heading to Colombia tomorrow to visit my friend Paula’s family! Im super excited to go back to Colombia and to also get to see all of Paula’s family again, but Im sad because she cant be here with us. But at least I can talk to her family this time...last time we couldnt communicate very well!

Until next time...

no time for anything...but i have been trying to write...

1/23/12

Wow, how fast time flies. Before I left all sorts of things happened, but Ill try to remember them all and dedicate a blog just to that. But, for now...I have returned and it has been like Christmas! I came back with 5 FULL suitcases! The family that I live with wanted all sorts of stuff, so I came back with lots for them. I have two full suitcases of donations that I organized (with thanks to my mom!!!) and made up plastic bags for each kid. Clothes, toys, crayons, coloring books, and all sorts of other things! We are going down to have a little program with the kids and give them all of their gifts on Wednesday!! Then after that I get to help teach the parents about nutrition and hygiene! And then after that we are going to celebrate the turning on of the water!

I went tonight with the President and most of the important people of Paragachi to open the water to flow down into our amazing pueblo! We all piled into a truck and drove about 15 minutes up the mountain, stopped in a random spot on the road and all started the trek down a very steep portion of mountain. I slid most of the way down and all that I could think about was having to go back up! We got down there and Luis (the President of Paragachi) opened the pipes and let the water flow into them! A super amazing moment for these people! We already have 55 people signed up and waiting to start working on their gardens! This week we will start digging and getting ready to plant! 

1/24/12

Today was Christmas!! Galen (she is doing a GAP year here) and I loaded up a suitcase weighing about 80 pounds full of clothes and toys and all sorts of things for the kids into the bus for the short 10 minute ride down to Paragachi! We arrived lugging this huge suitcase down the dusty roads into the daycare. These kids, as always were ecstatic to see you. When each of them got their bag of goodies, they were so super excited they didnt want to put them down...the whole bag...they didnt even want to take anything out of it. Haha! We took some pictures, never as much as I would have liked to but hopefully we captured the excitement on their faces!

1/26/12

Last night we had a meeting with Ken, Vibrate Villages, and talked about all of the projects that we are working on. There is so much going on! The people finally have water, the house is being worked on, we are partnering with Potters for Peace to build a factory to make pots to filtered water to make clean drinking water, everyone wants an organic garden, and and and. So much happening and developing. 

The house is coming along, slowly but coming. My friend Paul that i worked with in Haiti is coming down the beginning of February to hopefully help us finish everything!  He has been working in construction for many years and is just the guy to help us get done! Super exciting to know that having the house finished is within reach. Most of the big things are done, its just a matter of time before I will be living there and getting everything up and running! 

February 11 we are having a huge party in the street in Paragachi, celebrating the water and the house! There will be food and performances and dancing and music and and and. Life here is amazing, people are so super happy and wanting to be a part of everything, a part of enriching their community. We are here to help facilitate this growth...and when the people want it so badly it is amazing how easily things come together!

Something to be thinking and praying about, please...there is a little girl here who needs surgery on her back, she has a 90 degree curvature of her spine. The doctors here say that it is too difficult and there is too much other tissue involvement. So, we are submitting a request to Shriners in Tampa to see if they will take on her case and perform the surgery. She really needs this surgery, the scoliosis is worsening. Hopefully the doctors at Shriners will get back to us very soon and we can take her to have this surgery. 

I have been trying to update the website, though I am not so good at it, but there are some new pictures. Thank you all for being interested in where my heart is...