CARAVANA MEDICA, FEB, 2019

Well, the team has left, and though there is calm, and relief, and time to rest....there is a giant hole.  Where a vibrant, loving group has been.  It is our designated purpose for being here.  So with the end of the 2 week event there is sadness.  But as we de brief and share the small moments and the big ones, we all take away something different.  As our eyes are opened to needs, to joys, to poverty, to the grateful and humble Tzeltal people, we hope that this flame will continue to be ignited at home, to serve other people, in so many different ways.
We served 1500 patients during our two weeks!   It was a challenge most days, but more so because many of us team members got sick!  Some came with the upper respiratory illness, and then one by one it affected all but 2 of us!  We dropped like flies.  High fevers, chills, deep, productive coughs, sore throats and laryngitis.  It took most of us 2 or 3 full days of dead sleep, and starting antibiotics to recover enough to be useful.

Dr. Bill injecting a pts wrist

A very poor family with a lot of medical issues

A lady from OxChuc

Carolina and a cute family. 

Where did this shirt come from?? 

Off to work we go!  This was the day the tall stack of loaded orange crates collided with our truck... 

Mary prays with patients 

And now...Green Bay Packers??

Carolyn and a sweet lady 

Same age as grand daughter, Keaton. But she quit school in 4 th grade..

Happy toddler with a new toothbrush 

Carolyn and Mary work together. Mary is 82, does leaps arounnd all of us, speaks Tzeltal and about 30 other languages.  She walked the farthest, was up the earliest, said beautiful prayers, and never got sick! 

My little adopted kids next door to clinic 

The patients came from farther away than usual, mostly due to our Christian radio station, Radio Maya.  It broadcasts pretty far into the mountains, and the sweet faithful people love listening to Pastor Pablo and Sebastian and others preach, and do Bible studies.  There are health talks and Christian music.  Our Dr. Bill went on air and talked about what the Bible says about health and taking care of ourselves.  The announcements of the Caravana are made on the radio.
Most patients came from hours away, leaving home in the middle of the night to arrive by 3 in the morning to get a place in line for that day.  Almost all pts. this time were Tzeltal speakers, no Spanish.  Many were there for the very first time, very first medical exam.  There were many serious conditions.  We prayed with every patient . No one turned us down.  Many left our rooms in tears, for the compassion, the treatment, the listening ear.  It is a hard life here.
And it is hard for us not to be changed ourselves....