I recently went on an 8-day medical missions trip to Rio Blanco, Nicaragua. Below is my final update to my supporters about the trip and what we did....
Hello Friends and Family,
I arrived safely back from Nicaragua this past Sunday night. It was a fantastic trip! God did so many wonderful things and the whole team had a terrific time.I arrived in Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, on Oct 18 and met with the other people on my team. God really answered my prayers in asking for team unity, because we all immediately clicked. There were people from all over the States - North Carolina, Los Angeles, Louisiana, Boston...but everyone shared a heart full of love for God and for the people we would serve.Sunday, we all piled into a huge school bus and and drove about 5 hours to Rio Blanco, a small city of 30,000 in central Nicaragua where we would do our clinic work. We also travelled with several Nicaraguans who were medical professionals (dentists and doctors) and our translators. We set up the clinic once we arrived in Rio Blanco in a huge unfinished cement church building. Sunday night we visited a local church, and a few of the team members shared their testimonies with the congregation.And Monday morning we started the clinic! Monday through Friday, the day's schedule was pretty much the same. People started lining up in front of the church early in the morning, and shortly after 8 am, we arrived at the clinic. I worked in triage, getting blood pressure and vital signs, asking their chief complaint, and handing out worm pills to everyone, as parasites are quite common. We also had a mobile medical unit, which was a huge RV with two rooms inside; one for laboratory tests and x-rays, and a small surgical suite where the doctors performed minor surgeries, such as lipoma and cyst removals. I got to jump in on a few procedures and one of the doctors taught me my first sutures - which was quite exciting. :)
Overall I felt the people's health was pretty good compared to some of the places I have been. We didn't see really very much malnutrition or diarrheal diseases, and nearly all the complaints had to do with musculoskeletal pain - which is not surprising, considering most of them are farm laborers or construction workers! We usually ended clinic around 5 pm and went back to the hotel for the evening after eating at a local restaurant. The food was fantastic - it was pretty much the same every day - beans, rice, feta-like cheese, and either beef or chicken; but it was sooo delicious. Our hotel was also really nice - actually had electricity, air conditioning and running water! So we were happy! Although the weather was so nice there (upper 80's, a little rainy) that we really didn't even need the A/C.
Every morning the team would meet for devotionals, and everyone took a turn giving them. It was so amazing to me how each and every person spoke on something I could relate to and apply. During the clinic, every person that came through was also given an opportunity to pray with local Nicaraguan pastors and to hear the Gospel message. Many of us also had opportunities to pray with people as well as they came through the clinic.On Friday afternoon, we wrapped up the clinic and drove back to Managua. Saturday was spent doing some sightseeing in Granada, a historical colonial city, and the surrounding area. We also went to a volcano with a rain forest on it and went zip lining through the rain forest for about an hour, which was an incredible experience! Doing it upside down is definitely the way to go. :D (see my photos for all the fun!) And then this past Sunday, I flew back to Kansas City and collapsed into my bed, grateful for such a wonderful trip.
I never actually got a "numbers count", but I believe we saw around 1500 patients during the week of clinic. Approximately 150 people prayed to receive Christ, and around 40 chose to rededicate their lives to him. I felt so refreshed after the trip and so thankful for all that was accomplished.Thank you so much for your prayers and support! You all make these trips possible, and I couldn't do it without the Body of Christ standing behind me. Below are links to some photo albums; hope you enjoy!
Faces of Nicaragua: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=79226&l=2a233&id=503720902
Nicaragua Landscape: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=79430&l=bf6bd&id=503720902
Nicaragua Team & Clinic I: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=79434&l=d4148&id=503720902
Nicaragua Team & Clinic II: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=79437&l=436d4&id=503720902
Zip-Lining Through the Rainforest: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=79440&l=4bc50&id=503720902
Granada/Last Night in Managua: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=79444&l=88197&id=503720902
God bless!Whitney Klaassen, RN
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
\ˈwän-dər\
define:Wandering
MerriamWebster.com:
Main Entry:
wan·der
Pronunciation:
\ˈwän-dər\
Etymology:
Middle English wandren, from Old English wandrian; akin to Middle High German wandern to wander, Old English windan to wind, twist
Date:
before 12th century
intransitive verb1 a: to move about without a fixed course, aim, or goal b: to go idly about : ramble2: to follow a winding course : meander3 a: to go astray (as from a course) : stray b: to go astray morally : err c: to lose normal mental contact : stray in thought transitive verb: to roam over
— wander noun
— wan·der·er \-dər-ər\ noun
synonyms wander , roam , ramble , rove , traipse , meander mean to go about from place to place usually without a plan or definite purpose. wander implies an absence of or an indifference to a fixed course. roam suggests wandering about freely and often far afield . ramble stresses carelessness and indifference to one's course or objective . rove suggests vigorous and sometimes purposeful roaming . traipse implies a course that is erratic but may sometimes be purposeful . meander implies a winding or intricate course suggestive of aimless or listless wandering .
I have wandered into the idea of writing my life - my psyche, inner thoughts, the life that sometimes exists quite apart from the outer world - writing it down, in hopes that it may resonate with someone else. Oftentimes I hear my friends moan about not having a "life companion", someone to share themselves with completely, openly, honestly. I feel that way myself as well. All of these ideas, moments in my life where suddenly my mind steps back and I see myself as someone totally foreign, bent over a crying child in the hospital or sitting at a cafe table or being struck by the exhausted beauty of a sleeping traveller's face on an airplane. The constant monologue in my head that chews over the same ideas constantly, my experiences in life refining these ideas, taking away that word, adding this angle.
Starting a blog - one that really reflects the writer, not just allowing them to project the person they wish to be - means becoming vulnerable to complete strangers. Or vulnerable to friends who think they know you, then are surprised when they stumble across your writings on a random Google search.
Who am I? I am a simple follower of the Way of Jesus; a woman; a daughter, sister; a nomadic traveller with a bad case of wanderlust; a competent, compassionate nurse. And perhaps I will become something more, or will discover I am something more through this adventure. Even if it is months until someone reads my posts, and months more til someone writes back, saying they have had a similar experience or emotion - maybe this will allow me to become more fully me.
So here's a toast, smashing the champagne bottle against the steamship's side as it heads out to sea, followed by cheers and hurrahs; here's to the journey, the new destinations, wherever my wanderings may take me.
MerriamWebster.com:
Main Entry:
wan·der
Pronunciation:
\ˈwän-dər\
Etymology:
Middle English wandren, from Old English wandrian; akin to Middle High German wandern to wander, Old English windan to wind, twist
Date:
before 12th century
intransitive verb1 a: to move about without a fixed course, aim, or goal b: to go idly about : ramble
— wander noun
— wan·der·er \-dər-ər\ noun
synonyms wander , roam , ramble , rove , traipse , meander mean to go about from place to place usually without a plan or definite purpose. wander implies an absence of or an indifference to a fixed course
I have wandered into the idea of writing my life - my psyche, inner thoughts, the life that sometimes exists quite apart from the outer world - writing it down, in hopes that it may resonate with someone else. Oftentimes I hear my friends moan about not having a "life companion", someone to share themselves with completely, openly, honestly. I feel that way myself as well. All of these ideas, moments in my life where suddenly my mind steps back and I see myself as someone totally foreign, bent over a crying child in the hospital or sitting at a cafe table or being struck by the exhausted beauty of a sleeping traveller's face on an airplane. The constant monologue in my head that chews over the same ideas constantly, my experiences in life refining these ideas, taking away that word, adding this angle.
Starting a blog - one that really reflects the writer, not just allowing them to project the person they wish to be - means becoming vulnerable to complete strangers. Or vulnerable to friends who think they know you, then are surprised when they stumble across your writings on a random Google search.
Who am I? I am a simple follower of the Way of Jesus; a woman; a daughter, sister; a nomadic traveller with a bad case of wanderlust; a competent, compassionate nurse. And perhaps I will become something more, or will discover I am something more through this adventure. Even if it is months until someone reads my posts, and months more til someone writes back, saying they have had a similar experience or emotion - maybe this will allow me to become more fully me.
So here's a toast, smashing the champagne bottle against the steamship's side as it heads out to sea, followed by cheers and hurrahs; here's to the journey, the new destinations, wherever my wanderings may take me.
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