Last day of camps!

It's Thursday the 26th and this will be our last medical camp of the 2017 trip!

Thankfully, we didn't have very far to travel this morning! (We got at least an extra hour of sleep;)

One of the local doctors assisted today. Together he and Jesse were able to translate and treat many patients. The local doctor's comment for each patient was a a faith-filled, 'only God can heal this person'.

Keri teamed up with Craig and together they screened many patients! 

Here are a few shots from the day. Over in the pharmacy... in the photo below you notice some women in Muslim dress

 

 

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Saying goodbye to our little helpers for the day;) 

 

As well as our young adult helpers!! Thank you!!

 

All packed up and walking back, the end of camps for this trip!

Final thoughts...

As it was my first trip to India, I'm still soaking in all that happened and all I saw! I know that my fellow team mates experienced special moments during this trip that have deeply impacted them. Being able to see the fruit of previous team trips and how wonderfully God has been moving I know is very encouraging and humbling as we surrendered  our hands and feet to the Lord to use as He pleased!

It is fitting now to introduce you to Moley. So, this is Moley entertaining us before dinner with some Gospel centered magic tricks;)

 

As a child, Moley was sponsored by Dan and his family through Compassion Int'. Though they have had multiple opportunities to communicate by letter and skype this was their first chance to meet in person! An amazing story of how God provided for Moley through this father - son relationship! Moley bought a birthday cake for Dan at our last dinner together, such a sweet moment to share with them as we all sang Happy Birthday to Dan!

 

So, thank you team! And praise the Lord for a safe and successful trip! 

Please make sure to talk to your loved one or friend who went on this amazing trip to find out more about what God is accomplishing in India! 

"Jay-ma-sih-ki"!

Fifth camp day!

Our fifth camp, Wednesday the 25th, started with a 5 hour bus ride into the mountains! We left at 6am and ate breakfast on the way, the bumpiest ride ever! I've been on a jeep tour on the trails of Arizona and this ride definitely won out! I'm actually surprised the bus could withstand the jolting. It was God's kindness to bring us back safely! We have a brave team, if you were one to get motion sickness and still voluntarily got on the bus - you're a hero! Thinking that sitting in the front seat next to the driver would be less upsetting to the stomach, Jesse rode the return trip up in front. It was later learned that the driver regularly responded with an "ooh" or " aahyaa" as our bus passed mopeds and other vehicles by just centimeters on the road - so we thought the driver was just a super confident motorist, deftly maneuvering the roadway, but in actuality he was as freaked out as we were!

On the way we saw... 

 

 

 

We did safely make it to the camp and set up for the day. This location was more remote than previous camps. However, lots of people seemed to have satellite dishes!? Yes, that's right, DirecTV!! Makes one wonder what's the most popular channel? There was quiet a bit of trash on the sides of the road and actually surrounded the area being used for the check-in and pharmacy. They placed cardboard on the ground for us as a floor covering.

 

This pregnant goat was enjoying her fill!

 

The lady on the left is not pregnant, she has a large tumor in her abdomin; sadly, we were not able to offer her any assistance. 

 

Someone allowed us into their home to use the bathroom, first we passed the kitchen... potatoes in the pink basket.

 

... and here is the bathroom!! "squaty potty"!!

 

This group of 5 older ladies traveled to each station together, waiting until they had all completed their evaluations before moving to the next area together, "best friends"!!

We were also able to rejoice with the local people here as they celebrated some special moments. Please pray for them to grow in God's grace!!

One more camp to go!

Fourth camp day

It's Tuesday the 24th! We are headed to our fourth camp of the trip! 

However, the day before we had some time to explore. The city we're in now is larger than the previous one we stayed in; it's much more of a metropolis;) There aren't as many roaming animals directly on the street but once you pass through into the rural areas, sure enough...

 

... a pig and some cows!

Just a few differences in the culture here in general might be the building construction techniques... 

 

... note the bamboo scaffolding!

And maybe they're motorbike safety is a little different too...

 

... yes, they were in motion on the road when this was taken!

We were able to stop at a mall for about an hour. A little KFC hit the spot; a few people tried the the new Nashville style chicken! There was a also a beach stop for a few sunset photos.

 

Ok family and friends, these are the moments you've been in prayer for! As for camp today... we had two separate stops, one in the morning and one for the afternoon. 

We served 250 children and adults today. Praise God! There is so so much to tell, but here are a few highlights!

 

Lots of people passed through our tents! 

 

Some cute little faces watching us in the pharmacy! It was like a little daycare room behind us, they were so good though, they got curious and peeked out for a minute.

 

Some of they ladies that live nearby,  were also watching to see what was going on;)

 

Some chiropractic care on thatched cots;)

 

One of our visitors:)

Part two of our day.

 

 

Dental care at its finest! And... open wide for a needle!!

 

Just one of our satisfied little pediatric patients! Not sure what was going on in that corner today but I heard quite a few children expressing themselves;)

 

And somewhere along our journeys by the road you'll see something similar to this.

 

Oppressive idol worship. 

Please keep praying! Only two more camp days left!!

Day three of camp:)

Well, this was the third and last day (Saturday the 21st) of camp this week before we travel once again, making our way to our next destination.

We had a small crowd at first. By the afternoon it was really busy! Always amazed at the various colorful outfits that the women are wearing. You'll never see the same patterns or fabrics twice! (Photo cred. to Jimmy, our resident lab technician)

 

 

Our very own haystack ⬆️!! Thankfully, no roaming cattle came to munch while we were there.

Today we saw a few of the more serious cases of health needs than the previous two days. There was one case where a 14 year old girl carried her 6 year old sister to the camp to be seen by the doctors. The little one had been run over by a car two years ago and has been unable to walk since. Complications rising from her paralysis led to her need for treatment. As the little one was being treated, her sister was given instructions how to continue to care for her. It was very heart breaking, however provided a great opportunity for the local pastors to pray over the sisters. It was  humbling to see the love the older girl had for her younger sister as she held her hand the whole time and then once the treatment was completed, lifted her and wrapped her in her own shaw. She was very grateful for the help and had a big smile.

 

And with that, the last day of camp was completed and supplies were packed up. The men of the local churches were excellent at providing our set up for the camps as well as helping to organize the people coming to the camp, keeping the flow of people moving and all the help interpreting! They also provided an excellent lunch each day! I know there was a lot of preparation put into these three days prior to this week! Thank you!

What a joy it was to serve the Lord in India with our brothers and sisters in Christ! May the Lord grow the opportunities of the local pastors to reach out to these people and share the Gospel as they follow up with many of them in the next several weeks and months! 

 

On the morning of Sunday the 22nd a short run around the lake provided an opportunity to get some good shots of the people doing their laundry in the lake behind our hotel. There are fish in there too! Yesterday evening a couple of young boys were soaping up on the steps and jumping in to rinse off and a dog taking a swim across the lake - his evening exercise! (Photo cred. to Craig)

 

 

 

Day two of camps!!

Wow! God is good! After a two hour bumpy ride to the village we would be working in for the day, we were graciously greeted by a sort of parade! The young girls sang and danced for us, the elders greeted us, the small children were all lined up wearing their school uniforms and we were each given a lei. What a very humbling experience! 

Another wonderful blessing was the way the tents have been set up for the team. Each of the serving units had their own "room" which were numbered and labeled; provided with tables with table cloths!! and chairs for those waiting their turn. AND, there was a tent "roof", keeping the sun at bay!

 

The camp served 325 people in the short time we were there. We even served our driver, it was a little surprise to see him in the pharmacy line! We made sure he got what he wanted - he had to drive us home after all;)

 

 

 

 

 

Then the drive home in the dark;)

The best part of this day was ending it singing worship songs together at the hotel! How amazing is it to be singing Blessed Be Your Name in India!

Day one camp.

Day one of the medical camp is completed!! We were late getting to the camp and getting set up as the driver who was to pick us up was in an accident. (He's fine.) Driving in India is something of an artful dance of large work trucks, mopeds, cars, pedestrians and bicyclists weaving and zipping around amidst a chorus of horns and beeps! Oh, I forgot that there are the occasional goats, cows and dogs sharing the road too! This in no way completely describes everything that's going on; we're all bouncing in the van with exclamations of, Whoa! Did you see how close that was! 


 

We quickly set up the pharmacy. Jessey led the charge! The meds were sorted and labeled and sorted again and sorted again as we had more time to make the process efficient.

 

Then the people began to arrive and everyone got to work!!

 

Triage with Lisa and Keri!

 

Station one with Jesse and Craig.

 

 

Station two with Kevin;)

Station three with Dan and Mike.

 

Station four with Barry.

 

And last in line, the pharmacy... with Steve, Jessey, Debbie and Tracie.

 

 

 

This man was 90 years old, Craig inreviews him at his bed.

 

A lady and her husband.