Drinking Water From a Fire Hydrant

For some, Saturday can be a day full of relaxation. For us, it was our first official clinic day. Being someone who has never been on a medical mission trip, I've been trying to imagine how our team would function in this environment. In the US, when we need to see a doctor and don't have an appointment, we go to the clinic/hospital, check in at the admission desk, and wait for our name to be called. Part of me was expecting this same level of structure... but that definitely wasn't the case. In one of our preparation meetings, Dr. Steve mentioned that the first day of clinic is going to feel like "drinking water from a fire hydrant." He wasn't kidding.

By the time we got to the clinic at around 9:00am, there were people waiting outside the gate. Many were smiling and you could tell they were looking forward to our arrival. By 10:00am, our clinic doors officially opened and it was CRAZY! The beauty of it was everyone was still smiling... from the soon-to-be patients to the overwhelmed team members. The Lord definitely saw us and helped guide us through the day.

Observations from day one...

… We saw over 200 people today! Praise God!

… The first stop for everyone was triage (check-in) and as soon as our gate opened, the desk was swarmed with people. Those who manned this area throughout the day did an EXCELLENT job greeting everyone and setting the tone for the service they would receive from us.

The triage/check-in desk. You can't really see it from the photo
on top because of how many people are wrapped around the table.

  

... Even though the people were split up over the various clinic areas, they were directed to go pick up vitamins/medication after their treatment so our pharmacy saw everyone. Albeit overwhelming and demanding, the Pharmacy ROCKED!

The pharmacy door is actually to the left of the red circular sign.
There were so many people crowded around the pharmacy,
many of us had a difficult time entering and exiting this area.

... Dental and Optical were two very popular areas with lines of people waiting for treatment.

... Dr. Andy wins the prize for having his area open the longest. We shut the gates at 3:30pm and his area finally wrapped up at 5:30pm.

… At some point in the process, we provided the opportunity to get a family photo taken. Who would think something as simple as a photo would mean so much to the people visiting the clinic. Many would walk around and show friends their picture, their face beaming with joy!

Toward the end of the day, I had a particularly interesting conversation with one of the local translators. He was asking why we, as Americans, would ever consider coming to a country like Colombia and use our vacation time to run a clinic. “Why not be like most people and take a vacation so you can relax and have fun?” he said. I had to explain to him that while we are Americans, we are also Christians who are called to SERVE. The Lord guides us throughout our lives and it is through Him we find our strength and commitment to help those who cannot help themselves.

Prayer Requests

• That our time tomorrow in the three local churches is uplifting
• For the team to get some much-needed rest
• For those who we may not be able to serve; that they know we still care for them and the Lord loves them
• For the Colombian people to continue to have open hearts