Hola Amigos!
Well, I am back in the saddle again! Literally! Nicaragua welcomed me back with the scorching heat, radiant smiles, willing hearts, and happy children. As I arrived on April 24th to find all my friends and new family of Nicaragua doing well in spirit and health. After 3 weeks, I could honestly write enough to fill a book but I know you guys will not read it..ha! Ok...Gosh...where to start.
The second day back at camp, I started meeting with two of the girls for the exercise womens Nica' club. We agreed to meet every morning at 5 am Mon-Friday. What started as two lead to today....over 8 women showed up. They are loving the tennis shoes that were donated from the Running Zone in Florida. They have me bewildered how excited they are to learn new exercises and to have that time to spend together in the mornings. I pray that this year God uses this to draw us all close and that we can build strong relationships. Besides meeting with them, art classes and working at the church (Nicaragua Club Zion) is back in motion. Meeting Sundays day and night, Monday nights, Wednesday nights, Fridays, and Saturday nights. I have a few up and coming new lil' artist that are coming over during the day once a week to work with me privately. I am excited to show you soon their first oil paintings. A few women who are in financial dire need to provide food for their families are going to be working with me tomorrow to start making jewelry to sell to the tourist to provide some sort of income. I owe a big huge thanks for the blessing that Sheena and Ben of Bethel Temples of CA group left to these people. Stocking us up with Rash guards for the kids to surf in, beads/jewelry kits, and paint. You guys have no idea how much this meant to me and these people! We look forward to you visiting again.
Yes, you are probably wondering...what has happened crazy to Dawn yet? Well...physically I am doing awesome, spiritually amazing, and all around great! I did experience some traumatic events these past few weeks at the local medical clinic. The first accident happened as Kim and I were heading back from taking some local kids to lunch. We pulled her landcruiser around the corner of the pot -holed filled road to see a small pick up truck in the middle of the road with about 15 uniformed school kids standing around two bodies. We new right away...this wasn't good! The next moments were a blur Kim and I jumped out found the boy and girl who were the bodies on the road and started helping the situation. I first went to the boy and he was coherent and in a lot of pain...a broken arm and possible leg. I got to guys to position him against a tree as I ran over to Kim who had the girl who was out cold in her lap. As we started praying I started frantically asking what had happened. They were all piled into the back of the pick up truck (all 15 which is totally common here) and they must of hit a bump and two fell out. The girl laid there for what seemed like 20 minutes but was only a few minutes and we prayed...Kim layed her hands on her head and checked her pulse...she was alive, and all of a sudden opened up her eyes and started a silent cry...the kind of cry that is made only when you are in so much pain you can't utter noise. A friend had just arrived from surfing on the road and we slowly piled the two kids into the truck as we sped off to Rancho Santana Clinic. It was all a blur, I stayed with the girl in the one room medical facility for 4 hours as they at first said she had to go to Managua's hospital b/c her blood pressure was sky rocketing and could mean severe head trauma....we waited and every 30 min it slowly declined. They kids both ended up leaving as Kim paid their medical bills and they got doctored up. Other than a few broken and bruised bodies...they were ok...they were alive...and thank God. I was exhausted. The next week I was in the middle of one of my Sunday school Sunday night lessons when one of my lil' gals Junette started crying...I looked in her sobbing eyes as she showed me her big toe. It had an abscess the size of an egg. She was in so much pain. I carried her home and informed her mother that I wanted to pick her up in the morning to take her to the clinic. That night my good friend Jodi Hudy from the Outer Banks NC arrived and she got to experience the clinic the next day with me. After a night of not sleeping due to Jodi getting attacked by a 3 1/2 inch scorpion at 1:30 am...we were both probably pretty exhausted, and we were welcoming Jodi here full on Nica style. We arrived to pick up Junette at her house and found that her brother another one of my art students was experiencing blood clots and infections in his nose and infections all over his arms and legs, so we all headed out. I watched with horror as they had to cut into Junette without any pain killer or novicane and squeeze her abscess. She grabbed my arms and cried out so loud that the nurse and I both started crying and I held on and tried to comfort her...I then realized how my heart was going to ache for my own children one day...after two hours of doctoring the two kids. I told them how proud I was of their bravery and we headed out to the local pulperia where Jodi blessed their family with a few weeks worth of groceries and I gave them each 10 cordobas which they excitingly bought their own soda with. I tell you one thing after this experience...these people have to be tough here...the medical resources and pain killers and exams we have...are completely different here...it's hard core. I was frustrated with life when I arrived back in my room....realizing how much I had...how much more comfort I had growing up..being able to get help when I was hurt...simple things. Then I looked up on my walls in the room and saw the photos I had pasted of all the children's smiling faces.. all their laughters I heard in my ears helped me see that this was all relative. They were happy and I was here to encourage....encourage more of these smiles daily...encourage God's love to shine more on their lives...and just to be there...here...Nicaragua....God I love it here!
I have a lot more to say...and it all seems to be important..but this letter must end. I am happy..all is good....the kids....the horse..the classes...todo (all). I look forward to your emails .
Love Dawn
No comments:
Post a Comment