Day 1 Travel:
After a 3 1/2 hour plane ride and difficulty getting through customs, our team got to enjoy our first authentic Mexican food dinner at a restaurant called Cocono before a 90 minute bus ride to the hotel in Valladolid. My tacos were delicious!
Day 2 in Valladolid:
Today we woke up early and walked a mile to the Centro Medico San Lucas hospital where we organized all of our supplies and painted the property walls! There were 150+ people waiting to be evaluated by the Gynecologist and Urologist for potential surgery during week. I am excited for my team and I to hit the ground running tomorrow as patients begin to be operated on. We will also venture into different villages to offer both medical and dental care, share gifts with the children and spread the gospel!
Day 3:
Some of the team members stayed behind to help out in the hospital while the rest of us journeyed to a small village an hour from Valladolid called Mahas. We were greeted with cheering and fireworks. Our team quickly unloaded our supplies to set up a mini clinic and dental office. We saw a total of 43 patients. I personally helped with taking the patients vitals, recording chief complaints, testing blood sugar levels, urinalysis and H. Pylori tests! There were lots of children in the village. They loved participating in crafts and were very excited about the toys and clothes we brought them. So many smiles from all of us team members and the villagers. God is using us to pave a way for his glory. We are softening these villagers hearts through medical care and prayer so that they may better hear and receive the gospel.
Day 4:
Today we visited a village close to Mahas called Poop. You may think I am kidding but this is real. They even had a sign at the entrance which displayed the village name. Once again we set up our clinic, but today we served 106 people. I checked vitals and preformed H. Pylori tests. I also witnessed many teeth extractions and an abscess be drained on the underside of eye lid by an Ophthalmologist. One of the highlights of my day was getting to hold a 2 month old baby while the mother received medical care. The baby did not have a name as the villagers do not name their children until 6 months of age due to the high mortality rate. Most of the team members and I do not speak Spanish which makes communicating with the villagers difficult. Team members who could speak Spanish were greatly valued and heavily relied upon. Not being able to communicate much though words pushed me to find different ways in which I could make the villagers feel valued. I learned that language is not a barrier to being kind, genuine and loving. Hugs, hand shakes, eye contact and smiles often speak louder than words.
Day 5:
Today was very different from the rest. I shadowed and assisted in the operating rooms within the Hospital. I observed many kidney stone removals, a circumcision, abscess and hernia removal, laparoscopic hysterectomy and a vasectomy which I got to scrub in on! Being able to scrub in on a surgery and assist in the procedure was very exciting as this does not happen until the later years of medical school in the United States. The team members who went to the village provided care for 83 patients. They reported many diabetic cases. Soda is very popular in Mexico, Coca-Cola especially, which is one of the leading causes for the high number of diabetic patients. There are ads everywhere, even in the villages. Since clean water is hard to come by and bottled water is expensive the preferred drink is often soda.
Day 6:
Last day in the villages. I spent my day performing a variety of miscellaneous tasks. Some of the tasks included lifting and moving equipment, setting up projects and games for the children, helping out in the clinic and making lunch for the team members and villagers. My roommate and I made over 50 PBJs. Today I learned that doing the Lord’s work does not always mean being on the front lines. It takes a team of people working together all with different skill to accomplish a goal. Working to lift up and support others in their work can be a great way to contribute towards the team’s success. Making sure my team members were nourished and assisting in their operations makes everything more efficient therefore allowing us to reach more of God’s people. Towards the end of the day I got to use a bit of my soccer background and teach some of the children how to juggle a soccer ball. Soccer is HUGE in this country and the children love it!
Day 7:
Time to explore! Our team decided to visit Ek’ Balam where we got to climb around ancient Mayan ruins and swim in a Cenote. Cenote is the spanish word for a natural pit leading to water due to the collapsing of the ground above. These areas of Mexico are beautiful! All of us had a blast swinging from rope and dropping into the refreshing crystal blue water.
Day 8 Travel:
Back to PHX. What an honor it was to meet such Godly people and work alongside them. I believe each individual on this trip was handpicked by God and each person had so much to contribute. While worshiping the Lord through singing and prayer I received a vision from the Lord. It started with me looking up at Jesus. He then smiled and started walking forward. Behind him my team and I began to hold hands and walk together following Him. This vision was very special to me as it signified the power of walking along side one another on a mission led by Jesus. What a force to be reckoned with is a group of people on fire for the Lord.
Overall our team saw 321 patients in the mobile clinic, provided 331 prescriptions in the pharmacy and performed 36 surgeries in the hospital.
Thank you to everyone who supported me financially and/or through prayer. This trip would not have been possible without your help. I am very thankful for this opportunity, the experience it brought me and the lives we got to touch. What an honor it is to work for the Lord and be vessels from which His light and love can shine!
Here is the link to a short slideshow full of pictures and videos from the trip:
Annika's Medical Mission Trip in Valladolid, Mexico 