Glimpsing into Esperanza de Nicaragua

How can I explain being in a world where people are the only things that matter? I’ve never gone to pray at night and felt so full of joy as I did during the time I spent in Nicaragua last week.

The lessons I learned in San Rafael del Norte ranged from how to chart anesthesia, which landmarks to watch for while performing intubation, all the way to why it is so dangerous for a gall stone to be fixed in the common bile duct. But they were also lessons about how happiness comes through service, how sacred the body is, and how profoundly the Atonement reaches into the depths of human life even in a remote corner of the semi-tropics.

Here are some of the images that I feel really captured the essence of what it meant to be a part of Esperanca’s medical mission to Jinotega and San Rafael del Norte in July 2010.

Clínica Nazareth, San Rafael del Norte, Jinotega, Nicaragua.

Built by an Italian family for the community and discovered by Grandpa and Uncle Mark last year. Families of the patients would sit in the red chairs lining the atrium for hours and even days.

The drive from Jinotega to San Rafael del Norte takes about 30 minutes, along twisting mountain roads frequented by kids walking to school, men walking to work in long rubber boots, cattle, horses, stray dogs, and donkeys transporting milk. The drives were usually spent bugging our driver, Herman, into teaching us all sorts of Nicaraguan vocabulary.

"Los doctores" y "Maestros de los maestros"- Grandpa and Uncle Mark are also known as "el guapo" and "el inteligente", respectively. They are seamless in their work together and are well-respected and trusted by the people.

While Uncle Mark said DeeDee and I were to be the "go-fers", we were really spoiled by hours of of observation and by being taught hands-on and eyes-on about anatomy, physiology, and their application in anesthesiology and surgery. We also got pretty good at identifying the different types of sutures! :)

Priceless for a future Speech-Language Pathologist, Grandpa's intubations provided rare opportunities to clearly visualize the vocal folds.

On the last day of operations, this woman appeared with mammograms that clearly indicated she had a breast mass. Uncle Mark confirmed the diagnosis, and she bravely agreed to have the operation done that same day. She also allowed each of us girls to palpate the breast so that our ability to self-detect would be more accurate. This photo was taken after she had only been out of surgery for a couple of hours. She snuck out of her bed in the recovery room to try to sneak a photo of the doctors with her cell phone. She was so grateful, and was one of my favorite patients.

The Nicaraguans who make it all happen: Carmen (head nurse), Conni the laundry woman, and Luis (organizer with the local volunteer program, Avodec). All of them love to joke with Grandpa and Uncle Mark- incessantly! And of course, the humor goes both ways!

The team: (minus Carmen, Luisa, Carla and Bilma) Lara (American volunteer with Avodec), Julio (Nurse Anesthetist), Milton (Instrumentist and Scrub Nurse), Maren Wilson and DeeDee Hancock (Go-fers exceptionale), Grandpa Max Kartchner (Anesthesiologist), Luis (Avodec Organizer), Uncle Mark Kartchner (Surgeon), Unknown Woman who was warmly accepted into the group photo!

Here are some shots of the team at work:

Case of the Week: Axillary Lipoma (Before, During, and After Surgery)

Talk about a grateful smile- having no teeth didn't stop him! He was hopping out of bed the day after surgery- his main concern was getting back to his viejecita!

What most impressed me was the happiness the people found in simple living, faith, and heartfelt appreciation.

A mother of one of our patients approached Uncle Mark in a really spiritual moment to express her gratitude to "los doctores" and the rest of the team. It always amazed us to see how quickly the patients and their families were smiling and giving their thanks, expressing their gratitude and trust.

Other memorable parts of the trip:

Riding First-Class! Thanks, Uncle Mark... and all the seven bags that made this the better way to go!

Waiting in Managua- Grandpa and Uncle Mark's approach to conquering culture shock- NAPS!

Couch fabric as upholstery in the taxi car of "Pies de Plomo" (aka. David). Bring on the Raggaeton!

Overcoming my weak stomach! Only two colesistectomias into the week!

Young love- language is no barrier! Not really a true romance, but Milton sure did like teaching DeeDee how to be an instrumentist.

Seeing anomalies such as pectus excavatum.

Las calles

El campo

Spending all of our time with Grandpa and Uncle Mark. They were great free entertainment, and we were a great captive audience! It was a perfect relationship!

Twenty-six stones in one gallbladder... not to compare with 135 in another.

Anesthesia team extraordinaire! Grandpa and Julio- we loved Julio's great sense of humor!

El Hotel Cafe- a luxurious stay.

Morning "sidewalk consultations", many a day thanks to Carmen!

Resting at the end of a hard day's work!

Textbook anatomy! (Inguinal hernia repair)

Milton's admiration for los doctores.

Humidity!

Achieving the seemingly unachievable.

Bilma, our matronly figure. Her eyes said it all. She was also a "top notch" scrub nurse, per Uncle Mark.

Finding out that Grandpa is a regular Frank Sinatra and being stumped every time by his literal translation of English idioms into Spanish. But they were inevitably hilarious!

The last, and very grateful!, beneficiary of Grandpa and Uncle Mark's chocolate stash!

Saying goodbye.

I will always be grateful for this ultimate gift.

Being a part of Mormon.org

A few weeks ago I ventured onto the LDS church's website for investigators of our faith. I was surprised to find that when I did so, I was greeted by a picture of a smiling woman and the statement, "I am a Mormon". It didn't take long to realize that once again, the church had found a new beautiful way to share the gospel through the internet. Each member of the church can now share a little about themselves, how they found the Gospel, and why they believe it is true, with millions of people worldwide.

Last night, I filled out a profile for the website. I am so excited to share my testimony this way! But I am also excited about the opportunity I have now to read about the little miracles in thousands of others' lives. Today, for instance, I found Alex Boye's picture greeting me. For those who don't know him, he is one of the ever-smiling men in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. His music is found on one of the most inspirational CDs I have ever found, called "Reflections of Christ". I hope that people everywhere will discover mormon.org and be uplifted, even members of the church. If you join in, I will be anxiously waiting to read your story as well.

Today, I read something Elder Ballard shared in the Dominican Republic. He said that the Savior is always one step ahead of us in the missionary work. I am going to choose to believe that more certainly, starting NOW.

Gratitude

This summer I have been given the opportunity to teach the four-year-olds (all 8-12 of them!) at church every Sunday. The lessons outlined are very simple, filled with tricks for teaching that I've been taught in my major, and certainly intended for small children. Yet, every week, I find myself in need of those simple lessons. This week and last week, the principle being taught was gratitude. Realizing how deeply this principle has affected my life and how deeply connected gratitude and happiness are, I set out to learn a little more about being grateful.

There were many treasures I encountered, but this is my favorite quote of all, from Bonnie D. Parkin in her October 2007 General Conference address, entitled "Gratitude: A Path to Happiness":

"Gratitude opens our minds to a universe permeated with the richness of a living God."

Another talk which helped me to realize how gratitude helps me feel the love of God was President Henry B. Eyring's address "O Remember, Remember" from November of that same year. There is so much richness in my life. Sometimes, I am completely lost as to how to express its depth in my heart.