Day One

Well we have our first day behind us. We actually were all finished and back to the compound in time to eat supper while it was still warm. We did cleft surgery on 2 of the cutest girls ever. Oh wait they are all the cutest ever. It was a great day. A little slow to start but the first day always is. I figured if I was still laughing after the first patient was extubated before we even got started with the case it had to be a good day. The mother of one of the patients was from so deep in the jungle she didn't know how to answer where she lived. The pictures are of two of our cleft patients. The arm restraints were made and donated by my aunt. They were a big hit. The other picture is of one of our  Nicaraguan scrub techs that I tried to make into a Husker fan by giving him one of the scrub caps my Mom made. The next  couple of days look a little busier but hopefully we will get a better start. We are all safe and happy to be here.   Dean

Monday night

Our 1st day at the hospital is now complete. Walking into the hospital & being warmly welcomed by our friends was so heart warming especially for me after missing the trip last year. Tamra & I picked up where we left off 2 years ago working in the ditzel clinic, Karl had his MacGyver moments that only happen in Nicaragua, & Sue & Dean whipped the operating room into shape as only they can do. Cleft lip & palate surgeries were done as well as other ENT surgeries & will continue the rest of the week. Am sure there will be more walk ins as the week goes on which will add to the surgery schedule. There are children who have quickly become favorites with their sweet smiles & personalities. Tomorrow will be another busy day so off to bed.  Carolyn

Schedule has been started

Dr. Carstens arrived after church today so we had all of our cleft lip and palate patients in worship with us and we had them hang around afterwards for scheduling. I would say that it looks like a smaller group than previous missions but we know that is subject to change without notice. Church was inspirational as always. For any pastors that are following, service was a little over 2 hours so stop stressing if you go a little long. The picture is of our patients and their families waiting for Dr. Carstens arrival. The other is of the young man and his brother who sat next to me in  church. I hope to continue to keep you updated as the week progresses but rest is important and sometimes hard to come by.  Dean

Saturday evening.

We have completed our clinic to evaluate our patients for next week. We saw more returning patients than we have seen on any of our previous missions. It was great to see the results of our previous efforts. Most of the returning patients will have the next stage of their repairs done. We also have many new patients. One group was delayed on their journey because the bus had to wait for the road to dry from last night's rain. There apparently will be more patients trickling in as travel  conditions improve. On the road system here it doesn't take much rain to bring things to a stop. It is dinner time so more later.

We flew to Puerto Cabezas this morning & dug right in going through totes that have been stored here, trying to organize things. The totes that we brought as well as the California totes are being driven across country & will hopefully be here by morning. The California team arrived this afternoon. Tomorrow we have clinic & expect to see several hundred people, many coming long distances from remote villages in the jungle.  There will be many children with cleft lips & palates that will be scheduled for surgery next week.

We have visited the orphanage & were immediately surrounded by children who have suffered such loss & heartbreak in their short lives that we can't begin to imagine. Many love getting their pictures taken & then can't wait to see it. And they are so cute!!!

Hope all is well back home.
Carolyn

Good morning from Managua, Nicaragua!  We flew out of Omaha yesterday morning at 5:45 & arrived here @ 12:15. All flights were on time & we got through customs without problems! It was about -10 in Omaha & in the 90's here! The heat feels great!! We will be leaving here later to fly to start our week in Puerto Cabezas. Let the work begin! Please keep us in your prayers.

Nicaragua 2015

The big day is almost here!!  Our team will be leaving early (REAL early) Thurs. morning from Omaha to Houston & then on to Managua, Nicaragua.  If all things go according to plan, we should arrive in Managua around 12:30 PM.  After the brutal weather we had over the weekend, the 94 degrees forecast for Managua on Thurs. is going to feel wonderful!  Hopefully, we will get through customs without any problems.  That is always a guessing game.  Once we're through customs, we will go across the street from the airport & check in at Las Mercedes (a Best Western) and spend the rest of the day & night there.  Our totes of supplies, as well as the totes from the California team, will be hauled across country by pickup to Puerto Cabezas on the Atlantic side where we will be working. We will then fly over to Puerto Cabezas Friday morning & the work will begin!  We are so excited to return & feel so privileged that we are given the opportunity to serve the people of that region of Nicaragua.  

We will be working long days with surgery starting on Monday & continuing through Friday & our mission will end Sat.  We will try to blog as time allows & with the availability of internet service which can be unreliable.  Please pray for us & especially for the people that we will be serving.  They are the poorest of the poor &need all the love, support & prayers we can give them.  
Carolyn