Day Four - How Do Sick People Get Well on this Much Food?

July 30th 2013

When I was a kid, my grandmother used to say "Starve a cold, feed a fever." I don't know whether or not that was good advice, but I can tell you this, I don't know how people, especially children, who are not healthy to begin with because of lack of nutrition, get well when they get sick and are eating on a dollar's worth of food a day. I feel terrible - not because of the amount of food I am eating but because of this virus I have picked up. It laid me flat for two days and even today, working was a struggle. I was healthy and well-nourished when I got sick so I don't think my eating less is causing me to stay sick longer, but it definitely has challenged my energy level - trying to function and get well at the same time takes energy and I would think at least adequate nutrition. I am getting adequate nutrition for a short term fast. I have the luxury of actually choosing brown rice with far more nutrients than the nutrient depleted white stuff that most of the poor in the Philippines eat and I'm eating beans that are high in protein. And this is a short term fast - it will end.What do you do when you can't choose nutritious food, even in limited quantities? What do you do when the "fast" has no end? I know this is short term and so its tolerable and I have plenty of clean water with which to flush my system - my body will do its work - but what if I didn't have plenty of clean water and my body was already worn down from just fighting to survive each day? When there are no reserves from which to draw?

Struggling Through Day 2

July 28th 2013

Yesterday was a tough day. I have been traveling a lot and woke up yesterday with what felt like flu symptoms with diarrhea. Not fun! I had the luxury of staying in bed all day and drinking lots of clean water to stay hydrated - I don't have to buy clean water. I can get it out of any public or house faucet. It made me stop and think about those in the Philippines who have the choice of drinking non-potable water or having to buy it - thus reducing what they have available for purchasing food and other things. I also thought about the fact that I can go to a pharmacy and buy something to help with my flu symptoms and the diarrhea - which I did. I also did not need to be on the street selling products or otherwise trying to earn today's income so that I and my family could eat - I actually get a day off and a paid sick day if needed. I wept (yes, probably partly because I felt bad, but also because of the realization of the great privilege in which I live and how much I take it for granted.) Thank you to all of you who are praying with me. I am a little better today. The diarrhea has stopped. I still have a bad head cold and cough but I have enough and time again today to rest and clean water with which to stay hydrated. Thanks be to God!

What does $1 a day look like?

July 27th 2013

I went shopping last night for a week's worth of food for $6 - that was a challenge. I can't imagine how families with only $1 a day to spend per person figure out what to buy. Here is what I will be eating for $0.99 a day this week: 1 cup of cooked brown rice three times a day, 1/2 cup cooked black beans three times a day, 6 cherry tomatoes and 1/2 cup of mixed greens three times a day - that gives me protein, carbohydrates, some vitamin C and some leafy greens. I still have to figure out how to get some calcium. (I bought bulk rice and beans which cut down on the cost and bought mixed greens and tomatoes that were getting close to going bad so they were marked down for quick sale. Here is the breakdown of costs per day:

3 cups cooked rice: $.018
1.5 cups cooked black beans: $.018
6 cherry tomatoes: $0.34
1.5 cups mixed greens: $0.29
Total: $0.99 per day

Launch of the Filipino Points of Light Campaign

July 26th 2013

Today we are launching the ‪#‎Filipinopointsoflightcampiagn‬, to raise much needed funds for the communities we work with in the Philippines. Pastor Diane McGehee, our Executive Director will live off $1 dollar a day eating only rice, beans, vegetables, fruit and water. This is the amount on which many of the Filipino poor live each day. She will do this for 30 days with one feast day a week, July 26 - August 28, 2013. Together in Hope is looking for 1000 Filipinos living in the United States who will each donate $50 between now and September 1, 2013 to help their brothers and sisters living in poverty in Bulacan, Bicol, Rizal, and Obando Philippines. You can donate online here: http://togetherinhope.org/Corporate_Sponsorship.html Follow her journey at: http://tihpointsoflightcampaign.blogspot.com/. We will be posting Diane's blog [posts each day to keep up to date with her journey.

Day One - Eating on A Dollar A Day

'It's Friday morning, July 26, 2013. I have to admit that I enter this fast with some degree of trepidation: Can I do it and stay healthy? Can I do it and maintain the exercise routine that I need to maintain to be ready to run the Tyler Rose Run Half or Full Marathon in October to help raise money for free immigration clinics? Do I have the discipline to do it? What do I do when I am asked out to eat for a business lunch or other important meeting? How do I explain without offending people or seeming puffed up? And finally, will it make any difference? Will people give? Will they care? As I struggled with all of those questions this morning, I was reminded by the Spirit, that this is God's work, not mine. I offer it as a prayer that I and all of us will learn to live more simply and as faithful stewards of the incredible abundance which is ours as Americans, so that all of God's children throughout the world can live with sufficiency and thrive as God intended for all people and creatures of the earth. And so I begin, trusting that my efforts will not be in vain and will in fact make a difference, starting with making a difference in me. I invite you to pray with me and give, if you can. Diane (or as my friends and family in the Philippines call me), "Pastor Di"'

Together in Hope returned safe from El Salvador

The Together in Hope team arrived home safe from El Salvador on Saturday, it's hard to believe that the week went by so fast! It feels like only yesterday we were trying to put the team together, now it's all over. We could not have asked for a better or more dedicated bunch of folks, every single person gave 110% to the mission both the medical staff and the volunteers. We saw over 700 patients including the children who got their teeth cleaned by Rosa our dental hygienist! What an amazing number!! We couldn't be happier and either could the community of Alta Mira Flores community.

The last day is always the hardest yet the most fun. At the school, the children painted the last of the canvases and played food bingo learning about the different healthy foods.After bingo and painting each of the classes got a pinatas as a surprise! It was so much fun watching the kids try knock down the pinata and then run to get the candy!

The children surprised the team with a beautiful song and dance as a thank you! We all said our goodbyes which is always very difficult, as the kids tell you they don't want you to leave and when will you come back. For most of us, we don't have the answers but promise the kids we will see them soon. 

At the clinic, things were moving fast as it was the last day for patients to get free medical care and treatment! While we were cleaning up and packing our medicine away, a family from the previous day came in looking for treatment for the husband. The doctors said it was no problem to see one last patient. It turned oyut he was our oldest patient of the week- 103!! Here he is with his wife and their youngest son! It was pretty exciting for Dr Ward as he is a pediatrician and he was his oldest patient ever! Not abd end to a wonderful week!

 

We really cannot thank everyone who made this trip possible enough! You guys have made such a difference in the lives of  over 700 people, how incredible is that. As for our team, I am speechless, you guys rocked! You did amazing work and we are so honored to have worked with you all. We hope you will return to El Salvador so we can continue this great work! From the bottom of our hearts, thank you, thank you, thank you <3

Medical Mission Day 4

Wow what a day! We started the day a little different today...we forgot to mention that one of our medical students, Ellen is a zumba instructor. As soon as the teachers learned she was an instructor, they asked us would she do a class with the kids, so we picked today as the day. We started with the three younger classes, the kids were a little apprehensive at first but after a couple of minutes they were all dancing and trying to be the best. They absolutely loved it, the team didn't seem to mind it either...can you spot a few doctors in the picture?

After Zumba, the children started painting canvases, Steve had this fantastic idea of getting the children to paint a canvas and then auctioning them off back home (keep an eye out). Of course, nobody knew what to expect but they are all amazing, from the youngest class to the oldest. Each class was allowed paint two canvases each and all had to come up with their own ideas of what to paint. For the younger classes Steve and Sarah had already painted the bark of the tree so they had to decide on what to paint for the rest of the picture, they came up with some amazing ideas! I would show you the pictures but I think you should wait for the auction :)

At the clinic, the doctors continued doing great work and saw over 80 patients today! The Together in Hope staff cannot believe the amazing work of the medical students, they are working so hard and learning so much each day. If it wasn't for them we may have only seen half the patients, as for our amazing translators and staff at the pharmacy, they are incredible!!!!! This trip would not be doing as well without them! Thank you so much to everyone on the team, you guys (if you read this) are amazing!!

Medical Mission Day 2 and 3

Wow! What a great couple of days, the trip just keeps getting better and better! The doctors have seen almost 200 patients over the last two days, over 30 children have gotten their teeth cleaned and around 60 children have gotten physicals at the school. That means that almost 300 people have received health support in some shape or form. I think by the end of the week, we will see a much higher number and a lot more people will benefit from the service.

We asked the team to share some of their personal stories today and give us some feedback about their experiences in the community. Patti was working with some of the children at the clinic who were waiting for their mothers/fathers doing some basic art and exercises. All of a sudden as we were wrapping up for the day, a mother came over and gave her a picture. She thought the child had drawn it, but it was actually a picture the mother had drawn with the words of a simple blessing to thank her for taking time with the children and doing some art with them. Diane (who has been working with the children all week at the clinic) reflected how the children get so excited about something so simple as a page and some colors. For most, they have never had their own. Diane has asked the children to draw their houses and write what they want to bee when they grow up, most say a doctor, a footballer, a nurse or a teacher. It is great to see all their dreams and ideas and we can only hope that true Together in Hope we can make them come through!

                                       

Today (Wednesday) to give the team a break from work, we surprised them and brought them to the Salvadorean Symphony. Many of the volunteers struggled with the idea of us working in such a marginalized community and afterwords going to the symphony! Dr Recinos told us the story of the symphony. During the civil war much of the Salvadorean culture was suppressed, buildings were destroyed, people couldn't play music, it was war time therefore a lot of the culture was lost. The people of El Salvador have been trying to bring back their culture and little by little, they are doing it. The symphony is just one example: World famous conductor German Caceres has worked all over the world but has returned to El Salvador to bring back his native culture. The group of musicians come together to form the symphony and non receive any salary or any compensation, they play for peoples enjoyment and to regain their culture. Afterwords, a group of us met one of the musicians and thanked him for such a wonderful performance. His eyes filled up and he said 'no thank you, I cannot believe a group from the United States came to see us preform, it means so much to us' 

                                        

Being in El Salvador always humbles us, we take so much for granted and don't focus enough on the simple things in life- people always think we come and help the community, but we actually learn a lot from them.

Medical Mission- Day 2

Well the first day is over, I think most people were apprehensive and didn't know what to expect but boy did they do amazing.From the doctors to the med students to the translators to the volunteers at the school, everyone did fantastic and once again nothing went as planned but went great.

Alta Mira Flores

Let's start withe the clinic. The doctors did amazing work, we have three professional doctors seeing the patients, there are also two medical students and our nurse Ruth doing intake along with our pharmacists. They all did great work and saw more than 50 patients today, don't worry, we warned them that number is going to get much higher :) It is amazing to see how happy the patients are just to have some one to talk to and listen. They have opened up to each doctor with great trust, we couldn't have wished for anything better. 

Basic Physical

The other half (us non medical folk) went to work at the La Rosa Blanca school. The kids greeted us with two wonderful traditional dances. After their wonderful performance, the group divided in 3 groups, two of the medical students came with us to the school and did basic medical exams on the children. They saw a total of 28 children and thankfully there were no big problems. 

Traditional Dance

The rest of the group did art with the children, we made bracelets from different colored beads and shared stories of what each color represented- Yellow= light/sun, blue= sky and sea, we even got to teach them some English.  After school time we packed 28 kids plus some parents but the 6 team members of TIH into a small bus and  brought the kids to a big open space where we played soccer, basketball, and frisbee. The kids loved playing the different games and learning some new ones as did the volunteers. All round it was a lot of fun, and everyone got to know each other and the kids got to know the team. 

The older kids with their bracelets

After today and how well it went, we are so excited to see what the next few days have in store and how great this medical/outreach mission will be. Thank you to everyone who has made it possible for us to be here.

Making Kites for tomorrow

Medical Mission to El Salvador- Day one

It has taken over a year to plan and a lot of hard work but we are here! We made it to El Salvador safe and sound with all of our medicine intact and all of our team members :) We are so excited to have a group from Bellaire United Methodist Church and six students from University of North Texas Health Science Center at Forth Worth Texas volunteering with us on this trip.

                                                (Don't we all look pretty at 5:30am?)

After a day of getting adjusted, and the group getting to know each other, we did some sight seeing. First, the team went to see the location for the clinic and also the school so we could plan activities. After we drove around Alta Mira Flores and learned a little bit about the community, we visited the tomb of Oscar Romero. The civil war started after Romero was shot at the alter in 1980. (for more information see https://www.un.org/en/events/righttotruthday/romero.shtml). After visiting the tomb of Romero, the team met with Bishop Gomez, an amazing man who despite all odds survived the civil war. Bishop Gomez received numerous death threats from the government as he opened his church to all citizens that were in danger. His most interesting story is that of his cross. During the war, he asked the community to write the sins of the government on the cross, they wrote things like 'hunger', 'death', 'persecution'. When the government came to arrest Gomez he was in hiding but they found his cross and arrested the cross and 'put it in jail'. It remained 'in jail' until the end of the war when the bishop came out of hiding and asked the government to give it back. It now hangs in his church beside the alter and is a reminder that good always overcomes evil. The Bishop inspired us all, and really showed us why we are here. 

(The team with the x convict- the cross)

The rest of the evening was spent doing some serious team bonding.....by sorting supplies :) After two hours, all the medicines and school supplies were ready to go. The team worked extremely hard and had a well deserved late dinner.  Everyone is pumped for tomorrow and can't wait to see what it brings but for now..buneas noches. 

(Sorting medicine brings such joy)

Making Progress

It has been a HOT productive, wonderful time in the Philippines working with the children and families who have invited us into partnering with them as they seek to build a new future with hope.  In Upper Javier, the sewing center is being expanded and Alan Miller, our construction supervisor, is employing local labor, creating jobs and stretching the budget like only he can - he barters for every penny we spend to make it go as far as possible.  The expanded sewing center will create more jobs for more community members and the construction is also employing and training community laborers in need of work. The pre-school has a new floor and our teacher, Ate Olive, is excited about school starting again on Monday - the parents are so grateful and contribute by keeping the building clean and preparing the meals that are served each day to the children - for some, the only real meal they have each day. Thanks to the generosity of our donors we have funded another full pre-school year with the Jessica's Table feeding program included.  Bellaire United Methodist Church and St. Stephens United Methodist Church have been particularly generous in this regard.  Thank you!

In Malis, we have three young people finishing  college through Strings of Hope: Rosette is getting ready to take her teacher's licensing exams, Jenny is in her 3rd year toward a degree in education, and Jesusa is in her 4th year at Harris Memorial College.    Rosette and Jenny are also supporting their families as their parents cannot find work.

Jessica's Table continues with 205 children regularly attending and registering and usually 300 children total attending each week.  These children are receiving education and leadership training, as well as nutritional support.The young people from Malis who first participated in this program are now helping to lead it and the mothers and father's in Malis go early to the market to buy and prepare the food.  It is a program fully lead by the community in which it was born.  Because of our reputation in the community, we were also invited into the elementary school for the first time and were able to donate volley ball equipment as well as soccer balls, school supplies, and provide a nutritious meal for children that had not eaten all day - the government here offers public schooling but cannot provide meals, school supplies, uniforms or transportation.   

I have been accompanied on this trip by Rev. Tori Butler and 5 youth from Bellaire United Methodist Church, Elizabeth from St. Stephens United Methodist Church (who is working in Upper Javier for 3 months as a volunteer) and Alan Miller from Memorial Drive United Methodist Church.  We are so grateful for our faithful volunteers!