Medical Team on Tuesday

Monday is traditionally our lightest day. It is usually a difficult day as we get settled in a routine and everyone finds their place of ministry.

This Monday was no different. The people were lined up on the opposite side of the school than I expected so we had to quickly rearrange assigned rooms.

We also had challenges because of missing luggage. We had a flight of people who did not get their luggage - meaning we did not have all the medical bags. But God performed miracles and multiplied the medicines like loaves and fishes.

We saw almost 600 patients in the medical portion; 250 people received dental care and 106 people were given glasses.

We do have a major prayer request. The autofractor, this is the machine that we used to read the needed prescriptions for a person's eyes, is broken. We have had to work without this machine. This has caused a lot of delays and frustration as we rely solely on eye charts and the intuitive skills of our optician.

My husband, Jim, has worked all day (Tuesday) trying to find a technician that may be able to fix it. Currently, it is in pieces in a hotel conference room. We really need prayer for a quick repair. This is a CRITICAL piece of equipment!

We estimate there were over 800 people in line waiting to see our doctors today. We were able to see over 525 of them, the dentist saw around 170 and 79 people received glasses today.

Many of the stations - intake, dental and other areas - are reporting many people have accepted the Lord over the last couple of days. So we are definitely making an impact on the body and the spirit.

Today is Someday

My team was split over two flights on Saturday. There were 6 with me going through Miami where we met 5 more team members and then flew on to Guayaquil.

My husband was on the flight with 77 other people flying from Raleigh through Atlanta and Quito. Unbelievably, both flights were delayed forseveral hours.

My flight managed to arrive first and we waded throughsome customs problems and lost baggage issues. Fortunately, those "problems" allowed us to pave the way for the larger team to sail right on through customs just an hour later.

We have two more flights coming - one this evening andanother one on Monday.

While on the flight from Miami to Guayaquil I sat next to a very nice man named Pat who was going diving off the Galapagos Islands. After we talked for some time,he shared with me that he felt God had called him to a specific task with a specific people group in Honduras.

But...

He was waiting for the right time to fulfill his calling. I encouraged him that I know so many people who have stepped out and are doing what God has called them to do - even when it didn't feel like the "right time". And they are having huge success. I told him I believed there is never a "right time" and encouraged him not to wait for Someday.

I encourage you to take the first step to your calling - your dream. Don't wait for Someday.

Today is Someday.

Where's Yvonne? Ecuador 2007

"Why isn't Yvonne answering her phone?" you may ask. From July 28, 2007 through August 5, 2007, I will be in Ecuador.

I have led mission teams to Ecuador for the last 13 years. This year, I took two teams down, one in March and am getting ready to go again the end of July. My team provides free medical care to the poor in Guayaquil, Ecuador. This summer I will have around 80 medical and support personnel and we expect to see around 4,000 patients in 5 days.

This last March, I took a small team of two doctors and support staff to conduct 5 mobile clinics in extremely poor areas. I want you to meet one of the members of my team, Luisa Diez.




Luisa was on my 2006 team when she was 16 years old. Luisa is from Colombia. Because of the political unrest and her father's position in the community, to ensure their safety, her family immigrated to the US when Luisa was 9 years old.

Luisa is a mature, sweet young lady with a servant's heart. Her bilingual skills have been invaluable to my team. Last March, Luisa helped me have a conversation with a pastor and director of a local school in one of the poorest barrios. This school houses over 150 students in a small room hewn out of a rocky hillside.



We discovered that the school's one toilet was not working while we conducted the medical clinic there. Luisa and I asked a lot of questions and found out that the school needed $500 to put in a working bathroom. You can see that the parents and members of the church had begun digging a hole in the rock to prepare for a bathroom installation, but without the funds they were not able to go any further.



Luisa took this project to heart and had a yard sale when she came back to the states. She raised over $600 for the school. She and I will make the presentation of these funds while we are in Ecuador this coming week.

I will be adding to this blog every day with pictures and updates so you can take part in my trip through your thoughts and prayers.