Nepal 2010

Oct 29, 2010 eight of the thirteen team members met at Los Angeles airport to start the very long journey to Nepal. Three more would meet us in Hong Kong, and the remaining two in Kathmandu. During a 10 hour layover in Hong Kong we were able to take a ferry to Hong Kong Island, where we walked around, shopped and ate the local food.

Arriving late we were greeted by our hosts, Sundar and Sareeta Thapa, missionaries in Nepal. We spent one night in Kathmandu, finished up formalities with the local authorities the next morning, and then headed to Pokhara, where we would be holding our clinics. What should have been a 6 hour bus trip on a steep, winding, narrow road turned into an exhausting 10 hour drive. The road was jammed with buses and trucks, and small cars and motorcycles were madly weaving in and out--it was just crazy to watch. It was an experience none of us will soon forget. We finally arrived in Pokhara and settled into our rooms at the Hotel Stupa. It didn't take us long to figure out why we had candles in our rooms, as the electricity went on and off at random.
The next morning we started what would be our daily clinic schedule: devotions at 7:30am, breakfast at 8:00, on the bus by 8:30, and to the clinic site by 9:00. As we arrived the first day we could see long lines of people waiting for us. More than 35 young volunteers from the local church helped run the clinic. We'd brought hats for them that matched our shirts, which made it easy to identify them (and it was nice to see all that "Texas orange"). Four young Nepali doctors teamed up with our four physicians, and proved to be invaluable in providing translation, cultural insight, and excellent medical care. The first day went smoothly, although, as always, there were some logistics to work out and fine tuning to do.

The second day the crowd was much larger, as now the word was out that American doctors were here. We were told it had been advertised on radio, TV, and in the local newspaper. The people started lining up at 6:00am and waited patiently for hours to get medical care or glasses. At 3:00pm the lines were still very long, and we could see people becoming restless, wondering if they would see a doctor, so we brought one doctor out front to do "fast tracking" (this is where they try to assess the problem and either provide the appropriate medication or send them for more in-depth evaluation and treatment). We saw more than 700 people that day, and the sun was setting and mosquitos out by the time we closed clinic for the day. We were very tired, but had a wonderful feeling of accomplishment.

Day three was more of the same. We were informed that the police had to be called in because by 6am there were over 1000 people milling around, and they had to send some home. We were sorry we didn't have a larger team, as we couldn't possibly have treated that many people. It seemed that each day the patients were progressively poorer and the illnesses more severe. At the end of the day a woman approached the missionary and said something to him. I asked what she said. It seems she has ten children and she and her husband just can't provide for them all. So knowing our host missionary has a home for children she asked him if he would take two of her children. He did agree. Well that had me thinking and in tears for days. As a mother I ask myself "how do I make that decision?" I was assured they would be better off, and the parents can visit once a year, and when they graduate they can go back home. Yes it does sound great for the child but what a difficult decision for a mother to have to make!

On our final day of clinic the team was showing signs of fatigue, but still healthy and in good spirits. The sky was so clear that as we drove to the clinic we stopped the bus so we could take photos of Fishtail Mountain, truly one of God's most beautiful creations. The clinic day went smoothly, and we were able to see everyone. The four day total was estimated to be 2,000 people. Some of the more common conditions treated included intestinal parasites, related to the unsafe water supply, respiratory and urinary tract infections, eye conditions, gastritis, GERD, and a host of skin conditions. People with chronic conditions requiring ongoing care were given referrals to local healthcare sources. It was a very rewarding trip for the team, the local volunteers, the missionaries and the people of Nepal.

You know we plan for months for each trip, try to raise funds for the medicine and glasses, collect tooth brushes, flip-flops, soap, lotions, etc. Hours are spent packing the medicines and supplies, and we have to guess how much of each item we'll need when we arrive. We do our best, and then watch God take care of the rest of it. It amazes me every time and I am thankful He is the one in charge.

We hope you'll enjoy the photos of this mission. We appreciate any support you can offer, to help us continue this very important work.

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