Wish list for Ecuador

Star light.. Star bring...1st star I've seen tonight... OK enough of that but here is my WISH. Please check out my wish list for Ecuador MME mission trip 1/29/12 -2/5/12. If there is anything you can help with or maybe you "just know a guy who knows a guy" that's fine too.  Part of what I'm doing is making connections and helping people find ways to help or be involved.
        WISH LIST

2-4 wheelchairs. tilt in space ideal, smaller /pediatric/ basic w/c's are ok too!
pediatric shoe inserts
AFO's, wrist splints
elbow/knee immobilizers
boppy pillows sewn forms ( I will have the families stuff on their own)
blow up bolster with balls inside or blow up beach balls
umbrella strollers (4)
Child sneakers (all sizes good condition, light up kind are amazing to those kids)
Light up toys (Balls, yo-yo's etc)
FOR ADULTS:
back braces (5) med (5) large
Biofreeze(10)
Ibuprofen 10 bottles

PS I'd love to have any medical folks, translators or motivated helpers join me on a great adventure. Ecuador is amazing and the people are so warm and nice.

Mission Milestone - 1 yr anniversary

This week marks the one year anniversary of my return from Haiti.   I just can't believe I have been on 2 medical missions in the past 12 months.  Haiti was the first (Aug 7-14, 2010) and  Ecuador was the second (Feb 6-15th, 2011).  With each one I am exponentially more prepared, efficient and ready to  involve the hearts and help of many.  Luckily I am in the planning phase for my next mission which will take me back to  Ambato, Ecuador.  My original goal was to do "missions around the world" and I didn't visualize going to any location more than once but Ecuador has inspired me to return again. I look forward to having others join me this year as well as maximizing donations and medical supplies that I will take.

Thanks for checking out my blog, I did hit over 1000 views a few months ago and plan to have an interactive web site by next year.  Stay tuned for my Mission Wish List -MME and contact me if you are interested in any facet of medical mission work.

Crush Proof Maps!

Have you heard of fabric maps.  I had seen it mentioned in the April 2011 Budget Travel edition under "crush-proof cargo".  I saw it today and decided to check it out.  So glad I did. I would recommend going to Rand McNally directly http://store.randmcnally.com/us-maps.html?SCInternal=rmheader_usmaps and look under sale section.  They  have about 20 different cities and all the maps are 50% off.  I bought (5) cities that I go to often or plan to see in the near future.  They were only $2.98 each!   I then found a coupon code "SAVE10" which took 10% off the entire price.

I will give a review once I get them in but the concept is awesome...tear-proof,  waterproof and tough. LOVE it. A sample of cities were: Miami (south beach), Seattle, Chicago and Key west.

Eye on Seattle

I am heading to the west coast soon and look forward to a stop in Seattle.  It is a city which has inspired greatness over and over.  This includes many facets of life that excite me: nature, coffee, books and food. When in Seattle I will be sure to check out the REI flagship store. www.rei.com/seattle , I will also be doing my part to stay highly caffeinated each and every day that I'm there. I will definitely hit the Starbucks original store http://www.starbucks.com/seattle.  This site has local offers supported by Starbucks.  The actual store is located near Pikes Market which is famed for the throwing of the fish and is a foodies nirvana.  I will be taking the Savour the Flavor tour of the Market www.savorseattletours.com 

Seattle is also known for fresh air and fresh ideas. When looking into charities and not for profits I found the best link ever.  I think every city should have a network to list "wish lists" for local organizations.  It is the perfect mix for low cash flow and a generous heart.  Plus it keeps viable goods out of closets, basements and worse than anything landfills.  Here goes it is http://www.alchemlist.org/browse_by_city_state.php?city=Seattle&state=WA    The wonderful thing about the site is that is gives info about the NFP and has a printable wish list, it also allows you to just enter in an item you have to get rid of and see it there is a match on any of the 29 listed not for profits.

I would suggest googling "donation wish lists + your city" and see what you come up with.  Your old frig or tires could go to a zoo, blankets and stuffed animals to the SPCA, old braces or crutches to a medical mission and overflow of produce from your garden to a city mission or food bank.  My favorite suggestion is overflow of flowers from your garden to a women and children's shelter or to the Ronald McDonald house.  I guess I'm just happy to finally see some flowers after all the April AND May showers!!!

Learning,Loving,legacy...Three L's to stand behind

I just finished Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese.  It is fiction and has world references in Ethiopia, India, Yemen and ultimately in the US.  I really enjoyed it both for it's medical mission references and for cultural learning opportunities.  It has made it into many "book club" circles and comes highly recommended.  I did include one link for a book review.http://www.bookbrowse.com/reviews/index.cfm?book_number=2203

One part that really "spoke" to me was about Learning, Loving and Legacy.  To me it is a prefect mantra and can simplify your life into a doable daily "TO DO" list.     I just love lists : )

Here goes... Wake up.
1. Learn something new today.  I like to take it a step further and teach someone else something new which keeps the cycle going.  I also use it as a game and find it well received by the kids even as young as 2nd grade. I always ask them to teach me something.  In doing that I have learned: how to make a better airplane, to sniff cinnamon for sinus trouble, and the difference between an ant eater and an aardvark to mention a few. Kids are smart, we just need to up our expectations.
2. Show love or kindness to someone.  Don't just keep this to your family members or close friends, branch out and show kindness to neighbors, people at work you have never spoken to or even someone who is providing you with a service.  Do NOT treat people like they are invisible.  Being kind is free and something that we all have within us.
3. Think about or put into place a plan for a legacy. Defined as 1. a gift of money or  property 2. Anything handed down from the past.  Since I am way short on expendable cash I chose to use the second definition!  I can't tell you how good it feels to have a plan.

Mine is just beginning but the first step is to guide and inspire my children and the people I know to be their best, enjoy this amazing life and always be aware of their surroundings and the impact of their actions.

Top 5 Reasons Growing up on a Farm helps with mission work

I never  realized how lucky I was to grow up on a farm until many years after I moved away.  It is a blessing to know and experience the life that many of our forefathers lived.  Now that I have two distinctly different medical missions under my belt I am able to reflect on how my farm upbringing has helped and molded me into a better global provider.  Here goes.


#1 Well water- I'm not sure if this has helped protect my digestive tract, but I've always said I have a cast iron stomach.  I thank all the extra minerals and "wildlife" in our water at home for keeping me "well" on the road.

#2 Hard work in the elements-  Farming ain't your mammas pammsy desk job. There are no sick days, no snow days and no vacations not to mention that barns and hay lofts don't have a/c or heaters for the most part!!  

#3 Fix-it mentality- No one on a farm buys new...there is always a cycle of rebuilding, reworking and a general creativity that the mimics MacGyver Like skills.  I love the challenge to fix the problem with a given amount of supplies. Most mission opportunities will force you in a situation that is less than ideal with limited tools. I few of my favorite saying are: "where there is a will there is a way" an oldie but goodie;"if it doesn't work hit it harder" (my all time fav) and last but not least "all roads lead to Rome" we may not all take the same path, but so long as we all wind up at the final destination then all is good!

#4 Deep appreciation for livestock and crops- Fresh is Best and Meat is a wonderful thing! So many of the birth defects I have seen are caused from lack of Vitamins esp Folic Acid.

#5 Respect for nature and in turn the Planet- Remember these 3 words  RECYCLE- REUSE-REDUCE. More is not better it is just more.  I have fun telling my kids that "All I had to play with was a stick". They think I'm crazy, but really I turned out OK.

$ How much I spent going to Ecuador $

As I've mentioned before mission work isn't ever cheap, not to mention the old adage of "You get what you pay for".  My costs were way up from Haiti but OMG, Ecuador is amazing.  Did I mention roses, the equator, mountains, volcanoes, great food and crafts.  Luckily the currency is in US dollars which made everything very easy to calculate.

Ticket Price                $1,225 +30 extra bag charge- Continental (It can be had for much less ~500-800 but I was heading to Bogota,Colombia after the mission so my price ended up higher.)
Travel insurance           $71 from www.accessamerica.com  When doing mission work travel insurance is a must. Don't try to save money and skip this.
Hotel & food                $460.
                                     This included pre and post night stay in Quito at:                                      Hilton Colon www.quito.hilton.com
                                     The mission week was spent in Ambato at:
                                     Hotel Florida  http://www.hotelflorida.com.ec/
*Even though I didn't stay at the ROKA hotel I must recommend them for food/atmosphere and their boutique accommodations in Ambato. We enjoyed the specialty Roka steak served on Lava rock. How cool is that. We also had a tour of  the rooms and they were AMAZING $45-95/night which included all tax and breakfast. www.hotelrokaplaza.com
*I also recommend Cafe Mosaico in Quito http://www.cafemosaico.com.ec/index.html not so much for the food, although it was fine, but truly for the spectacular view. I found it on Trip advisor prior to going.  I also highly recommend The Plaza Grande hotel.  I went there for dessert in La Belle Epoque dinning room and was treated to another view which took my breath away.  Not only was the dessert GRAND but they had Opera singers do a 30-40 min performance around 8:30 pm. Wow.  Oh proper dress is required. http://www.plazagrandequito.com/english/belle_eng.html

Shopping Costs                    $220 I just found so many great things: alpaca wrap, woven belt, pottery, etc.
Quito-Equator tour/tax        $27
Quito- Exit tax                     $42  very important!!

Okay... So my grand total is over $2, 075.  And that does NOT include money spent on items for the medical or orphanage part of my mission prior to leaving.  If the price tag is making you sad don't forget... where there is a will there is a way and I really mean that.  You can do fund raising or cut back on a guilty pleasure or two.  I brew and take my own coffee daily to work and avoid the Mall except for "emergencies" : )  Be happy in your life at home or on the road!

Ecuador

Click here to view this photo book larger

My Morning at the Orphanage

The 120 minutes I spent at Mi Tambo Orphanage http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz6lRhjsv28 were some of the best and hardest during my misison trip.  Mi Tambo is a local orphanage in Ambato and has the direct translation of "my shelter".  I had done Internet research and was happy when the Ambato Rotary driver suggested going to Mi Tambo.  The drive was very rough and we needed to stop and pull back a gait which gets locked at night.  All the windows were bared and grounds seemed barren.  A basket ball court sat dilapidated and when asked they had no basketballs to use.  Luckily I was able to purchase (3) basketballs the next day with funds donated from friends back home.  The driver agreed to take them back the next day for me.

There were a small group of children there at the time, maybe less than 15, but  numbers flucuate and it was explained that the police drive around the city at night and round up homeless kids on the street and bring them to the orphanage.  As we drove up I could understand the young voices asking in Spanish if there was going to be an adoption.  I teared up before I even got out of the car.  We then were taken by the caretaker of the children to a empty room.  There I unloaded the 2 full backpacks of toys, school supplies and books in Spanish.  Wilma, my translator, helped read the letters that my daughters 7th grade Spanish class wrote and sent with gifts. There were also some handicap children and mentally challenged who stayed there, having no where else to go.  My heart broke as we handed out gifts. They were so appreciative and I just know that we made their day/lives a little brighter just to know people care.

Google translate  http://translate.google.com/#  was a great asset on my trip since I was able to type in English the information I wanted to give to the driver who only spoke Spanish.  I didn't have  a printer but was able to just write it out.  I also used it to give a waiter at the hotel a home exercise program in Spanish since the  Hotel Florida http://www.hotelflorida.com.ec/ had Internet access in the rooms via an Ethernet connection.

These are a few of my favorite things...

OK so safe fresh running water is my all time favorite thing after doing mission work in third world countries.  Now every day of my life I smile while brushing my teeth, showering or filling a pot to go on the stove or EVEN doing dishes.  The fact that we have an unlimited supply of water that won't make us sick or deform or children is a absolute miracle and shouldn't be taken lightly!

BUT, I digress.  I really just wanted to show a few of my travel must haves.  These are great for mission work and beyond.

First off I discovered this amazing store called LUSH while on a weekend trip to Toronto, Canada.  http://www.lush.com/  I just love the bar shampoo and lotion.  That's 2 less liquids to worry about! Next is my travel flashlight and swiss army knife with scissors. I also recommend having a small note pad and pen(s). I love Moleskine http://www.moleskines.com/  .  Other must haves are: soap impregnated wash cloths ( I cut mine in half to decrease waste and save money...for more travel) , mini thermometer/compass, zip lock bags of various sizes, clothes pins and caribiner(d-rings), Airborne -pink grapefruit flavor http://airbornehealth.com/  Lastly I can't be without my LATHER lip conditioning balm.  I have sensitivity to products and this one is perfect. http://www.lather.com  I also forgot about the Kool-aid drop ins.  The are great when you are in a only bottle water situations.

5 Star Mission in Ecuador

The clouds lifted as my plane ascends leaving behind the lush and fertile land of Ecuador.  The pain and suffering we saw during our stay were over shadowed by the love, warmth and appreciation of the families we worked with.  There were over 600 people seen across 3 hospitals by the 90+ medical team from MME (medical mission Ecuador).  In our "ortho suite" we fitted over 200 AFO's (ankle foot orthosis) provided splinting, taught stretches, exercises and gait training, all with the help of our lovely translators.  Robbie, an 8th grader from the US completing work for his eagle scout award, brought 7 w/c's from the US.  DELTA did a wonderful thing by not charging him freight.  That allowed him to purchase another $1000 specialty chair while in Ecuador. I will continue to give insight as to why this mission trip was well run, purposeful and a true success later in the days to come.  

Collecting Medical/Mission supplies

I am now in the packing phase and am soo excited that I was able to collect a huge amount of medical supplies and items for Pan de Vida and an Orphanage.  I was able to use my medical contacts and only called 3 places and was graciously helped by two.  The third no longer was owned by the person I knew so it was easy for them to say no.  I also have done a few projects in the schools and will be taking letters written by middle school kids(in Spanish) and huge amounts of school supplies, toys, eye glasses and hair items.  I also learned that it isn't wrong to ask for money because then I was able to shop for the items still in demand or things I had an idea that would be appreciated.  One thing was a friend/teacher gave me $25.  He loves to read and is always keeping me up to date on what to read.  I went to a local Book outlet and was able to get 30+ kids books in Spanish with the money.  Then after showing him and explaining how I was going to share them with the orphanage, he took it upon himself to go through the discard book pile at the library and pull out at least 6 other books in Spanish. How amazing!  I am blessed to know many caring children and adults. I've include a few picture of the donations so far.  

The plan is to have (2) suitcases, both of which are not returning with me.  One was purchased at Salvation Army for $4.99 and the other was a donation from family.  Since the flight is international one suitcase is free and the other will be $50.  The weight limit is 50 pounds and I really don't want to go over because it's a huge charge and nothing over 70 pounds is allowed.   I plan to have one filled with medical supplies, keep in mind casting supplies are really heavy. The other will be filled with school supplies, eye glasses, first aid items and gifts for children.  My objective will be to pack anything I need in my carry on and to take an expandable tote for items I want to bring home.  PROGRESS!!

Ecuador - 3 week count down

Well I will be leaving for Quito in three weeks.  I already have a lot of donated supplies to take.  They include women's scrubs, sm pediatric AFO's, and cast boots as well as casting supplies,tape and stockinette.  I am also doing collections at my work and am getting involved at my children's schools.  I am also collecting for Pan de Vida and an orphanage while I am there.  I plan to have my laptop and will do daily updates as allowed from South America.