Medical Mission Bolivia Day 1: As usual, before leaving on a trip, I spent the night working (delivering a baby) and plan to sleep on the plane. If all goes well, I will join my medical mission group in my connection in Miami. The group is from Texas and called Austin Medical Missionary Team. It has been directed by Tino Hernandez for many years. I have packed two suitcases with medical material and gifts and plan to leave most of it in Bolivia. I join the group in Miami with no problem. It is always a nice feeling to re-unite with this medical mission team. I have been doing medical missions for the last 3 years with them and this is my 6th mission. Many people are returning ones but there are also new people who joined the group. We are going to be four doctors and at least five dentists. We take-off at 11:00 p.m. for our night flight and I was assured upon checking-in that my luggage would follow all the way to Cochabamba our final plane destination…to be continued. We landed in La Paz, the capital of Bolivia and also the highest capital in the world at 3,600 meters (11,811 feet). The first shock that strikes us is the impression of shortness of breath and instant dizziness. Many members of our team need an oxygen treatment to feel better. The second shock is that of all the people on the plane, about half did not have their luggage follow-through. Both of my suitcases are "missing in action". The airline staff immediately set-up a counter for baggage claims and I feel like there is something "fishy" going on, as if this is a recurring event for them.

The next thing I notice is that there are many suitcases that do not seem to belong to anyone on our plane. Could it be that they belong to people who experienced the same problem we are experiencing?? Just climbing-up a flight of 10 stairs makes me winded. I am re-assured to hear that all the other people are experiencing the same thing. About half of our group decides to go visit the city of La Paz since we have about seven hours before our next flight. I stay around and read and have the honorable task of "guarding our luggage". Here is what Wikipedia says about La Paz: Nuestra Señora de La Paz or Chuquiyapu ("chuqui", 'gold', "yapu", 'farm') is the administrative capital of Bolivia, as well as the departmental capital of La Paz Department. As of the 2001 census, the city of La Paz had a population of about one million.  La Paz is situated in the valley of the Choqueyapu River below a plateau with an altitude of 3,600 meters (11,811 feet). Atop the plateau is the city of El Alto, where the international airport is located. Transportation links between the two cities have improved in recent years. The city is located at 16°30' South, 68°8' West (-16.5, -68.1333). Its name is translated into English as "Our Lady of Peace". La Paz is renowned for its unique markets, very unusual topography, and traditional culture. It is the capital of a country that is often referred to as the "Tibet of the Americas".

Medical Mission Bolivia Day 2: After a short 35 minutes flight to the city of Cochabamba, we get to our seven dollars a night hotel with shower and start relaxing a little. In the afternoon, we take a walk and go for dinner. There is a rehearsal of a parade for the Carnival. We are impressed by the big statue called Cristo de la Concordia, lying on top of a mountain above the city. Here is what Wikipedia says about the city of Cochabamba: Cochabamba is a city in central Bolivia, located in a valley bearing the same name in the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cochabamba Department and is the third largest city in Bolivia with a metropolitan population of more than 800,000 people. The name derives from a compound of the Quechua words qhocha, or swamp, and pampa, or open plain. Residents of the city and surrounding areas are commonly referred to as Cochabambinos. Cochabamba is known throughout South America as the "City of Eternal Spring" and "The Garden City" due to its warm temperatures year round and abundant well kept parks.

Medical Mission Bolivia Day 3: Early in the morning, we hop on a bus and start our journey, knowing that at one point we will need to walk through a zone where the road is cut off because there has been a recent landslide. Upon travelling,I am impressed by the number of commemorative crosses on the side of the road, silent witnesses of lost lives. Here is what Wikipedia says about the road in Bolivia: The main road from La Paz to the Yungas was named the 'World's most dangerous road', with hundreds of casualties yearly on only a 10 mile stretch. Although we bypassed this stretch of the road by taking a plane to Cochabamba, the rest of the road is pretty steep and dangerous. After going through a drug checkpoint (Bolivia is known for its exportation of cocaine drug and controls are a common happening along the roads), our bus takes-off. After a while, the luggage hatch which was not closed properly during the check point opens and three suitcases fly out and fall into the mud and get ripped open! We get an impression of something not going right when we start seeing cargo trucks stopped on the side of the road for miles long. We learn that they have been stalled there for weeks because of the landslide and their cargo of bananas of perishable are now lost. They have no choice but to live under and in their trucks and wait. The road is so narrow that they cannot turn back and have to wait for the road to be rebuilt. Our bus maneuvers through this narrow traffic under the sometimes not so friendly eyes of the people stuck there. At one point, we cannot go any further and need to disembark the bus and start unloading our luggage. We have a lot of medical and dental supply and although we are missing over 20 of our suitcases (mine included), the load we need to carry is overwhelming. Before us, lies the road that has been destroyed by the landslide, now a giant pile of mud. Re-construction has started but we need to go above where the road was once and will have to go through a narrow and steep path in the forest with mud. I am concerned with the health of some of the members of our medical mission team for this journey. Local Bolivain men are hired to carry our biggest suitcases around the narrow pathway for a dollar each. I am impressed to see them running with a load often heavier than 60 pounds on their back or head through the mud. For them a dollar represents the salary of 6 to 12 hours of work! The trip through the forest proves to be a big challenge. They have put ropes to hang on to and many people fall because of the slipperiness of the mud. Some members of our group hurt themselves while holding on to branches that have thorns. We are mostly covered in mud and exhausted…but happy to have gone through. From there, a second bus awaits us on the other side of the road and we continue through what now feels like a very comfortable ride. In the afternoon, we arrive at the Foundation Angeles de Esperanza, a mission funded by Michael and Virginia Marroquin to help Bolivian people. The local people have prepared a nice show and after a late dinner we head on to our hotel for a shower and sleep. I go to bed in my same clothes and creatively "brush my teeth" by chewing gum… Medical Mission Bolivia: Day 4 We set our clinic in the Angels of Hope foundation. After a slow start, the children from the school start arriving. We saw all of the children going to this charitable school. Here, they receive education and are fed three meals per day and a healthy snack. This way, most children receive more food than if they stayed home. I am amazed to see how mature these children are. Dr Rudy and I see all of the children from the school. We did not count but there are hundreds of them.                   Funny enough I did not know that I was going in the Amazon Rainforest. The forest proudly earns its name as everything around is green and around the trees there are plants and leaves as far as the eye can see. The forest is strong and evergreen from two contributing factors: the heat and rain. It rained every day of our trip.   Here is what Wikipedia says about the Amazon Forest: The Amazon Rainforest (Brazilian Portuguese: Floresta Amazonica or Amazonia; Spanish: Selva Amazonica or Amazonia) is a moist broadleaf forest in the Amazon Basin of South America. The area, also known as Amazonia or the Amazon Basin encompasses seven million kilometers (1.2 billion acres), though the forest itself occupies some 5.5 million kilometers, located within eight nations: Brazil (with 60 percent of the rainforest), Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana. States or departments in four nations bear the name Amazonas after it. The Amazon represents over half of the planet's remaining rainforests and comprises the largest and most species-rich tract of tropical rainforest in the world. Since my luggage has not arrived yet, our chief of mission Tino 'lends' me one of his anti-malaria pills. In Bolivia, there are strains of resistant Malaria and taking preventive medication is mandatory. A couple of us found a nice little terrace next to our hotel and we take a cool beer while talking and taking it easy after a good day of work. Medical Mission Boliva: Day 5: Another day spent doing medical consultations. Local people seam to be warming-up to us and the crowd is bigger than yesterday. I have again seen between 150 to 200 patients in consultation. At the end of the day, I feel a little tired and get a grin in my face when they announce yet another 'family of six' to be seen! People are very isolated and must travel long distances to get to us. In order to help, the bus is sent out and brings back over 60 people every time.   The people in pharmacy had an unexpected guest. He is the slowest worker in the pharmacy!! Liz, one of the team member saw this turtle first. She reports feeling a sense of panic because the turtle only showed its head and Liz thought it was a snake. Many people in Bolivia die of poisonous snake bites every year. My luggage is still missing in action, Dr Rosie "lends" me one of her anti-malaria pills. We call the airline company and they always assure us that our luggage will get to us the next day. Since the beginning of the trip, I have been washing one of my tee-shirts and wearing the other one. I only have one pair of pants and they got all wet from the rain. The other team members generously offer me t-shirts and pants, and fresh socks. Azucena, one of the team members showed me her freshly cleaned clothes with a nice perfume smell. She told me that the cleaning lady washed her clothes and can do the same for me. I plan on doing the same the next day as clothes washed in the sink are not great. I tell Celeste the other dentist what I found. She decides she will also have her clothes cleaned tomorrow. I have found a brand new toothbrush and a sample small toothpaste tube. Yeah! I will not have to chew gum before going to bed tonight. I do miss antiperspirant as this is an item that cannot be shared. In our hotel, the hot shower only worked the first night. Tonight, even the cold water completely stopped running as I had my hair full of shampoo. After waiting for over 10 minutes, I get only a drip of cold water. I'll rinse tomorrow!! Medical Mission Bolivia: Day 6 Unfortunately, this is our third and last day of consultation because traveling to such a remote place took so much time. Again, the day starts slow but rapidly picks-up. We have run out of most medication as our luggage still did not come through. Leticia generously gave me one of her anti-malaria pills. The most frequent health problems we have encountered during these three days are: malnutrition, intestinal parasites (from drinking unpurified water), skin infection- bacterial or fungal, headaches (women carry their children and babies on their backs all day long), scabies, head lice, tuberculosis, impetigo, etc. In general, most children who come to the mission for school regularly display a better health condition than the ones who are working in the fields or staying home. Today is February 14th, Valentine's day. I have prepared all kinds of decorations in heart, cupids - but they are in my luggage which is nowhere to be found. Today, I am wearing Dr Braden's t-shirt and socks and Dr Rosie's pants and underwear! I am happy to know that Martha the cleaning lady is washing my clothes. I will have fresh clothes for traveling tomorrow. At the end of the day, I go see Martha and anxiously ask her for my freshly cleaned clothes. She brings me in the yard. There, on the clothes line, lie my soaked wet clothes! When I asked her why my clothes are not dry, she simply answers: "It rained all day long today!" Fact of the matter is that yesterday was the only afternoon with sunshine and I assumed that they had a dryer. To make things worst, I see Celeste's wet clothes on the clothes line, which she had washed under my recommendation. Now all my clothes are soaking wet and I put them in a bag. So much for that fresh clean perfume smell.     Medical Mission Bolivia: Day 7 Ahead of us, lies a long traveling day as we have to go back on the road first and then through the landslide by foot. Some of us are dreading the crossing of the landslide but we are hopeful everything will be alright. One of the local doctors will come with us to La Paz because we have been assured that all our luggages will be waiting for us at the airport. He plans on taking all the valuable medical material and medication we planned on leaving in Bolivia in the first place. I am not convinced anymore that the luggage will be at the 'rendez-vous', after all it's been over 6 days of unfulfilled promises. After an uneventful bus ride, we start seeing cargo trucks and our bus is rapidly stuck. The problem is that this time, we are miles and miles away from the actual crossing of the landslide. I actually enjoyed the next part of the trip spent walking through the parked trucks, hoping on a taxi with 20 other people loaded wherever they can, walking some more, taking another small bus and then walking some more. After many hours, we finally arrived at the landscape mud crossing. A nice surprise awaits us upon our arrival. They have changed where the people are not crossing and it is a nice even mud road. We do not have to climb up and down a slippery forest holding on to a cord. The crossing of the muddy landscape is fast and quite easy. I have a thought of sympathy for the people stuck there as the work seems to go slowly, the daily rain making the re-construction a difficult task. We barely make it in time for our plane from Cochabamba to La Paz. Upon arrival at the La Paz airport, the same altitude sickness hits us. In all, four members of our group will have required wheelchair assistance during their trip, not bad for a medical mission! Today, Deacon Richard gave me one of his anti-malaria pills. What a great sharing group! Francisco, one of the team member found the nicest hotel in La Paz. After a nice hot shower and a great meal, we go to bed for a short five hours sleep. Tomorrow is our last day of travel and many are hopeful to find our luggage at the La Paz airport like we were promised.   Medical Mission Bolivia: Day 8 After an early rise, we head on to the airport. At the counter, the clerks tell us they have no way of knowing where our luggage is. I feel bad for Dr Ramiro who went through all this trouble and has to go back empty handed. During the flight from La Paz to Miami, I get to talk to my seat neighbor who is very nice. He too did not have his luggage for the whole week and had to do business meetings in his jeans. He was also promised that his luggage would be there every next day but never got it. One of the agents mentioned that the reason he did not get his suitcases was that there was a weight restriction for planes arriving in Bolivia because of the altitude. Last thing he heard about his suitcases, they were somewhere in Tel Aviv!! As we arrived in Miami, some of our group members still check if their luggage is there. I check for one minute but I have a strong impression that my answers will be in Montreal. I am still wearing yesterday and the day before's clothes as my personal clothing has been in a bag soaking wet. I part with my group in Miami as most of them are returning to Austin Texas. I have a direct flight to Montreal. It is always hard to part with such a loving and caring group. Upon arriving in Montreal, the custom agent asks me if I have anything to declare. I proudly show him my small bag of souvenirs I bought in the La Paz airport. When I go to the airline counter, Javier the employee greets me warmly. I know right then that I will get all my answers. He shows me his computer screen and explains to me what has happened. My luggage has been for the whole week in Miami and was grounded due to weight restriction in Bolivia like I was told before. This morning, when I boarded the flight 922 going from La Paz to Miami, my luggage was being disembarked in La Paz! Two thoughts cross my mind then: poor Dr Ramiro could have gotten all the medical material from my suitcases. Second, those not so nice employees in La Paz had it written in their computer that my luggage was coming but did not really bother. Anyway, I get back home and a warm bath and a comfortable bed feels like heaven. After a week of living under more basic conditions, you get to appreciate the small pleasures in life. If my calculations are right, since my luggage is still in La Paz and will have to do the same trip I did today, they will not be there tomorrow night like Javier told me. Epilogue: Sure enough, Javier was right and my luggage traveled faster than I did. I got the call from the Montreal airport at 8:00 p.m. and they were delivered to me without problem. Today, I went to the post office and sent a big box of medical supplies to Dr Ramiro. I hope the rest of the medical team will do the same as he took two days of his busy life to get the supplies. When I look back upon this particular medical mission, I smile and know I will go back to Bolivia. I feel a sense of pride to be able to say: "Bolivia, I was there!"   A VOLUNTEER'S PRAYER Thank You, Lord Jesus, for calling me to serve others in Your Name. I want to offer my time and talents generously that I might do my best for those who need me. Help me to remember that what I do for others I do for You. May every act of service I do reflect my faith, in You, and may my love and understanding be a true sign of Your deep love and compassion. Strengthen me, Dear Savior, to say "yes" to all that You ask of me this day. Let me serve You well.

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