After breakfast on Thursday,  we loaded two open boats with people and equipment at our base camp in Prinzapolka  and traveled  six miles up the coast to the village of Walpasiksa, population about 1,500. We planned a two day clinic and we returned to Prinzapolka for the night.

The ocean was very rough Friday morning and we heard that a local boat was capsized on the ocean, so our pilot recommended we walk the six miles up the coast to conduct the second day of clinic in Walpasiksa.

(I will apologize right now for misspelled village names. My command of the Miskito language is limited to “what is your name?” and “parasites”.)

Dan (far left) speaks enough restaurant Spanish to make himself understood, but he was always grateful when a local person was able to assist him with interviewing the local Miskito speaking people during  the intake process. Donald (in ball cap) is the Pastor of the local Moravian church and he very kindly assisted Dan for two days, translating Miskito into either Spanish of English.
Our clinic was set up in the spacious school building. The pupils were elated as they called off school for the two days we ran the clinic.  Free education is provided through the third grade here.

Our final clinic was in Kaumwatla, an hour’s boat ride South from Prinzapolka down the river. Judith here was the public health nurse and she, like the doctor in Prinzapolka, was very short on medicine. Nurse Judith presented herself at our clinic for medical treatment.
Everyone in rural Nicaraguan villages is assumed  to have parasites. We brought along a good supply of  Albendazole, just a single tablet of which  does an excellent job.  Every patient who came to our clinic, including nurse Judith,   was given Albendazole.

At Kaumwatla, the doctors saw five year old Silverio who has such severe club feet that he walks on the sides of his ankles.  Silverio will be flown to the capital city of Managua  for surgery. Our mission team was able to come up with $875 on the spot towards the approximately $1,400 needed for this boy’s surgery. If you would like to contribute toward Silverio’s surgery,  you may send a check to Nancy Gillette, 4091 - 12 Mile Road, Rockford, MI 49341. Her email is npgillette@aol.com . Make checks payable to First United Methodist Church / Nicaragua. Your contribution is tax deductable and will be acknowledged  with a receipt and a friendly note of thanks!