Easter Sunday!

haha, yeah right, Easter sunday pshhhhh

So today was the first day of the actual medical work on the mission site. We began at the central church and were met with a line 300 people long. They say the first day is always the toughest, but I'm pretty sure the worst is yet to come. ay ay ay!!! Again the ladies from the church fed us lunch and dinner, after which the team had a vision meeting during which lots of ideas came up concerning expanding the team and it's objectives. One of the things they finally realized is essential, is YOUTH! That's right, we need everyone and anyone that can support in any way possible to start signing up. Things to come: international logo design competition, blogs, new website, new mission site plans (Europe, here we come!), and lots more!

But I want to go back to the medical work we did. First thing that comes to mind is when Dr. Espino busted out his plastic surgery moves and removed like 20 skin tags (verrugas for all my mexicans out there, I didn't know that's what they're called in English, who decided to call them skin tags? weird) and the guy was bleeding all over the place. His translator was helping him hold gauzes over the wounds and when I walked in he had a face of disgust/hopelessness that was absolutely priceless. hahaha. A lady walked in with varicose veins that paralleled the Rocky Mountains. Oh and there was a kid that looked like he's 7 but was actually 12. I guess he doesn't like eating (Pablo, calm down, we don't all like the same things).

During lunch, we were sitting there after eating just kind of relaxing before four more hours of non stop work, when all of a sudden I hear some music coming from the second story of the church. I recognized the song, "Cuan Grande es El,"/"How Great Thou Art," but it seemed like the girl singing it was yelling the song more than singing it. So, curious Jacob, goes up to see what it is, only to find one of the greatest things he has ever heard. Ok, back to first person. I go up there, and I walk in to a group of about 20 people, ages 7ish to... the oldest guy must have been 30, singing that song in the most beautiful arrangement EVER. Seriously, I'm not a lenient music critic, and WOW that's all I can say. These kids LOVE doing this, they get together, and find their voice's place in a song and they sing their hearts out. I wish I had video to show of it. I'm gonna try to steal some from Athena ( the main camera lady with the mission). I had chills the entire time I was there. I kept thinking how amazingly cool it was that all of the kids/youth/young adults there want to sing. ALL of them, I mean, I heard some of them sing on their own, and well, not so great. But they are all so willing to put in what they have, that together, arranged how they do, they make beautiful music that just penetrates so deep that it's crazy. Incredibly moving to see kids in places less fortunate than my own get together and work so hard to make something so beautiful. I mean, they sounded professional. If I had the money I would sign them to a deal right now, start their tour and stuff. Yeah, good stuff. I really hope to get the video. They're supposed to be performing with an orchestra from the church on Saturday when all the churches in the area are gonna be getting together to wrap up the mission in a football (football, not soccer) stadium. Expected crowd: 2000. haha, sooo cool

Oh, one of the guys I met at the church yesterday, he came in to see a doctor today. His left eye is constantly, I mean constantly tearing and is swollen. Ever since he was a kid it's been happening. No pain, no irritation. Turns out he has a blocked tear duct (I still don't get how a blocked duct would produce MORE tears, but whatever I guess they know), and needs surgery. Every year they compile a list of the worst/interesting cases that we could potentially finance for long term treatment or surgery. He was put into the list and hopefully he can get helped.

Well I'm done for today
Have fun
-Jake