Trip 6, February 2008
Welcome! In February I am traveling again to San Lorenzo to work with Jane Weaver, MD. This time I am taking a team with me. I have two recovery room nurses, Linda Kawka, RN, and Annette Swank, RN, both are team members at Dupont Hospital where I work. Also, Linzy Klopfenstein, a former surgical tech, is going along as well as Dr. Barb Weise, OB-GYN, from Fort Wayne, IN. Barb is a physician with my former group, Women’s Health Advantage.
This team developed somewhat spontaneously during a Spanish class for healthcare providers. I am trying to learn Spanish so I can converse and hopefully better understand the patients we care for in San Lorenzo. Jane is very fluent in Spanish and translates it all for me. However, I have longed to have some ability to speak Spanish so I enrolled in a course at Indiana University/Purdue University Fort Wayne. The course was Spanish for Healthcare Providers and was an evening class for 10 weeks. Linzy, Linda and Annette were in this course as well. As we talked about learning Spanish and my medical mission work, these three quickly begged me to include them on my next trip. I talked with Jane about this and she likewise wanted to have a team. With the recovery room nurses we will have better coverage of the pre-op preparations and monitoring the patients post-op. This will make our turnover in the operating room more efficient. Linzy also will help with the operating room procedures and Jane wants her to help teach her team about instrumentation and proper protocol in setting up and passing instruments during surgery.
Linzy will travel with me leaving the USA on Wednesday, February 6 and returning on the 20th. Linda, Annette, and Barb will fly on Saturday, February 9 and return on Sunday, February 17. Jane, Linzy and I will travel from Quito to San Lorenzo on Thursday, the 7th, and will see patients over the next couple days to build our surgery schedule. The others will arrive in San Lorenzo on Sunday. Our goal and hope is to reach out to many people in San Lorenzo and be God’s hands and fingers as we touch those who are hurting and in need of care.
Come with me on this trip. I will keep my usual journal of each day and add pictures.
Medical Missions 
Dad
We are all so proud of you…..all the hard work you do before hand, the love you have for the people that you care for, and your heart that constantly beats for missions……you are an inspiration to us all. I will be praying for you all the time and constantly checking your blog. Keep us updated and also keep in mind those of us who have weak stomachs when you post surgery pics. 🙂 I love you and look forward to all the stories when you get back. Abby says you probably ought to pack your bathingsuit and wonders if you check in people ears and make them say “ahhhh”….. and Anna says to pack snacks…. and Jordan wonders if there is any good fishing. 🙂 We will be praying for you….
Lots of Love,
Darc & kids