Mission Oaxaca - Day 7

I’ve got some exciting news! I have no travel adventures to report – Whoo hoo (at least that is what Liz is saying tonight)!
Today we headed into the lower elevations to the nearly tropical Gregorio Alvarez Putla de GRO. The countryside surrounding this town was simply breathtaking and we thoroughly enjoyed the people, which were a mix of Triquis and Mixtecans.
I wanted to tell you a little bit more about the types of problems we are treating in this region.
In this area of Oaxaca, disputes are often settled old-west style - at the end of a gun. Today a woman came in because she had been shot six months ago. She and her husband were driving when some people that had a grudge against them over a land dispute murdered her husband and shot her through her car door.

Don and Rob were able to make an incision in her back and pull out the fractured slugs that had scar tissue forming around them. The surgical site was cleaned and she was stitched up. She apparently still has bullet fragments in her leg, but Don decided not to pull them out because he wanted her back to heal first.

While Mexico has surprisingly good infrastructure in these remote regions, water quality has definitely been an issue. Many of the people we are treating have intestinal issues related to bacteria from the environment. We are prescribing a lot of antibiotics and antimicrobials in order to treat these folks.
Additionally, Minerva, a local physician who has donated her time all week, recommended all children be treated for worms. There are many different parasites living in the people’s bodies and the medicines are prohibitively expensive for most. Fortunately, World Mercy Teams received a donation of this medication and have treated hundreds of children through these clinics.
The people here have a strong work ethic and they labor hard. This is evident in the premature chronic back problems and numbers of arthritic patients we are seeing, often in their 40s. Additionally, we have treated a large number of people with reflux disease. This comes from the spicy diet most live on.
Genetics also play a role Oaxaca. High blood pressure and diabetes are common in this region despite a relatively healthy diet.
I’m going to keep this short tonight. I am starting to battle some intestinal issues of my own and hoping some sleep will improve my situation.
We have one more clinic tomorrow, fortunately less than a 30-minute drive from Juxtlahuaca along a main road. We are all road weary and looking forward to a little R & R Monday before we return home.
Please continue to pray for our health and also for the churches that are hosting us. Remember, the Christian church in this region is just being established and the pastors and congregations need constant prayer from the persecution they face too often. Pray for peace in this region where drugs, alcohol abuse and prostitution are major issues and where women and children are all too often abducted, raped and held as sexual and household slaves.
My goal tonight is to try to upload a video of Don and Page talking about Mission Oaxaca. If it does load, I’ll add it to the blog tomorrow morning.
Thanks again for your prayers and support. You are all blessings to each and every one of us.
God bless,
Sheldon