I had almost completely forgotten about my application when I saw an old Mercy Ships friend at a wedding last summer. He informed me that he had plans to go to Malawi with Operation Smile a few weeks later. He assured me that he had lots of connections who would be able to help me with my credentialing process and get me signed up for a mission. So the process finally started moving along as my friend connected me with several key people within the organization. Before long, I was officially "credentialed" and asked to submit my mission location preferences.
But the only problem was that each mission only allows one first-time nurse to come. The purpose for this restriction is to provide a strong team that has plenty of experience with the standards and expectations of Operation Smile. However, it makes it a bit more challenging for the first-timers, as there is only one slot per mission for the newbies.
A few months went by and then one day, out of the blue, one of the team leaders wrote to me saying that they needed a Spanish-speaking nurse on their mission to Chiapas, Mexico in April. I was excited for the opportunity to finally go on my first mission! Things came together quickly and before long, I had my plane ticket and was all set to go!
Having grown up near the border of Mexico and visiting many times before, I expected Chiapas to be very similar to all the other places I had been in Mexico. But both the city and the mission itself exceeded my expectations! The city center was very quaint, with cobblestone streets, restaurants, live music, and some amazing coffee shops (they grow the beans nearby and everything is fresh). Not to mention, there were lots of great places to experience the culture, including one of my favorite activities...salsa dancing!!!
Chiapas at night
We had phenomenal leaders who made sure everything was perfectly organized and ready to go when we all arrived. Our entire team was amazing, with a mix of international and local volunteers. My roommate was from Italy, our pediatrician was from Russia, and we had several other team members from Spain. And obviously we had lots of volunteers from Mexico! But in spite of the team's cultural diversity, everyone worked well together to give the patients the best care. The screening went smoothly and before we knew it, the surgeries were in full swing.
Our amazing leaders (in orange) and a few of our translators
I was on the night shift with another nurse named Kristi, an experienced volunteer who did a great job of teaching me the ropes of OpSmile. It was great to have a little bit slower pace on the night shift to have time to get used to everything without being overwhelmed and also to spend time getting to know the patients better. The patients and families were so grateful for the work we were doing and endlessly thanked us.
One night, one of the mom's who was very intrigued with the international volunteers began asking me questions about how we all had come together in Chiapas. She asked me what it was like to be on an airplane up in the sky, as she had never had that opportunity before. Her eyes got wide as I described what it was like to be up in the clouds looking down on all the cities that seemed so tiny from up above. Watching her intrigue over the experience of flying reminded me of the privilege it is to be able to travel as much as I do, which I often take for granted.
Another night, Kristi came back to the nurse's station with a big smile on her face and told me to go to the room where one of the older patients was awake. It was the middle of the night and most of the patients were sleeping, so I was curious as to what could be going on. I went out to investigate and found an older boy, sitting at the edge of the bed, holding up his mirror, in awe of his new smile that he had been waiting for all of his life. While everyone else was sleeping, he was too excited to close his eyes and lay down. He just wanted to sit there and look at his beautiful lips and new smile. It was a very sweet moment.
Kristi and Elena (our pediatrician)
The trip was full of precious moments that have made for some very special memories. I may not remember the names of each and every patient, but I remember their smiles and the joy I saw in their parents' eyes as they admired the transformation of their little ones. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this mission and to work such an amazing team! I will forever cherish the memories I made in Chiapas and I look forward to many more missions in the future. It may have taken a long time to get on my first mission, but it was definitely worth the wait!
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