The team arrived on Delta and United Thursday. The United team from Oregon and the Doeble’s from Florida left the airport to get water and coffee before the wholesalers closed two hours up country. The Delta gang from Dayton, Cincinnati, Columbus and Greensboro arrived at 2:11 PM considerably later than the planned 12:43 PM. They took the last five vans at 3:30 after passing customs and loading and headed up to be at Tony’s Hotel and Resort on the bay front in Corozal. All 54 mission participants were glad to have dinner at 6 PM and head to bed not much longer after on Thursday night. On Friday morning the construction team headed to their house, and made great progress framing three walls for the metal house. Called, “zink,” down here, it is the next best thing to concrete and more afordable in supplies. The team will build the house for @ $6,500 US. When they arrived there was a stack of logs that were going to be used if our team did not come to build.
The Surgery Team with the help of the better part of the Village Medical Team, headed to Corozal hospital for our first ever screening day there. With only half the normal patient count as prior years when the team had an open screening day at Orange Walk Hospital, the team only filled Saturday and parts of Monday. John Kirby was interviewed on the television to announce a last minute screening day at Orange Walk. Surgeries are being done at Orange Walk, although it was hoped that the surgery suite could have been ready in time to do the surgeries there for the first time (just miles from the team hotel).
Saturday morning, the Village Team is in Carmelita Village. They are seeing over 150 patients. While it was cool enough to need a wind breaker for breakfast on Friday, on Saturday it is quite hot in high 80s, but with a breeze that makes it bearable. The Dental team started their second day of seeing patients Saturday after seeing 13 patients on Friday afternoon.
As of this morning, there were no patients for surgery, but after a day of screening the rest of the days are beginning to fill in.