Almost Departure Day

We're finally able to check off most of the items on our to do lists as our departure date arrives. Passports-done; Yellow fever inoculations-done; Flight bookings-done; Packing-maybe not all done, but we've at least got all of out supplies, equipment, and donations done. It makes us get a little teary eyed to see it all, 13 bins and duffel bags full of goodies and a wallet full of cash for anaesthesia and other supplies we'll need to buy there. We're overflowing with gratitude for the generosity of our church community and that of our friends at Saint Stan's school in Adams who adopted our mission project for their "Make A Difference" week. Here's some of our bags piled up in the church library:














And here are the medical information cards and the buttons that a handful of cheerful parishioners worked on for the past couple of weeks. It may not look like you idea of adornment, but folks love them:









We feel so blessed to be the ones who get to give this all away---in person.


Onto some details about the trip....

This is the 7th year that a group from Saint John's, Williamstown has participated in a medical mission project with MMI- Medical Ministry International (http://www.mmint.org/). In previous years we've had groups go to the Dominican Republic, but this year we are headed to Cochabamba, Bolivia where a new project will be starting headed by Francis Perez, one of out Dominican MMI friends. Cochabamba is in central Bolivia in a valley in the Andes. Some valley...it's 8700 feet elevation.



To read more about Cochabamba, you can start here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochabamba