Day 1- Sunday, Aug 31st
Small but mighty!
The Austin Precision Mobility team consists of just 2 American volunteers! Karen Preston is the sole physical therapist and Dr Joe Austin is the mobility doctor and team doctor. Thankfully we are joined by several experienced, capable local FIP staff including Claudia Navas (Coordinator), Daniella Moldonando (Coordinator Casa de Fe and Volunteers) , Paola MacDonald (FIP Patient Navigator Coordinator) and Ceci Flores (Junior Coordinator Attention Patients) as well as others.
We arrived in cool Xela after an uneventful 5 hour drive to be greeted by dense cloud as we are at over 8000 feet. This mission will be in cooperation with Xela Aid (also known as ‘Local Hope’) which is a mission organization founded in 1992 and services over 50 villages. Their primary focus is education (Montessori), nutrition, adult care and medical management for the local population which consists primarily of Mam people. They will be working hand-in-hand with our FIP team providing valuable assistance with wheelchair assembly, translators, logistics and patient throughfare.
The primary facility is a large attractive structure easily housing all our equipment and providing an excellent venue for our clinic. Patients will have easy access via well designed ramps and spacious areas for clinical evaluation, fitting and training for their new wheelchairs. The associated lodge has beautiful woodwork, flooring and atrium making our stay quite a comfortable one. The food is hearty and delicious prepared by the facility’s delightful local cooks.
The staff here are very accommodating, friendly and competent so we are looking forward to a busy but smoothly run clinic this week. The Lord was certainly looking out for us when He linked our tiny team with such a fine organization. There are smiles and wishes for comfortable night’s sleep as we look forward to helping the people of this area and all the surrounding areas this week.
Dr. Joseph Austin, Team Doctor, Team Leader & Blogger
