Friday, June 13th

Hello everyone!

Today we had our first outreach clinic. On our way to pick up the doctors and social workers we worked with, we had an incredibly rare and beautiful view of the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro which signaled the great clinic day that was to come. After navigating road construction, flat tires, and difficult terrain, we made it to the clinic safely. Once we met with the village leaders and set up our clinic, we did quick introductions and settled in to begin the day.

We served over 130 individuals of all ages today, and we were fortunate enough to have the time to see every person who came to the clinic. With 6 students on the team, we split up into 3 stations of 2 people. Karly and Katelyn worked together, and they were both impacted by how many people came to the clinic, especially those who had travelled miles to get the care they needed. Karly noticed that we saw patients who presented with a wide variety of conditions that truly tested her assessment skills. Katelyn was inspired by how Gayle greeted every patient and made them feel comfortable in the clinic while still maintaining the efficiency to make sure we could see everyone.

Drew and Maggie were teamed up at the second station, and they were impacted by the resilience of each person they saw, many of whom had waited years to receive adequate medical treatment for their problems. Maggie noticed how many of the small children were scared of unfamiliar medical instruments, and throughout the day she worked hard to try and make the kids feel safe and comfortable before beginning assessments. Today made Drew especially appreciative of the medical care we have access to in the United States, and he noticed that all of our patients were exercising immense patience to ensure that the clinic could run smoothly.

Michael and I were teamed up at the last station. We were both heavily impacted by the story of a woman who was HIV positive but wished to remain discreet during her time with us. While I looked at her medications she had brought with her, Michael took the initiative to block the view from the door to give her a little more privacy. We both resonated with how the stigma of being HIV positive can impact people no matter where they are in the world.

Overall, we had a wonderful day serving the people of the Milima Mitake village. We all learned so much from this experience, not only lessons that we will take with us to outreach clinic tomorrow, but memories that will guide us as we finish school and begin our careers in medicine. I know I speak for the group when I say we are all looking forward to see where God will guide us tomorrow and who he will send to our clinic.