I'm the neighborhood nurse. I don't really know how I got the job, since I'm certainly not a medical professional.I guess word got around that we have medical supplies, thanks to our teams that leave us their first aid kits.Band-Aids and a little love goes a long way!When someone gets cut with a machete, has a rash, or needs gauze, they come clapping at our front gate for help. "Why don't they go to the public health center?" you might be asking.That's simple.They don't have supplies there.

No health care program exists for the low-income bracket here in Paraguay. When someone has to go to the public health center, there are very few resources available for the patient and absolutely nothing is free. If a surgery is warranted, the patient's relatives have to pay upfront AND go to the pharmacy and buy medical gloves and iodine for the doctor before the operation!We are constantly made aware of the critical health needs in Paraguay.When I go to the public health center to visit the sick twice a month, the run down facilities with bare-bones resources are beyond depressing.Patients must bring their own blankets and provide their own food. In the cold of winter, patients lie practically naked with no heating in the building and no covering, not even a sheet.When it heats up to 110 degrees in the summer, there is not even a ceiling fan to create a breeze.

Although there are private hospitals where we live in southern Paraguay, the majority of the population cannot afford their services.If a poor woman needs a c-section, there is no place within an hour that will perform the surgery for her.....if they know she is poor.We've seen it already; those without resources die of treatable illnesses. That is why the life expectancy here is lower than all other South American nations except Bolivia (www.worldbank.com 2008 statistics). 

A well-run clinic that attends the needs of the poor is an urgent priority.We are working with the Luke Society of Paraguay to address the rising demand for quality health care for the underprivileged.Our hope is to open such a facility early next year that will provide all the basic procedures (consultations, ultrasounds, x-rays, lab work, etc.) that a person needs for only $6.00 a procedure.That price is 25% less than the public health center and 65% less than the private hospitals! 

Our heart's desire is to minister to those who are marginalized and unable to obtain health care in this nation.  This vision was born out of a Paraguayan professional, Dr. Jorge Gomez-Frey.He left his private OB-GYN practice to begin serving the poor eleven years ago.He and his wife have made significant sacrifices to help the underprivileged and share Christ's love with those near Encarnacion.Now, with a start-up team of five, we want to replicate this model of health care in our region in the United Colonies, one hour north of the Argentina border.By providing holistic, loving, and excellent care, our hope is that patients will be open to receive the hope of Jesus Christ. 

Will you pray that God would guide us and provide for this new project?Specifically, we need prayer for finding Christian nurses, for the start-up supplies and medical equipment that are required, and for local churches to come on board with volunteers. The alliance with local churches will be highly important and this month we will be sharing the vision with all local pastors in the area. 

We're looking forward to seeing God at work in this incredible outreach and I'll be in contact to share with you how God has been answering your (and our) prayers!