A 70-year-old man with a stroke almost brought to tears because he is afraid he will never be able to work in the fields again as that is his only means of income.
A man who calmly shows up with ulceration on his shin the size of a softball that has been there for five years.
A woman with shoulder pain who has what I assume to be a surgical scar but turns out to be a gunshot wound. She has a second one on her chest that must have missed her heart by an inch or so.
A woman who thought she had been cured of diabetes because for three months she dutifully took the medicines she had been given. She stopped the medicine more than seven years ago and today her blood sugar is 468, and she tells me she feels fine. The underlying problem with many chronic illnesses worldwide - they don't cause symptoms until it's too late.
A spirit of comradery and teamwork and absolute focus on a mission, and a belief that together we can meet any challenge that I shared with my colleagues on the mission.
A society where the elders survive, including living many years through a violent civil war, and work to make life better for the young, because that is what they have always done. A society where the young see little hope for a better future, so they become targets for the gangs.
It is a land of many contrasts, haves, and have-nots. Yet they are a beautiful, vibrant people who embrace life and walk through life with a smile on their faces.
It is not a unique story and it makes you realize how lucky you are. It makes me realize I am not volunteering enough in my own community where the need may not be as glaringly obvious but is no less great.
