Many of the children received fluoride treatments and instruction on dental care. Also, our head dentist on the team gave 2 dental health talks to teachers in 2 of the schools of the area.
	Julio Jr., the son of our Administrator, had the difficult task of delivering the medications from the pharmacy area to the waiting area. He had to give instructions of administration to each patient on each medication they received, and many times he had to repeat the instructions because many of the patients could not read. I would estimate that at least 50% of the patients who passed through the clinics could not read, because they were asked this question in the evangelism area.
	Reading a salvation passage in the Bible to test the eye sight of those who were fitted for glasses was an evangelism technique to win patients to Christ, and there were some who received Christ in that manner.
	Two sets of little league baseball uniforms and equipment was donated to have 2 teams. We chose a coach from the Nicaraguan construction workers, and the coach chose the team players. We fitted them to the uniforms right on the construction site, and they got their instructions to begin their season.
	On tour day, after the work was done, the construction team which built a new roof on Polina's church, enjoyed the boat ride through the islands of Granada, which were formed at the eruption of Volcano Mombacho.
	They also enjoyed seeing Volcano Santiago, near Masaya.
	In the children's ministry area at the clinic in "Mejico", a young kindergarten teacher came to assist the team, because that was her kindergarten room. She came barefooted and was given thongs, along with a cross necklace, which all the children received. She is pictured in the center of the team. She was of great help in controlling the flow of children in and out of that room, since she was a native of the area.
	Some of the mothers liked the necklaces so well, they asked for one.
	One of our team members made balloon animals for the children
	The children's program was based on Scripture passages. There were question and answer sessions, games, action songs and stories. The children participated enthusiastically.
	One day, 3 teenage boys came in to see the program, and at the end, they performed break dancing for the group. They were quite talented, doing some difficult acrobatic moves.
	The children pictured are at the Nuevo Amanecer feeding site. This is the area where the children work in the Poma Rock mines. Our construction team began a second construction project of building a pastors home at this settlement. The Nicaraguans will need to finish this project also.
	This church, which is the church that Polina attends, is located 3 doors down the dirt road from Clinic #1. The pastor of this church has been a great help to the work of the Centers of Hope by transporting Polina to feeding center sites and other places she needs to go. He never asks for anything personally for his family, except fuel in his car when he uses it to help us. However, his car is now broken, but he keeps smiling and helping in other ways. The church roof was sunken in and dangerous. One of our construction teams replaced the roof, and he and the congregation are very happy now. They have the most beautiful wall mural behind the altar, painted by a Nicaraguan artist. The church is very evangelistic, reaching out into the community.
	Each new group of children had a time of coloring, as they listened to a message of salvation by our team clown, using the witnessing bracelet, which each child also received.
	Some listened intently and were enthusiastic with all the attention they were receiving.
	Coloring seemed a little less interesting than the message.
	The Nicaraguans were hard workers, even though many of them had only thongs on their feet.
	The Nicaraguans had build the foundation before the US team arrived.
	This is the water tank that was already on the land.  It was repaired of cracks by the Nicaraguans and used as the water source for making the cement.
	Laying the bricks.
	Putting in earthquake protection rods.
	The construction went well. We had electricity most of the time. Though it was the rainy season, there was never too much rain to cause interruption of the work.
	Putting on the steel roof beams was the last part of the construction for the US team. The Nicaraguans alone would need to complete the construction of the storehouse, under the direction of Julio, our Administrator.
	Before our team arrived, the Nicaraguans built this privy, with an indoor toilet, for our convenience. In spite of the fact that water needed to be poured down it each time it was used, it was still a nice convenience for our team.
	As the construction took place, the ladies of the U.S. team worked along side Nicaraguan ladies, preparing the meal for the team and also the food for the children's ministry each day. One of the neighbors across the roadway volunteered their property for this project. Their home was just one large room with partitions and they cooked outside, as do most Nicaraguans. There was a chickens, 2 dogs, and a tiny frail kitten on the property, who were thrilled to have the scraps of food from the plates.
	There were many vegetables to be cut up.
	Polina, our Director of Clinics, Feeding Centers, and team cooking projects, took the hard job of cooking the meat, and endured smoke in the eyes throughout the process.
	One man chopped the wood to keep the fire going under the 3 cast iron pots.
	Patients waiting in line to get fitted for eyeglasses.
	Dr. Marlon would often pray for his patients who needed a special touch, and at the beginning of the clinics, he would pray over all the people before the clinics began and witness to the need of trusting in Jesus Christ as being the one who brings the healing.
	Dr. Teolez was another nicaraguan doctor who helped the team.
	A Nicaraguan volunteer at each clinic site was placed at the gate to allow an orderly entrance of patients. This particular site was called "Los Sabalos."
	This mother brought her sick baby to the clinic. The child had a rash and was not responding to medicine appropriately.  The team collected funds to send them to the hospital in San Carlos.
	This elderly woman would not smile, but waited with patience for her turn to see the doctor.
	This photo is of a mother and child in El Castillo. They received toothbrushes and a stuffed animal for the child.
	This photo and the next one are 2 little girls in "Mejico" who appeared to have come to the clinic site alone. They found their way to the children's ministry area. One appears to have received a necklace and a balloon animal.
	The other appears to have received thongs for her feet. There is quite a contrast in the appearance of these 2 girls as compared to the mother and child, who look neat and clean, and not as poor, but equally grateful. The US doctors also brought toys and stuffed animals which they gave out to various children during their consultations.
	This little girl also appeared to have come alone to the clinic site and found the children's ministry area. I searched for thongs and finally found her size.
	This little boy seemed alone, and unlike the other children, he was not inquisitive or seeking gifts. I wish I had taken the time to minister to him.
	At the end of one day, we needed to leave in order to get back on the boat before sundown, but the lines were still long, and we knew we couldn't see all the patients, so Don assisted our team chaplain and myself out into the street to have the people form a prayer line, and we asked each one their special request and prayed for them.
	The last person in the prayer line was this young man, who immediately fell to his knees to receive prayer.
	The city of San Carlos is like a quaint fishing village, and it was interesting to walk through the city streets from the hotel to the restaurant 2 evenings in a row.
	Note in one photo the sunset with the form of a volcano which is located on the Island of Omotepe, in Lake Nicaragua. The hotel in San Carlos was often without electiricity and water at times, but they furnished us with candles, and eventually, the water tanks would fill up and we would get our cold shower.
	On our tour day, we visited the Church of God orphanage, and this young girl was the most recent orphan to have come there. She had such a sweet spirit, and was trying her best to fit into this new large family. She hugged the cook and said "This is my aunt." I later asked the cook if she was actually her aunt, and she said "no--she just calls me that."
	As the team traveled in Managua seeing the sites and visiting the different works of the Centers of Hope, we stopped at one of the local street markets to buy bananas as a snack.
	We passed by the land that we had received and saw the progress made by the Nicaraguans to further the construction of the new Storehouse and Office building.
	A lady came from El Salvador to work on our team as a prayer warrior, and since she could speak spanish, she was able to touch many lives and translate for our US ladies. She was the mother of one of the US team members. One day, a troubled lady and her incapacitated daughter came by the cooking site to receive prayer.
	After the construction team had eaten, the food for the children was taken to the children's ministry site. A school house and church alternated days for this project.
	The food for the children consisted of rice, vegetables and small pieces of chicken. Many of the children seemed very hungry. The smaller ones had trouble drinking from the soda bottles, so the next day, we got paper cups.
	Some of our team members prayed for the patients as they were in the doctor's consultation room.
	As patients were waiting for their prescriptions to be filled, each of them were given a Spanish tract presenting the Gospel of Salvation. The tract was explained to those who could not read, and they received a message of salvation from the Bible shared by Polina, our Director of Feeding Centers and Clinics
	The children too received a message of salvation in a way which they could understand. New Testaments were given to all those who did not already have Bibles in their homes, and some, who had received Christ, were given a complete Bible.
	In traveling from San Carlos to clinic site "Mejico," we passed this little home preschool.
	It had rained during the clinic, and on our return to San Carlos, the already muddy roads were even worse, which caused the mini-bus to get stuck in the mud, almost turning on its side. The team members exited the bus as the Ministry of Health 4-wheel drive vehicle pulled out the bus.
	After having returned to Managua, we visited the large open air market, and this young boy was selling his wares. He appears to have come from a rural area.
	After traveling 8 hours from Managua to San Carlos by school bus on an extremely bumpy road, we got the pleasure of traveling by boat, a 3 hour ride of peaceful tranquility and beauty on the San Juan River to our lodging destination in El Castillo.
	Scenery from the boat.
	Scenery from the boat.
	In traveling from San Carlos to the clinic site "Mejico," we passed such homes as these in the muddy terrain.
	Along the way, we met a man who had injured his knee in a machete accident. Blood had dripped down his leg and it appeared that the knee bone was exposed. Our men carried him to one of the vehicles and took him to the local health department office, where he was taken to the hospital.
	We also passed this young boy carrying a small pot of food.
	The dental office had to be set up at each new site. Within a distracting and unsanitary environment, the dentists are able to maintain the needed sterile field in order to perform tooth extractions all day long.
	They pulled teeth from approximately 60 patients each day, without any harmful effects. The dentist definitely has the most physically draining job, because there is no break between patients and no air conditioning under those masks and gloves, and no sitting down on the job.
	The pharmacy also is a place that requires continual concentration in order to fill prescriptions with correct medications and correct amounts. It was kept free of children and browsers.
	Our team was truly blessed to be able to stay in a hotel with such a beautiful balcony view--a peaceful place to unwind and begin the day with prayer, reflection and Bible reading.
	This house on the river was passed as we traveled to another villlage on the river where we held a clinic.
	During the clinics, after registering each patient, they came to the station where the nurse took the B/P, complaints, and other pertinent details before seeing the doctor. At this station, they also kept toys, thongs, toothbrushes and toothpaste to be given out as needed.
	One of our young short-term missionaries assisted the nurse in taking blood pressures to increase the speed at which patients could get through the waiting line.
	Waiting outside the doctor's office
	Waiting inside the doctor's office.  Waiting, for these people, was an all day process.
	Approaching the city of El Castillo, we could see the hotel where we would be staying.  They had hung a banner across the front of the hotel to welcome us.
	This was the castle-like fort which served to protect the city for many years, and also gave the city its name.
	Coming into the dock, there were some children there to welcome us and help us carry some bags up the long staircase to the hotel.