When: June 1 - 9, 2013
Where: Boqueron, El Salvador
(We have two trips to El Salvador with the same dates. To avoid confusion, please note city when completing application.)
Who: Family Trip! Primary Medicine & Dentistry, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Nurses & Logistics (non-medical helpers), 2 Pastors (to take an active part in the Spiritual aspect of the team and work with the National Partners/Spiritual Counseling)
Status: Accepting Applications
Special Travel Announcement: Unless you are instructed by GHO or your team leader, do not book your own travel. Please email ghotravel@cmda.org prior to the ticket purchase if you want to use frequent flyer miles and/or want your number added to the ticket.
Project Fee: $1,420 plus airfare and $15 per hour for up to 14 hours CME/CDE (if applicable)
Click here for more information on CME/CDE
Team Leader: Dwain Illman, MD
To read Dr. Illman's bio Click Here.
Trip Details: You are invited to serve our Lord in a most wonderful place and along side some most wonderful people. We will be working in the Volcano area 45 minutes up the mountain from San Salvador. There is a restaurant close to our area that calls itself Las Brumas – the clouds. The weather will be cool with rain showers most afternoons. Some days we will be enveloped with the clouds. This is the coffee growing area of El Salvador. Starbucks purchases some its premium roasts from a farm close to Boqueron. Schools plan their holidays around coffee harvest time. The beans are picked by hand.
The area is majestic; the people seem to have continuous smiles; all of our patients are very grateful for what we are doing. But behind all this is poverty. Not much money is paid to pick a pound of coffee. There is little health care available for the estimated 50,000 people living in this volcano district. We will be doing a lot in primary medicine and dentistry during our ministry.
But I have not told you the best part. Our partnering group is Cimiento Estable Church and School led by Pastors Rene Mejia Vides and Rene Gonzales. Students from the Christian High School serve as our interpreters and assistants. They are an inspiring group of young people. Each of us each year insists that our student is simply the best.
Pastor Gonzales will find us a nice hotel in San Salvador where we will eat most of our breakfasts and dinners. The team members share devotions right after these meals. Last year they took us down to the Pacific Ocean on Saturday where we had beach time then a meal on a bluff overlooking the ocean.
Team Composition: Most of the team will work in logistics (wherever I assign you!). We need medical and dental professionals who are willing to give back and honor the teachings of our Lord in caring for the poor, needy and widows in the world.
For the dentists, there is electricity and 2 dental chairs available. Many basic dental instruments should be there but I recommend you bring some of your “favorites.” Medical care is basic but most specialists will find they can serve some very significant roles – e.g. orthopedics – inject joints; urologists – discuss the care of these problems, etc. Physical therapists will not run out of patients. Certainly nurse practitioners and physician assistants will work along side our physicians. We need nurses. And of course a pharmacy team is essential.
I have found that older high school students and college students have really benefited from this week of service. The national team wants us earlier in June this year so I know that may be a problem for some.
If you are like me, while we are serving together in El Salvador you will be recalling the Scriptures that talk about “delight in the Lord.” Remember Psalm 37:4 “delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
The challenge Scripture is I Peter 4:10 –“each should whatever gift you have to serve others.” That is precisely what we will be doing. Please prayerfully consider this and partner with us.
Vaccination Information: Wondering what immunizations you’ll need for the mission trip? Please refer to the
Centers for Disease Control website.
