Our last clinic day was Thursday, 12/11. We worked quickly through this last day and learned that we helped nearly 17,000 patients over the course of our 7 days of clinic. It was hard for us to say goodbye to the people of Poza Rica and our volunteers. One sweet young student asked me if we would be coming back. With a catch in my throat I answered she would probably be a married lady by the time another team returned to Poza Rica.
With mixed feelings we boarded the bus to return to the city of Veracruz. We felt happy for all of the great experiences: giving eyeglasses to people and providing sight for the 1st time in their lives, catching life-threatening conditions and making friends for life. But we also felt sad for the people we were unable to help and the new friendships which would soon be relegated to email and Facebook.
Our last bonding experience occured that evening in Veracruz at our pinning ceremony. The pinning ceremony is when we receive our commemorative pin for the mission and share memories with our team. It was very moving and sealed our friendships for years to come.
I wish that I could fully convey to you how special this trip was for us as a team. For many it was life changing. For me, it was life affirming. It affirmed to me that each of us has the ability to change a life. I may not have the ability to go on a mission every year but I now believe in my ability and obligation to impact lives where I am.
On behalf of our team, I'd like to thank our families for supporting us and giving us the freedom to spend this time in Mexico. I'd also like to thank our co-workers for covering our share of the work while we were gone. And thank you all for following our blog. I hope that you've enjoyed hearing about our mission adventure and feel moved to participate in One Sight in the future.
Until we meet again...Darlene R. and Team Mexico
No comments:
Post a Comment