Partera (midwife) Training - Colta, Ecuador

Partera´s with their new blue medical bags and equipment. We think it will be interesting someday when a missionary calls on a small house in the hills and finds this blue bag with the church logo on it.



Our dear new friends removed their hats and thanked heaven for sending us to teach them.



These hands have now been given new skills and can better help a baby breath if needed.



This sweet women is 77 years old and still delivering babies.



Practicing the skills they have learned.





So many wanted their picture taken with us, I would love to get some of these pictures to them.



Dr Flake and our interpreter Dr. Juan Naula Guacho, he did such a fantastic job and is helping to improve the midwifes status.



They payed close attention and were so excited to learn.



Dad and Ana, she was one of the Public Health Workers, they were so organized and helpful, it was awesome to work with them.



Ready to begin class.

Friday January 21, 2011
By far our finest and best experience was teaching a Basic Helping Babies Breath course to 44 native parteras (midwives). They were the most awesome sight and so loving. This was the first time the revised course had been presented in Spanish and we had to have the Spanish translated to Quichua as many did not speak Spanish. These participates, some men attended as well, came from all over the area many having to travel by bus, several walked. They asked why we would help them. When we told them that they were our brothers and sisters and that their babies are important they seemed amazed and taken aback. After a short time into the training they indicated that this was good training but they did not have access to the equipment we were teaching them to use. When they found out we would be giving them the equipment they clapped and were so excited. It was so humbling to teach these natives. Dad said he would never read about the people of Ammon without thinking of these humble, beautiful people. At the conclusion of the training they presented each of us with a gift and we had dancing and lunch. They also honored us by removing their hats in respect. They felt God had sent us to help them and they were so grateful. This experience alone makes the whole mission worthwhile. We are hoping to do at least one more of these basic courses.

Training in Ambato and Riobamba

Our Riobamba graduates.



Dr. Orlando Echeverria, our champion in Riobamba



The Elders came to help us in Riobamba the first day, here they are grading papers on the steps to the auditorium, tables were in short supply.


The training team at the conclusions of Ambato training.



This is for all my nurse friends, the nurses here are very professional, they wear their hats and whites.



Some of the training equipment the hospitals will receive.



Practice station, these dolls can be used to teach intubation technique.



Dad and I working on the computer, taking care of the paperwork!

January 17 -20, 2011
Monday morning we were up bright and early, 5:30a.m., we had a devotional each morning before breakfast, ate and were off to the hospital. The training is from 8:30 to about 2 or 3 in the afternoon. Our main job is registration, passing out materials, entering everyone in the computer and helping with the tests. We grade the tests and enter the scores in the computer. At the completion of the training we get all the certificates ready for the graduation ceremony. I helped a little with setting up and taking down the practice stations. We had 41 participates in Ambato and 38 in Riobamba. These participants are Doctors and Nurses and we had a few students. The advanced course was taught in Riobamba and Ambato and 10 other regional Hospitals were represented at the training. At the end of the course equipment is donated to each of the Hospitals represented so that training can be provided in these hospitals as well. Each participate is asked to train 6 other people who in turn train others. It is hoped over 500 medical personnel will be trained over the next 6 months.

Leaving for Ambato

FYI: For those who asked or are wondering, Dad did not get the egg to balance. Dr. Flake in our group was the only one who did, but we are going back and trying again!

Sunday January 16, 2011
Chimborazo volcano, beautiful view no clouds. The top of this mountain is the closest point to the sun on earth.



Ready to head out.



Lunch at the apartment before leaving.

After our adventures on Saturday, everyone prepared for Sunday. We met at our ward for Sacrament Meeting then went to our apartment for lunch and a planning meeting. We had a birthday cake for Sister Doucette as it was her 70th birthday. Then everyone left for the hotel to pack. We cleaned up and took all the leftovers to the other senior missionaries, finished packing and went to the office. On weekends the elevators are shut off so we each made many many trips to the 3rd floor and carried out supplies and equipment to load in the cars. It was a tight fit. Even though we had three vehicles we could not get everything in, so it was determined that another truck would be sent on Wednesday with the rest of the supplies. Then we were off to Ambato. Sunday night we had dinner with the hospital staff that would be helping with the teaching. Our week of intense training had begun!

Equator in Ecuador

Straddling the equator.





Native weaver. He was a happy soul and spoke a small amount of English.



Boiling an egg on the equator, using sun power!

I´m in the North and Dad is in the South.



Dad trying to balance an egg, supposedly this is easier on the equator.



On the equator. Lots of zero´s.

Our next stop was the equator, Mitad del Mundo, or middle of the earth. We were short of time here but had the quick 20 minute tour and it was very interesting. We are going to return and get some better pictures and a video of the water draining. It swirles in different directions depending on if it is north or south of the equator. The demonstrations were interesting and fun, and we got to stand in both hemispheres at the same time.

Teleférico, Quito Ecuador

Cotopaxi



A view of the city



Papa, mama and baby Pichincha


This picture is for Thayne, radio towers all over the world.



Riding up the mountain.



On top of middle earth.



Getting ready to head up Pichincha.

Saturday January 15, 2011
Our first adventure was to Teleféirco. This is a gondola that takes us up Pichincha, one of the volcanoes around Quito. The day was beautiful, one of the first we have had without rain. The view of the city was spectacular and we were able to see many of the volcanoes that surround Quito.

WE´RE BACK!!!

Night view in Quito.



Cotopaxi at sunset.



GETTING EVERYTHING ORGANIZED.



Having dinner in Old Town, yes we are eating again!


The group in Old Town, Quito Ecuador; Karen Cardosa, Elder Yost, Elder Flake, Fernando Aguirre, Sister Janet Flake.

We have just finished the most incredible two weeks. Elder and Sister Flake and Karen Cordosa, the nurse, arrived on January 13th. Friday January 14th we finished getting things together for the NRT (neonatal resuscitation training) classes. This turned out to be a bigger job than I thought it would be. Once the decisions were made as to who got what and we sorted everything out into the separate areas it had been a long day. Friday evening we all went to Old Town and saw some of the sights, had dinner and then attended a folk dance performance. It was a wonderful evening. Dr. Eric Flake and Dr. and Sister Doucette arrived Friday, about midnight. We again met at the office Saturday morning to review everything that we had done and to wait for the delivery of the last few items we needed. Then we took off and did some sightseeing. We went to Teleférico, a gondola that takes you to high up Pichincha, the volcano overlooking Quito. We had a great view of the city and several of the volcanoes’. Then we went to Mitad del Mundo, the middle of the earth. We only had about 20 minutes here so got the really short tour, but had a great time.

We are out of town

The week of January 10th - 14th we have been very busy getting everything ready for the NRT training coming up the week of January 17th - 22nd. The team from the states have arrived and we are here at the office Saturday morning waiting for the books to arrive and finishing up getting everything in order. We leave for Ambato Sunday and will be gone all week. As I won´t have a computer with me I will not be able to do any updates for awhile. We hope all will be well with everyone and we want you all to know how much we love you. I´ll have lots of posts when we return so keep watching. Remember there are two people in Ecuador who love you all and are thinking about you!

CPU dolls and Computers

Happy students with their new desks. It gave us such a good feeling to see these students again, they were so happy.



Delivering CPU dolls







Thursday January 6, 2011

Today we had the opportunity to deliver 3 CPU dolls to three hospitals in the Quito area. These are infant CPR training dolls. As Fred had called to try to make arrangements for the delivery there was apparantly some misunderstanding. One Dr. thought we were trying to sell him the doll and was very pleased when it was finally explained that we wanted to donate it to his hospital. At another hospital the Dr. had to talk to his lawyer before signing the receipt. It felt good to be able to donate these dolls to teaching hospitals, hopefully they will be used to teach, train and save lifes.

While we were out delivery the dolls we took two surplus computers to the Colegio National, the same school we took desks to last week. They were so surprised to see us and we were greeted like old friends. Again we were taken to several classrooms to see the new desks in use. It was so awesome and the students were so friendly. Fred said it is so nice to get so much thanks for doing lots of paperwork. But I guess that is the way it is done, someone has to do the paperwork.

Feeding the Elders, again!

Hermana Naylor helping with the very large bread bowls



Happy Elders



Dad and I serving the stew and salad



Missionaries preparing their bread bowls.

Wednesday January 5, 2011

Another round of Zone Leader Training prompted another round of feeding the missionaries. A well fed missionary is a happy missionary. Tuesday night we and the Pettingills´ met in our apartment to peel and cut potatoes and carrots for stew. When the other Senior Missionaries returned from serving dinner to the Elders we all brought our crock pots and after cutting the meat and cellery we filled 5 pots with the makings of stew and prepared to cook them all night. On Wednesday Dad and I along with Sister Naylor went to the presidents house to serve the stew in very large bread bowls (these were big full loaves of bread) to the Elders. They loved the meal. Sister Dresen made a wonderful fruit salad and the meal seemed to please everyone. This was one time when some could not finish off the whole meal. That is one for the record books.

A VIEW OF QUITO

A couple of views of the city.






Giving up on reading we prepared to leave.



Elder Di Natale, Elder Arellano, Pres. and Sister Sloan reading the story of the dedication of Ecuador for the preaching of the gospel.



Statue of the Virgin Mary, it is made of over 7,000 pieces of aluminum.

Tuesday January 4, 2011

The new missionaries arrived today and there were only 4 of them, two Sisters and two Elders so we asked if we could go with them to the "El Panecillo Mirador". This is a hill at the south end of Quito with a statue of the Virgin Mary or the Virgin of Quito. This is the only statue of the Virgin that has wings. We got a taxi from the office and were to met Pres. and Sister Sloan and the missionaries there. They come to this hill with a beautiful view of the city and read the story of Pres. Kimball dedicating the land for the preaching of the gospel. It started to rain as we arrived, and soon it was pouring. The Sister missionaries were trying huddled under one umbrella, we gave the Elders one of our umbrellas and we shared the other. The rain beating on the umbrellas became so loud we could not hear the reading. Finally, we gave up ran for the van. There was not room for us so we caught a taxi and returned home to change and warm up. The missionaries returned to the mission home for pizza.