I am new at this blogging thing so forgive me! Today was our first real work day in Ecuador! There were tres groupas. One went to the community (I apologize, since I was in this group these are the only pictures I have and unfortunately I don't have one of the whole group). One went to Hospital Luis Vernanza and the third group worked at the maternity hospital. I can't speak for the other groups but I hear good things about working in the hospitals so far, alot of observing and pitching in to help whenever is needed. The group that traveled to the community had a wonderful experience! Traveling away from the city we realized that the living conditions are very humble and people make due with whatever they have. We were able to teach a group of about 25 Ecuadorians about topics such as nutrition, first aid, diabetes, and hypertension as well as take their blood pressure. The fluent spanish speaks are very valuable and know their stuff! One characteristic we noticed about the group we were with was their open friendliness and eagerness to learn. We are so blessed to interact with these people. Today I was reminded that it doesn't require material possessions to be happy. Tonight we are going to the temple and I will post about that tomorrow! Adios!

Bienvienidos a los experiences de Ecuador!

Today we had a tour of Vernaza, the medical surgical hospital for the Junta de Beneficencia in Guaquil.  The hospital is huge, and we toured for 3+ hours.  It is also the oldest standing hospital in South America, and is a historical landmark.  It is improved and changed every year when we come.

In the afternoon we went to the fireman training facility with half of the students.  Suzie, our emergency nursing training expert, taught the fireman such things as emergency wound management and assessment.  After, we got to visit their simulation area, where they learn how to manage different types of fires.  Here we are at the "smoke house", where they learn to work in smoke filled rooms.
.Here is another with our firefighter friends.  Oh, and Gunther!!

It's been a good first day!

Sunday April 28, 2013

Breakfast is provided each day by the hotel and begins at 6:30am. Most of us make it to breakfast around 8:00pm in order to eat breakfast and make it to church by 9:00am. We have a member of the church take us to the chapel where we were welcomed from the pulpit by the bishop as well as the investigators of the ward. Many of the students speak Spanish and sat next to those who did not and translated what was going on. The group went to gospel principles and gospel doctrine, then to priesthood and relief society. We could tell that we were very welcome and that the members of the ward are warm and loving people. After church we walked back to the hotel and changed and went sight seeing and ate lunch and bought food for the next day because the next day there would be no time to pack a lunch before we would need to leave. Later in the evening, around 9:00pm, once everyone had returned from seeing the town or taking a nap we met in one of the hotel rooms and had a group meeting letting everyone know where they were going to be the next couple of weeks and what their responsibilities were going to be. We had a spiritual thought by Matt and reflected on what had happened at church and throughout the trip thus far. Tommorow we visit the hospitals and will have a better insight into the healthcare system here in Ecuador.

Most people stayed up Friday night and drove to the Salt Lake airport around 2:00am to make it to the airport by 3:00-3:30am. We weighed and redistributed the matterials that we were taking to Ecuador so that each bag did not weigh over 50 lbs. We traveled from the Salt Lake airport at 6:00am arriving to Dallas at around 8:00am. From Dallas we traveled toMiami and from Miami to Quito (the capital of Ecuador). From Quito we arrived around 11pm in Guayaquil without any hastle from customs. The trip went very smoothly and considering all the airport terminals and coustoms we had to travel through we made great time. We were greeted at the airport by Casey and Sussy and our van drivers and a truck to transport us and our luggage to the hotel palace where we are staying. Everyone was very tired but happy to be in our rooms before midnight. We are all excited for our experiences in Ecuador and are ready to begin!

April 28 Stephanie Rebecca

April 29 Stephanie Rebecca

April 30 Sarah Jan

May 1 Sarah Jan

May 2 Matt Thomas

May 3 Matt Thomas

May 4 Michael Bart

May 5 Michael Bart

May 6 Melina Darlene

May 7 Melina Darlene

May 8 James Burton

May 9 Rebekah Mae

May 10 Rebekah Mae

May 11 Chelsea  Rae

May 12 Anna Elizabeth

May 13 Amanda Marie

May 14 Jakarelly Graciette

May 15 Paige 

May 16 Charity Anne

May 17 Mckenna Lisa

May 18 Brittney M

May 19 Elizabeth Jean

May 20 Gregory Leon

May 21 Emily Joan

May 22 Emily Joan