Nicaraguan Mission - Doing our best during a pandemic

On March 18th, we were forced to make the difficult decision to suspend services at the medical and dental clinics in Granada.  Additionally, we suspended the mobile dental program at the Nicaraguan prison and postponed the eyeglasses project in the remote communities until further notice.  Personal Protective Equipment is non-existent for our Nicaraguan staff and we have no ability to order COVID-19 tests, so avoiding activities that conglomerate people seems to be the most prudent choice at this time.  However, it is difficult to suspend services, knowing how many of the poor rely on them for the well-being of their families.   Our local Nicaraguan doctor, Meyling, got a big laugh when we jokingly told her that we could start seeing patients again as we found a box of masks like the one shown above being sold at the market.  Leave it to the creativity of the Nicaraguan people to find yet another use for a coconut! The Nicaraguan government has insisted that the pandemic is not spreading within its borders and even promoted large gatherings and marches like the "Love in the Time of COVID-19 Rally" pictured above.  Meanwhile, business and religious leaders have worked together to disseminate public health information and encourage the population to stay at home.  Church-sponsored and charity-run clinics, including ours, have been visited by government officials to make sure that they are not reporting out any information regarding COVID-19 cases that could jeopardize the narrative.   In more uplifting news, here are some photos from the January Christ the Healer mission trip and our family's Spring break mission trip.  From top to bottom: 1.  Dr. Arturo Gazo of Florida examines the ears of a young patient on the Island of Ometepe 2.  Kathleen Pylie of New Orleans takes the vital signs of a kind lady who was so appreciative of our visit 3.  "Before and After" of a teeth cleaning for a patient from the island 4.  Ben and Rebecca help find reading glasses for a patient 5.  Katy and a local helper, Marvin, enjoy visiting with one of the elderly patients waiting for an eye exam, Rachel registers patients in the background In the video above, Sister Rosevita of the Missionaries of Charity takes a moment to thank Rachel for coming and helping those in need in her neighborhood.   Pat continues to work daily with our team in Nicaragua, currently working on repair and maintenance projects that are easier to complete while ongoing operations are on hold.  As the economic repercussions of the pandemic increase, we are committed to doing what we can to help those most vulnerable.  Thank you for your ongoing prayers and support of the outreach efforts.  We are very grateful!

Many blessings to each of you for a safe and healthy Easter season, Pat, Katy, Ben, Rachel and Rebecca Moran P.S.  We recently added some new photo albums to our website, head to moranfamilymission.org if you would like to check them out!