YWAM Ship Update: Day 17

At the village that my healthcare team went to today, we gave 823 immunizations. I broke my own record of sub-q and IM injections in one day by giving between 150-200 shots. I’m so excited because in this day alone I gave more injections than I have in my entire nursing school career. We also finally met…

YWAM Ship Update: Day 16

We visited two villages today. It was hectic and busy, but good. The first village we did immunisations for the kids under 5 and well baby check ups. The second village we didn’t have any immunisations, because the provincial health patrol did them all. Instead, many people crowded around the small first aid building for help with various clinical problems. One man…

YWAM Ship Update: Day 15

It was a sailing day today. We are now anchored in Salamaua. You could hear chuckles as we pulled out of the Maiama bay into the rough seas. The boat rocked back and forth quite heavily. We giggled at one one another as we ran into walls. Then some people started getting sea sick and…

YWAM Ship Update: Day 13

“Dolphins! Over there!” Our British doctor exclaimed as he pointed to out to the right of the zodiac. Sure enough, a pack of dolphins could be seen jumping out of the water along side our boat. The thrill of seeing wild dolphins got us all excited. We were headed 45 minutes up the coast to…

YWAM Ship Update: Day 12

Landing on the beach at Maiama was difficult. The waves crashed wildly against the shore, and the zodiac bobbed around like a fishing bobber with a fish on the line. Our crew members worked hard to navigate the rough shoreline. We jumped out waist deep and made a chain to shore, passing our boxes of…

YWAM Ship Update: Day 10

We left Morobe Station today, marking our half way point for this outreach. There was a lot to contemplate as the ship began to turn towards open seas. A few people showed up in their boats waving goodbye to us. I sat on the starboard deck and watched the small village slip from sight as a few…

YWAM Ship Update: Day 9

This morning the dental team joined the optometry and primary health teams to teach at the local primary school. We worked together to test vision, assess teeth and teach general health promotion. Simple things like hand hygiene and proper teeth brushing can have a great impact on the health of the community. If the students learn…

YWAM Ship Update: Day 8

We have worked through a lot of the dental patients that have presented at Morobe Station. Because of this, three of us were sent to triage patients from a new village a short six minute zodiac ride away. It was the first village that I have been to since coming to Papua New Guinea. I…

YWAM Ship Update: Day 5

The breakfast room was a hum of excitement today. After waiting for so long, we finally get to start providing care! The dental team watched and waited as the zodiac boats started heading out to their different destinations filled with the nurses and doctors. They would bring the patients in need of mouth care and eye…