If only Fred Flinstone was the answer

Another amazing busy busy clinic today! We have been able to provide medical care for 230 people! Awesome! Most of what we give the patients is vitamins, Tylenol, ibuprofen, and a few antibiotics and medicated creams -simple things but things El Carpio residents don't have the money for.  People come into the clinic  with a laundry list of complaints of headaches to fatigue and I offer them what I can. Mark (our pastor) likes to joke that our Flintstone children's vitamins can cure all-give a Fred for cough, a Wilma for gastritis, a Dino for back pain. And honestly that's true. Today 140 people waited to be seen for hours and most of them were essentially healthy. They look for reassurance, someone to listen, and medicine because it's available. If you don't have insurance, transportation, or money who wouldn't take advantage of a free clinic and medicines-who know when the next opportunity might be. There are the people who have an acute illness and we are in the right place at the right time-babies with fever, skin infections, cuts needing stitches. There are people who have chronic medical issues and know they need medicine but have no way to get it-high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, arthritis. But my heart breaks most for the ones I find who have a serious problem and I am helpless to do anything. Today I saw a family with 3 small children with hepatitis, another young guy with what I am positive was tuberculosis, and an older gentleman with oral cancer.  These are the ones a vitamin can't fix. So I try my best to educate them, stress  my recommendations, hug them and we pray for them. I try to find comfort in the fact that God is in La Carpio tonight and every day after I have to leave. My love and concern for these people is a drop in the bucket and God will continue to fill that day after day. And that is something all the Fred Flintstones in the world could never do.  God bless Juan, Nayelli, Luis, and all of families of La Carpio. I miss you already.