So Excited!

I leave in a little over a week! I am so excited and cannot wait. I am swamped with homework but would like to share this. The second team confirmation packet came and with it came a schedule for the mission. This weekend I am going to purchase a bunch of toys with the monetary donations I have been so blessed to have. I have a ton of donations and am excited to just have to get the remaining items. I want to say thank you to everyone. I will post a longer post soon.

Bolivia 2010 - Mission Schedule3 October 2010 PC Sarah arrives in Santa Cruz
5 October 2010 Team departs
6 October 2010 Team arrives in Santa Cruz
7 October 2010 Screening begins
8 October 2010 Screening Continues
9 October 2010 Team Bonding Day
10 October 2010 OR set up
11-14 October 2010 Surgery Week
15 October 2010 Half Day/Pack up/Final Party
16 October 2010 Teams depart from Santa Cruz

- Rachael

Awesome Night with Heartworks:

Yesterday I had the great honor to give a small speech at the Heartworks meeting. Heartworks was founded by Megan McDowell. She is truly an incredible person. She founded Heartworks as a non-profit Acts of Kindness group in response to the tremendous kindness that sustained her family and other families in the months and years following September 11, 2001.  In short notice, about a week and a half, she asked the group to bring in donations for my mission to Bolivia.

I had a soccer game yesterday against New Providence, a team who beat us 6-0 last season. I was awaiting the game with great anticipation and we battled out a 3-2 loss, a great improvement but disappointment nonetheless. I rushed home ate a quick dinner and threw on one of many Operation Smile t-shirts. My dad drove me over to a member of Heartworks home for me to share a bit about what I was doing for Operation Smile. I wrote a short speech during some free time during school and was stressing out about it.

As soon as I walked through the front door all of my anxiety disappeared as the women all began talking to me excitedly about Operation Smile and how awesome it was to be doing what I was doing. I believe wholeheartedly that Operation Smile is a fantastic organization and the fact that they allow students to attend missions is unique and I am so grateful to be doing so. I made sure to share this with everyone who uttered the words “It is awesome to see a 16 year old doing this”. Operation Smile is my passion and without the organization I would not have the opportunity I now have. Megan wrote me a nametag and one for my dad, the only man in the house. I felt welcomed into the great environment that Heartworks has almost instantaneously.

Everyone sat down in the living room of the house and one woman lit candles in memory and in prayer for countless people and situations. To name a few; the armed forces and veterans, those affected by cancer and their families and communities, Maggie Doyne (she spoke at the leadership conference) and her orphanage and school in Nepal, The minors in Chili, and they lit a candle for me. When my name was said I was so touched and felt a great comfort to know all of these kind and generous women were praying for me and supporting me as I journey to Bolivia and back. Megan introduced me to the group and I stood up to share my speech. I said one line from the crinkled paper I was holding and then just spoke from my heart about Operation Smile. I feel that when one speaks form the heart it is more touching and impacts a greater amount of people. The women were very supportive and welcoming and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to speak. I printed out some fact sheets from the Operation Smile website and made contact cards so the women could contact me.

My experience at the Heartworks meeting is unforgettable and I cannot wait to share stories and pictures from my mission when I return home. The ladies brought in around five bags of donations. This is so exciting for me to see especially because there were some items I had not gotten yet. The donations range from play-do to toy cars to books and to glue sticks. Bolivia is the poorest and one of the least developed nations in South America. The children will be so happy to have some toys to play with and they will be put to great use. I found a picture of the awesome prayer board from the meeting but do not have any other pictures to post. I wanted to thank Heartworks again and thank my tremendous Aunt Karen for helping me out and introducing me to Heartworks.

Thanks again Heartworks,

Rachael

To find out more about Heartworks here is their link: http://www.njheartworks.org/index.htm 

Donations Donations Donations:

The past week has been a busy one with a great list of accomplishments

• Junior year begins
• First soccer game of the season

• Shots and pills with the an awesome travel nurse for Bolivia

• Some awesome generous people have given donations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This week:

• The United Methodist Women’s group at my church donated $200 dollars to help me purchase supplies for my mission

• My Aunt successfully asked a group she is part of called Heartworks to have a small toy drive and donated $50 to help me purchase materials
• I was able to receive around 60 Burger King crowns for a theme day during the mission

• My Mom purchased a few awesome children’s books in Spanish for the mission and I hope to eventually donate them to a school/orphanage I will visit on my mission

I just wanted to give a huge shout out of thanks and appreciation to everyone reading my blog, donating supplies or money, and giving me a ton of support as I prepare for my mission to Bolivia in October. I am including a few pictures from past missions to illustrate the joy the children feel in having the toys to play with. They sure are put to god use!

I also wanted to wish luck to my friends Cristy and Yanelle who are traveling to Columbia in a few days! Also I added a small box on the left side of the blog with links to some other Operation Smile blogs. They are fantastic. Yanelle has one up and will be posting news from her mission. A few people I know also just returned home from missions to Fortaleza, Brazil; Taxacala, Mexico; and Kolkata, India.

-Rachael

ps. Sorry for this picture at the end. I have trouble with removing and editing pictures once they have been added.

Journey to Bolivia: MTW

In the beginning of August, I went to Denver, Colorado to take part of Operation Smile's Summer Mission Training Workshop (MTW) with about 60 other students ages 16-18. We were selected as ambassadors and student educators for Operation Smile and were given the amazing opportunity to come together and train to go on an International Medical Mission. It was so awesome to stay in Colorado with my new Operation Smile family and to grow stronger as leaders and friends. We were inspired and had a million laughs and memories to last a lifetime.

For three days we learned all about Dental Hygiene, Oral Rehydration Therapy, Burn Care, and nutrition. Great presentations by the Elected Leadership Council (ELC) and speakers filled us with great excitement and anticipation. The last night we all gathered in the lobby of the University of Colorado and prepared to walk to a park for the final party. We were so excited that when it started pouring rain no one seemed to mind. We all took pictures, ate huge burritos, and had a great time. At the end of the party, and the moment we all were waiting for finally arrived. Everyone who attended MTW, students, sponsors, and student programs, all gathered for a group picture and then we sat together waiting to find out where we would be going for our mission.

Giving mock presentations during MTW

I sat with my roommate from the previous year’s International Student Leadership Conference and we both were almost shaking in anticipation. This year, an ELC would call up the students and their sponsor and then hand each a scroll. I remember everyone’s faces just grow with joy at seeing the location and dates of their mission. When my name was called I was so excited and filled with joy.

Two of my roomates from the International Student Leadership Conference the year before

I walked to the front of the group and stood next to my partner Lindsey and our sponsor Ramona. I remember trying to cut the tape on the scroll and failing, then Lindsey tried again no luck, and then Ramona finally cut the tape and we saw that we would be going to BOLIVIA!

Some of my firends showing off their mission assignments

The expressions on people's faces as they opened the scrolls better describes
the emotion in the room then words ever could

After seeing that my mission would be in two months I knew I had a ton of preparation to do but was so thrilled for the task. The next day we went into Denver to shop at an outdoor mall. I walked into the Borders and bought a travel guide about Bolivia and read the whole introduction and section on Santa Cruz in one night. The joy and passion I have felt for Operation Smile has continued to grow. When I received the email that I had been selected to go to the MTW I ran out of my bedroom and through the house telling my whole family that I had gotten in. I again felt like running through the halls of the university and doing the same, I am sure everyone did.

Pictures from the first day

All I can say is wow. Operation Smile provides me with immense happiness and purpose. I have become so passionate about the organization and love everything about it. This next step of going on a mission is so exciting and I am thrilled to be able to share it with you. Tomorrow I will post about ISLC.

We really did become like a family during MTW and I made great friends

Rachael

Bringing Smiles to Bolivia:

Thank you all so much for visiting this blog and helping to change the lives of children through Operation Smile.

As you may know, I'm going to Santa Cruz, Bolivia on an Operation Smile medical mission from October 5th to the 16th. I'm extremely excited and honored to be a student volunteer!! Operation Smile provides life-changing facial reconstructive surgeries to children born with cleft lips and cleft palates in third world countries.

That is where I am going !!!

My role on the mission will be to teach Burn care and Prevention, Oral Rehydration Therapy, Oral and Dental Hygiene, and Nutrition in local hospitals, schools, orphanages, and villages in Bolivia. I will also be responsible for spending time with patients before and after their surgeries.


I will be leaving on the 5th of October and will be spending approximately 2 weeks there. Bolivia is a landlocked country in South America and is bordered by Chile, Brazil, and Paraguay. My mission is going to be half run by Operation Sonrisa Bolivia, the Operation Smile foundation in Bolivia and by international volunteers. I am collecting items to take to the kids of Bolivia. Anything will help, but I’ve put together the following list of supplies that I need in particular.


Operation Smile changes lives in about 45 minutes and $240 dollars. Through your donations to those who have so little, you too, can change a life. Your support in providing any of the listed or not listed items will be so priceless. Thank you in advance for all your support!


SUPPLY LIST FOR MISSIONS


White paper on a roll to make a mural
Baby Toys
o Light weight
o Plastic rings that you put on triangle
Children Toys
o Coloring pages
o Toy cars
o Pipe cleaners, string, lanyard for friendship bracelets
o Beaded Necklaces
o Cards: Old Maid, regular
o Magazines (for the older girls)
o Face paint
o Soccer balls and a small pump
o Twister
o Jenga
o Plastic Turtles
o Toothbrushes
o Stickers, Stickers, Stickers!*
o YOYOS
o Sidewalk chalk
o Pipe cleaners
o Toy sunglasses
o Bubbles Bubbles Bubbles bubbles*
o Pens, pencils
o Small notepads/journals
o Inflatable balls (Specifically globes are a hit)
o Hair accessories (barrettes, headbands, etc)
o Small stuffed animals
o Latex gloves
o Small play jewelry
o Crowns
o Hats
o ANYTHING that lights up
o Leis
o Basically anything that can be found in the dollar store

You can also help by:


• Donating (I can use the money to go buy the supplies I don’t get donated)
• Spreading the word through Facebook, Blogs, Twitter, word of mouth.
• Making “Get well soon” cards for the children after they receive their surgery
• If you have any other ideas, please let me know! I’ll be taking anything and everything that I can pack in my weight limits (50 lbs.)

 

I appreciate all of your support and all of the donations. I am super excited to bring them to the children in Bolivia. Everything you provide will be put to great use and I will post the many pictures of the children playing and enjoying the great donations. Thank you so much.

Rachael