Four days down, one to go!

9/10

Well, we're here for more days than just one, but as far as clinics go tomorrow is our last day. We have seen about 1200 patients and every day is just as humbling and amazing as the last. Yesterday we arrived to hundreds of people waiting for us, this is a panoramic of the crowd. 

We were standing in the middle of everyone as the pastor introduced us and seemingly out of no where everyone started singing a hymn in unison. It was incredibly powerful. Even though we did not understand what they were singing, it was evident in the tone of their voices how grateful they were and how much love they had for us even though we hadn't done a thing yet. Many members of the group were brought to tears by this overwhelming experience. 

The average daily wage in Madagascar is $1.25.  Most surgery here costs about $250. This sounds like such a modest price to any of us, but for the average Malagasy person this would mean saving their wages from 200 days of work, or 28.5 weeks of work assuming he or she works 7 days per week. We met two different children who were born with a cleft lip and their families were not able to pay for reconstructive surgery.  In any culture, having a deformity affects an individual's entire life. We were so grateful that we met these two children because that meant we were provided with the opportunity to pay for surgery for each of them. I can't even begin to imagine the impact we have already had on these lives. 

(Hanging out with some of the children in the village of Antsiriribe)

Tomorrow, as I said, is our last day of clinics. I can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring. Thank you all for supporting, praying for, and following us. We would not be here without all of you. 

Leigh, Erika, and Ryan