Day 260

So, possible change of plans! While I still am hoping to learn all that I can about Nicaragua, I don't think I will focus on that location for the medical side of my project. After researching the country, they really don't have that many health problems. That is great news to hear, but then unfortunately it doesn't accomplish what I was hoping to in the class. After talking with my dad, I have begun researching the situation that is going on in Somalia. There are 12 million people starving in that region of Africa. Unfortunately I can't feed them all, but hopefully through research I can learn about why the situation came about and how to bring awareness and help. It is such a big problem with all the political turmoil on top of the famine that I think people just tend to ignore the problem. So, I'm not going to ignore it. We'll see what happens!

Day 267

Well, here it goes! For anyone who is actually reading this besides my teachers (hi, Kate!), I guess I should explain exactly what I am doing here. I'm in an independent study at my school called Senior Academy. In it, we pick a topic that we want to spend a year researching and working with. After college, I am planning on going to Physician Assistant school and working in that field. And, I really want to use my degree as a missions tool, whether that means moving somewhere or volunteering locally or whatever the Lord leads me to do. So, what better idea than to study medical missions and specific needs in underprivileged areas? This year, I also have to awesome opportunity to be co-chairman for HEROES week (my school's annual fundraiser for a deserving cause) and we are raising money for a school in Nicaragua. I decided that since I am going to be spending so much time working with and researching Nicaragua that I should focus my study to that area of the world.

So, with all that being said my plan this upcoming year is to research in Nicaragua and the surrounding area what their medical needs are and what I can do about it. For all we know, there may be thousands of kids who are sick because they have a vitamin deficiency that is so easily treatable or a virus spreads through an entire town because no one has educated them on disease prevention steps. Those are both such easy things to fix that would only require vitamins and an educational class that could keep many more people healthy.

I'm getting ready to read the book Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder to begin my study. It is about a very talented doctor who decides to use his skills to prevent disease in the countries that need him the most. As soon as it arrives and I get started I'll report back on how it is going!