Just got the following note from Dr. Seth Berl ’78 who led the Medical/Dental Mission trip to Honduras that Paul Jaroslawski ’15 and Joe Pearson ’15 recently joined. Here’s what Seth had to say about Paul and Joe…

“Paul and Joe were perfect for the team. We asked them what they would like to do and their response was ‘anything you need us to do’. We hear that response all the time and we ask a few more questions and get each member to tell us what he really wants to do. Joe ended up in the pharmacy. That’s not a hard job but many consider it boring. Joe did not think it was boring at all. He loved the pharmacy. Paul was assigned to help the dentists and did a great job. Neither ever complained. When they got caught up in their area of work, both would go around asking us if we needed any help. We always need help. If additional ATO’s come and are the quality of Joe and Paul, I will be happy as I will know we have an unselfish worker that puts the patients in front of their own needs.”

Great work Paul and Joe!!

Paul and Joe with the children of El Cacao

Honduras 2015
by Joe Pearson ’15

First, I would like to thank the generous alumni who have made this trip possible for Paul and me…. Stu Meacham, Ted Ahlem, John Aymond, Dane Luhrsen, Dr. Doug McGregor, Jeff Piper, Dr. Neil Schlupp, Dr. Ken Venos, Dr. Dave Teuscher, Dr. Don Rubenstein, Dr. John Geiser and Dr. Seth Berl.

My name is Joe Pearson and I am a senior studying Economics and Political Science. My motivation for joining the medical mission trip to Honduras was to gain insight into the Foreign Service field, which I hope to pursue after graduation. I think my obsession with international affairs formed during one of my countless discussions with my grandfather. A combat veteran of both World War II and the Korean War, my grandfather was always glued to a TIME magazine or the international section of the Tribune. Being the oldest male grandchild, he would always make an effort to discuss the latest worldly events with me but all the intricacies and details would go in one ear and out the other. I remember sitting down with him following the 9/11 attacks and asking him “Why?” and receiving an answer that was far too complex for anyone to understand, let alone a confused 8 year old.Continue reading→

Hello Gamma Zeta,

On Friday, we spent our last day assisting Seth’s team in the village of Santa Cruz. When we arrived there was only one person in line, but soon enough a long line formed. As always, I began by helping the dental clinic set up. The process begins with sanitizing all the tables and then placing clean sheets over them. Following this, I wash the dental chairs before placing four garbage bags around the room, two for each dentist. Once the dentists finish setting up their utensils, I call in patients one by one by saying proximo, which means next. I take the patient, point to the middle of the chair, and say siente sei aqui, which means sit right here. If they do not sit in the middle of the chair, the chair flips over. Once the patient is seated, I take their info sheet and place a drape and bib on them. When the patient is done, I clean the drape and call the next patient. This is how most of my days looked like. After being able to assist the team this past week, I cannot be more thankful to Seth and his whole team for allowing Joe and I to come. I am also very thankful to Dane for organizing the whole trip and for donating along with Stu Meacham, Ted Ahlem, John Aymond, Dr. Doug McGregor, Jeff Piper, Dr. Neil Schlupp, Dr. Ken Venos, Dr. Dave Teuscher, Dr. Don Reubenstein, and Dr. John Geiser. Being able to assist Dr. Seth Berl, Dr. David Adcock, Dr. Michael Dent, Dr. Bob Wright, Linda, Elaine, Jennie, Rhonda, Amy, and Devon was an extraordinary experience that I will remember for the rest of my life. Although, I wish I could have contributed more, I am very thankful for having the opportunity to assist the team. If anyone has ever an opportunity to be a part of a medical mission team, I highly recommend it. You learn a lot about people’s reality in third world countries and how spoiled we actually are. I hope to assist Seth’s team again the future.

L&R,
Paul

Walking through the market on our last day.

Our view outside of the clinic in Santa Cruz.

Honduras after lift off.

Buenos Dias Gamma Zeta,

Today we helped the village of Buena Vista, which is also a small village 30 minutes away from La Esperanza. Seth told me that this week our team is visiting smaller villages because they have only half the doctors and dentists compared to last week’s team. Since I have got accustomed to setting up the dental clinic and assisting the dentists, I decided to spend the whole day helping them. We were able to help 45 patients with 26 of them being before lunch, which was really good. After lunch, Joe and I played soccer with two kids before returning to our positions (Joe worked at the pharmacy). I continued assisting at the dental clinic till 3 and then helped load the bus back to La Esperanza. When we arrived back, I asked Jonathan (one of our translators) to take me to a local barber, where I received the Honduran haircut for $2. It was a nice price, only a tenth of what I pay back home. Afterwards we drove to Rhonda’s mission for some good dinner and then played a good game of pig on the basketball court outside. Hocobo came in first, it was a surprise to us, but out of respect Joe and I thought it was the right thing to do by letting him win (I hope Seth and Linda do not read this haha). Following our game we came back to our hotel. Tomorrow morning we are loading the bus at 6:10 and driving to Santa Cruz.

Hasta manana,
Paul

The dental clinic at work

A home next to the schools soccer field

A brother and sister watch as their father has their teeth pulled out