by Nate Dell, Work Teams Coordinator

The rhythm of music echoes in my memories of the day we almost turned back.
Skeptical of the long drive deep into the Sierra Leone bush, I voiced my opinion: "It's getting late, and we don't even know how far away the village is. I don't think it's worth continuing."

Short on fuel, everyone hot and dusty, it just didn't seem wise to keep going. "How many patients can the medical team see in just an afternoon anyway?" I reasoned.

But just a few minutes later, we began hearing the beat of drums in the distance. As we topped a slight rise, the windshield filled with children's faces-dancing, singing, everyone drumming on wooden logs or hollow bamboo ... others on any spare tin can or plastic jug they could find.

The whole community of Karina was waiting for us, and a festive mood pulsed through the crowd as they saw the white faces of our medical team.

Factors outside our control led to our tardiness, but my concerns melted away when we saw the village neatly set up for our arrival and our makeshift clinic wonderfully arranged. They even called off the ceremony they had prepared so the doctors could see as many patients as possible in the limited time.

Ecuadorian physician Fernando Espinosa roped off an area in the shade of nearby trees and began seeing the first of about 200 children, referring the sickest to the main clinic and effectively keeping the overall volume in check.

The other doctors and members of the team jumped right in with practiced efficiency, learned from the two previous weeks of mobile medical clinics in Ghana.

A farewell song, two goats presented as gifts from the community, and the smiles of more than 130 adult patients and 200 children who were treated gave testimony that the long drive was well worth the effort!