#Guatemala Medical Mission Trips

[hishandsguatemala]

Building a New Medical Clinic: Faith in Action

[valpostef]

L E A N D R O ⋆˙⟡♡ R E Y E S

w r i t i n g s ᯓ e s t a b l i s h e d ᯓ p I n t e r e s t ᯓ m o r e

Is that oscar isaac? Oh, no, that’s leandro josue reyes, a fourty two year old cardiac surgeon at Centro Medico. who uses he/him pronouns. They currently live in Casablanca, and the character they identify with most is Dan from Lucifer. Hopefully they find their own little paradise here in el país de los poetas!

Character Summary.

Leandro was born in Cuba but raised in Londres with his siblings. His older brother passed away in a tragic school bus accident while on his way to a senior field-trip and it severely affected his family. It took a good few years for them to get back on their feet, but Lea made it his mission to ensure his family didn't give up after Lucas' passing. He went on to follow in the dreams of his brother as a means to provide some form of comfort and becoming a heart surgeon like Lucas planned for himself. Some years later, Lea met his current wife Rania and after making the big decision to move out to Chile the two started their family. Fifteen years into their move they have two beautiful and amazing children - Zane and Sonia - who bring nothing but joy into his life.

Profile.

Full name: Leandro Josue Reyes Nicknames: Lea (pronounced as Leh-ah) Age: fourty-two Birthdate: June 9th Zodiac Sigh: Gemini Gender/Pronoun: Him/He Sexuality: Pansexual Place of Birth: San Antonio de los Banos, Cuba Residence: Casablanca Occupations: Cardiac Surgeon Languages Spoken: Spanish, English

Family.

Mother: Helena Maria Reyes Father: Marcos Efrain Reyes Brother: Lucas Almonte Reyes (deceased) Sister: Maribel Elise Reyes Spouse: Rania Ahana Chadha Son: Zane Reyes-Chadha Daughter: Sonia Reyes-Chadha

Facts and Temperament.

+ traits - benevolent, caring, charming, compassionate, supportive - traits - shy, perfectionist, stubborn, self-sabotaging, self-deprecating ♱ Very into art, specially painting and drawing. He got incredibly good at realistic drawing and textured paintings. ♱ Has lived in Chile for the last fifteen years ♱ Not a big chatter but loves being around people who talk a lot so he can relax and just listen ♱ Absolutely awful at texting ♱ Likes conspiracy theories and interesting facts about the world

The Past.

♱ trigger warnings ♱ death mentioned |

Leandro is the second born to parents Marcos and Gloribel Pereira in San Antonio de los Banos, Cuba. The two first met in middle school after his mother immigrated from Guatemala and settled in the house next door. For the longest time they denied having any feelings for one another, but as they grew older and began to see other people jealousy quickly got in the way of their friendship and they could no longer live in denial.

Marcos proposed soon after graduation and before long the teens had married and expected their first child, Lucas. While they had originally wanted to wait until further in their careers to begin a family, some miracles simply just cannot be helped and within the next three years they welcomes two more children into the mix - Leandro and his younger sister Maribel.

Having come from a family of over achieving doctors, the Pereira's had never needed for much money and so finding care and entertainment for their children while the two continued to further their careers had been an easy ride.

Looking towards a better future for their children, Marcos and Gloribel decided to move to a new country where their children's careers could open up and expand on the family's already impressive medical legacy. The family got to Londres in the year 1992, when Leandro was only 10 years old.

Growing up they had always known the life they each would live. Marcos had been a brain surgeon while his wife a mortician tech, his expectation for his children were simple so long as they to chose a medical profession to embark on. While his older brother had been as ambitious and ruthless in his study as his father was, his younger sister following quick behind, Leandro didn't have the same passion. Blood made him squeamish and the though of cutting into people terrified him.

He kept all of his hidden from his family, only allowing his brother who he was extremely close to into his mind. Lucas promised to help Leandro find a way to speak to their parents. To slowly offer the possibility of a different career despite the already planned future his father had for them.

During their high school years, Leandro opened himself up to the possibility of a future of his own making. He fell in love with art - painting and realistic drawings specifically - and over the years his skills only seemed to blossom further and further. Leandro entered competitions and won awards for his pieces which influenced and motivated his dreams even more.

But tragedy struck his family, and during his brother's graduation trip the school bus was hit by a reckless drunk driver and his brother as well as other students quickly perished. The loss had driven his family into dark times. His mother refusing to leave her bed, and his father who seemed to have lost all the life from his eyes.

Leandro and Lucas had been so close for most of their lives and living a life without him seemed almost impossible, but seeing the way his family crumbled around him terrified him. He had to do something to ensure they didn't let his brother's death consume them alive. Against his every being, Leandro took the reign and pulled his family back together also stating his future plans of becoming a surgeon like they had all planned.

While it hadn't been easy, nor quick, his family slowly settled into a new found 'normal' after Lucas' death. Leandro graduated high school with high honors, and went onto medical school without a hitch. He worked tirelessly in order to perfect his poker face around all the blood and gut churning process that his now chosen field was. Finding unique ways to desensitize himself by watching operations nonstop for most of his college years.

Somewhere along the line Leandro met and fell in love with his current wife Rania Chadha, but it had taken him months to simply get her number let alone ask her out. He had never been the flirtatious type, or clever with his words. Up until he met her, Leandro had been in one relationship dating back to high school before Lucas passed and a situationship that had been more his best friend than anything else. But with Rania things had hit differently. His chest pounded when she walked by and his hands grew moist.

Over the span of a couple of months they began dating and soon enough he introduced her to his family. Seeing as she too was in the medical field Rania had been immediately welcomed into the family. Leandro still had a full grasp on the promise he made himself and Lucas - of getting their family back on track and filling in his shoes - so he focused on his career first before proposing five years later.

After their engagement, Leandro expressed his interest in moving them to Chile due to a job opening he was interested in and upon getting the job the two came to Valpo. Having had accomplished everything he set out for himself, Lea and Rania started a family. They welcomed their twins Zane and Sonia - now ten years old - into the world.

[hillbillyoracle]

One of the things that have really shown me that race is not an immutable and essential category like white nationalists like to make it out to be is how often me and others in my family have been assumed to be not white. 

I had a guy in a MAGA hat punch me at a farmer’s market while mimicking Spanish after overhearing me speak some French to my partner. 

I was also assumed to be mixed/Asian by some of my residents while I was an RA though they never told me why. Only found out on my last day. 

My sister was assumed mixed/Hispanic growing up and her friends were genuinely shocked to find out our dad doesn’t speak any language other than English (and is white). 

On medical mission trips to Guatemala, both white folks she was traveling with and locals would assume she was there to be the medical interpreter. She, like me, only really speaks English and French. 

My dad was put on a company diversity board, he assumed as the token white guy. Didn’t find out until like 5 years later it was because the organizer assumed he was native. He stepped down once he found out. Still blows my mind no one like...checked.

We’ve all been called many different racial slurs while just minding our own business. 

But like as you can see by this - it’s never a consistent other race we’re assumed to be. We’re just not white enough for racists. 

Which is doubly funny to me considering how many times my dad, sister, and I have been assumed to speak Spanish. The only two people in my family fluent in Spanish? My mom and brother.  They aren’t ever really assumed to be not white - because they’re both blonde.

Which is...wild. Other racial groups have blonde folks. Brown hair/eyes + olive complexion =/= not white. Racists are just...fucking bad at what they do. 

[wutbju]

Dr. Robert Eugene Strum passed to his heavenly home peacefully at Anniston Health & Rehab in Anniston, AL on August 24, 2023. He had suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury after a fall to a concrete floor on August 13, 2021 from which he never recovered. He is survived by his wife, Carol Sundberg Strum; a sister, Janet Strum; and a number of nieces, nephews, and cousins. Dr. Strum is preceded in death by his parents, Oscar and Minnie Strum, and an older sister, Barbara S. Graves.

Dr. Strum was born and raised in Seattle, Washington on December 9, 1938. He attended Lincoln High School and graduated from West Seattle High School in 1957. He went to work at Pacific NW Bell, then was drafted into the United States Army in 1959. Following an honorable discharge in 1961, he attended the University of Washington then moved to Greenville, South Carolina where he graduated from Bob Jones University, He went on to Clemson University earning a Master's Degree in Chemistry. He was accepted at the Medical University in Charleston, South Carolina, earning his Doctorate in Medical Dentistry 1976.

While practicing dentistry in Greenville, SC, he joined with Volunteers in Medical Missions, an interdenominational Christian group, to provide medical and dental services in areas of the world that had never had medical help. He went on trips to jungle areas of Nicaragua, Honduras, Belize, Guatemala, and back to Viet Nam. He often said it was his way of thanking God for his many blessings. Dr. Strum practiced in Greenville, SC and Seneca, SC for 40 years.

Dr. Strum also enjoyed music as an outlet. He was a skilled player of the Pedal Steel Guitar, traveling to many parts of the country participating in Steel Guitar Shows and Conventions. He recorded two CD's, "Strum the Gospel" and "Strum with Love".

He and his wife, Carol, had been members of College Street Baptist Church and Westminster Baptist Church, in South Carolina. Since their move to Anniston in 2018, Parker Memorial Baptist Church has been their church home where they were active in the Anchor Sunday School Class, the Senior Adult Choir, and the Prayer Ministry.

A Memorial Service will be at 11 am on Saturday, September 9, 2023, at Parker Memorial Baptist Church. Dr. Mack Amis and Rev. Ken Reid will officiate. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service in the church parlor. Burial will be at the Alabama National Cemetery in Montevallo, AL at 11:45 am on Thursday, August 31, 2023.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to Volunteers in Medical Missions, 265 S Cove Rd, Seneca, SC 29672 (www.vimm.org).

[kyndlesims]

Mission Trip to Guatemala!

This past summer I traveled to Guatemala for a mission trip. I had no idea what to expect going to a new country and serving people from a different culture, but I knew the Lord was going to move! When we first landed we had to go through customs and fill out all of the fancy forms. A guy on our team felt around his bag and noticed that his tennis shoes were missing, so that was a great laugh for our team. We spent that next morning looking for another pair before we had to drive 4 hours to our site.

The 4-hour bus ride really opened my eyes to the amount of resources we have that others don't have access to. If there were ever an emergency it would take forever to get medical attention there. We served throughout the week by hosting a sports camp, doing home visits, providing a meal for children along with a craft, and hanging out with Abuelitos.

The Lord continued to show me how privileged and blessed I am. To see children running around with the biggest smiles on their faces, and light up when you would ask them their name or how old they were really just broke me down. These children were so content with what they had and loved spending time with us. I enjoyed having intentional conversations with every single family we met and didn't want to leave. The Lord revealed so much to me in such a short amount of time and Guatemala will forever hold a special place in my heart.

[risecongo]

Hello friends. Suzannah and I are taking our trip to the Congo in August.

What is the purpose of the trip?

We are holding our Leadership Conference alongside several workshops to fortify and unify our vision and work that the Lord has tasked us with, both today and in the future:

Learning the intricacies of what developing Congolese leadership and new church plants looks like, how to better equip this vision, and hear the heart and feedback from those on the front lines.

Where will we stay?

Last year we finished our two-bedroom Guesthouse. This year we furnished it anticipating our stay.

What will we eat?

We will be eating regular American comfort foods like sandwiches and chips. But, each day we will join our pastors for the afternoon meals. These meals consist of: fufu (made of cassava root and corn flour, it looks like a lump of tan play-dough), pondu (pounded green leaves from the cassava plant), chopped and fried meats made into a meat soup, pork or chicken or a type of mackerel fish called Thompson. Rice and beans are also side foods. This meal is very filling.

Suzannah Dawson

Hey friends, Suzannah here! The goal in this trip is for me to re-connect with my Congolese Family. My heart has leaned towards missions as I’ve grown through the years. This desire has led me through several medical missions trips throughout the world, both long and short term. I’ve travelled four times to Guatemala, once to Rwanda, and once I served on a Mercy Ship in Papua New Guinea.

My heart has always been for the Congolese people, however. This has brought me to consider the continuation of Rise Congo and what that would look like long term. This trip will be the beginning of me re-connecting with my spiritual family there to help support the mission, projects, and community that are already thriving in that country. I am excited to sit next to the Mamas and listen to their stories, hear the goals of the Pastors for their churches, and encourage the dreams of the Children. This community is rich in their Christian walks, and I look forward to seeing that first hand again.

How to Donate

Here are 2 easy ways to support Rise Congo.

One: Head over to the www.risecongo.org website and donate through the donate button.

Two: Make a written check payable to “Rise Congo” and send it to Rise Congo P.O. Box 294, Payson, AZ 85547.

Thank you so much for donating!

Gale Dawson, Founder/ Director

https://www.facebook.com/risecongo/

Website

Email

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Copyright © 2023 Rise Congo All rights reserved

Credit Card/Debit Card our website:

www.risecongo.org

Our mailing address is:

Rise Congo

P.O. Box 294

Payson, AZ 85547

Checks Payable: Rise Congo

Email: team@risecongo.org

[tcm]

International Women’s Day: Actresses Who Became Activists By Raquel Stecher

International Women’s Day, celebrated annually on March 8th and recognized by the United Nations, raises awareness for women’s rights and celebrates the achievements of women across the globe. Utilizing their fame as a platform to do good, actresses from the golden age of Hollywood and beyond have supported a variety of philanthropic causes. Myrna Loy worked on behalf of UNESCO (The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). Ida Lupino made NEVER FEAR (’50) to raise awareness about polio. Ruby Dee fought for civil rights. Rita Moreno continues to champion the Latinx community. Martha Raye entertained the troops during three separate wars. Debbie Reynolds was a mental health and AIDS advocate. Tippi Hedren empowered Vietnamese women to become business owners. And, Shirley Temple raised awareness about breast cancer. There are many, many examples of actresses devoting their time, energy and, in many cases, finances for humanitarian, environmental and political causes. Let’s take a look at some of the notable actresses who became activists.

Doris Day

In 1937, Doris Day’s coonhound Tiny was hit by a car and killed. The guilt Day felt for Tiny’s untimely demise would fuel her activism on behalf of animals. Day transitioned from acting in the 1970s to become an animal welfare advocate. She co-founded the non-profit organization Actors and Others for Animals in 1971. In 1978, she started the Doris Day Pet Foundation (later renamed the Doris Day Animal Foundation). This organization advocates for the humane treatment of animals. By the late 1980s, she would allow only a handful of interviews with the sole intention of publicizing her charitable efforts. She even called up President Ronald Reagan, her costar in THE WINNING TEAM (’52), to discuss animal rights legislation. In 1987, she started The Doris Day Animal League, which eventually merged with The Humane Society of the United Sates, and established World Spay Day. In 2011, she started the Doris Day Horse Rescue and Adoption Center, and Day recorded the album “My Heart,” the proceeds of which went to her non-profit. Day was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by George W. Bush in 2004 for her work.

Jane Fonda

Outspoken political activist Jane Fonda has championed many causes over the years. She was a vocal opponent of the Vietnam War, which landed her in some hot water. In 1970, while Fonda was organizing and fundraising a protest with Vietnam War veterans, she was arrested for possession of drugs. The drugs were in fact vitamins and she was eventually cleared of all charges. In a moment of defiance, she held up a fist for her now iconic mugshot. Two years later, Fonda would travel to Vietnam and a photo of her sitting on an anti-aircraft gun in Hanoi would stir up controversy. She was labeled “Hanoi Jane,” a moniker that is still negatively used against her to this day. While she regretted her actions, she did not let this prevent her from continuing her political activism. She’s been a champion for civil rights, feminist causes and has lent her support to Native Americans. In recent years, she’s taken on several environmental causes including protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline and Arctic drilling. As of the publication of this article, Fonda has been arrested five times for her climate change demonstrations (Fire Drill Fridays) in Washington D.C.

Audrey Hepburn

During her childhood, Audrey Hepburn suffered the effects of living through WWII and the Dutch famine of 1944-1945, which would have long lasting effects on her health. In 1946, early ambassadors from the newly created organization UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) offered her assistance. She never forgot their kindness and her own personal experience led to her to become a champion for children in need. Hepburn began working with UNICEF in 1954 and started traveling on field missions in 1988. The following year she was appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador for the organization. She traveled to Turkey, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Thailand, Venezuela, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and elsewhere, assisting with medical treatments, nutrition projects and working directly with children and their mothers. Her last trip was to Somalia in 1992, four months before she died. In 1993, she was posthumously awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Academy Award.

Helen Hayes

Actress Helen Hayes was best known for her theatrical productions, but when her severe asthma put an end to her stage career (the dust on stage proved to be too much), she transitioned to television and film. Hayes used her fame to help raise funds for asthma research. She also donated to the arts, including the Riverside Shakespeare company. She was on the board of her directors for the New York Chapter of the Girl Scouts in the 1970s. Besides being an EGOT (an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony-winning performer), her greatest claim to fame should be her work with the New York State Rehabilitation and Research Hospital which helps rehabilitate patients with disabilities. Hayes first became involved with the hospital in the 1940s. Throughout the years, she donated, fundraised and hosted events at her mansion, the “Pretty Penny,” and offered support in any way she could. She lobbied for funding to renovate the hospital, a project that cost over $37 million dollars. She served as a member of the board from 1944 until her death in 1993. The hospital was renamed The Helen Hayes Hospital in 1974 and is still going strong today.

Lena Horne

Lena Horne’s activism began at a very young age. In 1919, at the age of two, she appeared on the cover of the NAACP journal The Crisis. Influenced by her grandmother Cora Calhoun Horne, a suffragist and activist who was a political ally of W.E.B. Du Bois, as well as her activist father, Horne championed civil rights before the movement ever began. She joined the NAACP while she was still a high school student. She also leant her support to the Urban League, the Progressive Citizens of America and the SNCC. During WWII, Horne supported the war effort by entertaining black troops. She filed a complaint through the NAACP when she saw that black service members had to sit behind German POWs during her performances at Fort Reilly. When MGM removed her from the tour, she self-financed her trips and continued her efforts. During WWII, she also spoke up on behalf of the mistreatment of Japanese Americans. Horne campaigned for anti-lynching legislation with Eleanor Roosevelt, although that ultimately failed. During the Civil Rights Movement, Horne performed at rallies and was in the March on Washington in 1963. In 1983, the NAACP awarded her the Spingarn Medal for being an “artist humanitarian and living symbol of excellence. Her humanitarian efforts live on and the annual Lena Horne Prize, awarded by Town Hall, honors artists for their social impact.

Marsha Hunt

The name Marsha Hunt should become synonymous with activism. Hunt has been indefatigable in her humanitarian efforts. Influenced by her progressive mother, she became a liberated woman with strong political beliefs. Those beliefs would come under scrutiny during the McCarthy Era witch hunt. She joined the Committee for the First Amendment, a group of Hollywood actors and writers who supported the Hollywood Ten. She was ultimately blacklisted. Over the years, she became an advocate for UNICEF, The March of Dimes, The Red Cross and the United Nations. She was named an Ambassador for Peace in 2007. Hunt has championed many humanitarian causes including homelessness, mental health, world peace, the environment and the plight of refugees. She is a founder of the San Fernando Valley Mayor’s Fund for the Homeless. Hunt helped raise money to buy a motel that was renovated into a homeless shelter for women and children. She supported the shelter throughout the years by donating supplies and helping with the upkeep. Hunt has also been a vocal advocate for the LGBTQ community. Back in the 1970s, she wrote a song about same-sex relationships called “Here’s to All Love,” and it was performed by Glee star Bill A. Jones in 2013. A documentary about her life, career and humanitarian efforts MARSHA HUNT’S SWEET ADVERSITY was released in 2015.

Mary Pickford

Actress, producer, writer and business woman, Mary Pickford was an enterprising woman and instrumental in the formative years of the film industry. In 1921, she conceived of the idea for the Motion Picture Relief Fund, an organization intended to help other members of the film industry who had fallen on hard times. She used the remaining funds from her work selling Liberty Bonds during WWI to help finance the project. Pickford became one of the founding members of what is now called the Motion Picture Television Fund. She also served as the organization’s first vice president. She oversaw various initiatives including the Playroll Pledge Program, which encouraged industry members to donate 0.5% of their paycheck to the fund. She helped raise money to buy walnut and orange groves in Woodland Hills, which would become the home for the fund and its hospital. Pickford was on the board for many years and attended every fundraising event she could. In addition to the MPTF, she established the Mary Pickford Foundation in the 1950s. The foundation focuses on preserving films in partnerships with film archives.

Rosalind Russell

Ever since Rosalind Russell portrayed Sister Elizabeth Kenny, an Australian nurse who took great strides to help children suffering from polio in the film SISTER KENNY (’46), Russell became a tireless advocate for various health causes. Russell, who suffered from rheumatoid arthritis, served on the National Commission on Arthritis and Related Musculoskeletal Diseases starting in the 1970s. The Rosalind Russell Medical Research Center for Arthritis University of California San Francisco was named in her honor. She was a founding member of the United Service Organizations (USO) and the League for Crippled Children. She was a chairman and advocate for The Lighthouse for the Blind, Catholic Charities of New York, The National Arthritis Foundation, Children Services of Connecticut and the MPTF. Russell lent her efforts to senior care centers and in assisting tornado victims. For her numerous philanthropic pursuits, she received a Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Academy Award in 1973.

Elizabeth Taylor

When her good friend and co-star in GIANT (’56), Rock Hudson, died from complications of AIDS, Elizabeth Taylor was devastated. Fueled by the tragedy, she became a tireless advocate for those suffering from HIV/AIDS. She helped raise awareness, fund research and combat ignorance in a time when AIDS was still highly misunderstood. She testified before the House and the Senate for the Ryan White Care Act and helped convince President Ronal Reagan to publicly acknowledge the disease. She also founded the Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center at the Whitman-Walker Clinic in D.C. which offered free HIV/AIDS testing. In 1985, she chaired the AIDS Project Los Angeles’ Commitment to Life fundraising project and co-founded the American Foundation for AIDS Research. The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, established in 1991, provides financial and moral support to patients suffering from AIDS. She shifted her focus from acting to her humanitarian efforts and raised millions of dollars for different foundations. After her death in 2011, her estate keeps funding her foundation. Taylor was awarded a Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Academy Award in 1993.

[culturedsociety]

Outreach for World Hope: Guatemala

Did you know that approximately 800 million people in the world go to bed hungry each night? That's equivalent to about one in nine people on earth. The vast majority of the world's hungry people live in developing countries, where 12.9 percent of the population is undernourished. According to the CIA World Fact book, Guatemala has the sixth-worst rate of chronic malnutrition in the world, despite being described as a relatively well-off lower-middle class country.

The chronic undernutrition of children under 5 is 49.8%, the highest in the region and the 4th highest in the world. 53% of the population lives in Poverty, with 13% in extreme poverty. Guatemala’s chronically malnourished infants do eat, however, their consists of low quality and carb-heavy foods, such as corn tortillas and rice. The nutritional deficits take a devastating toll, hindering brain development, among other disabling effects.

The country’s income inequality means that rural areas suffer from a lack of basic infrastructure. Clean water and electricity are almost nonexistent in many villages. Education is scarce and less than 40 percent of indigenous women in Guatemala are literate, compared with an overall rate of 85 percent for Latin America. Needless to say, there is a lot of work to be done in this Country.

Organizations such as Outreach For World Hope are stepping in and doing the work to provide sustainable resources for the people in the most impoverished regions of Eastern Guatemala. Since 2005 they have been saving the lives of children found in the end stages of starvation. They are providing pathways out of poverty and hope for the future, through education and sustainable agriculture programs.

Every year, OWH provides opportunities to participate in short term medical missions where they serve hundreds of families in need. The natives receive medical care and parasite treatment, personal hygiene, clothing, and toys for children. Families are educated on the importance of clean water and are blessed with simple water filtration systems.

The teams plant fruit trees and vegetable gardens, install vented cooking stoves, and build homes for qualified families. Severely malnourished children are profiled and placed into OWH's life boat program, which supplies families with nutrient rich food and medical support, which aids these children to better health. These mission trips are not possible without all the people that support our efforts to impact these families on a monthly basis.

Thank you to all that commit to sponsoring families with monetary gifts and donations. The circulation of your resources give hope and save lives everyday. Outreach for World Hope has over 200 children in their Life Boat program that need sponsorship. For only $32/month, you'll have the opportunity to supply nutrient rich food and medical assistance for an entire family. For more information regarding sponsorship opportunities, visit www.outreachforworldhope.org.

“The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don’t wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope.” ― Barack Obama

Written and Photographed by:: Rebecca Muñoz

[noelcruzcreations]

For me the only things of interests are those linked to the heart by Farrah Fawcett Via Flickr: “Giving is living. If you stop wanting to give, there’s nothing more to live for.” www.keepinspiring.me/audrey-hepburn-quotes/ Audrey Hepburn UNICEF AMBASSADOR "I can testify to what UNICEF means to children, because I was among those who received food and medical relief right after World War II," said actress Audrey Hepburn on her appointment as a Goodwill Ambassador in 1989. "I have a long-lasting gratitude and trust for what UNICEF does." As a result of her work for UNICEF over subsequent years, that gratitude is mutual. On a mission Soon after becoming a UNICEF ambassador, Hepburn went on a mission to Ethiopia, where years of drought and civil strife had caused terrible famine. After visiting UNICEF emergency operations, she talked about the projects to the media in the United States, Canada and Europe over several weeks, giving as many as 15 interviews a day. It set a precedent for her commitment to the organization. In the years that followed, Hepburn made a series of UNICEF field trips, visiting a polio vaccine project in Turkey, training programes for women in Venezuela, projects for children living and working on the street in Ecuador, projects to provide drinking water in Guatemala and Honduras and radio literacy projects in El Salvador. She saw schools in Bangladesh, projects for impoverished children in Thailand, nutrition projects in Viet Nam and camps for displaced children in Sudan. Hepburn also worked tirelessly for UNICEF when not making field trips. She testified before the US Congress, took part in the World Summit for Children, launched UNICEF's State of the World's Children reports, hosted Danny Kaye International Children's Award ceremonies, designed fundraising cards, participated in benefit concert tours and gave many speeches and interviews promoting UNICEF's work. Hepburn received the United States' highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, in December 1992. During that year, though ill with cancer, she had continued her work for UNICEF, traveling to Somalia, Kenya, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, France and the United States. Movie classics Audrey Hepburn was born on 4 May 1929 in Brussels, Belgium. Her father was an English banker and her mother a Dutch baroness. She studied ballet, but a small part in a French film led the French writer Colette to ask her to play the title role in Gigi, which Collette had adapted for Broadway. The same year, Hepburn landed the starring role in the movie Roman Holiday, with Gregory Peck, the first of a long list of American movie classics in which she starred. Towards the end of the 1960s Hepburn retired from films to devote herself to family life, emerging only for a handful of films in the 1970s and 1980s. She devoted the final years of her life to UNICEF. "She knew better than anyone else that the recompense for such work lies in the eyes of those in need of succour," Sir Peter Ustinov wrote in the European. "It is they who bring it home, in all its simplicity, that such work is worthwhile." Audrey Hepburn died at her home in Switzerland on 20 January 1993. from: www.unicef.org/people/people_audrey_hepburn.html Audrey Hepburn - Restyled, Repainted and Re-Rooted by artist Noel Cruz of ncruz.com/ in a diorama by Regent Miniatures (regentminiatures.com) and featured are animals by Mr. Z! Mr. Z Animal Model MRZ036 FC005 1/6 Felis Black White Domesticus Cat& 1/6 Mr.Z Animal Model MRZ027-003 Japanese Shiba Inu W/Replaceable Heads Figure. Audrey is also featured in the 1Sixth Winter Hardbound Edition available in Hardback/imagewrap or paperback cover. Also as a PDF or eBook. Order here: www.blurb.com/b/9320555-1sixth eBook: www.blurb.com/b/9320555-1sixth?ebook=690084 Photos by Steve McKinnis of stevemckinnis.com

[creepingsharia]

Top U.S. Govt Media Network Official, Author of “Vying for Allah’s Vote,” Guilty of Stealing $40,000

Ullah admitted that he fraudulently obtained $40,000 in government funds by falsifying hotel invoices, fake taxi receipts and billing Uncle Sam for personal travel.

In the latest scandal to rock the U.S. government’s international media networks, the Obama-appointed chief’s right hand man has pleaded guilty to stealing tens of thousands of dollars from the government. The disgraced senior government official at the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), Haroon K. Ullah, admitted that he fraudulently obtained $40,000 in government funds by falsifying hotel invoices, fake taxi receipts and by billing Uncle Sam for personal travel. “Additionally, Ullah admitted that he created a falsified letter from a real medical doctor purportedly claiming that Ullah needed to fly in business class at government expense because of a sore knee,” according to a Justice Department statement. “By submitting the forged letter from the doctor, Ullah fraudulently obtained costly business class upgrades at government expense, including on lengthy international flights. Ullah admitted to creating many of the false documents on his government-issued laptop computer.”

Ullah, who is described as an educator, scholar and diplomat, was handpicked by USAGM Chief John F. Lansing in 2017 to be the agency’s chief strategic officer. The author of a book called “Vying for Allah’s Vote,” Ullah oversaw several divisions at USAGM and was the key liaison charged with positioning the media networks within the broader U.S. government. As Lansing’s top assistant, “Ullah’s main responsibility was to lead USAGM to become a more strategically relevant agency within the national security, foreign affairs, internet censorship and global media spheres,” according to his biography on the agency’s website. Before getting recruited by Lansing, Ullah, a Harvard graduate, worked at the State Department. He recently pleaded guilty to theft of government money and faces up to a decade in prison, though it is unlikely he’ll serve that much time. Ullah is scheduled to be sentenced in October.

The senior USAGM official’s crimes mark the latest embarrassment for the taxpayer-funded media conglomerate which is comprised of five international networks—Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB), Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), Radio Free Asia and Middle East Broadcasting. The media outlets get about $685 million a year from American taxpayers and reportedly reach 345 million people worldwide in 59 languages. The global media agency was created to counter disinformation spread by oppressive regimes abroad. The USAGM website states that its mission is “to inform, engage and connect people around the world in support of freedom and democracy.”

Under Lansing’s tenure USAGM has deviated from that mission repeatedly, making it difficult to understand why the Trump administration has not replaced him. Earlier this year Lansing utilized Stalinist techniques to retaliate against journalists behind a broadcast critical of leftwing billionaire George Soros. The Spanish-language segment aired in May 2018 on Television Martí and was available for months online. A scandal-plagued Democratic senator tried for bribery and corruption eventually heard about it and ordered Lansing to punish the employees responsible for the Soros broadcast. In an October 31, 2018 letter to Lansing, New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez ordered an immediate investigation into the Soros broadcast as well as a broader audit and Lansing quickly obliged. A few years ago, Menendez was charged with federal bribery and corruption stemming from his relationship with a crooked south Florida eye doctor that lavished him with cash, gifts and trips in exchange for political favors.

At Menendez’s request Lansing took action, firing eight reporters and editors and ordering a review of all content to address “patterns of unethical, unprofessional, biased, or sub-standard journalism.” Ironically, a few weeks later Lansing proclaimed his support for “press freedom” as part of World Press Freedom Day. In a dramatic and widely distributed statement, Lansing assured the world that his agency “will continue to report the truth,” though it cost USAGM journalists their jobs weeks earlier. The USAGM Soros broadcast accurately focused on his efforts to cripple sovereign governments in Latin America. Judicial Watch was cited as a source because it investigated��State Department funding of Soros groups in Colombia and published a report on Soros’ initiatives to advance a radical globalist agenda in Guatemala.

[hishandsguatemala]

Construction Zone

[alianapdtx]

Jamie Hardy, DDS

Dr. Hardy is the outgoing middle daughter of her two loving parents, Drs. James and Felecia Hardy.  She grew up in Raleigh, NC with her two sisters and grandmother, who played an integral role of shaping who she is today.  Dr. Hardy began her higher education career at Hampton University in Hampton, VA where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology.  Upon graduation she attended Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry in Nashville, TN.  After dental school, Dr. Hardy practiced in Charlotte, NC where she served children for 1 year.  She discovered her love for treating children and was inspired to further her training in the specialty of pediatric dentistry.  During her 2-year specialty training at Bronx Lebanon Hospital, Dr. Hardy was appointed Chief Resident by her attendings and received the award for Outstanding Leadership in Dental Outreach for her additional work in the Bronx, NY community.  Dr. Hardy furthered her knowledge by completing her Board Certification to become a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry. Her passion to continue to serve children in under-served communities nationally is reflective in her mission trips to other countries such as Haiti and Guatemala where she treated children in rural areas that had limited access to oral health care. As a pediatric dentist, Dr. Hardy’s personal mission is to care for each of her patient’s unique needs while inspiring them to have fun and enjoy their oral health care.  Encouraging children and youth to not only value their oral health but fearlessly pursue their dreams is something Dr. Hardy hopes is the lasting impression she has on all her patients. During her free time, Dr. Hardy enjoys reading mysteries with her book club and watching suspenseful movies with her two sisters.  She also enjoys exploring new parks in the city with her dog Fefe while listening to some of her favorite music or audio books.  Volunteering and giving back to her community has always been a priority for her.  She continues to volunteer with her church’s kids and youth ministry and has joined community organizations including the Houston Area Urban League of Young Professionals. https://www.alianapediatricdentistry.com/meet-our-pediatric-dentists.html

[journalofotolaryngology-blog]

Juniper Publishers-Global Journal of Otolaryngology

Reconstructive Facial Plastic Surgery on Humanitarian Mission Trips: Role of the Resident Surgeon Team Member

Authored by Christopher R Kieliszak

Abstract: Despite the good-natured intent of the volunteers that embark on humanitarian mission trips, the intent of the missions trips have at times been criticized for being training grounds for young physicians and surgeons. This commentary describes the role of the resident surgeon on mission trips from the perspective of a current otolaryngology resident surgeon. With clearly defined roles and responsibilities, surgical care can be delivered safely with resident participation on mission trips.

Introduction

Medical and surgical humanitarian mission trips are a way physicians, medical students, nurses and support staff can join together as a team, and donate their time and skills to serve those with limited access to health care. Despite the good-natured intent of the volunteers that embark on humanitarian mission trips, the intent of the missions trips have at times been criticized for being training grounds for young physicians and surgeons [1,2]. This, in turn has been documented to be a potential source of apprehension among local physicians. For instance, one review of short term mission trips papers published over a 25-year period revealed that local doctors felt resentment that a trainee surgeon might not be as adequately supervised as in their home country [3]. There was also a feeling that inadequate supervision may lead to complications. While formal international rotations within United States surgical residency programs are established at certain institutions, [4] residents may also find opportunities and travel with third party humanitarian groups. Resident regulations set forth by the Accreditation. Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and American Osteopathic Association (AOA) for training programs in the United States might not necessarily apply to humanitarian service abroad. As a result, the role of the resident physician team member on humanitarian mission trips is not well defined in protocols. The training and supervision relationship between residents and attending surgeons must continue during overseas work. In a discussion about global surgery as a component of surgical education training, the authors insist that a qualified surgeon always be available to “supervise any treatment attempted to prevent any inappropriate harm to patients” [4]. This sentiment has been echoed in guideline reports produced by Board of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the Plastic Surgery Foundation [5]. By sharing personal experience, this commentary aims to clarify the role of the resident mission team member, from the perspective of a current otolaryngology resident surgeon who recently completed his first mission trip.

Discussion

During formal otolaryngology residency training, the author participated in a weeklong humanitarian mission trip to Antigua, Guatemala. The author travelled with a third party humanitarian mission group in order to contribute as a volunteer resident surgeon. The trip was dedicated to microtia repair, and cleft lip and palate repair. Beginning with early morning rounds, the resident was responsible for assisting the attending surgeons during rounds. Materials were gathered for rounds, including dressing materials, extra drains, tape, and scissors, and were brought to the bedside. Patients were evaluated in unison with attending physicians, drains and dressings were changed, and the daily plan for each patient was determined at morning rounds. After the patients had been rounded on, preoperative evaluations were conducted (in which the patients were seen and evaluated), the surgical site was marked, and any remaining pre-operative questions were answered. The involvement of the resident during each case closely resembles the operating room experience in the United States. How to cite this article: Kieliszak CR. Reconstructive Facial Plastic Surgery on Humanitarian Mission Trips: Role of the Resident Surgeon Team Member. Glob J Otolaryngol. 2015;1(1): 555552. 002 The resident mostly participated as an assistant to the primary surgeon. Since there were several rooms operating at once, the resident often shuffled between rooms when needed for certain tasks such as harvesting skin grafts. There was adequate supervision from attending surgeons at all times during the case. Post-operatively, the resident rounded on all patients on the wards before leaving for the evening. A potential method of lessening the resentment and apprehension of having trainees on mission trips might be to establish guidelines for international humanitarian trips, outlining the role of the resident team member. For instance, guidelines for the delivery of plastic surgery care were created and approved by both the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the Society of Pediatric Anesthesia [5,6]. These reports include general comments about resident participation. More specific roles and responsibilities of the residents through the phases of care on facial plastic surgery mission trips are presented here (Table 1). This basic information could be custom-tailored to the individual mission trip in order to describe the resident’s team member’s exact role and could be provided to the facility in the host country to provide full disclosure and transparency. The future for resident involvement in mission trips looks bright. Dr. Mary Ann Hopkins, in her presidential address for Association for Surgical Education, described the importance of resident participation in global health initiatives, stating that the experience “not only imparts the importance of global health but will also show them (the residents) the value of education and training local doctors” [7]. Residents have been shown to perceive benefits in “cultural competency, communication skills, adaptability and desire for service” [8]. In fact, recent studies have shown that resident participation in mission trips is more likely to lead to participation in trips after residency [9]. Organizations such as “Operation Giving Back”, sponsored by the American College of Surgeons, have provided a portal for which physicians and surgeons, including residents and medical students can find opportunities to perform humanitarian work.

Conclusion

Humanitarian mission trips can be life changing, not only for the children and their families in the countries that are served, but for the team members on the mission. A mission trip experience can help reaffirm one’s passion for medicine, and serve as a reminder that providing support to those with limited access is a critical component to being a doctor. With clearly defined roles and responsibilities, the resident may function as an integral team member and should be considered as an asset, and not a liability.

Acknowledgements

Thank you to the American Osteopathic Foundation who provided funding to support expenses on the mission trip. Thank you to the New York Institute of Technology - College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYIT-COM) and the Center for Global Health who provided funding to support expenses on the mission trip. Thank you to the Help Us Give Smiles (HUGS) foundation for including the author as a surgical team member on the mission trip to Antigua, Guatemala, in 2014.

For more articles in Juniper Publishers- Global Journal of Otolaryngology | please click on: https://juniperpublishers.com/gjo/index.php

For more about Juniper Publishers | please click on: https://juniperpublishers.com/pdf/Peer-Review-System.pdf

[writingforyourlovee]

Greetings! I was fortunate enough to have spent my last week on a mission trip in the beautiful Guatemala. While I was there, myself and my nursing program built three houses for three families, delivered water filters that give a family clean water for ten years, sponsor a protein meal for children with malnutrition and provide medical care in feeding centers. I went on this trip with the idea that I am going to change the world. Instead this trip changed me in so many ways. To be short, I will never again take my education for granted, or clean water and food for granted. The happiness of all of these people touched my heart, they may have not had much, but they had faith, and through that belief they were happy and had hope for the best to come. Thank you Guatemala for opening my eyes and filling my heart. Until next time. C.

[newsfact]

Haiti abductions: US missionary group says Christians must ‘overcome evil with good’

The missionary group whose members were abducted by a violent gang in Haiti over the weekend issued a call to prayer Monday asking that those being held hostage could “find the strength to demonstrate God’s love.” 

“In a world where violence and force are seen as the solution to problems, we believe in God’s call to Christians to “…not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good,” the Ohio-based missionary group, Christian Aid Ministries, said in a statement invoking Romans 12:21. 

Christian Aid Ministries in Berlin, Ohio is seen here on Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021.  (AP Photo/Tom E. Puskar)

“Pray that those being held hostage could find strength to demonstrate God’s love. The kidnappers, like all people, are created in the image of God and can be changed if they turn to Him,” the statement read. “While we desire the safe release of our workers, we also desire that the kidnappers be transformed by the love of Jesus, the only source of peace, joy, and forgiveness.” 

HAITIAN MIGRANT SPORTS ‘BIDEN-HARRIS’ SHIRT AS THOUSANDS MORE CONVERGE AT GUATEMALA-MEXICO BORDER

Seventeen of Christian Aid Ministries’ members, including 12 adults and five children, disappeared Saturday while on a trip to an orphanage. 

Haitian police say the 400 Mawozo gang, a group with a long record of killings, kidnappings, and extortion, is responsible for the abduction. It was the largest reported kidnapping of its kind in recent years. 

The Christian Aid Ministries headquarters in Berlin, Ohio, is closed Monday, Oct. 18, 2021, due to kidnappings in Haiti. (AP Photo/Julie Carr Smyth)

News of the kidnappings spread swiftly in and around Holmes County, Ohio, hub of one of the nation’s largest populations of Amish and conservative Mennonites, said Marcus Yoder, executive director of the Amish & Mennonite Heritage Center in nearby Millersburg, Ohio.

Christian Aid Ministries is supported by conservative Mennonite, Amish, and related groups in the Anabaptist tradition. 

US OFFICIAL IN HAITI APOLOGIZES FOR TREATMENT OF MIGRANTS

The organization was founded in the early 1980s and began working in Haiti later that decade, according to Steven Nolt, professor of history and Anabaptist studies at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania. The group has year-round mission staff in Haiti and several countries, he said, and it ships religious, school, and medical supplies throughout the world.

A man and a child walk by burning tires on a street in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021. (AP Photo / Joseph Odelyn)

Meanwhile, thousands of workers angry about the nation’s lack of security went on strike Monday in protest. Public transportation drivers stayed home, and businesses and schools were closed.

“The population cannot take it anymore,” said Holin Alexis, a moto taxi driver who joined the strike.

Barricades of burning tires closed off some streets in the capital and in other cities, including Les Cayes in southern Haiti, with some people throwing rocks at the occasional car that drove past.

Only a handful of moto taxi drivers like Marc Saint-Pierre zoomed through Port-au-Prince looking for customers. He said he was attacked for working on Monday but had no choice.

“I have children, and I have to bring food to my house today.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Haiti’s already dire situation has been compounded in recent months by the July assassination of President Jovenel Moïse and a magnitude 7.2 earthquake, which killed more than 2,200 people in August. Gang-related kidnappings dropped in the wake of Moïse’s death, but are once again on the rise. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.  

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[emmilynestill]

Previously on To Sacrifice the Sun....

Here we are, with the summaries of all 18 chapters plus prologue under the cut.

I hope to have the new chapter (plus the chapter of (Don’t) Let Me Go up in an hour.  Fingers crossed)

Overall story summary:

Felicity Smoak was recruited by ARGUS directly out of MIT and became one of the youngest Field Agents in their history. She was the Tech Guru of one of their most elite teams and her partner, Oliver Queen, was the love of her life. Then a mission went south, with terrible consequences. Felicity turned from field work and Oliver, hiding away in ARGUS’ hidden R&D center, the Cave.

Five years later, a new evil is infiltrating the world, but it’s looking for the same lost Mayan City and the same missing artifact. The one’s that Felicity had made herself the world’s leading expert on. So now she was going to have to face her past, her greatest fears, and her biggest mistakes to find whatever HIVE is after before they do, because if Damian Darhk finds it first, no one on the planet will be safe.

Catch up here:

New readers check this out:

Read under the cut for Chapter summaries and title art:

Previously on…

Prologue:

Five years ago.  

Guatemala

The night before a huge mission, ARGUS Agent Felicity Smoak has a terrible premonition that things are going to go badly.  Their mission is to go to the Temple of the Jaguar in Tikal, find the Obsidian Skull, a powerful Mayan artifact, before Reiter and his Shadowspire troops. It is her job to translate the hieroglyphics and find the skull.

Her “secret” boyfriend, Oliver, arrives and tries to take her mind off the mission, plying her with Guatemalan rum.  Felicity teases him that the team knows all about them and most of them are hooking up with each other anyway. (Ronnie and Caitlin are secretly married.  Lyla and Digg, their CO, are also together.  Only Slade and Sara are not).

They make love and Felicity is overcome with emotion and the feeling that something horrible is going to happen, but can’t bring herself to tell Oliver.  He tells her that after they beat Reiter he wants to move in together and finally go home to see his family (they still believe he and Sara died on the Gambit 5 years prior).  Oliver tells her his fantasies of getting married and having a baseball team of children, a Queen Legacy.  They talk about their future together.

After the mission in Tikal, Felicity wakes up in an ARGUS medical facility in terrible pain.  Her surgeon, Shado, explains to her that much of the team was injured and that Ronnie (one of the eight team members and her best friend’s husband) was killed.  

Shado explains that Felicity was shot in the abdomen.  They had to do a hysterectomy and now she can’t have children.  In shock and in pain, Felicity feels hopeless and doesn’t believe she will ever feel happy again.  

To preserve Oliver’s dream, she decides to sacrifice her happiness for his.  Felicity refuses to talk to him or tell him what happened, believing he will leave ARGUS, go home to Starling, start over, and have his dream life with someone else.

Chapter 1:

The Cave (ARGUS science and Technology center).

Five years later, Felicity is working as a team leader in the secret underground ARGUS Science Center.  After Tikal, she sealed her medical records and refused to speak to anyone from the team except Caitlin, who had lost her husband. Felicity did not tell Caitlin about her injuries until she found out, five months after the mission, that instead of leaving ARGUS and going home as Felicity had wanted (and expected) Oliver to do, he was taking an undercover mission with the Bratva, deep in Russia. Caitlin encouraged Felicity to tell Oliver the truth and she rushed over to stop him from leaving but is too late. Since then, no one has seen or heard from Oliver but his handler.

In present day, Felicity returns to her lab to see, Digg, who she hasn’t seen in years.   He tells her that there is a new threat, Damian Darhk and HIVE, who are searching for Kin Cuudad, the Lost City of the Sun, and a magic artifact, Kin Zil, the Gift, which is rumored to be far more powerful than the Obsidian Skull (the artifact that killed Ronnie).  Digg needs Felicity to come back into the field, because no one knows the Lost City mythology and the Mayan language like Felicity.

Felicity, suffering from PTSD, tries to deflect, saying the city isn’t real, it’s a myth.  Digg tells her they found a Door.  He says they are assembling the old team and Caitlin has already agreed to come.  He leaves and Cait, who is now a part of Felicity’s CAVE team, comes to apologize for not telling her earlier and to ask Felicity to help her face her demons on Yucatan Peninsula.  Feeling she has no choice, Felicity agrees.  

Chapter Two

The airport, the next day

At the airport, Felicity and Caitlin meet Curtis and Cisco, two other members of their CAVE team, who are joining team them for this mission (Curtis replacing Ronnie as Team Engineer and Cisco running comms from base).  Their silly teasing starts to relax Felicity until they start teasing her about seeing her “Gorgeous ex” and she realizes that Oliver, who she believed was still in Russia, would be meeting them in Mexico.  Felicity has a panic attack in the bathroom and Caitlin talks her down, but she still feels that she ruined Oliver’s life with her bad decisions.

ARGUS Safe House, Mayan Rivera

During the flight, Felicity prepares herself to see Oliver again and decides when they arrive at the Beach House/Safe House it would be best to get to over with.  She goes to the beach to find Oliver, only to see him smiling and talking to a very pregnant Lyla.  When Felicity sees him touch her pregnant belly, she panics, again, running away and having another attack.

After calming herself some, Sara finds her and welcomes her warmly, introducing her to Roy, Lyla’s replacement for Special Ops (since she is too pregnant to go on the mission).  Roy worked with Oliver in Russia and recognizes Felicity’s name.  Sara and Roy express their belief that the break up was Oliver’s fault.  Shado and Caitlin interrupt before Felicity can convince them otherwise.  

Surrounded by friends and support, Felicity is feeling better even if they are all pushing her to talk to Oliver. Until they see him and abandon Felicity to her fate.

Chapter Three

ARGUS Safe House, Mayan Rivera

Left alone with Oliver, Felicity freezes.  Oliver takes this badly and offers to leave the team if it would make her more comfortable. This leads to Felicity giving a long, anxious, babbling speech about how she is a train wreck emotionally.  She is devastated to learn that Oliver has blamed himself for the break-up all this time.  When Felicity tries to say it is her, not him, Oliver reveals that he feels responsible for her getting shot since the gun was aimed at him.  Then he walks away.

Later, the entire team gathers in the War Room where they are told they are going to the Mayan City of Palenque to gather clues, before heading into the jungle and to the Door.  Curtis and Cisco reveal their inventions for the trip, including a new bow for Oliver.  Digg tells Oliver if things go south it is his job to protect Felicity.  Felicity is given a photograph of the supposed Door and translates it with her newly enhanced glasses.  For the first time, she believes this may all be real and gets excited, feeling more herself than she has in years.

The next morning, the team of 8 travel to Palenque which has been emptied of tourists.  The old team (Slade, who lost an eye there, Sara, Digg, Cait, Oliver, and Felicity) come face to face with the Mayan world for the first time since Tikal.

Chapter Four

At Palenque, Felicity is searching the Temple of the Sun for clues on how to open the Door to Kin Cuudad, the Lost City, but all she is able to find is a fresco she knows well.  It depicts the founder of Palenque, King Cadmeal, who escaped from the Lost City and is said to be the child of the Daughter of the Sun and the Warrior King, but nothing new.

Curtis and Sara manage to leverage open the stone slab to get into a Chamber at the base of the temple where Felicity has never been in before.  She and Caitlin search there for clues and come up empty handed.  She is about to look in one of the four (uninteresting) tombs when Curtis starts teasing her about Oliver and trying to get her to tell them why they broke up.

This leads to Caitlin telling them how they escaped Tikal, after both Felicity and Sara were unconscious, a story Felicity had never heard before.  Caitlin tells the group the entire story, including Ronnie being killed, Sara being buried in rubble, and the gun being shot at Oliver and Felicity stepping in the way.  Only Oliver and Cait at that point were unharmed and in his rage Oliver was able to capture the skull and smash it against the wall so Digg could shoot and kill Reiter.

After the emotional story, Felicity seeks Oliver out and tells him she is glad she took the bullet because he saved them all and is a hero.  She hugs him and walks away.

Chapter Five  

That evening, Felicity is sitting on the crumbling steps of the Palace staring out at the jungle when Oliver finds her.  They talk about their memories from their time in the Yucatan five years ago, and things are just starting to feel normal, when the talk turns to Russia.  Then Felicity learns Oliver came to bring her to dinner.  Her CAVE team often tease her about forgetting to eat, but she is humiliated that they sent Oliver, until he confesses he volunteered.  

Felicity blurts out that she didn’t want him to go to Russia, that she wanted him to go home to Starling and be happy, which makes things tense again.  She tells him she tried to stop him from going to Russia, but it was too late. Oliver is obviously upset about the information, but tells her he’s glad she told him.  He then asks her to come to camp and have some of his famous five-alarm chili.  Slade and Digg want to “initiate” Roy and Curtis.  Felicity agrees thinking the chili will be her penance, until Oliver confesses he made a special not lethal batch for her and Cait.

Chapter Six:

Back at camp, Felicity confronts Caitlin for sending Oliver to get her and playing matchmaker, until she finds out Oliver really did volunteer.  Cait apologizes for pushing them back together and confesses that she is ready to move on with their CAVE teammate, Barry, and feels guilty about it, but, also, that she wants both Felicity and Oliver to be happy.

At the campfire, Cait is convinced that the nonlethal chili is evidence of Oliver still being in love with Felicity.  The team gangs up on the newbies as they eat the painful chili.  Roy handles it well, knowing what is expected of a Spec Ops, but Curtis freaks out, to everyone’s, especially Slade’s, amusement.  In the end, they confess the joke and Slade shares his flask with the team, Guatemalan Rum that reminds Felicity of her last night with Oliver.

The rest of the team gets drunk and decides to try and play Mayan ball, which gets very competitive very fast. Slade’s team starts to win when he puts Sara on his shoulders.  Curtis falls and twists his ankle and Oliver turns to Felicity and asks her to help him, “Kick Slade’s ass.”

Chapter Seven

Caught up in the moment, Felicity allows Oliver to bring her into the ballgame which involves her sitting on his shoulders and trying to get a ball in a hoop 30 feet off the ground. At first, she’s freaked out, but they work well together and manage to play to a tie.  Roy tackles Sara and Slade, but Slade refuses to forfeit.  The game looks like it will never end when the skies open up and it starts to pour.  

Oliver and Felicity share an emotionally heated (and UST ridden) moment in the rain before Slade calls them to help gather their gear.  Felicity pretends to fall asleep in the tent to avoid Sara’s ribbing and Cait’s questions, trying not to imagine Oliver naked in the next tent over.

Chapter Eight

Felicity wakes up the next morning after a strange dream about King Cadmeal and his wife dancing around tombs, with the intense need to look in the tombs in the chamber under the Temple of the Sun.  No one else is up and Felicity struggles with how to make Curtis’ fancy coffee maker work until Oliver shows up and does it for her.  They have a pleasant breakfast discussing how eggs are eaten in Russia.

The conversation turns to how they slept and Felicity confesses her dream and is pleasantly surprised by how serious Oliver takes it, though he always does.  Oliver offers to take her down into the Temple of the Sun himself and doesn’t seem to find it necessary to wake anyone else.

In the base of the temple, Oliver struggles with opening the tombs by himself, but refuses to admit it. There is nothing exciting in the first two tombs and Felicity starts to think it’s a dead-end.  Talk of her dream leads her to admitting have intuitions and promotions since before Tikal.  Oliver is upset that she didn’t tell him back then.

But then he loses control of one of the huge limestone slabs covering a tomb and it falls to the ground, causing a layer of red clay on the inside surface to crack and reveals an intricate carving underneath.  

Chapter Nine

The Carving reveals symbols of Kin Cuudad as well as having a carving of the Daughter of the Sun and the Warrior King facing each other and making a strange pattern with their fingers. They also seem to be wearing jewelry that Oliver postulates may be the Gift, Kin Zil.  

Oliver confesses a fascination over the Daughter of the Sun and while discussing them Oliver and Felicity almost kiss, but it is interrupted by Felicity having a panic attack.

The spell is broken and they explore the inside of the Tombs.  The hieroglyphs of one of the Tombs reveals it to be Cadmeal, the Daughter of the Sun and the Warrior King’s son, the founder of Palenque.  Another may be his wife and they discover an intricate moonstone carving in her hands.  Her fingers are also splayed like on the carving.

Before they can discover anything else, the emergency comms crackle on and they learn from Digg that they are under attack.

Chapter Ten

While Oliver and Felicity are in the base of the Temple of the Sun discovering what was in the tombs Palenque was invaded by HIVE.  The rest of the team engaged in a gun fight and Digg ordered Oliver to take Felicity and get her to the Door ahead of the team.

They take what they can from the tombs and photograph what they can’t.  Oliver hoists Felicity out of the underground Chamber first and while she is waiting for him she gives into temptation and listens to what is happening with the team, learning back-up is on its way. but Roy is seriously injured. An explosion rocks the temple sending Felicity into a flashback of Tikal.

A kiss from Oliver pulls Felicity out of the flashback.  They zip line to the other side of the park, where he drags her into the jungle. There they find an all terrains motorcycle and take off into the jungle.

Chapter Eleven

On the back of the motorcycle, Felicity struggles o hold on with the rocky terrain, but manages to work the GPS and communicate with the team (while Oliver drives and only has access to what she is saying.)

Ground back-up has arrived at Palenque, but things are not going well for the team and a medievac has not arrived for Roy who is rapidly losing blood.  Cisco and Lyla, from base, reveal that they can not send in air back-up because of an approaching hurricane.  This triggers a panicked meltdown from Caitlin until Felicity talks her down.

Then Damian Darhk announces his presence over the comms, having captured Curtis, Slade, and Sara as they attempted to lead HIVE away from Oliver and Felicity and the rest of the team. Darhk demands the location of Kin Cuudad.

Lyla shuts down the comms, tells Felicity they are erasing all records of the Door’s location from everyone but her and Oliver’s devices, and then cuts them off from ARGUS communication system to protect them from HIVE.  Just as Felicity is about to explain this to Oliver, a black blur jumps in front of them, the bike crashes and the word goes black.

Felicity wakes up to Oliver’s concerned voice and they discover a jaguar jumped out at them.  The crash broke Oliver ARGUS watch and damaged Felicity’s, messing up their GPS.    As she works to fix her watch, she catches sight of their missing jaguar in the tree.

Chapter 12

Stranded in the jungle without access to the team or base, and with broken tech, Oliver and Felicity come face to face with the reason for their motorcycle crash, a giant blue-eyed black jaguar.  Oliver asks for his bow, but Felicity gives him the tranq gun, instinctively not wanting to kill the animal.

Reluctantly Oliver agrees while Felicity works furiously to fix her ARGUS smart watch and get the GPS to the Door back up.  Unfortunately, while rebooting the watch it's makes loud, high pitched noises that startle the cat and it pounces, leading Oliver to have to shot it twice with the tranq gun.  

The confrontation has left Oliver tense and pessimistic, pushing Felicity to take on more of her ‘Sunshine’ roll to giving him more hope.  She is able to get her watch to work on basic settings and tapes it to the handle bars. Then while Oliver checks on their bike, she indulgently watches the jaguar, which she begins to find beautiful and fascinating.

Oliver freaks out a tad when he sees her pet it, but they are soon back onto the bike headed for the Door.

Chapter 13

The remainder of the trip to where Felicity’s broken watch locates the Door is long and, largely, silent, leaving her far too much time to think.  Most of it she spends thinking about Oliver.  She decides she needs to tell him everything as soon as they have a free moment and, for the first time, she starts to think that they might actually have a future together.

Once they reach their destination, they find nothing special and begin to worry the watch is truly broken. The storm in worsening and Oliver is focused on finding shelter.  

And grunting.  And brooding.  And generally being a pessimistic jerk.  

But when Felicity sits to work on her tablet, Oliver notices that she is sitting on a hidden tarp.  Under the canvas, they find the Door, but since they still don’t know how to open it and the hurricane is fast approaching, Oliver leaves in search of shelter, leaving Felicity to examine the Door.

Underground, she finds a carving almost identical to the slab at the Temple of the Sun.  Then she realizes that the sun carving in the center is actually composed of two sets of handprints and her hands fit perfectly. She calls for Oliver, who is irritated by the interruption, but he, reluctantly, agrees to place his hands next to hers in the carving.

The Door shifts and opens, disappearing into the hillside.

Chapter 14

The Door opens to a staircase leading into the ground.  Felicity is ecstatic and disappointed Oliver doesn’t feel the same, but they head down anyway.  At the bottom of the stairs, they find an opulent room filled with magnificent Mayan frescos and carvings, but, unfortunately, not a way out other than the way they came in.  They are able to locate a Door like the first, with handprint sun, but there seems to be a piece missing from the center and when they place their hands in this one nothing happens.  

Oliver leaves to get gather their things while Felicity translates, but she doesn’t expect him to spend the next several hours more out in the storm than in with her.  She has the distinct feeling he is avoiding her. Worried and upset, Felicity heads out to find him.  

She finds him struggling with securing the tarp over the entrance to keep out animals during the storm. Feeling foolish, Felicity insists on helping and they quickly get the job done, barricading themselves inside.

Down in the chamber, Felicity again becomes annoyed when it becomes clear that Oliver isn't going to take off his dripping wet shirt, as any agent would do.   She takes off her shirt and insists he does the same, which reveal his injuries from the crash.  

After caring for their (fairly minor) wounds, Oliver asks Felicity to show him what she found while translating. She shows him how one side of the room depicts the Daughter of the Sun and the other the Warrior King.  They meet in the middle where their lives combine. During a betrothal scene, the Queen gives the Warrior a sun shaped medallion, a shape that appears in each of her panels and they postulate that this may be Kin Zil, the Gift.

After, Felicity tries to begin a conversation about five years ago, but Oliver insists he needs to sleep.

Chapter 15

Almost 24 hours later, things have not gone as Felicity had anticipated.  Despite her trying to bring the subject up, Oliver has slept and groused and grumbled and avoided her, all very uncomfortable in this small room. Now, he was out hunting it the tail-end of the storm in a thinly disguised effort to be away from her and Felicity has had enough.  Her guilt has only extended her patience so far and now she’s pissed.

Sick of being stuck in the chamber alone, Felicity goes out into the rain to freshen up and clean her clothes. Outside, she decides to say ‘frak it’ and take off all her clothes and take a shower in the warm rain.  Oliver returns, dead bird in hand, and flips out. They have words.  He stomps off.

Felicity returns to the chamber, deciding to only wear her dry clothing (her shirt and a pair of panties), and the hell with Oliver.  When he arrives, he’s even more snappish and irritable and finally Felicity confronts him on it.

Oliver breaks and confronts her on her confusing behavior, now and in the past, and how difficult it has been to interpret.  He wonders if she is playing games and if he ever knew her at all.  Felicity fervently denies this, along with ever lying to him. Oliver says that’s a lie because she promised to be with him Forever and Always.  Felicity tells him she promised to LOVE him Forever and Always and not only had she never lied, but she never broke her promise.

Oliver takes a moment to process this, then crushes her to the wall in a searing kiss.

Chapter 16

Oliver and Felicity kiss

And they kiss.  Then they kiss some more.   Lots of kissing.

Felicity reassures Oliver that she did indeed mean that she was still in love with him and had never stopped. Oliver is relieved, but confused. He asks her why she left him and she tells him he couldn’t possibly understand because he is missing an important part of the puzzle.  She promises to tell him what it is but warns it’s a long story.

They untangle themselves and Felicity nervously explains how difficult this is for her.  Oliver asks for her to start at the beginning and she explains that the last night in Tikal she had been genuine in their conversation about building a life together.  Everything changed at the hospital.

Oliver is upset because he was sedated when this happened and angry at himself, but Felicity only agrees to go on if he agrees not to blame himself.  She tells him there were complications from the surgery and he clearly believes she has a chronic health problem.

Felicity finally blurts out that she lacks the requisite parts to make babies.  Oliver is first shocked, then devastated, and she has to fight her own answering defensiveness and anger, realizing that a large part of the reason that she never told him in the first place was her fear that he would eventually leave her over it.

Oliver expressed anger over Felicity keeping this from him and believing that her choice could have possibly lead to his happiness.  He tells her he needs to take a walk and leaves.

Felicity collapses in sobs.

Chapter 17

After Oliver leaves, Felicity is overcome with grief and, feeling abandoned, she cries her heart out, but once she is done and is able to think more coherently, she realizes that Oliver probably did not leave because she is infertile and doesn’t want her anymore, but because he needs to process the enormity of everything she kept from him.

Pulling herself together, Felicity realizes that Oliver left without even the shirt on his back, which is terrifying.  But, since she can do nothing about it, she sits and spends her time fixing his comm link and waiting.

Oliver returns calm and sheepish since he got lost.  They begin to talk and Oliver tells Felicity he is angry with her but not for the reasons she thinks.  He is angry at her for even thinking he cared more about having children than being with her and feels that he had the right to mourn this with her, since if she doesn’t have children he has no intention of having children either.

They cry in each other’s arms and talk about their grief, comparing themselves to John and Lyla and how hard it is and will be watching them have a baby together.  They reaffirm that whatever happens from her on out they plan to do it together and begin to solidify their relationship physically, when Oliver rolls off Felicity and grabs his bow.

HIVE has found them.  

Chapter 18

Ghosts swarm into the chamber and Oliver starts to fire his bow while Felicity acts as his quiver, until the Ghosts get too close and they engage Oliver in hand to hand.  Thankfully, the Ghosts seem intent on capture and are not shooting them.

Felicity decides she has no intention of sitting by and being a spectator in this and grabs a pen dart just as a Ghost grabs her. She acts helpless, which fools the Ghost, but not Oliver.  However, when the Ghost begins to molest her Oliver stops fighting.  It gives Felicity the opportunity needed to use the pen dart to kill (or maybe just put asleep for 48 hours) the man holding her. Together they disable/kill the last three Ghosts.

Oliver expresses his pride at Felicity with numerous kisses, but they both realize that this is no longer the place and Oliver wants them to get out before more HIVE operatives arrive. As Felicity begins to gather essentials she has a strong feeling that they can not leave this place to HIIVE.

It’s too late anyway, because Darhk and another dozen operatives are outside.  They are at a stand-off with none other than their friend the jaguar who has killed as many Ghosts as Oliver.  Darhk uses his magic to force a confrontation with the jaguar and one of his men, but the jaguar out runs the automatic weapon and kills the Ghost.  Darhk tries to use his magic on the Jaguar and it doesn’t work.

At this point Felicity is loving the jaguar and doesn’t want him hurt.  So, when Darhk orders all the Ghosts to open fire on the jaguar Felicity calls out, prompting Oliver to send an explosive Arrow into one of HIVES trucks gas tanks.  

They retreat into the chamber to grab their things and escape before the smoke clears, when Felicity notices the moonstone fallen on the ground.

Oliver, however, noticed that their jaguar friend is now in the chamber as well.

Felicity, moonstone in hand, stills Oliver.  A strange calm and confidence over takes her and she speaks with the jaguar (who does not speak back, btw), realizing that the moonstone is the key to the other Door. The jaguar, who Felicity has now names Kinich Ahau after the Mayan sun god.  Lies down peacefully happy with her deduction.  

Felicity places the stone in the middle of the palm print sun and her hands-on top.  Slightly reluctantly Oliver turns his back on the jaguar, curls himself over Felicity and does the same.