Blog

Baby Constanza Meet this beautiful 9-month-old baby, Constanza. Born in the community of Chihuahua to parents who couldn’t afford her medical needs, her village rallied together when they heard about the opportunity for Constanza to be evaluated for surgery by the Smile Network team at Ribera Medical Center. To fund the 19-hour trip to Ajijic, […]

Jesus Jesus is one of the 27 children who received the gift of surgery during the Smile Network’s mission in Ajijic, Mexico, thanks to the team of medical professionals, generous donors, and the staff at Ribera Medical Center. Every child is special, but meeting a child like Jesus tugs at your heartstrings in a profound […]

Back in January, 2023, I read a life-altering article in the Guadalajara Reporter. The article, by Dale Hoyt Palfrey, described a medical project that would be conducted in the Lake Chapala area from May 11-16, 2024.

Every year for the past six years, I have had the opportunity to lead a group on the Camino de Santiago from Portugal to Spain. People participate in this trek for various reasons: to be in nature and enjoy the beauty of the Camino landscape, or for the pure sport of walking in the woods along the Galician Coastline. Some walk with a purpose: perhaps to mourn the loss of a loved one and begin the healing, or to have hours alone with their thoughts to find solutions to problems, or to work out the next step in their journey.

The Boots Were Made for Walking… We were up at the crack of dawn to get ahead of the heat of the day.  The morning greeted us with a gentle breeze and sunny skies.  The extended six-day forecast calls for no rain, low humidity, and temperatures in the 80’s; ideal conditions for hiking the Camino! Yesterday […]

And We’re Off! We were up at the crack of dawn to get ahead of the heat of the day.  The morning greeted us with a gentle breeze and sunny skies.  The extended six-day forecast calls for no rain, low humidity, and temperatures in the 80’s; ideal conditions for hiking the Camino! We total fourteen.  The […]

Gate of the Sun We arrived at the Gate of the Sun shortly after sunrise and descended down the mountain to our destination of Machu Picchu. We are bonded for the remaining portion of this lifetime by an amazing shared experience. We started the trip as acquaintances and ended as a Tribe. We are all […]

Day 6, Inca Trek We arrived at the Gate of the Sun shortly after sunrise and descended down the mountain to our destination of Machu Picchu. Yesterday we learned the stuff we were made of.   We put one step in front of another as we climbed to Dead Woman’s Pass at 14,000 feet.  One […]

Day 4, Inca Trek We landed in Cusco two days ago and it feels that we have already packed a short lifetime into 48 hours. One can’t help but marvel at the Incan majesty of Cusco. The cobble-stone streets line the wonders of this ancient place. In this high altitude city, you will find a melting […]

Day 5, Inca Trek We arrived at the Gate of the Sun shortly after sunrise and descended down the mountain to our destination of Machu Picchu. We were all up early today to do the very thing that we have planned and trained for over the course of the last six months.  We divided into […]