Saludos de Nicaragua! We are excited to say that we officially began operating and changing lives this afternoon! The team gathered early this morning for a wonderful breakfast while Dr. Schutte introduced each team prior to heading on the bus for the hospital. The drive to the hospital was an interesting, but enjoyable experience. We were able to pick up translators along the way and see different areas of Nicaragua. Once we arrived to the hospital, it was “go time”. Our team is so incredibly helpful and we were able to unpack all the surgical totes in an efficient manner. After everything was organized, we finally met our first four patients. Their faces lit up in the room immediately after seeing our team. Some of our patients have been waiting for their surgery for several months and every single team member feels so honored to be taking care of them. Dr. Schutte said it perfectly today as we were wrapping up our last case, “There are two sides in life: the giving end and the receiving end. I am so blessed to be apart of the giving end”.