sunrise, sunset...swiftly flow the days....

Last week, one of the first acquaintances we made in the campo came into the ER in the evening and the doc on call called me because they couldn't find her chart anywhere- and the patient mentioned she knew me. She had been hammock-bound since we'd met her 8+ years ago from crippling arthritis, and we'd seen her "raise" her 2 young girls, then 10 and 11, along with 3 grandchildren, who had been sent to her after birth as the mom was living on the streets in Ceiba. Many have tried to help the family in various ways over the years....with dubious success. Most of those years, we'd brought meds out to the mud shack for D, as her condition did not allow her to travel from her hammock. This visit, D's bloodwork and condition were not encouraging...and after several days inpatient, it was time to share with her that we could not continue transfusing her and that her condition had no cure. The first night, so weak she could barely be heard, D shared with me that she was uncertain of her relation with the Lord, so we spend time talking and praying. Many others who knew her and had invested in her deeply shared during the few days with us. John was the makeshift ambulance to get her home,where we gently lifted her from the pickup bed in her soft matress and transferred her to a hammock in the main room of the small cementblock house the community had made her last year- no more than 20x20. 9 people live there. D will spend her last days there with her children, and her grandchildren. 

D and her daughter, with nurse Penny in the Toyota ambulance! This was my day off!

Week 2 of our allotted 5 has begun. We had a delightful time celebrating one of the MK's 16th birthdays on Saturday night. Mariah Fields had planned a special dinner and celebration at a nearby hotel, and it was a night of enjoying our youth all fancied up in their formals, tuxes, dress jeans, etc. The attire was "jungle formal"- meaning whatever you had in your closet that suited! Sweet fellowship that will long be remembered. The missionaries here excel in celebrating!

The birthday girl and her little brother

The stellar CPR class!

Did the first of 2 CPR classes today with the help of the other 2 missionary nurses, Christy and Heather. The teamwork made it go more smoothly than normal, and have never had such an enjoyable class!  (Hopefully, they really learned something and we'll see the fruit of the investment!)  The Lord has made it very clear to me that He's put all my responsibilities in capable hands, and right now, I'm feeling like I can pass the baton with no panic. What a ride its been!  I'm feeling keenly everything I do "for the last time"- and just delighting in everything, trying to suck ever last bit of flavor out of these days. 

John is doing the same- out in the villages visiting patients and  church friends, taking his helpers to the public health clinics for the last times. We have the pickup sold, as well as most of our household goods-all of which will remain for our use until we leave on March 15. I am thankful I learned long ago to hold material things loosely- to see them all as loaned for a season by the Lord for my use, but not to be clutched to my chest possessively. When we return to visit, we'll take pleasure in seeing our treasures being used and loved by those we love here!

Re-entry miracle- and record day in ER!

Edwar in October- very swollen!

Edwar this week, playful and all boy!

A bright memory of our reentry this past weekend to Honduras was a call from some fellow missionaries, asking us to stop by on the way up the hill to see a "surprise". We pulled in to see Edwar, a 6 year old with Acute lymphocytic leukemia, who I shared about in October. He came to us after a year of failure to be diagnosed in the public system, with total body pain, and looking like he had a terminal case of mumps. Just touch his skin to take his pulse hurt him. Dr. Judy diagnosed him with leukemia, and then began her search for treatment here in Honduras. The mom did the unthinkable- she took a bus to the capital city and entered a treatment program there. The child's father remained behind to work to have money for the treatment! As I was helping him dress for the long bus trip to the city for treatment, he'd said something like, "All I want to do is play someday"!  I told him when he got strong again, I would buy him a soccer ball. What a joy to have Heather whisper, "I have a new one that I just brought in from the US if you want to give it to him now!" So she made possible keeping my promise immediately. He has 2 more years of his chemo...

Rosalinda in front of the nursing school

Tho we had only arrived at Loma de Luz Sunday afternoon, we turned around and went back to Ceiba early Monday morning- to bring a new LPN student, Rosalinda, to her first day of classes. Her dad and one of her good friends, Sonia, also walked down the trail from the house to see her off. If one could can that joy and excitement...

 The hospital clinic is now only open Monday, wednesday, and Friday. We expect the other two days will be just ER, so light days. Today, a record was set when we began receiving patients from a pickup roll-over about 0930.  In our early days here, there was a similar accident on Independence Day when a pickup went up on a bank to make a U-turn and dumped all those who were hitching a ride on the back. We were very shortstaffed, as it was a weekend when we have our annual missionary conference about 6 hours from here, and most were in attendance. That day we had 7 patients at once. Today, we treated about 13! It was truly all hands on deck! By God's grace, we had no critical patients, and only had to admit 2. But it kept the surgeon busy all day, and was a quick re-orientation to the hospital for me. During the hours of patching and stitching and monitoring, we also had a child come in with a fractured arm from a fall from a tree, and an OB needing a postpartum surgery, so all in all, think it topped the charts for the busiest ER day in history here.