Always a reason

(this is Angie, watching her own and her sister's baby, with whom I study each Sunday afternoon)

When I last wrote, we were preparing to leave for a 2 nite trip up to Las Vallas on horses to do a Women's Clinic and a hospital survey, assessing community needs for both evangelism and for community development. We put a lot of energy into preparing, complete with borrowing bicycling shorts to protect my bottom on the wooden saddles! We picked up the male RN at the public health clinic in Balfate, and with all our backpacks and a visiting MD, Dr. Evelin, headed out close to the end of the road to meet the horses that had been sent down the steep trail to take us up. Well, we got there 15 minutes early, really hyped for this adventure- to hear that the locals had been there and departed for some unknown reason! We occupied the sunday afternoon as best we could, dealing with our disappointment, wondering why the Lord had closed that door after such thorough preparations. After exploring a nearby waterfall and introducing Dr. Evelin to Rio Coco, we headed back to the hospital to unpack our carefully prepared backpacks! Back went the hammocks, the granola bars, the women's health supplies.

We only had a few hours to find out why the trip had been cancelled. Early in the evening we got the call that our coworker, Suyapa, had finally gone heavenward after a several month battle with cancer. The next 24 hrs were devoted to that, and some of the missionaries accompanied about 50 staff and friends of Suyapa in a rented bus over to the city for a beautiful wake in her church of many years there. It was a good closure for all of us, who had so many funny and special memories of our friend, her Pollyanna-like spirit, her spontanaity, her passion for lost souls. There was a time for sharing memories of her life, with her fiance Oscar sharing his many years of friendship with her and what he'd learned from her. She was buried in her wedding gown with her engagement ring.

A urology team had arrived Sunday for surgeries, so in between these special memories, we had a very full couple days, screening patients, preparing the chosen ones for surgeries. This team always bring their own anesthetist, and surgical nurses, so are fun. The normal confusion reigned the first day, but think all agreed it had been a success when they left Saturday.

We had planned on catching up Saturday, but John had seen a very sick pregnant girl on Thursday in Rio Esteban, sick enough that he had cancelled lunch plans with some locals so as to introduce Dr. Evelin to the culture there, and taken the patient back to the hospital to admit her. (Evelin and I kept the commitment for lunch, and enjoyed both our visit and the bus ride back to the hospital!) Because the patient had only gotten worse by Friday, John and I made plans to leave with her at dawn Saturday to transport her the 5 hrs. to San Pedro to see a specialist and admit her to the hospital. So our catchup day ended up being in the car driving- we have heard that the patient is doing well, and was discharged, so is all worth it! (This is just part of what Women's Health funds pay for).

Sunday we got a call from Emel, a former employee of the hospital who married in December and is now pregnant. She hosts about 15 Garifuna single women in her home regularly to study the bible. She asked if I could come to help answer the women's questions! Was a real delight to sit on her porch in the shade and listen to her describe her ladies and their search for answers biblically for the plights they have created for themselves. This past week, 2 of the men showed up demanding equal time, wanting Emel to host a study for them too! I talked with Emel's husband, asking him if he felt her could lead a companion study, and he agreed! Pray for Joni, that the Lord will enable him to tackle this needful task. Not only does Emel host these women, she is also trained in using the Proclaimer and hosts a listening group in Garifuna in her home. (This is the program that John worked to initiate here about 2 weeks ago)

This week was the first of my weeks committing to supervise Oscar in the inventory program and the accompanying organization of all supplies in the warehouses. A dirty, exhausting job, but in the end, it will pay off with knowing where everything is and keeping better track of it for ordering purposes. Oscar is young, think about 19, the youth pastor for the kids in The Church of God in Rio Esteban. I am praying that having someone to teach him his job will bear fruit in better work ethic and job performance. Think he has potential. We are expecting a container from Gulfport any day, so our first major job has been to prepare the receiving warehouse to receive it!

Oscar asked us to come out to his youth group Wednesday night to help him by lending a computer. So we took part in his weekly meeting, John sharing a brief devotional and then being an audience for a drama that the youth hope to present on the soccer field on Saturday night. Looked like they were a long way from ready, but we'll see! We will bring out a projector and the computer for them to use and be on hand to troubleshoot. Thanks, Peggy, for all your computer classes 6 years ago! (below, Oscar on our computer)

Thursday PM was the second of the every other month Honduran Outreach fellowship, in place of our normal missionary praise and worship time. Everyone involved in some outside ministry is invited to bring their folks in to a Spanish worship service preparing and run by the hospital employees. It was great! Women's Bible study groups, our group from Margarita, related churches, etc- with the staff leading singing, preaching, sharing a drama.

Griselia, with whom I played guitar in the schools with Dr. Don's outreach, left us last Monday for a year in an orphanage in the Moskitia. She had waited to "know" her new sister, the ninth girl born to her parents. Little Juanita is now 3 weeks old, so was time for Gris to shove off. Another missionary, Lisa, who is on the orphanage board, and I will fly out to visit her in mid June just to encourage her.

Only 6 weeks til our granddaughter, Eryn, comes for a 5 week visit! This is REALLY big! Can't believe its really happening. We have dreamed of it for 5 years, wanting someone in the family to really SEE what we see here. Blogs only go so far in painting a real picture! Pray with us that its a lifechanging trip for Eryn.

Faith Comes By Hearing.....

Highlights of the week- a representative from Faith Comes by Hearing from La Ceiba visited us for the night Thursday, explaining how their ministry works. We have been praying about using their Proclaimers now since September, just never was a time that worked for all of us to do the training necessary in the Garifuna community to get the program launched. Well, this was the week! Rene Ortiz went out to the church area with John early Friday AM and he trained 4 locals to use the Proclaimers, a self-contained audio device that is either handcranked, solar-powered, or electric, with the New Testament in Garifuna. Delia, Emel, and Enilda, along with our pastor Antonio, went thru the training and plan to begin "listening groups" in their homes in this language this coming week! For those for whom this is a heart language, this will be their first hearing of the bible in their language. WOW!

I shared of little Marbeli last week, a child dying of a horrible facial cancer. Well, 2 of our staff went out to begin home visits but only needed to continue it for a week, as the Lord took Marbeli home yesterday and freed her from her painful body. The needs she presented, along with those of some other terminal patients, have made it obvious that a hospice program would be a blessing. Roseanne McKenney has tackled putting a program together and all will participate as they can in making it work.
I made a trip down to the hospital in the dark Thursday PM to get an oxygen concentrator to carry over to where Suyapa, a staff member, very ill at present, was being cared for. As I opened the back door of the hospital, I disturbed a large coral snake that was lounging along the base of the doors. He startled and began to try to climb the door, causing me to wig out and start yelling for the vigilante. (guard). I could hear him in the interior garden/chapel, coming slowly and muttering something about "She's afraid of the sapo!" I reacted to that, as I have no fear of the large frogs that are numerous here, and continued to yell for him to hurry, that it was a snake! He arrived before it had wiggled off, and with lots of slashing of the machete, quickly dispatched it.
Early in the week I greeted an American family in the waiting room, and heard their story. They had brought a 5 year old girl, Carla, in for malnutrition. She would not converse with me, but looked BAD. She became an inpatient for initial treatment and when stable, was transferred to the children's center, where she will be loved and continue getting adequate protein to build her up. Think there are other children in the home who also need care....the mom seemed minimally aware of how severe her daughter was, and less than capable of providing the needed care.

Our Juana, who delivererd #9 girl named Juanita, or little Juana, arrived home safely just 24 hrs after having her baby, and we climbed the hill to visit them before Saturday evening church last weekend. Beautiful baby, and the other girls are fighting over her. The older sister, Griselia, or Gris, leaves Monday for a year long mission to the Moskitia, a swamp far to the east of us accessible only by air. She will be working in an orphanage there, bringing with her the music outreach proram she has learned from dr. Don, our neighbor. She has been working in the Lucinda schools with him, long before I came on board to help. This is REALLY big- a young person steady enough and strong enough in her faith to leave her family and trust the Lord in this way. Pray for Gris!

Well, busy packing for a 2 nighter up the mountain to a village 3 plus hours by horse, to do a Women's Health Clinic, and access local needs. I am going prepared to do the Wordless Book CEF program with kids if the situation allows, and to do a hospital generated census going door to door. Next blog will report on that! Not being horse-back riders, John and I sure don't know what to expect, but trust the Lord will go before us and send his angels to protect and guide us!

Up the Trail to Satal

Last week, we had Julia for dinner, as she will be going back to the states soon and we had been in the US much of her time here in Honduras. Our attention was somewhat diverted from her when Josh stopped by, interrupting our patio dinner with his iguana. He and said iguana joined us at the table. Only in Honduras!

We celebrated Easter for the first time in the new church building, made more special because it was the first anniversary of the dedication of the building also. It was a quietly festive time, meaningful to all. We hiked up the hill on the church property at 5:30 for our second annual sunrise service, and shared hot coffee and cinnamon rolls in the church when we descended. Because of our own church activities, we missed the missionary sunrise service on the beach, in which Mariah, one of the MK's, was baptized. But we were all together at the annual Easter dinner in the cabildo, sharing a drama by the kids and awesome food. We had invited 2 couples from the Canadian Resort near us, are trying to integrate them a bit into the social life here. John and I had driven after our church service to La Ceiba to meet up with Sandy Hurst, the anesthetist who comes to us a week at a time from Tulsa area. So she too was able to share the Easter activities.

Tuesday, John and I and his helper Xiomara, went with 3 workers from the local health department up a mountain by pickup about half an hour and then hiked in with daypacks another half hour to a mountain clinic in Satal. It was a rugged walk! We spent until late afternoon seeing OB and Gyn patients, doing papsmears, etc. It was our first outreach there, the beginnings of an effort to meet both physical and spiritual needs in remote areas. This was an exploratory trip, and I think a positive encounter for all. Locals prepared us a huge lunch of typical food- rice, beans, spaghetti, a kind of white squash and tortillas. I was bushed by the time we got home, but a good day! Next time up, we hope to take materials to do some stories with kids, play guitar with them, etc. Below is the group beginning the hike in, and 2 girls having brought their baby brother in on horseback to see the nurse in the clinic.

Please pray for "A", a good friend who struggles with mental health. She feels better and then discontinues her meds, and goes into a downward spiral and ends up causing a major crises for her family, as she has taken on the task of raising her son's wee one. Now the family has had to accomodate the care of this baby with 2 others in the extended household. Her daughter works at the hospital, and has not been able to come to work because of the additional burdens falling on her.

Got off to a quick start yesterday with a call from the nurses, saying our friend Juana was having an emergency and needed us! John has followed her VERY diligently, as she is a gravida 9 and overdue. We have had her to the city twice now, and each time they send her back! Luckily I had arisen early and had already walked and showered, was ready for work right after 6. So only had to comb my wet hair and run. John had not even showered yet. We assumed she was close to delivery in her home, so hiked up the steep red dirt hill to her house and found her still the same as the day previous but in obvious labor. With some encouragement from us and her husband, she got down the hill to the truck and we got here to the hospital where the fetal monitor (bless you, Tulsa Bible church!) showed good baby response and we prepared to drive her again to the city so as to have the option of a c-section.

Only while she was showering, a pickup pulled up to the back door and unloaded another laboring woman from the bed, carrying her in on a cot mattress. Her story was that her water had broken several hours earlier and she couldn't deliver. So in she came, putting a halt to our plans to transport Juana temporarily. I had already driven out to Dr. Rene's house to wake her up and ask her to take over John 's Rio Esteban clinic day while we traveled to the city , so we beefed up that call to get her in for the delivery of the other baby! It took over an hour, but a wee one was successfully delivered and the mama cheered for as she rode triumphantly to her room in the wheelchair after delivery.

We were then free to load up Juana and her 19 yr old daughter to go to the city. She was miserable, bumping over those awful ruts for over an hour, but we successfully got her in and admitted, despite the backlog of laboring patients waiting to be tended to. The Lord was surely paving the path ahead of her and us! We heard that she delivered a few hours later, not needing a section if we heard correctly. Finally we will be able to climb the red dirt hill and cuddle this baby, the 9ith girl, instead of just pat the mamma's tummy.

One of our long term visitors, Sue, has taken on the awesome and needful task of doing some hospice-type care for the ministry. Right now, she and Peggy, our wound care person, are visiting little Maribel more than once a week with her increased endcare needs of pain control and getting liquids down, and today added Maria, an open and close case with metastatic cancer. She lives about an hour from here, but Sue is not deterred. Families here are already so strapped with physical demands and poverty that terminal care does not get much emphasis. Sue will be a great blessing, helping to rock these two into eternity.

Was thinking how many people it takes to make our weak efforts successful here. One person who tackled my need to make a mirror image of a diagram for a medical chart page, another who collected baby blankets for "our babies", another who sends me links for patient education materials in spanish, another who got paper for John's fetal monitor, ....the list goes on and on. Thanks to everyone who addresses our spoken and unspoken needs with such love. You all are the "wind beneath our wings", the ones who cheer us on as we "run the race".

Hi ho, hi ho, its up the quebrada we go...

Ending Holy Week, revving up for Resurrection Sunday and a lowkey celebration in our church of the anniversary of the dedication a year ago. Because the clinic was closed Thursday and Friday, we used yesterday to have a Dia del Campo- day in the country. Hm, but we LIVE in the campo! We met for prayer at the church early armed with picks, hoes, shovels, machetes and water. We began our adventure like ducks in a row, using the creek as our path, crossing again and again as we gained a bit of elevation traipsing thru the jungle. They kept talking about the presa, or dam, and I had visions of a large structure to retain the water. Well, it was a concrete wall about 10 ft. long, perhaps 8 inches thick, with a bit of water backed up behind it! It is where we get our water for the church- not that we have running water, but its a source to fill barrels with to flush a toilet, no more. We got to work scooping out leaves and clearing a blockage of the primitive filter they had over the tube that carries water above ground to us below. It frequently needs repairing as the cows use the creek and stomp on the flexible tubing. Mission accomplished, we enjoyed fellowship as we came back down, wet, dirty, with tiny ticks on us.

Emily is the 9 month old daughter of one of the young women I bible study with weekly. It was fun to catch up with her development this week, reestablish ties with the mom, and begin challenging her to grow again. This face shows totally joy in living, don't you think?

John finally has his bike on the stationary trainer out on his new patio, overlooking the jungle. The other AM was like we were on a Monkey Highway, with Fruit Loop birds thrown in for color. The whitefaced monkeys were ascending the canopy, jumping one at a time from the trees to a huge manaca palm, bending the frond way back and scampering up that frond to the middle of the giant plant and jumping to the next tree. Was like a monkey parade. The toucans added a colorful touch. Makes biking fun!

One of my visits since arriving back was to a young Garifuna friend who has married and become pregnant since I left for the US. Was delightful to see her in her new role, knowing her husband had thought it best for her not to work while pregnant and would not be seeing her around the hospital. She has been biblestudying with a group of 15 or so Catholic women, single, near her home. She is one that has agreed to be trained in using the Proclaimer to share the Garifuna Bible with a listening group in her home. We will be having Faith Comes By Hearing come out here in a week or so to do that training, and they will equip several with this machine that is solar powered and handcranked to listen to the Word in their own language. While visiting, my friend introduced us to the fine and complicated art of making casava ( is that "a" or "i"?), a flat, tortilla type bread from the yucca root. My friend Ritza from the hospital, also Garifuna , bravely took a turn at making a round! I volunteered to just take the fotos.

Had the opportunity to visit with a 7 yr old girl who lives about half an hour from here who has been a patient in the clinic since I left, diagnosed with a skin cancer that has destroyed her face totally, kind of like leprosy. She knows the Lord, has a limited number of days left, and it was decided while she was with us in wound care this week that we would begin home visits instead of her making the painful and embarrassing trip to the hospital for help weekly. Pray for this 26# emaciated child, that somehow she might find joy in the journey, and that those that care for her and her grieving parents might have wisdom in all ways. Lord, imprint on Marbeli's heart that despite this disease, she is "fearfully and wonderfully made" and that her days were written in Your books even before the beginning of time.

May your heart be touched by the things that touch the heart of God.

Meti' la Pata

Last Sunday was Father' Day here in Honduras. A day or so later an emotionally challenging patient left a "Happy Father's Day" message on my telephone. As you can guess, it was a bright spot in my day.

"Meti la Pata" is the Honduran equivalent of "Open mouth, insert foot" This past week I had my second serious awareness of doing so, here in Honduras. The first time, a couple of years ago, was in front of a good natured and patient Honduran physician colleague. This time, only Xiomara , my office helper, and I got to enjoy my embarrassment. I say "embarrassment" for perhaps lack of a better term. More precisely, getting to enjoy the sometimes not so gentle, but timely teaching of the LORD.

During a busy morning in Rio Estaban (a rural village clinic) I felt compelled to explain to a happy and "air headed" 35 year old patient that her second pregnancy (her only other was 15 years ago) was "High "Risk". In my attempt to emphasize the potential hazards, I described a (hypothetical) 40 year old woman with her first pregnancy and the elements of risk.

If you haven't guessed it yet, the next lady was 43 years old with her first pregnancy. She was not dismayed. Her uterus was twice normal size with uterine fibroids. Neither did her weight, borderline high blood pressure and blood sugar seem to discourage her.

Vamos a ver. ("We will see".) As she comes to mind, please join us in prayer for "Aurora Lalin" as we pray and walk with her thru this new adventure in her life.

Gracias y Dios les Bendiga,

John

Back in the Jungle

Finally arrived back in Honduras Sunday PM after more than 3 months in the USA!
John arrived home in Balfate almost 2 weeks before me alone, after an unexpected 24 hr delay in Houston, in which he wore out his sandals hiking around to allay the boredom! But he arrived without mishap, ferried from San Pedro out to the hospital by trusty neighbor Dr. Don. I enjoyed his reentry vicariously from Tulsa, OK, where I flew 2 days after I put him on the plane for Honduras. I enjoyed the second opportunity in my 3 + months to have some alone time with my folks in Sun City, AZ before flying on to deal with my painful R. wrist. Mom, after a downhill episode, got a clean bill of health from her cardiologist and pulmonologist, and while resigned to her “new normal” still amazes her children by her consistent swimming and walking. She is slowly pushing back to her 1/2 mile daily in the pool, so we are thankful for that. I will not soon forget the hours we spent in the pool together walking and rehashing my 56 years as her daughter. Time spent with dad in the exercise gym trying to at least keep up with “the old codger” as he calls himself will long sustain me in the months away from them. Thank you, Lord, for precious time with my parents!

My 2 weeks in Tulsa sped by, full of contacting friends and supporters. The priority was to make necessary contacts to get some consult on my wrist, and that was accomplished with the help of a friend who is the PT for a hand surgeon here. She paved the way for me to get an appointment with him after seeing the PCP, and even accompanied me, followed by a session of showing me various exercises and helps for my hand. In the delay before I could get an EMG done, I scheduled various other preventative procedures, some long overdue. One was to have been done 4 years ago…my, where DOES the time go? Having put some of these necessary tests behind me will make our next time back to the US less hurried for me.

Between tests, I traveled north to see the 2 kids and 3 grandkids there, and south to see faithful friends near our old home in Okmulgee. Jake lives near where we always stay in Tulsa, and came by twice to take a long walk and have dinner with me. He also met me up north one weekend to slumber party with our grandkids, Eryn and Benton, and share rootbeer floats and a movie. Then all of us accompanied our son Dan, 23, to watch him play in a fundraiser football game for cancer. Good memories!

The EMG showed no evidence of what the hand surgeon thought was surely an acute onset of carpal tunnel bilaterally. Hm, so I left for Honduras only knowing what it is NOT. He injected it with steroids, and told me to try using it.

Because of the unexpected layover in Tulsa, I was able to see Sarah, Jaie and Ellison again, as they flew in Friday to go see her siblings and Jaie’s grandfather. We shared pizza together and got some 5 week pictures. It was a sniffy parting for me, knowing there would be many months without hugging Ellie.

I left Tulsa in below freezing weather , and arrived San Pedro Sula with temps of about 90. We were able to get in to the hospital area by dark Sunday, and am well into unpacking and reorganizing the house after so long away. I have spent my first 2 days home doing just that, with 5 visits to friends and coworkers this afternoon. Some joyous visits, thankful for the growth I see, some sad, seeing a return to old vices.
My first visit was to Suyapa, a Honduran coworker who has led SO many people to the Lord! She is 49, and hospitalized in critical condition. I brought her a Teddy Bear that she’d asked for. Made me sad as her changes have all come during my absence. She appeared healthy when I left. One thing is sure- He who began a good work in her will surely bring it to a glorious completion!
As I write, I hear the riotous singing next door of 50 plus teenagers, who gather together weekly for Alfa and Omega, time of playing volleyball followed by devotions and singing. I sense that we will hear from these young people in the future…that our area will be forever changed by them.
John and I have enjoyed 2 nites eating on our new patio that he built while we were separated, to the tune of the jungle insects as the sun sets. We have also enjoyed morning coffee out there, so guess it was a good idea! I had questioned if we’d ever use it, but think especially when we get plants in and improve the scenery around it, it will be nice. Gives us kind of a secluded together place, which is nice since we all live in glass houses here with an open door policy all the time.
So its back to jungle journalism, all further notes will reflect that! Thanks for all who hosted us/me and made our time away so special.

Homeward Bound (I wish I were!)

Tamara Kirk and Penny on early AM walk

Silly picture time!

John and I just finished up 6 weeks in the NW, 4 spent with our daughter Sarah , and 2 in our home in WA. During the time we were homebased in Portland with Sarah and Jaie, and then little Ellie Isabela, John went to Jacksonville, OR to visit the group there who have twice now visited us in Honduras, and are planning another visit in the fall. I stayed behind to have more time with Ellie, as she was such a late arrival we knew her more pre-birth than post. It was hard to pack up and know we'd not see them again for many months.

We arrived back in Moses Lake, WA in time for me to spend l nite in our cozy home and then pack a suitcase and sleeping bag to bus with some of the church ladies to a winter retreat in ID. The snow was about a foot deep at the retreat center on a lake there- incredible scenery, lots of deer. I shared briefly about the work at Loma de Luz, and some thoughts on not wasting our lives, on apostolic passion. Met a lot of deep women, snowshoed during free time, innertubed down a hill, crocheted on my scarf that I hope to have done in less time than my last baby sweater took (2 years).

Returned home to frigid weather and spent the next week just cleaning and sorting the house, having time with my sister and brother-in-law. When home, we spend most suppers together at one of other of our homes- can't get enough of each other. I fill up my tank with laughter for another year!

Our last weekend in WA saw us at a mission conference again sharing the Honduras work. Sure met a lot of wonderful people, many of whom have sent us support without us knowing them even . So was good to put faces to the names. Moses Lake is becoming more like home as we meet more people.

Left at 5 AM with the neighbor kindly taxi-ing us the 1 1/2hr to the airport. Now just a full day for us to repack with the gear we left at my folks here in Sun City and put John on the plane for Honduras Friday am. I will go on to tulsa to see if we can find out what ails my R. wrist thats been in a splint now for 6 weeks. Next blog from there!