Update on Michaelangelo, onward to baby Elder

Baby Michaelangelo (Miguel Angel) 6 hours after extubating himself

Been a roller coaster week in the hospital. Baby Miguel Angel has kept all the RN visitors busy, and the locals besides. He was intubated twice, both times took a decisive role and yanked out his breathing tube.  The second time, yesterday AM early, we had just spent many hours making an ambulance to transport him to San Pedro where rumor has it there is a ventilator. At the last possible minute, he went bad again, it took awhile to stabilize him- and he yanked his tube. We all prepared to say goodby to our little friend. I have pictures of mom and dad tearfully cuddling him.  But he perked up, and this picture is of him with a full belly of breastmilk, mom and dad just enjoying him. Who can know the mind of the Lord? His folks are totally at peace with just being with him, waiting on God to either take him HOME or for them to carry him back up the mountain 6 hours away.


Baby Elder, hypothyroidism, 4 lbs at 2 months old



As we were backing off from baby Miguel, letting his folks care for him, breathing a sigh of relief and thinking we might begin sleeping normally again, we received a tiny 4 pounder, who hasn't gained any weight since birth, but 2 months old. Every rib showed. Dr. Sharon made what looked like an instant diagnosis, and we began intervention. He looks like a starving baby from Africa...had a blood transfusion during the night. Another baby to pray for.  The second of our 4 visiting RN's leaves today, so that leaves us our 2 visitors, Amber and Lori, to be the extra hands. 

John and our visitors, with his assistant Xiomara, attempted a trip to the Cayos islands offshore to do a Women's health clinic. They had to return within 24 hours as Hurricane Matthew was descending on the north coast of Honduras. They boated in at noon, the rains hit by 3, and John made a quick transport of a laboring patient as darkness hit.  Thats our 4th delivery of the week, 3 transported out to the city. We have had trouble finding time to eat or to visit all together with our company, but we surely have seen God at work protecting patients, protecting long hours on the road.   



Michaelangelo

Magda,RN in government service, with baby Miguel Angel

13 day old Miguel Angel is fighting for his life.  His mom and dad carried him 6 hours down the mountain the end of last week with a bad pneumonia- imagine being a newly delivered mom, hiking that distance! Little Miguel went bad Friday night before we got back from the city with our 3 guests, Amber and Richard Shields, and Lori. Its not been a restful visit for any of them, beginning with all day Saturday doing wound care in the hospital, helping John deliver a baby Saturday midnight, then working all day sunday in the hospital helping John stitch up ER patients.  I went with Richard to church, and returned to help in the hospital til supper time. By then, it was obvious Miguel was not doing well, so Amber and Lori stayed the night to special-duty him. By sunday night, Sandy Hurst, a nurse anesthetist friend, had arrived, so because surgeries were cancelled on Monday, she was free to special-duty Miguel Monday. By afternoon, she had decided to intubate him as he was just wearing out. Since that time, someone has been breathing for him by ambu, as there is no ventilator here nor anywhere close!  "For such a time as this"- we surely see God's hand in the timing.  Never do we have 2 extra RN's and an anesthetist!  So baby Miguel Angel has received the best Honduras can offer.  I just dropped Amber and Lori off at the hospital for the 3rd straight night....Please pray for this little fellow to turn the corner and begin to recover.  Pray for mom and dad, a young, VERY poor couple with 3 other children back up in the mountains. When I began speaking with them yesterday about the possibility of transferring the baby, their main concern was how to pay for all this. I told them that they could pay us in bananas, chickens, mangoes....he said , "You don't understand. We are being given housing where we are. We have none of what you are describing. We have nothing".  I asked him if he was a Believer, and he visible lit up, saying yes, he'd been walking with the Lord for 4 years. I pointed to his wife, a very sweet young lady, and commented that she was quite a treasure too. Then I asked him if he was healthy, and he assured me he was capable of hard work.  I summed up out brief conversation with, "Hm, you said you are SO poor, you have nothing.  I think you are a very rich man!  You have Jesus, your wife, 3 children that are being cared for by your pastor, and say you are strong and healthy. Yes, you are a very rich, blessed man. Lets just deal with today, with Miguel Jesus. We'll find a way for you to be able to pay your bills."
Yes, there are many kinds of poverty. This man is poor in $ only.  I'd rather be that kind of poor.    

Arma blanca y arma del fuego (machetes and guns)

"Voy a machetear su cara..."- "I'm going to machete your face!"-  hm, for the first few sentences I was listening closely for clues as to whom I was speaking yesterday afternoon as the generator roared in the background.  I was preparing Sunday School in advance, and the power was out, so that noise made it hard to hear real well what the speaker on the house phone was saying.  I'd assumed it was a Honduran friend....but realized with the threat that it was NOT a nice man!  He  spoke of his gang and needing money for the coffins of some "homies" that had been killed and told me he was watching me as we spoke!  I pretended I couldn't understand him and stuttered in broken spanish that I needed a translator...and shouted at the neighbors for help!  Diana, the spanish teacher, was providentially giving a lesson and took the phone, wisely stringing him along until Dr. McKenney arrived. By asking some clever questions, she quickly discerned that he was NOT viewing ou rhouse  from half a block away- we don't have blocks here!  Then he said to bring the money to the gas station. Wrong again- we don't have gas stations here. Whew! I just knew he was peeking in my window! Found out later that this scam is prevalent in the country right now, with numbers being dialed randomly. "He keeps in perfect peace those whose minds are fixed on Him."  Still, that phrase, "I'm going to machete your face" kept doing maneuvers in my mind as I went to bed last night.  anael, flagbearer Today was Honduran Independence Day, so we were out in Rio Esteban by 8 AM, ready to take pictures of the parade of school kids. They make special outfits, beat on drums, carry banners. Anael, the 20 yr old that we and friends support to get thru highschool, and who bears the main load at the church, was among the top 5 in his class (Junior) so was one of the elite flagbearers. They each had a plastic drinking cup looped thru their belt to support the pole. Clever.Tho the parade didn't really rev up til 9:30, it was fun visiting with all the familiar faces.  Joni in his finery Joni, the 12 year old we mentor, began in the bilingual school (a misnomer!) in Rio Esteban 3 weeks ago now. He looked so proud in his newly made maroon pants with tie and beret in the parade today! Tho his changing schools means he had to go back a year, we think the guarantee that he will get schooling instead of always being home while the public schools are on strike made it worth the gamble. We are looking for a tutor for him for his winter break from Dec. thru January, 2 months, to really grill him on English and improve his math skills. Anyone want a Carribean vacation over Christmas? Please pray and consider this need!   Last week was the Community Health Promoters workshop for 3 days, so added that extra to the normal full schedule. We were blessed to have Dr. Gabby, the head of World Map for Honduras and the chief teacher for this Promoters course that runs for 3 years, and her coworker Loyda, staying with us. They were delightful company and so full of vigor and ideas! We are beginning to see fruit from this course thats now at the end of its second year for 2 of our hospital employees, and the end of year 1 for the remaining 23.  Dispelling myths that negatively affect health and wellbeing of the people is a priority of this course. Sunday evening we received an emergency call from Anael, saying to meet them at the hospital, that a mutual friend, Jose, had just been shot. His advance notice helped us be a bit better prepared. Jose had been returning home from the village for supper and taken a shortcut up a creekbed in the dark. He came upon some "mountain man", he reports, and decided to turn around and return to the road, but was shot in the back as he turned around. We stabilized Jose and began transport plans. It again pointed out the great need we have for an ambulance out here. In the end, our faithful neighbor,  Dave, who by day works in IT but  moonlights as an EMT, drove our pickup with Jose and his wife in the backseat, to the hospital in the city, with our agricultural missionary Brad, accompanying. (One wears many hats here!) . Jose was finally operated on after noon Monday, and we hear from his wife Doli that he can now walk a bit. She says he's in a lot of pain, and that she has to go out and buy him medicine as they don't have any in the hospital We plan to bring him something enroute to San Pedro tomorrow. We think pain control is a RIGHT- here its only a privilege of those who have money. Pray for Jose and Doli- they were the first couple John baptized and married here.