Recreating- The Lighter Side.

Seems only when we have "company" do we truly "recreate" and it IS just that, a kind of "re-creating", a restoring. While at the beach with our OB Nurse guests recently, got this shot of Eryn, Sarah, and Rebecca- out on a limb.  One can handle it when there are good friends at one's side, right?

NOT JUST ANY OLD PIZZA!

Guildy, MK Extraordinaire, pizza-maker

Just over a week ago, the McKenney's invited many over to enjoy fellowship with a group from Cornerstone International who joined us for a week of experiencing missions. Dr. Jeff, Rosanne, and an Italian visitor, Desi, introduced us to awesome wood-oven-baked pizza, Italian style. Nothing like it!

Eryn continues, with other young people, to minister with Lisa in the La Ceiba dump at least weekly. Here's a choice shot! Whether she is rocking a child or suckling a wee puppy, she does it all with Passion- and yes, thats a capital P! Pray for her as she finishes strong her last 9 weeks in Honduras, pray for missionary Lisa, (also hospital administrator), as its she who has helped light the passion in Eryn!

God works in a mysterious way His wonders to perform...

learning how the new ventilator works

1 1/2 yrs ago, when Miguel Angel was a wee newborn, the Lord set in motion a chain of events that led to this blog entry!  This little man needed to be resuscitated several times in as many days, involving hours of hand-ventilating by some visiting RN's who come yearly.  The Lord gave him life. Months later, Amber, one of the involved nurses, was on a cruise with her mom when she met 2 travelers with their elderly mom in a wheelchair. She shared a taxi with the 2 ladies at the cruise's end, and found the mom had died while the ship was in Roatan, off the N. coast of Honduras. Finding the daughters were respiratory therapists, she shared her Honduras story about hand-ventilating little Miguel Angel. They parted, having shared the website of Loma de Luz.

Months later, we got an email from a Deb Spilde, the respiratory therapist, looking for Amber Shields, who happens to be John's cousin.  They communicated over the months, and put together a grant proposal  for a ventilator, in memory of her mom, and in response to the story of saving Miguel Angel's life, which would certainly have been easier with a machine!  A grant was finally received for over $30,000, and Amber and her friend Lori went to Vancouver to take a day's training on the use of a beautiful ventilator, with capability of ventilating infants, children AND adults! This past week, they arrived to do training for our staff here at Loma de Luz!

Less than 24 hours later, there were 3 births consecutively. Our second, after an uneventful birthing and a great first 5 minutes, went rapidly downhill and began having major respiratory issues. Amber quickly ran for the ventilator and within 15 minutes, a very white, struggling baby pinked up and has had no further problems!  Imagine, a real life scenario to put into practice the previous day's teachings!
Later that day, we got this picture of the healthy newborn. Whew!  We are SO grateful to Vitalaire in Canada for this incredible investment in lives in Honduras and to Deb Spilde, RT, as well as to Amber and Lori who invested their own time to go to Canada for the training and then miss a week's work to come make this all possible.

"We have this moment to hold in our hands...."

Benton, white tshirt, leg extended

Winter is over. Spring has sprung in Honduras.  Think we may have dropped to 70 during rainy season!  Never halted the daily soccer games at the Children's Center.  Every day, same schedule. 3:30 arrives and all kids/ young people seem to head down to invade the Children's Center. 5:30 sees one of us head out in the truck and throws the bicycles in the back to save them the arduous trek up the mountain before the sun goes down and dinner gets served without them! Benton has played his last game with his Honduran friends- when we arrived in Tulsa for the visa trip last week, he  decided to stay instead of completing the school year in Honduras. He will begin a new public school next Monday.   We've seen many changes since he arrived 15 months ago- we pray for many more, and that he allows the Lord to complete the work thats been started.  We love you, B!
Eryn has just 3 months til completion of her 8th grade year, finishing strong in her online English course. She has made herself invaluable to our fellow missionary, Lisa, with her passion for the La Ceiba Dump. She's discovered she has a great gift for teaching little ones, as well as patching up boo-boos. We will hold tight to each day of these last 3 months she is with us in Honduras.

2 1/2 years ago, John got involved in the "Faith comes by Hearing" project, and several of our area people were trained to lead listening groups of the Proclaimer. Last weekend, we were blessed to be invited to a "graduation ceremony" of the 3 women ( of the original 14) who had completed listening to the New Testament in Garifuna.

John presenting a certificate of completion 

John doing what he does best!

A serious moment, always accompanied by a gentle touch.

John continues to meet outlying clinic OB needs and has grown the OB department to 12 deliveries a month at Hospital LDL. He deserves a standing ovation!!!!!

Failed Blog for Christmas

This is a test only, as a lengthy blog was just lost, refused to save to publish. Testing 1,2,3,4.

Possum Pinata/Pains

On the light side, I was awakened one night this week by our parrot making squawkings from his hanging cage on the patio outside the open bedroom window. Unusual, as he's silent after dark.  Fearing that someone was trying to steal him (although why anyone wants a non-talking parrot, I don't know!), I quickly went out the backdoor, grabbing the broom as I went, and switched on the light.  Not thinking how I was going to thwart the thief's plan with only a broom, nor  how he would respond to a viejita rapida (fast little old lady) in PJ's , I charged out without my glasses. I saw a big possum, harrassing John's little Cheekie.  I lifted my broom over my head, carefully using both hands to take better aim, and let him have it. I succeeded in putting the hanging cage into motion, swirling around, with the now totally catatonic possum frozen onto the side of the cage.  I made several more swings, not sure I hit him even once as the cage continued to elude me in its spiraling. On one of my attempts, I struck my pinkie knuckle against the cage and have a growing bruise as a battle scar.  About then, John had awakened because I have trouble battling in silence, and must shout like a he-man with every strike. He was able to rescue his parrot, and the, by now, braindamaged possum limped off after dropping from the cage into the small ravine below.

On the heavy side, seems it was that same day we received news from Eryn and Benton's mom, Kate, that their birth father, Delaney, had taken his life. Though he has not been in their lives for about 2 1/2 years, and then only for a short time,  it was a sad couple days for them as they visited back and forth online with family and processed death of a family member for the first time. Eryn was encouraged greatly by a friend here, Sarah, who interrupted her own busy school schedule to help Eryn prepare a brief music/foto memory to be shared at the memorial service.  The kids did not go back to the US, but have gotten a lot of support from the missionary community here.


Victoria was born with a cleftlip and palate. We met she and her mom at church and John quickly got them in to see him, and he began trying to locate help for Victoria. We were blessed to have Eryn being the Pusher to make it happen, and within a month, we put Victoria and her mom on the bus to go to San Pedro Sula to meet with a specialty brigade there for her first surgery.

On the way to the hospital

Eryn and Benton being artistic with their pumpkin-like squash.

Here is Victoria just a day after her repair, not yet quite healed.  She will return for the surgery on her palate in April.  Thanks for your support that allows us to help babies like this!  Eryn delights in being involved with such things. 

Aspiring Stars and smart chickens

 Last blog was over some of our noteworthy friends and how we see them excelling.Ttoday would like to introduce some faces that I hope will keep being topics of our blog as they exceed our expectations, which are high, in the coming years!
This smiling face is Yuri, whom I trained as a nurses' aide several years ago, but who was hired immediately to be a pharmacy tech and to help on the computer in Information.  She is a highschool graduate that never lacks a gracious smile, and carries herself professionally.  She has dreams of becoming an LPN.

 Meet Rosalinda.  She is in charge of our Information area where patients are first met and entered into the computer.  She takes their vital signs, and assigns them to a doctor for their consult. She has been a big part of her family support, and is known as a leader spiritually in nearby Lucinda. She is finishing highschool at a weekend school, and has aspirations of paying off school loans this year and heading for nursing school next. She will be getting some math tutoring to prepare her in the meantime.

Argentina was recommended to me several years ago when I began the first nurses' aide class. She had been singled out for a scholarship to her 6 years of "colegio" or Jr Hi-highschool, by the McKinney's. She faithfully hiked down the mountain trail from El Toro each day an hour, leading other little ones behind her.  She graduated high in her class. Our first day of learning to do a bedbath, I send Argentina to warm up a pitcher of water in the micro- and she never came back.  Another classmate went in search of her and found her in tears in front of the newfangled electronic device- there is no electricity where she lives.  She has excelled as a nurse's aide and been chosen for special training in computer entry to assist our nurses on weekends to enter the costs of patients. It has been a joy to see this scared rabbit grow into a confident and competent helper, with the goal of being a nurse. She has been saving diligently.
All this to say, we are excited to be able to help some such as these to realize their goals, and to prepare a source of LPN's for the hospital needs using local stars. If you are interested in donating to their scholarship funds, or want more details about how we will keep them accountability and not just be handing out $, please contact us at pennyalden@gmail.com .  We also have in mind 2 younger students, who will be graduating from 6th grade this month, a MAJOR WOW out here in the campo. We'd like to be able to encourage them to continue in school also.

On a lighter note, Eryn took this picture enroute home one afternoon in the midst of a downpour!  Love it!

Some of our Shining Stars

Anael (left) after a baptism in Rio Esteban

 Several years ago, John noted a young man that attended our church and remarked that he had potential- but had never had the chance to finish highschool.  We brought him to the attention of some visitors, and they have helped us scholarship Anael to finish highschool- he graduates next month!  He has worked off his scholarship at various times by helping at the hospital, helping at the farm, doing the church maintenance- all the time being a school leader and sharing teaching responsibilities at the church. He has a gift with young people, and can be found with little kids climbing him at all times.  He plans to work a year in the city and then apply to LPN school.

Xiomara (right) doing patient teaching

     Right after we arrived here 7 years ago, we hired a young lady from the community to work afternoons for us while she was attending morning highschool, to give her the funds to finish her education.  Xiomara has worked for John as his office assistant since she graduated, and we've had the joy of seeing her born again and married.  Last February she began LPN school on the weekends in the city, with plans to be our Labor and Delivery Nurse once she's done.  Other visitors who bonded to her have helped with a scholarship to make this possible.  She is continuing working most weeks with John while she is in school.

     3 years ago, Joni was a shaggy, scrawny rabbit, his head always cocked quizzically to one side. He held his reading material up to his nose to read, definitely not one to capture your attention. His grandparents were raising him, and the extended family lived in a grouping of mud huts. Joni learned to play guitar, was mentored and loved by our former Guatamalan pastor's family, and entered our lives. He has worked for us in his spare time since then, being mentored by our gardener, and has bonded to our family.  His work has given him an account from which to buy a pair of glasses, get haircuts and clothing, a friend donated a guitar for him, and we've seen him grow to be our church music leader. Last year, John became concerned that the public school was always on strike and made arrangements to scholarship Joni to a new bilingual school near him that we had some ties with. It meant he and his family had to agree for him to go back a year, to catch up on the English. They all agreed, and now, a year later, Joni converses with us in English, has begun to excel in his academics, and has led his school to victory in a biblical/musical/memory Olympics. He will graduate from 6th grade next month, and then work his vacation to earn money towards next year's school expenses. He spends time each weekend with us, especially now that  our grandson Benton is one of his best friends!  What a joy to see Joni blossom with lots of love and input!
     As we look at sustainability here, John and I are feeling its best to invest in the education of promising young leaders that live in the campo and that are likely to stay here. Next blog will focus on a few more up-and-coming young people that we have had our eyes on for a few years!

FOLLOWUP ON PAST BLOGS!  The twins, Adam and Eve, were in clinic this week and are slowly gaining weight. They sit unassisted, are beginning to crawl. They turned 1 on July 28!

Miguel Angel, excited about his first soccer ball, with Benton and mom

Miguel Angel, the newborn who almost died a year ago, celebrated his first birthday in the mountains 2 weeks ago.  Our team from Oregon was able to go up the mountain with us to bring a pinata and a picnic and soccer ball up to celebrate this miracle. God is good!