Didn’t get around to the blog yesterday so catching up today!  Probably would not have been able to get on line anyway!

Yesterday (Thursday), the optical team began seeing patients in Danli in the Danli Central Methodist Church.  We had a record breaking day and saw 104 patients.  This is my third year here and in that time we have never seen that many in one day, so it was awesome!  That many more people able to go home and read their bibles!  People actually say that to us about being able to finally read their bibles.  Makes it all worth it right there.  And the best part, we didn’t to turn anyone away.  

The rest of the team continued up in Escuapa as they still have plenty of patients to see.  A few of the team members also got to go on a home visit and visit a local school.  Apparently it ended up being quite the adventure as it rained and the van got stuck in the mud!  Took about 20 minutes to get it out and a couple of guys pushing it.  You never know what kind of conditions you are going to face on the roads in Escuapa, as they are simply made of dirt.  One team member even told a story of how they saw a yong boy tossing mud back on the road from the side after the rain.  That’s the local road repair I guess!  

People are always so friendly, welcoming and appreciative in Escuapa and Honduras in general.  There are cautions that we have to take when going out, but I have never felt unsafe here.  I will not miss the noise in Honduras though as there is a constant steady stream of music, or cars beeping etc etc.  There’s even a rooster here who doesn’t understand that he’s supposed to be quite through the night.  He likes to practice his wake up call, all night long.  

Friday, all the teams have a slightly shorter day, as we need to pack up everything we brought up the mountain and bring it back down again.  Some of the supplies, such as sewing materials etc, stay up there for the local church to continue with the sewing mission.  They use this mission to raise money for their church.  Optical works a little later, since we dont’ have to drive down the mountain when working in Danli.  Today we saw 70 patients.  So total for the week 274 patients between Escuapa and Danli.  Adding that to last week in Tegucigalpa, we saw 664 patients total.  Pretty high numbers for the time here.  Glad we are able to help people see again! I learn more and more about the process and eyes while working in optical every year.  I never thought I would have knowledge about this stuff, but you never know where life is going to take you!

I have yet to hear stories from the day in Escuapa as the other group is not back yet.  Will write about that tomorrow after we have had a chance to share our stories for the day.  

Tomorrow, we have breakfast and head back to Tegucigalpa, where we do a little site seeing and then have our team dinner with all of our translators.  It’s a celebration of the week and a way to thank our translators for all they do for us. Our jobs would actually be impossible without them.  We really need them to know how much they are loved and appreciated.  

That’s all for now.  Will update with the events of tomorrow before I head home on Sunday. 

Blessings,

Shelley

Song testing someone for readers     People waiting patiently to be seen in optical     Testing distance

Today was a special day for me.  I finally got to officially meet my BECAS child.  I was really hoping he would come to the church, as he always does, but I found out he lives about 25 minutes away, and because he is now in school – which is awesome, he is unable to make it.  Partly because he is in school now and partly because of his disability.  He was born with hydrocephalus and has not been able to walk his whole life.  Because of this, he has difficulties with a lot of things.  The roads here in Escuapa are extremely uneven and full of pot holes so it is extremely difficult to get around.  It is a great thing that he is in school, and this is due to the BECAS program.  I had talked with our coordinator Sumaya about the possibility of seeing him and she talked with the Pastor of the church about the situation.  Since we were only going to be in Escuapa with the optical mission Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday morning, I would not get to see him, unless we did something today. So, she arranged to take myself and a few others to the town where he lives, La Lima.  

We first went to his house, and I got to meet his mother, father and older brother.  I discovered that he lives in a nicer house than most of the families in the area, which was so nice to see.  Still very much in poverty but an improvement on what it could be.  But, his house is very difficult to get around with his wheel chair, and he often has to be carried from place to place.  His mom was very happy to meet and me and very thankful for being Carlos’s sponsor, so he could go to school.  It means a lot to the families out there, that there are people able to help them out.  After we spent some time with his parents, and walked around his house, as she showed me the areas Carlos has difficulty with, we then drove to the school where he is at.  Since the roads are very bad, it is fortunate that his parents have a truck so they can drive him to school, otherwise he might not be able to go.  There’s no way he could do those roads in a wheel chair.  

When we got to the school we were immediately greeted by about 15 young children all dressed neatly in their uniforms. They were very excited to see us, especially since they were not expecting American visitors.  Our translators explained to some of the teachers there who we were and that we were here to see Carlos.  All the other children were outside playing, but Carlos was sitting at his desk working hard on his school work.  I found out he was sick the day before and could not come to school, and was very concerned with catching up and getting good grades.  He is a very hard worker, which is great to see.  When our translator introduced us to him  and he found out I was his BECAS sponsor, he grinned.  It was such a treat to see how happy he was to meet me.  Although, being 10 he was a little embarrassed at all the attention I think!!  Carlos is in 5th grade, and the school goes to 6th grade.  After that he will have to go to a school further away with all of the other 6th graders.  There he will hopefully finish high schoo.  He told me he wants to be a doctor.  I have have no doubt that with his attitude he has a good chance of fulfilling that dream.  

We chatted for a while about his life and his mom talked about some of the difficulties.  Since they have to carry him around most of the time when he is not in the wheel chair, it will become very difficult as he gets older and bigger.  His wheel chair cannot handle some of the steps and bumps.  The wheel chair he has is not that great, and has caused some irritation in his lower back, which proceeded to get infected.  It looks pretty bad but his mom told me they took him to the doctor for it.  His parents seem to care very much for him and work very hard to make sure he has what he needs.  The school is a nicer school for the area, but does have a lot of uneven ground and steps.  Somehow he seems to manage though.  

The teachers gathered up all the children so we could talk to them, so we told them who we were and why we were there.  We also found out that there were at least 10 children there that were part of the BECAS program.  10 children who otherwise would not be able to go to school.  Education in public schools is not super expensive, we were told about $50 per year, but the uniforms, and supplies, and shoes etc are extremely expensive and without those they are not allowed to attend school.  That is what the BECAS program does, helps to provide those items so they can go.  

It was so great to see him and to see how dedicated he is to his school work.  I believe he will do well, but not without some significant challenges along the way.  I wonder how he will attend college unless he has some financial support to help, but maybe there are programs out there that can help him.  Something to ponder.  

We said our goodbyes and headed back to the church.  We had previously packed up the optical equipment and loaded the truck to take it all down to Danli to set up our optical mission there.  We had lunch and then headed down the mountain to Danli Central Church.  Tomorrow we will start seeing patients in Danli and I expect we might see around 150 or so, for the two days we will be there.  

That’s all for now.  Enjoy the pictures below from our visit today.

Blessings

Shelley

Carlos House Inside his house Living Room Carlos Bedroom A pretty nice kitchen by Escuapa standards One of his wheel chairs Backyard Me with Carlos Mom Carlos and Me All the children so nicely lined up! Classroom Carlos at his desk Children in classroom Learning English! More school work

When you make the decision to go on a mission trip – especially for the first time, you probably don’t realize that you will become a jack of all trades.  With the exception of those who are professionals in their areas of trade; Doctors, nurses, pharnacists etc, everyone else becomes a little of everything.  

We all are assigned specific areas to work in, but quite often end up helping out in other areas.  Sometimes you are called upon to help out with a screaming baby, or even to fix a van door that has fallen off!  Yep, that happened today.  Fortunately, as we had just arrived at the church for dinner.  

Terry, one of our new missioners, who is experiencing the pharmacy department this week, got down on the ground and worked with Danilo, and a few others to get the door fixed.  It took time and patience, but also a lot of laughter, and teamwork.  As someone else pointed out tonight, at home, we might have gotten frustrated or upset, or wanted to call someone to fix it, but here, we work together and find a way.  No matter what the issue, we always seem to be able to find a way to work together to do the things necessary to get the job done.  Sometimes, its difficult to see the solution to the problem, but we always find a way.  

Team work is a significant and vital part to the success of a mission.  Without it our work here would be impossible. I’m grateful and thankful for the team that I am part of.  Sometimes, we dont always see eye to eye, or we get short and frustrated with each other or a situation, but at the end of the day, we are always still friends and part of the same team.  I pray that our team continues to work together and continue to have a successful week. 

Tomorrow, optical moves to Danli to see patients in the city.  Today we saw 55 patients and Monday 45 patients in Escuapa.  Not too bad considering, we thought it was going to be super slow.  100 people in two days, able to see more clearly.  I always miss the rest of our team, when we split to two different locations, but it’s always great to re-group in the evening and here the stories from everyone’s day.  

For the first time since I have been coming here, I got to walk across the swing bridge in Escuapa.  It’s an important bridge that connects to parts of the community.  Over a very pretty river, and beautiful surroundings.  It was a nice little mental break from the day, and on our way back we were escorted by about 6 school children walking on their way home.  

Despite the challenges of the day, it was a good day, and tomorrow will be better. 

That’s all for now

Gerilyn and Emily helping a VBS child

 

Blessings, 

Shelley