Safely Home and What's Next

The team arrived home after two days of travel at around 1.00am this morning.
Huge thank you to all of you for your support and prayers while we were gone.
The presentation of this trip will take place on Sunday November 18 after the 10.30 service at approx 11.45am. John and Penny are planning to join us. We would love many of you to be there too. The video which will be made will hit the internet as soon as we can get it done after the presentation.. God Bless

Last full day at Hospital Loma De Luz.

Final work completed on the various projects we have been working on. 4 bedrooms, 3 closets and 2 and a half bathrooms ceilings dry walled. A few of the team have helped with organizing some of the storerooms. Dr Rich had more surgeries. Last night Christi and Rigo and their children came for dinner. Tonight we are expecting Dr Jeff and family. This time every year is happy and sad. Happy that things have been accomplished but sad to be leaving such great friends again. The team will be looking forward to two days of travel to return home. John and Penny will be traveling as far as Houston with us, as they return to USA for a sabbatical. Again this year God has guided and we have been privileged to follow. 

Monday and Tuesday Construction and Conversation

Last day of our team's participation in the church tiling project was Monday, they remained until the cement ran out just before lunch time. The stage was nearly completed by this point. The drywall ceiling project really took off Monday and Tuesday and we hope that it will be complete by the end of the work day on Wednesday. Monday evening the team were invited to Abby and Rimas Miknaitis home for dinner, this was again a great time of fellowship, friendship and encouragement. Tuesday night we will welcome more of the missionaries to share a wonderful meal. We continue to be thankful for prayers of and for our friends and family, as we wish to finish this trip in the strength of the Lord.

UPDATES ON TWINS from Amber

Update on the twins, 5# baby discharged mama discharged. 2# baby hasn't lost any wt. Feeding q2-3 hrs. BF and supplementing. Crit down to 67, not even in a isolette. Wrapped and temp is good. I'm tempted to bring him home in my carry-on. They may get freaked seeing a skeleton on the xray machine :)

Update, 2# baby maintaining. Hasn't lost or gained any weight. I'm hoping soon he will be gaining.
The man dying of cancer that we brought here to the hospital accepted Christ!
There was a nurse delivery last night that I missed. I was very sad. Mom and baby doing well.
Only 2 more working days for us here before we head home, wondering what more excitement God has on store. Maybe I should ask for another delivery :)

Update, 2# baby gained weight. I should say that baby was 2#11oz at birth, and now is up to 2#13oz! Will be one week tomorrow and passed birth weight. The family will be here for awhile. Baby won't survive if they go back to the mountains too soon. No access to clean water and formula. She is making milk now, but he has to share with his big brother who is more demanding and will get more attention. He also still has no fat on him and get cold easily, yes even here in Honduras you can get cold :)

Sunday Church and Fellowship and The Lord at work

Sunday was another great day here in Honduras. Church took up the morning with the majority of the team heading out to Margarita. As it looked like it would rain it was decided to move the service back inside the church building, which of course meant meeting on the new floor! The stage, steps and all the grouting is still to do, but the main floor was complete enough to place out all the chairs and the service to go ahead. In the end the rain was short lived but it was great to be able to praise God with the new floor in play. Pastor Richard gave the message and was instantly translated into Spanish. The message was based on Psalm 86 entitled Give Glory to God. The congregation got a kick out of the funny story in the middle of the sermon too. The afternoon was spent fellow shipping in various ways. And then the most EXCELLENT news. Fred the man who had been transported to the hospital a few days before as he is dying of cancer, accepted the Lord.. Praise Jesus!! This truly makes everything worthwhile. Anael came over to staff housing to pick up children's clothes we had brought with us. He will use them with the many children he ministers to up in the mountains which surround this area. The rest of the week was planned with Richard Shields and Mark will return to Margarita one more time for just Monday morning to help more on the tiling of the stage. After lunch they plan to join Phil and Richard at the children's center as the ceiling work continue. This will their major work for the rest of the time here. Dr Rich and Amber are a part of the hospital and Dr Rich has been taking call along with Dr Nick. Linda and Beverly continue to be our support staff especially in the kitchen. The role that sharing meals with the missionaries here and hosting them is vital and should not be under estimated. We have indeed had to say next year to some of the invitations and opportunities to share this ministry as time will not allow for everyone to be involved.

Friday Floor Progress & Saturday Dump Ministry

Friday saw the completion of the main floor at the church. Work took place there the whole day well into the evening with the local crew from the church and the surrounding area. It really has been an experience and made for some excellent opportunities to build and continue friendships. Work also continued at the children's center and the hospital, with nearly all the ceilings of the new building at the children's center prepared for the drywall to be put up starting on Monday. Friday's evening meal took place at the home of the Fields family with the team supplying the cookies ably baked by our kitchen crew.

Saturday most of the team headed into Le Ceiba with Lisa to visit and take part in the ministry at the dump. This is an emotional and necessary ministry that has developed into not only feeding during the week, but heath care on the Saturday visits. Dr Rich was invaluable as he dug back in his memory to his general Dr skills. Seeing people with various ailments and hurts, including a woman with an ulcer on her leg which has not healed in over a year, to a baby with Chicken Pox. The team helped give basic medication and advise.  Lisa is so loved and respected at the dump and has a bond with the people in this community of approx 2000 people who live in a variety of "housing" in and around the dump. The children love to spend time and follow the team. This was an experience all future team members will be encouraged to partake in and experience. The drive home included much prayer over Lisa's land cruiser, which was having some trouble with the gears... The day was concluded with dinner at the Alden's home where a great time of fellowship was enjoyed.

 

Thursday Thoughts

Thursday saw the continuation of work at the Hospital and the Church, and work beginning at the children's center where we are preparing for the drywall ceilings we are helping install while we are here. The evening saw the weekly worship service, which Pastor Richard was able to share at and give communion. The potluck before the service and the time of fellowship were wonderful.

Deliveries in the night

Amber wrote the following report which speaks of Wednesday night into Thursday

Crazy Delivery yesterday! All my friends would be jealous. Got the call to come to the colonia (small town approx 10 min very bumpy drive) we drove super fast in the rain and dark across a river to the mud hut. No electricity!!!! Got there and in the dark I hear "hola Amber". Scared me to death. It was my friend Emel. She had heard that there were twins being delivered at the lay midwives (witch dr...) and one baby was out in the other room all alone. The other baby was still not delivered and it was 630pm. The mother was nearly in shock in a very small hut. We decided to take her in the cab of the truck (ambulance). We carried her in her sheet (stretcher) to the truck in the dark. Drove very fast to the hospital with the heat on (in Honduras) to warm the 2# baby up. It was cold and HR was 80. It had been born at 1040. At the hospital 2nd baby HR was good until we tried a version. HR dropped to nearly nothing- off we RAN. Delivered baby via very stat C/S. Under ketamine. Better than a local and we are in the middle of no where. Used a pt gown to catch the baby, apgars 2 & 8. Twin-twin transfusion. The 1st baby (2#) crit was 77!!!!!! The larger twin, pale with a normal crit and is 5#. Had to do a blood exchange today on the 2# baby. Ended up the surgeon placed a umbilical cath. I feel like I work in a NICU. Up all night working with the babies. The ward is full and the nurses couldn't take care of the babies. To bed at 5am and up at 845 am. Now off to bed. Many say it's my fault about the delivery. In our devotions I had prayed for a delivery and pastor Richard told every one at the church service at the hospital tonight about my prayer using it to say, be careful what you ask God for! Love to all

Wednesday Activities

Today (Wednesday) saw the continuation of the construction at the church tile is now almost half way across the main floor, and Philip and Richard built 2 tables and 4 benches for the Sunday school children. Linda and Beverly again supplied wonderful food. Amber worked in the hospital and also got to finally catch up with Xiomara and Dr Richard completed more surgery including some MAJOR procedures. The joy of reconnecting with old friends and making new ones as we serve along side one another. The excitement all hit around dinner time very calls for various members of the team and the missionaries to get to the hospital for emergencies. YES we are at a hospital!!!!!

A Long Day and then the Rains came

Yesterday was a long day which ended in rains. The team divided up to accomplish it's many tasks and opportunities. The ladies of the team (Amber, Linda, and Beverly) went with Lisa to the dump in Le Ceiba and were able to minister there to the many needs, including handing out food and milk to the children. This is the ministry that the children of this year's VBS raised money for. Richard Evans went with Anael and Rigo to Le Ceiba also, but this was to buy supplies for an additional project at the church. Mark, Rick Shields and Phil worked on the tile at the church, while Dr Richard preformed 3 surgeries. The evening included the rains arriving and a trip out to eat in Belfate.