Tuesday and Wednesday saw the completion of the second floor. The team are grateful for the help and support during this knee aching project. The floor looks great and by next year this room will be full to the ceiling with supplies, meaning that the rooms they are currently taking up space in the hospital can be remodeled to be far more practical.
Wednesday was also the last day on this trip spent with our sponsoring missionary family the Fields. They left for the annual missionary conference which is several hours away in Siguatepeque. Missionaries from all over Honduras come and refresh and connect. The Fields are involved in organizing things, including worship music and technical aspects of this great time together. We know that this is not goodbye however but another temporary separation from a family we have all come to love and respect.
Beverly again connected with Juana the Honduras housekeeper of staff housing, this year they have been singing together and even filmed a video. After taking a few of the missionaries to Rosie's on Tuesday night for dinner, Wednesday night was a great delight to take dinner to the Miknaitis family. The team supplied the main meal and Abby and Rimas made the ice cream which was a treat everyone enjoyed together.
For those keeping score the final total of babies born while the team was here is 10. Thursday morning will see the team depart for the drive to San Pedro Sula where they will spend the night before flying home on Friday. Once again a huge thank you to all those who have been praying and supporting this trip and the continuing work of Hospital Loma de Luz.
During the team's devotional time on Thursday morning, two stories were shared which bear repeating to a wider audience. One was that on Wednesday afternoon as Sonia was being taken to her class, the team members who were transporting them, also gave a ride to a few of the hospital nurses who were leaving to go home. This is not an unusual thing in Honduras there is always room for one more in the vehicle. When one of the nurses was taken to her home, she insisted that the team members were invited into the home, introduced to everyone and everything, and shown the surrounding area. This shows such a great generosity of spirit to share all that people have, even when what they have is very little by worldly standards, and yet is far more than many of us have, who seem to have everything. The other story was shared by Sonia, who has been teaching many local women and girls to knit bags and booties. During her class on Wednesday the women (through the translator) told Sonia that they had decided to donate the items they have been knitting at home with their own yarn, and at their on expense, to the hospital as a thank you for the new skill that Sonia has imparted to them.
These stories are just a few of the many that the team will have to share when they return home. Talking of returning home, Thursday was the first travel day and as this is being typed the team is resting up in San Pedro Sula, following the full day drive from Belfate. 3 plane rides await them tomorrow.