The End of An Amazing Week.
Today we did not do construction or home visits, but planned and prepared a huge cookout for the community. But before we did any of that, we all had to go to the lab to get our covid tests done in order to fly home on Sunday. The lab was pretty quick and we got results back later in the day. Everyone was negative for covid and ready to go back to the USA!
We decided to do a typical American cookout with burgers and chips and watermelon and all of the fixings. Lorena and Pastor invited around 80 people to come to the CRIE where the BBQ was the be held. We got to work in the morning preparing all the food and getting things ready for people to come. We did not know for sure what time everyone would get there but had fun getting things ready. We fed the construction workers first as they are always working so hard. I think they appreciated the food and to be served.
Kids and families from the neighborhood came a little at a time and we had fun serving them lunch. I spent time talking with a family who we met a few days earlier. They are the family with the son with special needs and also the physical health issues (ileostomy bag). He needs to have an additional surgery - or at least that is what we think. It’s sometimes difficult to communicate exactly what is needed partly due to language barriers, and partly due to lack of education. But we have at least set things in motion for the boy to possibly get some testing done ahead of time for the medical team in February, so we can have as much information as possible to help him. Will see what the test results give us. It’s so hard when you have something so serious in Honduras as a health condition. Physical or mental. The resources are just not available to anyone and care is expensive. Most of these people can’t afford to put food in their children’s mouths, so paying for expensive medical tests is just out of the question.
Later on during the cookout, the little boy who is non-verbal, enjoyed playing soccer with one of our team members Rob. We later walked over to the family and their home to give the ball to the little boy since he seemed so excited about the soccer game and the ball. Hi face lit up when he saw the ball. It was a good moment.
Just as everyone had come through to get food, a big rain storm came through and we packed up the food and put it away. The food that was left over will be used in the Ceibita feeding center for the kids. Good to know we can share the food in Ceibita too.
At the end of the day, we attend a church service in Ceibita and then that was followed by a cultural traditional Honduran dance demonstration. This is a fun way to experience some of the older traditions. We were fed an awesome snack and enjoyed socializing a little with the church in Ceibita.
It has been such a blessing to become part of this mission and I really have enjoyed getting to know the community well. I’m excited about the on-going partnership with the church here in Tocoa and Ceibita and the Illinois church that brought me into this particular mission. God brought us all together for a reason and its wonderful to see what we can do through him. I’m looking forward to being back again in February.
Tomorrow we are leaving bright and early and before the sun to head back to Tegucigalpa and the mission house. We fly home on Sunday. The team I’m guessing will sleep really well in the vans on the long drive!
Blessings.
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