Honduras Missions - Hearts and Hands

 Today was our last day actually working in the mission field as tomorrow is a driving travel day.  The drive back up to San Pedro Sula is very long and can take anywhere between 6 and 10 hours depending on the day.  So we drive up there the day before our flights to anticipate any hiccups along the way and make the actual flying day less stressful and uneventful.   So Thursday is always a half day working on mission in the clinics etc so we have time to take down the clinics, sort through medications and inventory stuff for next year.  Theres a lot to do during this time so we can be on top of things for the next mission and know exactly what we have down here.   But the day started off as usual and pretty quickly upon arrival the clinic was filled with people who had been waiting there, some of them since 6am.  Some people come from the mountains and go by foot to get there.  We take for granted in the states the ability to get around and access...

 Today was a record day in the clinic and we saw 182 patients.  Even though we were busy, we managed a good flow and it didn’t feel like overwhelming.  We have had a few illnesses and injuries in the team so a few people have been staying back resting.  So pharmacy has been short a few people, but they have been troopers and managing fine! Today there were some tough cases in the clinic that sone of the providers had to contend with.  A couple of them were serious abscesses that needed to be drained and my heart hurt for those little kids and the pain they had to endure.  It’s unfortunate and sad that these kids and adults have to deal with the illnesses they do because of the lack of resources.   Sometimes it’s hard and you feel somewhat helpless.  I get a lot of comfort snuggling and playing with the little ones that come through the clinic and just seeing them smile and giggle.  There were definitely some sweet little snugglers today! ...

 So by the second day of the clinic/medical mission, we have usually gotten into a groove with how things are going to go, workshopping new ways of doing things and working through the hiccups.  Today was very much a day like that.  We did have an issue with the EMR Electronic record system not communicating, and so had to switch back to paper records for a short while, until I figured it out.  I did a little work on the router that they connect to and after about 45 minutes or so things seemed to be back up and running.  Which is good because the system is really proving to be worth while.  Providers are seeing huge benefits to it and the real excitement will be next year when we have a lot of our regulars come through and we are able to look up past medical history and medications and treatments prescribed.   In general today was a little harder in that we had quite a few challenging cases come through the clinic.  A lot of them are diabetic rel...

 Today we had an early start.  6am devotions, breakfast then vans loaded by 7:30am, ready to start the day.  Today was our first day of seeing patients.  There were groups going in different directions, at the church clinic, the grade school, the hospital, the special needs school, feeding center and the local health clinic.  It takes a lot to coordinate a large group like this, especially going in many different directions, so kudos to Milton our Honduran coordinator who puts this giant puzzle together for us every time.  He hates to be called out, but I’m going to do it - Milton you are the best!!   There are a lot of moving parts on a mission like this and flexibility and patience is key!! I was in the group with the church clinic and when we arrived, we already had patients waiting.  Inside, we set about getting things ready and the rest of pharmacy set up etc.  So many have been coming on this mission for such a long time now, that it se...

 This morning the team had a later start due to our late night of travel the night before.  We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and then devotions together.  Devotions are an essential part of this mission and it grounds us in the work that we do and the intention and purpose for why we do it.  Lots of discussion over various topics and singing together.  It’s a time to take a breath and reflect on either the day we had or the day ahead.  We discussed the plan for the day and got those details out the way, and then split into our own smaller groups.  Each group took the time to find some space to meet every morning for morning devotions.  Our group found a nice shady spot and spent more time talking about our topic the Lords Prayer.  Our group will be meeting at 6am every morning in that spot and we start our day together then.  Following by breakfast and then leaving for the various mission locations at 7:30am.   After some down time ...