Wednesday March 23, 2023
As our team gathered together on Wednesday morning in front of Alfredo house for their team photo, the sun was shining brightly, and birds were singing. For the past two days, we were able to do our jobs serving the medical needs of the people, but under rainy, cold conditions. But THIS! This is the beautiful Honduras that veteran volunteers remember and love, and it’s the Honduras that we were hoping our new volunteers would experience.
After an hour long drive up steep mountain roads with spectacular views, we arrived in the village of Buena Vista de Rio Bonito, at an elevation of over 4,900 feet, to eager patients waiting in a line that stretched up the hill. People were served, connections were made, and some situations arose that required creativity on our parts.
Dr. Marvin had to use desks as a table top to check a boy for a hernia. Jonathan and Marvin had to use a restroom as a makeshift exam room. Members of the team also went for a home visit, trekking up the hill and across the road to the home of a teenage boy who had suffered a leg injury in a motorcycle accident a month ago. Nurses Jonathan and Liz changed wound dressings and examined the healing injuries. Therapy student Yolany was able to go through some physical therapy exercises with the family, and Erin went back and forth from the home to get supplies and medication from David in the pharmacy. Chaplain Charles prayed over the family. He gave his cross to the mother of the boy, who wept with gratitude. Charles gave the boy and his mother each a prayer shawl . It was a beautiful visit that was truly a team effort. Meanwhile, the others continued to see many patients back in the clinics. Sherri in weights and measures saw many babies, Scott M. applied fluoride to 55 children, and Dr. Ondina extracted 19 teeth. Nurse Practitioner Linda, who saw 30 people throughout the day quipped, “We were so busy we didn’t know you were gone.”
Back at Alfredo House, Linda led the group in our daily devotion from Acts 9:26-27. She told the story of Barnabas, an encourager. We were asked to think about who our Barnabas is and were encouraged to be a Barnabas to others. As we go out for another day to another village, may we be like Barnabas, encouragers to the people we serve, as well as to one another.
~Erin Thackston
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