Saturday, October 14th, 2017
We’re in Honduras! After a 15-hour day of car, plane, and bus travel, we’ve settled into our quarters in the Alfredo House at the FOB headquarters here in Pena Blanca. Nury and her staff had a delicious supper waiting for us when we finished unloading our 19 duffel bags full of medicine, eyeglasses, and equipment we’ll use this week. After supper Gary led a brief devotion time centered around the question, “How did I get here?” (looking for deeper answers than methods of transportation, of course).
The Harrisonburg team is safe, well-fed, in the mindset for a week of medical mission work, and ready for a night of sleep! Look for our daily journals through the week!
Sunday, October 15th, 2017
Sunday was a day of recreation and preparation for the Harrisonburg team. Our fearless team leader, Gary, instructed us to be downstairs for breakfast at 7:00am sharp. Due to the 2-hour time difference from Eastern Daylight Time to Honduras Time, however, everyone was awake and socializing outdoors with coffee no later than 6:00. It was an excellent start to the day to watch the fog clear and the 9000-foot peak of Montana de Santa Barbara come into view.
Our morning was spent kayaking down a canal into the Lago de Yojoa, a large lake surrounded by mountains. Along the path of our 3-mile round trip, we saw countless plants and animals that were fascinating and beautiful. By the end of the trip the sun was high in the sky, we were hot, there were a few minor sunburns, and one of our nurses had earned the nickname of “Tugboat.” It was a wonderful way to see a little slice of the Honduran countryside.
The afternoon was spent counting and packaging pills to use in our medical clinics the rest of the week. We packed thousands upon thousands of Tylenol, Tums, and children’s vitamins. We also packed a couple-hundred pounds of rice and beans to give to the parents of some of FOB’s extended-care patients. We rounded out the evening with a nice dinner at a restaurant and a devotion led by Maggie on the subject of “Light.”
We’re all looking forward to getting to our first village in the morning; stay tuned!
