August 12, 2018
The Farmville Friends of Barnabas Team consists of 16 individuals from medical and non-medical backgrounds. Our one common goal is to help the lives of these grateful people and make a difference. The team is made up of many new travelers being guided by some of the most experienced. We arrived around noon in Honduras and after an adventurous bus ride, we were warmly welcomed by a remarkable staff in the Alfredo House. We enjoyed a much needed meal followed by some rest.
Our first full day in this beautiful country started with a breathtaking hike thru Bioparque Paradise. Billy, the residing dog at the garden, along with our tour guide gave an informative, interesting tour of sites that’s beauty cannot be fully translated by photos. At the end of our journey, we shared communion as a team and were distributed crosses to give to individuals in the villages that touch our hearts. An amazingly cooked lunch followed by sorting pills filled our afternoon. Our hard work was rewarded with a trip to a local cocoa farm to see how their delicious chocolate is made. Our day ended with a team bonding dinner.
August 13, 2018
Our first village of the week was El Chaguiton. This village consists of 200 people. Their community has access to electricity and a medical clinic, but that clinic requires a very long walk. That being said, they appreciated our services and were abundantly grateful. You could sense the strong ties of community within their people and they were very expressive in their thankfulness.
We saw 148 people in the medical clinic today. Vitamins were distributed to almost all patients along with kits including daily hygiene necessities and some stickers for smiling, joyous children.
There were numerous crosses given out today, but one story in particular was special to the team. After discussing the strong sense of community, Kate shared that she gave her cross to an elderly lady nicknamed GiGi who displayed this characteristic perfectly. Kate learned after many exchanged hugs that GiGi has lived in this community for almost all of her 83 years. She claimed to know every local in the clinic. Although she was alone she looked over everyone and knew God was always with her and would never let her down. Kate lovingly gave GiGi a cross with the love and faith from her, the Friends of Barnabas, and God.
In the medical clinic, there were some humorous times as well as some more serious moments. Aileen and Julie saw a family consisting of a mother and her three boys. The older two smiled through the whole visit, but the youngest wouldn’t crack a smile no matter the efforts. The mother was eventually asked why the youngest didn’t smile. The mother replied jokingly, different father, different genes. On a more serious note, Sarah encountered a little boy that required a doctor referral. He was present at the last clinic with eye pain, redness, and cloudiness in the eye. The eye drops he received at that time didn’t take care of the issue, so now he will be admitted to the Friends of Barnabas Extended Care Program to be seen by an ophthalmologist.
Our hidden gem of the day involved a 20 year old woman who visited the eye clinic and was prescribed glasses. A team member witnessed a pure joy and gratefulness in her eyes and smile in result of being able to see clearly for the first time. This first clinic day brought tears to most of our eyes and brought to the surface of discussion to be grateful and happy no matter the situation.
