Starting the Week with Fireworks in El Cerron

Monday, August 14, 2023

We began our week of clinic adventures by gathering with the Honduran staff who will accompany us to the communities. Throughout the day, the Joy Team would be reminded again and again of just how vital the communication and support from the Honduran team are.

After group introductions and prayer, we began the one-hour journey to El Cerron. Driving to the community, we were awestruck and amazed by the majesty and beauty of the mountains. And we were reminded of the promise of Psalm 121 about how our strength comes from the hills.

When we arrived at El Cerron, we were greeted with fireworks - what a truly joyous way to start off clinic!

The workflow of daily clinics includes patient registration, getting heights/weights, deworming, distributing vitamins, dental clinic for fluoride treatment and needed extractions, and visiting medical stations for overall health assessments and attention to specific concerns. Yolany, an intern in Functional Therapy from the National University, provided PT services that were greatly appreciated by our patients.

We’re so excited to offer a spiritual/emotional support station as part of Mountain Medical teams for the first time. We are blessed to have two United Methodist pastors on our team to be able to provide this service for our communities. Pastor Shayne visited with 21 families today. One woman who came to him with her deep concerns that she is the only Christian in her family. He was moved by her story, prayed with her, and gave her his cross.

Flat Jesus helped entertain the children between clinic visits at a coloring station. He was quite impressed by their creations!

As we shared our experiences of the day after dinner, we noted how far this community has come since becoming part of the FOB program. It’s apparent how well the members were doing, in terms of their medical care, education, and overall wellbeing.

We were humbled by the comparison of our daily life with that of the Honduran community. It was very special to connect with them and learn their stories. We were able to meet a lot of needs, and some patients were referred for additional services.

We left the community again with fireworks, and a JOY in our hearts knowing we were able to make a difference today.

- Sanjana & Julia