Team Rockbridge is in Honduras!
Monday, June 20, 2022
Simplicity…this word comes to mind as I sit in the Alfredo House dining area attempting to type out what my eyes have observed and my heart felt during this day, our first clinic day on our medical mission in the communities of Honduras. I believe the word simplicity comes to my mind at this time because I feel like a child again…seeing the world through virgin eyes, so clear and fresh. Perhaps it is the result of munching on the eyes of a tilapia at dinner last night, or maybe the Lord reminding me of the basics…who is to say?
I ran to the bus after saying farewell to my three little bird friends as they waited for their mother to return to their nest in a low window of Alfredo House. As I climbed aboard, the whole team sat ready, ready to serve, ready to experience a new page in their life journey. The ride to Planes de Italia was a forty-five-minute drive up a nearby mountain. The dirt road was ridden with potholes, yet the view was exquisite. Many types of palm trees were scattered everywhere, and blooming flowers burst through the varying shades of green.
When we arrived at the schoolhouse of Planes de Italia, our patients were already waiting; in fact, we passed many of them as we drove up the mountain side. They happily assisted us as we prepped our stations: a dental clinic, and ophthalmology clinic, a vitamin station, as well as a sick and well clinic.
As the hours passed and I met beautiful life after beautiful life, I became amazed at the thankfulness for what we were doing. Though most diagnoses were simple, a headache, a stomachache, as were the remedies, a bag of Tylenol or Tums respectively, our patients were all so appreciative…it was the simple things that I take for granted that they lacked.
For those living in the village of Planes de Italia, it is a two hour walk to the nearest hospital. The medications that most families keep in their bathroom cupboard, these patients received with joy and thankfulness.
During our team commissioning service yesterday evening, I was reminded of the words of St James the brother of Jesus: Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you (James 1:27).
I think one way that the world can corrupt us is by allowing us to believe that we can’t help because it is too difficult, or we can’t believe in Truth because it is too complicated. Today, I was reminded that even a simple act of kindness is worth something…it is never a waste, and it is actually the best way to serve our neighbors.
~Mary Dolan