Monday, May 20, 2024
Today the May team experienced our first clinic day as we traveled to the village of Terrero Blanco near Taulabe. The roads were in good shape and we made it there, ready for the heat but pleasantly surprised to be located at a school on a hill with a steady breeze. When we arrived families were already lining up in an orderly fashion at the gate.
As a first timer, I was so impressed with the well-organized setup accomplished by FOB Honduran staff and the community volunteers. We were ready in no time to serve the 50 families in the dental clinic, general clinic, eye clinic, and physical therapy clinic. This community had already hosted FOB a couple of times and was well prepared for us.
One of the first new friends I met was a joy-filled woman named Delmis who was a 37-year-old with cerebral palsy and was in a wheelchair. Her niece and mom were with her, and you could feel how much they loved her and doted on her. She could not chew and therefore lived on milk and liquids. She quickly became a highlight of many in our team as she would reach out beaming to us, apparently wanting us to pose for a picture with us. She gripped me in a strong hug that I cherished, and I love our photos together.
I worked in the dental clinic today and we saw many children that were doing a decent job with their hygiene as well as many others with black teeth that needed an extraction. Unfortunately, the parent would decline the recommended extraction if the child did not want it, which surprised me as it is very different from how we do things in the US. Teens and adults could opt for a cleaning or extraction as well.
-Lauren Membreno
This is my second trip with FOBF medical teams. Today, I was super touched by a very overwhelmed mom who was so focused on taking care of all the others in her life she had neglected her health to a point of being ill. In a season of lots of maternal stress, taking care of all my people as I prepped to go on this trip I resonated so much with her stress, but can’t imagine the pain of also having extreme financial stress on top of those stresses. I gave her my cross as a reminder to know I would be praying for her and that even when she feels alone and overwhelmed, God is with her. So thankful for the opportunity to serve this week.
In Devotion tonight we talked about Mary and Martha and how both the needs of a listening presence as well as service, are important and how it’s great to strive to be a little of both.
-Emberli Little
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