Honduras Medical Missions

Day Four Draws to an End

It was another great day at the clinic. We saw 210 patients today! That means about 560 people were treated for medical problems and 560 people were given an opportunity to respond to the gospel. These people were also made very aware of a small Baptist church in their area that can help them in their lives. What an awesome ministry this has been!

We also learned how difficult it can be to see patients that you just cannot help. One lady rode on a burrow for 4 hours to come to the clinic. She apparently has a brain tumor. There is no indigent care for such cases in Honduras, so this lady, as well as scores of others, will be left to die without help. We have to realize that we can help alot of people here physically, but there are many that we cannot help. We can at least pray for these folk and offer them a hope found only in Jesus.

Yes, my driving went well. I did have a cow run into my driver's side mirror as the herd passed through the church "parking lot," but there was no damage.

Tomorrow is a day of worship and rest for us. We are really exhausted from the 100 degree heat and dry conditions that we work in. We will get up to a home-cooked breakfast and arrive at church by 9:00. We plan to go out to eat tomorrow and have a day of rest by traveling down to see the coastline not far from here. Then we will return to Choluteca for supper and then nightly devotions and bed. We begin the new clinic location on Monday morning.

Day Three Coming to an End

What a day it has been. Be sure to read the following two posts if you have not already done so. We just found out that we will finish up with our clinic at the Baptist Church of Light and Hope tomorrow (Saturday) and then attend worship service there Sunday morning. Then, we will go to Liberty Baptist Church to hold a clinic on Monday (all day) and Tuesday (half day). The church is only about ten minutes from our house, and houses are plentiful in the area. We are expected to be VERY busy. We have already run out of medications for some very common problems and are seeking to buy more drugs from local pharmacies to finish out our work.

The most interesting bit of information I (Kenny) received today is that I will be a driver for our team on these roads. I would say that the "style" of driving favors Malaysia big city driving when on the asphalt roads, and the other roads we travel are more like 4-wheeling it over very rough terrain. Please pray for me! I will be driving a Land Rover. We are losing four of our helpers for Saturday and Sunday, but our team has already adapted with a plan to take care of the vacancies.

The people here are wonderful and so loving and appreciative of our work. We have been blessed with a wonderful church hosting us for our first clinic. The people are so helpful.

Thank you for your prayers and concerns. We also appreciate all the comments you have left on the blog.

Talk with you tomorrow.

Insights from Linda Meadors

Long ago, which seems like yesterday, our church had a missions’ emphasis weekend, and shortly after, Kenny, afire with missions ideas, mentioned that a medical missions trip to Honduras was needed, and were we interested. We tentatively agreed, never really dreaming of the reality. But he required a commitment by a certain date, and we agreed to go.

Many months later, we began our meetings, had witness training, endured several vaccinations, and we were a week away. And it hit me—we’re going to Honduras, and Satan suddenly, and subtly, suggested that perhaps I should be a little nervous, if not fearful.

But I have been going through a Bible study entitled “The Mind of Christ”, and fearful was not on the list of Jesus’ attributes. I thought back to the Psalms that David expressed about fear: “I sought the Lord, and He answered me. He delivered me from all my fears.” Psalms 34:4, and the one where Paul, I think, says “God does not give us the spirit of fear. . .” and “Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge.” Psalms 16:1. And I was calmed and ready to go.

Then we left in the early dawn after much scurrying around, packing, leaving instructions, calling family, etc. It occured to me that the same frantic feeling followed us to our first day in Honduras, when I again turned to God and remembered that He said “Be still and know that I am God.” Psalms 46:10. The rest of that verse reads “I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.” And then we were in Honduras.

While working the first day, a lump formed in my throat when I thought of all the hard work, of the many different people used by God to allow this mission trip to go on—family, friends, co-workers, NC Baptist Men, Medicine for Missions, Blessings International, prayer letters, contribution letters, pill counters, gift donations, prayer warriors, trunk sorting and weighing, the Honduras church, Steve and Elaine (our onsite coordinators), and most importantly, God’s hand and I remembered once again “Blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.” Proverbs 3:5-6.

In our Bible study, “The Mind of Christ”, we realized that as Jesus went about his ministry, he was never in a hurry, worried, or afraid. He did His work, the work of His Father, as we are commanded to do. If we are to strive to become more like him, our minds must be more like His—He had the mind of a servant, not a slave, but willing to serve others, just as we are doing this week.

Our team, God’s team, has been an example of the verses “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind.” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Luke 10:27. So. . .” Be still, and know that He is God.”

Another Day at the Clinic

Our team completed its second day at the medical clinic today. We saw another 175 patients. The majority of people who came today were children. Classes from the local school walked up the road to be seen by our medical personnel. The morning was quite busy as we saw about 150 patients before our lunch break. The afternoon, in the blistering heat (near 100 degrees F.) kept activity pretty low.

We do have concerns about how busy the clinic will be beyond Saturday, so we are looking into moving the clinic to another church for our Monday and Tuesday clinic days. Wednesday is an off day as we move back to Tegucigalpa to prepare for our journey home.

Everyone has stayed strong and healthy so far. We can feel God's presence with us as we minister to the people here. As you look at the photo album from today, you will see how captivating these people are.

Thank you for your prayers and support. Please continue to lift us to the Father often.

First Day of Clinic

We had a wonderful first day of our medical clinic. I have posted photos of the day here. After a very difficult forty minute journey to the church (see the photo album for more understanding), we arrived at the church and began setting up the clinic. People were already waiting to be seen. Our team quickly decided the best way to set up in the one large room offering areas for waiting, triage, nurse exams, doctor exams, and pharmacy. People from the local church were on hand for checking in the people and crowd control. They were wonderful! Patients arrived, checked in, and received a number. A few people at a time were allowed in the church building to wait on their medical care. As families, people would take their turns to be triaged by the nurses and then treated by one of our nurses or our doctor (Walt) depending on the severity of the problem. They would then go to the pharmacy to get their prescriptions filled. We had translators at every stop. After receiving their medications, the people would go outside to hear the gospel message presented by the church's pastor. We know that two people accepted Christ before lunch today!

We saw about 175 people today to provide physical and spiritual help. At least four people walked about 15 miles to come to the clinic. The church leaders expect us to have a larger group turn out tomorrow as word of mouth spreads.

Our team did a fabulous job today. They worked hard without complaint and showed great compassion for the dear souls that we met today.

Tomorrow's clinic starts at 8:00 a.m. (CST) and will probably run until about 4:00. Thank you for your continued prayers.

Arrived safely--bags in tow

Our team arrived safely on time in Honduras with all 15 checked bags of medical supplies--two answers to prayer. We are all very tired from getting little or no sleep last night and then a long journey today. We stopped in Tegucigalpa for a lunch at Kentucky Fried Chicken, then went to the NC Guest House there for orientation and a bit of a rest from our travels. Then on to Choluteca via a winding mountainous road that took about three hours of travel time. After arriving at the guest house there, we unloaded everything, ate dinner, and began unpacking all the crates to re-pack for the clinic tomorrow in a remote area about 45 minute's drive along very rough terrain. We leave at 6:45 to be there for a clinic to run 8:00 a.m. to around 4:00 p.m. (CST)

Please pray for us as we figure out how to best make this all work. We learned just before leaving that the Honduran doctor that we were hiring to work with us did not work out. We are promoting some of our nurses to seeing a number of patients that don't require a doctor's care. Also pray for the openness of the people to hear the gospel As it is proclaimed.

We thank you for your prayers.