Monday, November 11, 2019


My how time flies!  Already one month in Honduras, and three months outside of the US. 

It’s funny how as time has passed, I have become accustomed to not having water or electric all the time, drinking agua pura (clean water) out of water tanks, washing clothes in the pila, cooking food in an outdoor clay orno or over the fogon, and sweating (a lot and all the time).  Sweating at night, sweating while raking, sweating while washing my clothes, sweating while eating dinner, sweating while working  in the clinic. 

I wipe off the heads of my patients who are wearing beads of sweat on their foreheads.  But sweating in Honduras is inevitable, and you never hear shame about it, like, “I’m sorry I’m so sweaty.”  That’s not even a thought.  You hug sweaty people and hold sweaty hands as you feel the sweat dripping down the small of your back.

Two other missionaries, Megan and Molly, and I have started attending a women’s group (bible study-like) in the neighboring community.  I feel so blessed to be sharing faith and spirituality with the women of the community.  Some of the women walk upwards of 45 minutes to come to the group, but they have made it a priority to share in community and be present.  Presence…what a beautiful thing.  Half the battle is showing up, and after that, the Lord takes care of the rest. 

I feel so peaceful here in Honduras.  The culture here is one of community and gratitude.  It sometimes makes me think of “the good old days” that I hear about in America, when a man’s word was trustworthy and when people traded goods.  Life is different than in the US.  There is no “I” in anything; everything is a “we” effort.  People in this town are so patient with us gringos, and they have welcomed us with open arm and many kisses and the cheeks. 

When I first got here, I remember thinking, “Wow!  This is not that radically different than the US.”  That was before I left the Finca grounds…Wow…

The lack of economy here is particularly striking, and people struggle financially.  Aside from college-prepared careers, like lawyers, doctors, etc., there are very few jobs.  People have come and knocked at the Finca begging for work so that they can feed their families.  There are women who make rosaries, tortillas, etc., that Finca missionaries buy to take back to their families, in order to support the community, but the need is ongoing.  We also prepare packages of food (rice, dried beans, coffee, Manteca, etc.) for families and distributing them monthly to families in dire need.  Some houses here are made from concrete and cement, and others are made of sticks and mud clay, all with tin rooves.  Many people have very few belongings.  Walking around, I see many Hondurans sporting clothing with English writing, clothing donated from the US or left by former missionaries. 

People walk for upwards of 30 to 40 minutes on the side of the road to get to the Clinic of the Sacred Heart (Clinica del Sagrado Corazon).  The clinic is open from 8 AM to (technically) 12 PM, but we are always busy, and rarely leave before 12:45/1 PM.  At the clinic we see lots of patients, with all sorts of issues.  Anything from bronchitis, to pneumonia, to wounds (we do A LOT of wound care), to chronic issues like epilepsy, diabetes, hypertension, etc.  A clinic visit costs L 15, about $ .60, if the families are able to pay.  In this way, families take some ownership of their health care; however, about 20% of our patients are unable to afford the cost, which is not a barrier to receiving the care they need. 

Last week, an elderly woman came to the clinic with what looked like a very bright white cataract in her L eye, complaining of pain.  She had ridden the bus from VERY far away, but came to the clinic because she was now unable to see out of her eye, and her bony cheek was swollen and very painful.  We learned that a long thorn had penetrated her eye 8 days prior, and she had gone to a clinic in the mountains the day after and they gave her something for pain. Upon closer inspection, her white pupil was not covered with a cataract…It was covered with infection and pus, and she will now lose her eye.  We cleaned out her eye, gave her a dose of IV antibiotics, and sent her home with instructions for a nurse or doctor in the community to give her intramuscular injections of antibiotics.  My gut hurt after sending home a woman (who can’t read and is blind in one eye) with instructions, syringes, and needles  to administer IM antibiotics, but that is the reality  of life here.  We trust the word of our patients who tell us that there is someone at home qualified to give injections, we write instructions, and we pray for them as we send them home.

All the meds and supplies in the clinic (with the exception of those we have to buy) have been donated by medical brigades, and we are able to give them to those who need them for free (when we have them).  All medications that our patients receive are funded by donations.  That means the boy with epilepsy, the elderly woman’s antibiotics, the anti-parasite medications-all made possible by donations.

I was called to one house a few weeks ago for a Finca kid who had a terrible headache and was screaming in pain- this 8-year-old boy was new to the Finca, arriving 2 weeks before I did.  When Ruthie, the other nurse, and I entered the house, we found him to be having a seizure.  According to the boy’s brother, this same occurrence had happened “8 or 9 times” in the past before arriving to the Finca.  He had been having seizures for years.  The many long days that followed included and inpatient stay at a hospital in Trujillo, a 5-hour ride to La Ceiba to get an EEG and CT scan, a walk-in appointment with a Pediatrician to have the test results read, and starting oral anti-seizure medications.  All of this cost the Finca L 5000, or about $200, which also has been funded by the generosity of donors.

We pray consistently for rain.  We went for a long period here, over a week, without good rain.  The water from the spigot is never okay to drink, but extended periods without rain leave the pilas empty, which means difficulty washing dishes, cleaning clothes, bathing, flushing the toilet.  Then something magical happened last Saturday night.  The skies opened and a torrential downpour began!  What joy!  After placing buckets to collect rain water to fill the pilas and flush the toilets, the missionaries ran outside with shampoo and we had the best water pressure ever standing out in the rain, laughing and dumping water over our heads!   One of my favorite memories thus far!

Esta es la vida, nuestra vida y la vida de nuestros hermanos.  Somos hermanos, hermanos de Cristo, hermanos de fe.  Las bendiciones de nuestro Señor nos han llevado de nuestras luchas y nos apoyarán por siempre.  Toda la gloria al padre, al hijo, y al Espíritu Santo, como era en el principio, ahora y siempre, por los siglos de los siglos.  Amen.

This is the life, our life and the life of our brothers and sisters.  We are brothers and sisters, in Christ and in faith.  The blessings of our Lord have carried us from our struggles and will support us forever.  All glory be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever and ever.  Amen.


Un evento en nuestra casa-Casa Santa Teresita

Los misioneros con nuestra fundadora, Zulena.