Wrapping Up in Honduras

A panoramic view of Tegucigalpa from the street we are staying on

It's hard to believe that our week in Honduras is coming to an end. It has been an incredible week, and we are so thankful for all that the Lord has done!

Since the last post, we held held a clinic in the mountains one day and in a village near the city's dump for two days. In the mountains, we partnered with a ministry at the local school. I had the chance to work at the evangelism station. It was so good to be able to share the good news of the Gospel with our patients and show the that we care about more than their physical health. I was reminded that no matter what our situation in life is: in wealth or poverty, in hunger or plenty, in health or sickness, we all have the same primary need. A savior to redeem us from the worst malady of all, our sin. Through a translator, I shared the Gospel with I don't know how many people and prayed with many of them to receive Christ. It is my hope and prayer that the Lord uses the seeds we planted to grow faithful followers for Himself.

At the dump today, I got to witness the poverty of some of the families first hand while I served on the outreach team. We visited the homes of two families that I had met in the clinic and got to deliver them some food. It was sobering to see how the families took care of what little they had and the joy they had despite their meager lifestyle. I was struck by how often I take what I have for granted. Psalm 73 has been heavy on my mind this week when I consider the poverty that has surrounded us. I pray that I will be like the Psalmist and be able to say, regardless of my situation, "For me it is good to be near God..."

The line to get into the clinic in the mountains

Amy, Hannah, and Bethany in front of our trusty bus

Inside the mountain clinic. Not visible are all of the flies, the room was covered with them!

This is Brian with Fabrizio. I don't know if Fabrizio ever saw a doctor because he seemed to prefer sitting in someone's lap all day.

Greg with some of the kids outside the school at the mountain clinic

Our bus wasn't able to get us to the church at the dump, so we had a bit of a hike to our clinic site

This is the church that hosted our clinic near the dump

Clinic at the dump. It was cleaner, and didn't smell as bad as it sounds!

This is the outside of the first house we visited on outreach this afternoon.

This is their kitchen

Me, Ben, Shante, and Greg with the first family we visited.

Greg with the mother at the second home we visited

The father, Alex, made recovers car seats using a sewing machine in their back yard.

As the week comes to a close, I want to share with you what we have been thankful for this week and what we are praying for as we leave. First, what we are thankful for:

•   Your prayer and financial support. To bring our team and supplies here cost a lot of money and many of you provides the money necessary for us to be able to get here. And we believe that the week would not have run as smoothly without your prayer.

•   For the Honduran nationals who hosted us. Their hospitality has been overwhelming. We have had delicious home cooked meals every day. If it were our responsibility to drive ANYWHERE in this town, we would have died! And the fellowship we have shared as brothers and sisters on Christ has been refreshing!

•   For our Honduran doctors, translators, and pharmacist. Their patience in teaching us has been incredible. Most of us have very little experience with patients, much less patients who do not speak our language! And still, the doctors helped us practice exams and were patient with our mistakes. Because of my translator, Dunia, my Spanish is probably better than it ever was after any Spanish class I ever took. (My English, on the other hand, has gotten worse.)

•   For the camaraderie in our team. I am always amazed at the unity we experience in the Lord when we are serving Him.

•   For our health and safety. To have no major injuries or sicknesses in a team of our size is no small blessing and wouldn't have been possible apart from the Lord's protection.

•   For themes believers that the Lord has drawn to Himself. We heard that at the Thursday night service at the first church we worked with, they had 17 new people and they are expecting more this Sunday.

And our prayer requests:

•   We saw a lot of sick people at our clinics this week and in the hospital. In particular, we got to watch and participate in some burn surgeries with a general surgeon from Tulsa. Someone the patients were burned over large parts of their bodies and will have nothing or almost nothing to manage their pain as they recover. In one family I helped to treat, 4 of the 6 family members we saw were anemic and they do not have much money to be able to afford beans or meat that would be helpful. And finally, we saw a 7 year old girl with a congenital heart defect that severely limits her abilities. We were amazed that she has lived this long and we are afraid that she will not live long without surgery. There is a team coming in a month or so that will be able to perform her surgery, but she gets sick easily. We are praying that the lord will help the grafts to take, to provide for the needs of the families we have met, and that he will keep the little girl healthy enough for her surgery.

•   For the continued growth of the new believers. We pray that they will be able to be plugged in with a local church and will be old with the Gospel with their friends and neighbors.

•   For our new Honduran friends that they will be encouraged in the Lord.

•   And for peace in Honduras. I was surprised to learn about how violent Honduras is.   The people here live with the constant threat of violence and are surrounded by poverty and corruption. Many of them feel that there is no hope, but we know that there is always hope in Christ.

Again, thank you for your prayer and support. It has been a great week!

Esperanza en Cristo,

Griffin Collins MS II

Tegucigalpa at night