Thursday (by Tim)

Today we got to hear a little bit more about the structure of the organization down here in La Ceiba. The whole operation is run by the church “Iglesia Gran Comision”. The church has two locations in La Ceiba, one in the city center and one up by the clinic. There are many other “Gran Comision” churches in Honduras and throughout Latin America. As well as all the normal church activities, the church runs three different ministries: “Total Health”, "Total Housing” and the “Child Development Center”. 

Total Health runs the clinic and provides affordable medical and dental care for those that otherwise would not be able to afford it. 

Total Housing partners with local contractors and short-term missions teams from the US to build homes for families within the church. The families have to provide the land but the cost of materials (about $5000) comes from the construction teams. 

The Child Development Center provides nutrition, healthcare and after school tutoring for kids in the local community. Funding for this program is provided by sponsors from the US (about $45 per child per month). 

All three ministries employ local staff and operate under the guidance of the church. As a team we just come along side of the locals and offer support, encouragement and help out where we can. Sometimes it is hard to tell whether we are serving them or they are serving us. We are all broken and need the love of Christ to heal us as we work together to build His Kingdom. This is exactly how a short term missions trip should work! The Gospel is being lived out in very practical ways as the church reaches out to the community and meets not only the spiritual needs but also the physical needs of the people in La Ceiba. It is exciting for us to be able to play a very small part in this amazing ministry.

Thursday Pictures

Cassie with some friends at the "Child Development Center"

Walter consulting with a patient at the clinic

Nick got to go to dental school

Stacy still working on the filing project....

Tim and Louis hand mixing concrete for the wall

The pre-clinic team in the office

Cassie showing the boys how to play "futbol"

The team got to spend a couple of hours at the beach!

This evening we took our host families out for dinner -
our family chose Applebees

Wednesday (by Cassie)

Today God has spoken to me of His provision that comes in the wake of our own poverty.  During worship tonight the refrain of a song “Where could I go, but to God?” repeated in my head long after we had finished singing and it caused me to reflect on how God has provided all that we needed today; even when we felt stretched beyond our natural abilities (and then even more so).  I thought of how Lynette gave her devotional for the whole clinic team; sharing the word that the Lord had given her to encourage others, all while using a translator which provided an extra challenge. And of Nick who has helped out in just about every area from dental care, taking blood pressures to acting out the part of a lion in a children’s story.  It made me think of Tim standing in the hot sun for hours working on a wall that will protect the church with local laborers and of Sara and Jeff who went the extra mile today to provide the best care for a patient even when it was beyond her means.  In all that went on today in our interactions with our brothers and sisters in Christ and with those who are made in the image of God but who do not yet know Him, I see God weaving together our strengths and our weaknesses with generous provision in order to see His Kingdom come and His will done here in this little corner of La Ceiba, Honduras.

Wednesday Pictures

The team and some local staff visiting a neighborhood
close to the clinic

Nick getting in some extra credit for his
 "Opportunity in Emergency Care" program
which he does through Osseo high school

This girl came in with black teeth and left after almost
3 hours with gleaming white teeth

Nick helping out with taking blood pressure

Many of the houses in this neighborhood are constructed
with help from the local church and teams from the US

Two cute little girls at the clinic

Loren acting out "David & Goliath" at a local school

More cute kids in their school uniforms

Tim playing marbles with a little boy
who was really good at playing marbles!

Tim, Santos and Louis working hard on the wall

Tuesday (by Sara)

Being in Honduras has turned out to be a wonderful experience for me. The weather is hot and humid, but I don't mind it :-) The scenery is beautiful and there are plenty of new things to experience from the new foods to the roads and the crazy traffic we have to drive in! Working with Jeff in the dental clinic has been a great experience as well. We see about 4 patients in the morning and 3-4 in the afternoon depending on how complicated the procedure is. Since I work as an orthodontic dental assistant in the U.S. I was worried I wouldn't catch on as a general dental assistant in Honduras. But I'm getting better every day and God has blessed me with a wonderful dentist to work with and many grateful patients. One patient I recall was a little boy about 10 years old; he came because his gums hurt. We discovered he had an abscessed tooth so we had to take it out. The tooth was not easy to extract, but he was very brave. Please pray for the patients and people we come into contact with. I am looking forward to what God has planned for us for the rest of the week.

Tuesday Pictures

Cassie teaching a Bible lesson at a school
in the local community

Ann with a patient at the clinic

Jeff & Sara are working great together - he is glad to
have a real dental assistant to work with this year!

Mother & son spend some special family time together

Walter, Desiree, Stacy and a friend still working on the
filing project in the office at the clinic

Loren sharing the Gospel with some lost sheep :-)

Loren, Tim & Jeff outside the clinic

Monday (by Desiree)

This morning I was up at 6am, it wasn't hard to get up - I slept well...wait until the middle of the week, I'm sure I'll be very tired and have a hard time getting up. We had a good breakfast: juice, coffee, cheese & ham sandwiches, papayas and cantaloupe - the fruit is sooo fresh and tastes much better than the fruit we get in Minnesota at this time of year! We arrived at the clinic about 8am and started the day with a devotional time with the local staff and team all together. Pastor Russell talked about people having an attitude thinking that they are better than everyone else. We are all created equal, in the image of God and should treat others with respect and dignity. We are all still in the process of learning to have the right attitude and growing in God's word. We all have jobs assigned today - Lynette and Ann are triaging patients, Nicholas, Stacey and I are pulling old charts so they can reuse the folders and cards. Tim, Loren and Cassie are doing devotions, tutoring and playing with the kids - mainly playing :-) Jeff and Sara are doing their dental stuff and Walter is very busy seeing patients, helping the other staff and organizing our team. It has been a great day, we are eating dinner in the home's of out host families this evening and then getting some rest.

Monday Pictures

Loren meeting one of the construction guys
Cassie with our new friend Gloria

Cassie leading devotions with the kids (and Loren)
the story was about Abraham and Isaac

The church and the nutrition center where the kids
come for a meal, devotions and homework tuition

Inside the nutrition center having lunch

The team having Lasagna for lunch outside -
fortunately in the shade (today's high was 90 degrees) 

Tim and Gloria being beaten at Foozball - mainly Tim's fault

The team working together on a filing issue!

Push me - again, again, again, again..........

Loren letting the little kid beat him at marbles

The dental team - Jeff, Sara, translator and patient

Cassie, Sara, Desiree & Nick at church on Sunday evening

Arrived Safely

We arrived safely in Honduras at 4pm local time...which is the same as Minnesota time! All our luggage arrived safely too - praise God. It was a fairly uneventful trip - we made the 40 minute connection in Atlanta without any problem. The little plane that bought us into La Ceiba was interesting - just our team and about 6 other people, the pilot and co-pilot. While here we stay in people´s homes, ours hosts are very gracious and welcoming. Tonight we are going to church and then going out to eat. Stay tuned to this blog for daily updates (hopefully) and maybe some pictures when we figure out the technology. Thanks for your continued prayers.

Sara and the little plane that took us to La Ceiba

Walter very cramped inside the cabin

Packing Medical Supplies

Tonight we are gathering at Walter's office to pack medical supplies for the trip.  Things are really starting to happen now......we leave early Sunday morning!