Praise the Lord, the chair is fixed!

 

      Up early this morning to move tables and supplies from the ranch and Maynor’s office to the hospital.  There was one surprise, the overhead light fixtures is now working – no more sterilization in the dark!   

      Randy, Charlie, and Kathy arrived without problem about 2:30 p.m.  After greetings and gossip we enjoyed an excellent chicken lunch.  We then all went to the hospital to finish setting up the dental clinic.  Thanks to Stanley (one of our excellent translators) the dental chair WAS REPAIRED.  The new patient lights make a significant difference, no longer is a helper needed to hold a flashlight.

     We returned to the ranch at 5:45 ready for dinner and a well deserved rest.

I can see the mountains again

          Monday morning saw us off to the mountains again, this time to La Montanita a mountain top community above the electrical grid.  However the citizens are watching the progress of the electrical distribution grid slowly climbing up the mountain.  Upon arrival Juana graciously invited us to her home for delicious Honduran coffee and home baked donuts.  This was a wonderful treat and all enjoyed.

 

          After coffee and donuts the team set up our clinics. We had 104 children and 20 other village members go through our hygiene stations, each child going home with a new toothbrush.  

 

            During the eye clinic we examined 34 patients dispensing 38 pair of glasses.   

        One 88 year old man exclaimed with a BIG smile “I can see the mountains again!”   

          Following the eye clinic Maynor and Dr Tino examined and treated 45 patients – no twins this time. 

          While Maynor and Dr. Tino were conducting the medical exams, Kathy, Tommy, Alan, and Daniel returned to Quimistan to move the dental clinic supplies from the ranch to the hospital.  The only problem encountered was that one of the two dental chairs, kept in storage at the hospital, was found to be locked in the full up position.  Even with Alan’s added weight we could not get the chair down.   

          During dinner Maynor and Daniel went back to the hospital with a collection of tools to attempt repairs. Watch for updates in tomorrow’s blog entry.  After supper the team restocked the traveling stock of eye glasses.

         Tuesday while we await the arrival of the dentists we will finish moving the supplies from Maynor’s office and scrubbing down the equipment.  The dental clinic will be open for business Wednesday and Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. plus Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Sunday Bible Studies

           This morning the team had the pleasure of attending the Tejeras feeding and bible study.  Two AP students assisted Sandra and Pastor Wilmer in conducting the program for 64 children.  The Tejeras “community” is a group of squatters’ huts alongside the main highway from San Pedro Sula through Quimistan to Guatemala.  Heavy trucks and buses zoom up and down the road.  The plot of land used for the program is located just at the highway’s edge.  The children walk along the side of the busy road to come to the meeting place.  After the bible study was concluded the team assisted in feeding the children – most likely their only hot meal of the day.    HAF also sponsors two other hot meal feedings during the week.

 

          The afternoon was spent with the Agape Promises children attending their weekly Sunday school activities.  The program is held at the El Porvenir Kindergarten in Quimistan.  The children are split into two major groups by age.  The younger children meet in one of the two classrooms while the teenagers gather in a circle on the lawn.  The little ones are very active and attentive in their lessons; while the teenagers, as almost they universally do, had a great discussion of the lesson presented.  After a hot meal the team enjoyed interacting with the children.  Some 69 children were present. Forty-five of the sponsored 50 AP students plus 24 additional friends and possible future AP students were in attendance.

  

          Tommy took time to take individual pictures of all the AP sponsored children.  A copy of each child’s picture will be given to them and also sent on to their sponsor(s).

Bible Study with Sister Martha

     Saturday morning was spent with the team visiting with their sponsored children.  Alan went shoe shopping with his two new girls (Edrai – 4th grade and Cesai – 3^rd grade).  Typical of women shopping for shoes we went into 6 or 7 stores and tried on 20 or more pairs of shoes.  Yes, we were successful.  After shopping for shoes we headed for a local department store for school supplies.   

     Kathy visited with Lenis and Ingrid, the two girls she helps sponsor.  She met them for the first time this trip and gave them some girly gifts.  After raising two boys in the states it is different to have two girls in Honduras.

 

     Tommy had a great visit with 11^th-grader Sonia and her 2 sisters late morning through lunch, which included some time on Martha’s swings.  They then joined us at Martha’s Bible school, along with Tommy’s other sponsored child, 5^th-grader Jessy and her family.  Jessy and family then returned to the ranch for a visit and some photos.  Even though the timing did not go as originally planned, it was all worked out in God’s timing, which worked it out much better, as it always does.

     During the late morning and early afternoon the team sorted eye glasses to replenish the traveling stock as Monday we will conduct another eye clinic.  Additionally the team gathered the supplies for the dental clinic to be held Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

     At mid-afternoon we journeyed across town to join Sister Martha’s bible school class.  This is one of the two weekly classes she conducts for some 260 children from nine different churches in Quimistan.  The bible study is conducted in a covered outdoor patio.  After the 90 minute animated lesson the children were feed a meal.  Sister Martha and her two teaching assistants held the children’s attention the entire time.