Honduras - Day 2

Still getting used to the jet lag. I woke up around 4:30 just as ready to go as ever! But I ended up using this time to pray and focus my thoughts on what I was on this trip for. When everyone finally got up and got ready we went downstairs and ate our first of many Honduran breakfasts. This consisted of bread, eggs, fruit, and re-fried beans (yes they eat beans at ever meal...I guess I should get over my dislike of beans). After a prayer and a song we loaded up into the vans and headed to Zamorano. Adam was our driver and we all instantly loved him! He lived in California for fifteen years but when he went through a divorce he moved back to Honduras, met Walter and got a job driving the vans for our brigade. And yes, I fully believe that that was a God thing. Also in our van was Nahum who Mr. Greg calls Shrek. Of course "Shrek" stuck with everyone and that is what we called him the rest of the trip. He also spoke English so he was another one we ended up bonding with over the course of the week.

We got to the church and Laura and I helped set up the clinic. Then for about thirty minutes Hector (the doctor) taught us how to take blood pressure, check the lungs for infection, and how to give shots! Only in Honduras can you learn how to be a nurse in thirty minutes and then spend the rest of the day seeing patients. It was amazing! We ended up seeing over two hundred patients. This whole experience really made me appreciate my health and my ability to see a doctor on a regular basis. Hector explained to us that the doctors in Honduras would see patients, tell them what was wrong, but then not be able to provide them with a cure or even a prescription. The patients would come in and Hector would ask them some questions and then Laura and I would check their vitals and basically do whatever Hector told us. If they had an infection we would give them a shot of amoxicillin. We saw patients for nine hours straight. We didn't even take a break for lunch. It was amazing how I didn't even get hungry. I was so focused on helping these people and working with Hector that I didn't even think about eating. After all the patients were through, I had Hector check ears because they were still bothering me from the flight. So...he diagnosed me with an ear and sinus infection, who would have thought!

Checking vitals at the clinic

VBS for the kids

It was a long, hot and tiring day but it was such a blessing to help all those people. But of course, we were not the only ones working all day. There was also a group working in the pharmacy. Hector would fill out a prescription, give it to the patient and they would go over to the pharmacy where they would receive their medicine. There was also a group putting on a VBS for the kids. God was definitely present today. Just seeing the smiles on the people's faces when they go to see a doctor, warmed my heart. I was so blessed to be in the presence of such gracious people. After we cleaned up, we loaded up into the vans and drove back to the hotel. The drive back was much quieter because we were all so tired. We dropped some people off at the hotel and then a group of us went to Pizza Hut for dinner. We had a really fun night that ended up with a mini food fight that, of course, was started by Shrek and Walter. Day 2 and we are already enjoying the company of the Hondurans and feeling a peace about the work we have already done.