Week 4

Week 4 of the nurses station went great! We now have a roof, floor and windows. Still more things will need to be done this week, like installing the bathroom sink/toilet, making and installing the cabinets and finishing the opening to the hospital.

The floor...really wet still.

This week was a little hindered by rain and holidays, but still saw good progression! Looks good and just about ready for the team to get here to do the finishing touches. :)

Boda (Wedding)

Weddings are a rarity here in Honduras and very special when they are celebrated. We celebrated a wedding Saturday night at church for a couple (Herminio and Dinora)in their 50's who finally got married after more than 20 years together and 7 children. I came back a day early from Guatemala to be here for the wedding. It was a special day and built the community of the body as we all chipped in to help make that day special with decorations, food, cake making, serving, etc.

Hermino's sister, Catalina walking him to his chair up front

The lovely couple
Herminio and Dinora

The church got pretty full and we actually ran out of plates.

Accepting vows

two of Dinora's children (Raul and Bessy) walked her down the aisle

Their story is a great one! They raised their children Catholic and after Raul(pictured above) was born again, his father was so angry with him and so disappointed. After about a year of witness by their children who one after the other kept coming to Christ, He finally came to know the Lord as His Savior. Dinora was a few months following. This was last year. They finally got married Saturday in obedience to the Lord and will both be baptized next weekend. The churches here do not allow people to be members of the churches if they are not legally married and are just living together. So, after the baptisms next weekend, we will have 2 new actively participating members of the church. What a joy and a blessing it is to be a part of the work God is doing!!! :)

week 3

Week 3 of nurses addition went great in my absence...like I really do anything to help...I just take the pictures. Here is a picture of what they finished while I was away...this was first thing this morning.
It is going up so fast that they say they should be done this week. :) It will be so ready for the team in 2 weeks.

Guatemala visa trip

Antigua procession for Semana Santa (Holy week)

Took a trip to Guatemala to visit Norma, a missionary friend in Guatemala who used to be here at the  hospital. She left for Guatemala in July of last year. I had to leave the country for a visa trip...I have to leave every 90 days since I don't have residency here in Honduras. I had a very enjoyable visit with her. We were able to go to the famous Antigua and Panajachel (at lake Atitlan).

It was neat to see Antigua in their processions of Lent. Antigua is a very catholic town and these processions are very well know. They march every weekend of lent until Easter. They start by making these beautiful sawdust carpets. Some are made with flowers, rice, wheat, grass, sawdust, etc. No one is allowed to touch them until the procession comes through. In participating in this procession, it is part of their earning their way into heaven.

Lake Atitlan was beautiful. It is surrounded by several volcanoes and 12 villages that have the names of the 12 apostles. We took a boat ride over to the other side of the lake to see another village. It was kind of foggy in the whole country because the farmers burn their fields in the weeks leading up to Semana santa.

Norma and I waiting for the boat to fill up so we could start the adventure to the other side.

Sunset from hotel roof

View of the mountains on the boat

Panajachel-view from the lake

Week 2

Week 2 (March 11-15) of the nurses station addition was inhibited a bit by rain. However, from what I hear, week 3 (March 18-22) should have gone on without a hitch. I was in Guatemala, so these pics will follow after I get to the hospital and see how far they have come. :)

week 1

Week one of construction is done on the nurses station addition. It is looking great and going up so fast...just a few more lines to go and we will have all the walls.

Day 5 of construction

We had the privilege of welcoming twins into the world on Monday. The twins were born by C-section at about 35 weeks because they didn't want the mom going into labor on her own. They have known for a while that these twins might be a problem because one was twice the size of the other...what I am told they call disproportionate twins. One weighed in at 2.5lbs and the other close to 5lbs. This is only the second case I have seen like that here after another case back in October where all 3 almost died. Because of their situation, right after birth, the pediatrician ordered blood work to see where they were at. It's not easy getting blood on a 2lb baby. Thankfully they were doing better than she thought.

Left-5lb, Right 2.5lb
Cute little fleeces someone donated are helping them maintain body temp.

Got to go to a birthday party yesterday at lunchtime. My Honduran family had invited me to a special lunch for a little girl who was turning 3. They would be doing the pinata later in the day, and I wouldn't be able to go, so we just took pictures with it. Melissa was so in love with her pinata of Minnie Mouse. She was too cute giving her big hugs.

Melissa and her pinata

Nurses station addition

Over the next month, I will do several updates on the nurses station addition to Hospital Loma de Luz. I have a team coming down on April 6th from Word of God Lutheran Church in Peachtree city, Ga. They have generously provided the hospital with the finances in order to make this building project a reality.

Our current nurses station

As you can see our current nurses station is small, but adequate. The addition being built on right through those windows will provide a break room for our nurses. Right now, the nurses have to go about halfway across the hospital to eat lunches, heat up meals for patients, heat up bottles for babies, etc. Having this break room built on, will give them much closer access to their patients when there are critical patients on the floor. They will not have to leave them to go use the microwave and can be close at hand. It is a huge blessing to our nurses and to our patients that this vision is finally coming to fruition. 

Day 2 of construction

Construction was started yesterday, March 4th, with one month of building before the team arrives.

english class

Delmy (left) and Lindy (right)

I enjoy English class twice a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays since there is no clinic) with 2 wonderful Christian ladies. They are so much fun. We have class at the Honduran house I used to live at. It gives me a good excuse to go and visit with them as well.

Please pray for Karla, the missionary from Honduras that is in Mauritania. Her sister passed away this week from cancer. Since she is out of the country, she is not able to be with her family or daughter during this time of grief. She seems to be doing well, but please keep her in your prayers.
This is one of the hardest things for me being away from family and friends...you can't be there for everything that happens with family and close friends. Life goes on without you there. God is in control and is always good even though sometimes we may not understand His ways.
So, please pray for Karla during this difficult time away from her family.