Please pray for Yajaira

Please pray for Yajaira, Calix's little 3 year old cousin. When mom and dad were here in April, Yajaira was just a normal little girl who played with her brothers and sisters. Shortly thereafter, her family started to notice that her stomach started growing. They took her to the Centro de Salud (public health clinic), and she was treated for parasites. When that didn't work, and she kept getting bigger, they took her to the hospital. She looks like a little malnourished kid with skinny legs and arms and a very distended, hard belly. So after an abdominal ultrasound and an abdominal CT scan she was found to have a renal tumor, called a Wilms Tumor which is taking up about half of her abdomen.
Our Pediatrician made some phone calls and found a pediatric surgeon willing to do the surgery and the oncologist willing to treat her. (Thankful to have made these contacts with Dr. Judy about 2 months ago on a trip to explore options for our pediatric patients.) The family was sent one week later to San Pedro Sula to admit her to the cancer ward of the public hospital. I went with them to accompany them and help them get the care they needed.
Wednesday morning around 11:30, after a 6 hour bus trip, we arrived at the Pediatric emergency room of the public hospital in San Pedro Sula. The medical student that was attending patients, took us to see the doctor and they said there was no space, so she would have to be admitted to the emergency room. After waiting 4 hours to be admitted and nothing happening, we finally got her seen by a pediatrician (bc I went looking for help), who talked to the Oncologist and she was able to go home for the night. (So thankful they have family in San Pedro Sula) So the next morning we had to be at the Honduran children's cancer clinic at 7am. After review by the doctor, she was considered critical, because the tumor had started causing heart problems...tachycardia and a heart murmur. She was started on Chemotherapy that day (Thursday). They have to shrink the tumor with Chemo before they can take it out, because right now it is dangerously big to operate on.
Friday (yesterday), we had to go back to get a treatment plan. She will have 24 weeks of treatment. 10 weeks of Chemo therapy, with the surgery for the tumor around week 6 (if it has shrunk enough). Then every 3 weeks after that, she will need radiation therapy for the next 14 weeks.
So, please pray for the treatment to work, the tumor to shrink and for them to be able to easily take out the tumor. That Yajaira would resist the strong Chemo drugs she is being given and would have enough strength for the surgery in 6 weeks. Pray that the murmur they heard is just caused from the tumor, and she doesn't have heart problems as well that would require surgery or postpone the surgery for the tumor. Thankful I was able to go with them to help them get into the Honduran foundation for children with cancer and that this foundation exists and that they have wonderful doctors and nurses. God is so good and so faithful!

Yajaira-red shirt, picture taken last fall

Yard sale = new Sunday School classroom

Last year our church had a yard sale and made over $500 and was able to build a new Sunday school classroom. This year, we didn't have as much stuff, but we did another yard sale. We made about $275 and added it to the money from other activities and had enough to build our 3rd classroom.

Trying stuff on to see if it fits!

Yard sale...several tables of good stuff.

Because we made enough money in the yard sale, a week later, we started building the 3rd Sunday school classroom. I love to see our church get together to do a project and accomplish big things. These are people who don't have lots of money. But they have seen when we do activities to raise funds, we can make the money to do the projects that we want to accomplish.

About 10 guys from the surrounding communities helping us build.

I Love Bananas!

I love bananas, but even more ones that I planted and have taken care of for the last year. I now get to enjoy the fruit of my labor. I have the small bananas right now that are ripening each day. They are hanging on my porch.

Cutting the bananas off the tree with a machete.

Bananas ready to hang and wait for ripening. 

The Bible talks so much about sowing and reaping, that it is so neat to see this come to fruition. I have sowed banana plants, and now have reaped the fruits of my labor and have fresh bananas everyday for a couple of days.

My bananas hanging on my porch

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.

For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.

So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.

Galatians 6:7-10

Happy Easter!!!

Today was very blessed. I got up at 3:50am to start making preparations for our sunrise service at church. We started the service about 5:40am with prayer and praise. It was a cloudy day, so sadly we didn't get to see the sun rise. We finished up about 6:30 and a nice breakfast together as a congregation. We ate breakfast casserole, beans, fruit, juice and coffee. It was so much food that I couldn't eat it all. Then we had our regular service and finished up about 9:30am.

Everyone ready to start the service.

The hike up to the top.

Singing praises.

After church, I went home and made a squash casserole for Easter lunch before heading to the missionary church service. Wonderful sermon with wonderful music. Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed! Thankful for the life I have in Christ's resurrection.

Decorating a wooden cross with flowers...a missionary tradition here.

Beautiful finished product.

I had lunch with several of the single ladies who are here right now, some short term and some long term, and 2 of the Honduran girls from the girls home. It was a delightful lunch filled with good food and good fellowship. (sorry, forgot my camera, no pictures)

Then came back and watched the little ones from the children's center do an Easter egg hunt. They would find an egg and stop and eat the candy. They didn't get the concept that you are supposed to look for all you can find and then sit down and eat the candy. It was fun to watch. 

If you didn't get candy, you got a little tiny toy chick. :)

showing off her candy.

Team came!

I had a wonderful time with my team a couple of weeks ago. They worked on fixing up the casitas (sanctuary housing) here at Hospital Loma de Luz. I live in one of the 6 casitas and so, they got to work in my house too. We also had lunch at my house two days on my porch. I got to work with them on Friday, which was a lot of fun. :)

Outside staff housing before leaving for church on Sunday.

Painting the bars for the windows.

Break for Baleadas

Nancy putting up curtains.

The kids from children's center helping Ralph to sand doors.

Lars and Tim working in the bodega (workshop) making the bunkbeds for 2 casitas.

Team after a full day of work on Friday...in front of one of the casitas. 

I can't wait to hear all the stories from this year of how God worked in everyone's lives. Thanks for all you guys did while you were here. I was very blessed by you guys this year. 

Osiris Update

Osiris came for a visit today and got to see her little brother and sister also (living at children's center). They came to the hospital first, then we took them down to the children's center.

Osiris was so thrilled to show us how famous she is. She is the new model for the Honduran children's cancer foundation. You can see her at www.salvamivida.org She is also going to be in a commercial for the cancer foundation too. Her treatment is coming along well and the doctors say she is responding well. I asked her mom, Erlinda, how many units of blood and platelets she has received. She has gotten 14 units of blood and 16 units of platelets. She is starting to grow again and actually looks stronger and healthier. 

Osiris showing us on the internet her famous picture.

She had to show all the docs too. ;)

Then we went down to the children's center and had a grand reunion with little brother and sister.

Huge hugs!

Mom and baby Dilcia

Hilber, Dilcia, and Osiris

Osiris had to go visit everyone. After being inpatient for 2 weeks and being very sick for such a long time, she knows just about all of the employees.

Visiting nurses and Tomas in the Emergency Room

Me and Osiris

Busy times

I have been super busy lately. I have had to go in late at night several times in the last couple of weeks, which make for tired days. We have had 3 patients pass away in the hospital in the last month and a half. One of them was an employee's 7 month old son. All 3 have been difficult for their different reasons...young being one.
I have gotten to teach some at church lately. I preached on 1 Peter 1:1-9. What a joyous passage of scripture that speaks about how we are chosen, have an imperishable inheritance stored up in heaven for us, that we have a living hope and joy in salvation. I also got to teach for father's day, which was March 19th. They celebrate Father's day in March because of the history of Catholicism, they celebrate on the day of San Jose, Jesus' father. We had a very nice sit down dinner with a program for our fathers in the church.

Father's day dinner

We had a church barbecue to help raise money for some of the projects we have going on. We still need to build another classroom, buy a new sound system, build a storage shed, and secure our water system (this doesn't include the small projects).

Cooking and starting to serve food

Children's center kids and workers eating lunch

Had 2 delightful boys for dinner one night recently. They wanted to try my food, so I made pizza and they ate it! Louis started having a laughing fit as they were leaving. He said a word that I didn't understand, and then he couldn't stop laughing. Reminded me of myself when I was younger. :)

Louis(left) and Elkin(right)-I'm not really wearing a lampshade on my head!