Settling back in

I arrived in Honduras in the middle of the night on Tuesday. After 2 1/2 hours of sleep and 5 1/2 hours on 2 different buses, I finally arrived back at home on Wednesday afternoon. I was greeted by many hugs from all the kids from the children's center. I arrived with swollen feet, probably from all the sitting and heat, so didn't do much on Wednesday.
Thursday I started unpacking and had several visitors. Lucy (from Guatemala who helps at church) and Diana (spanish tutor and very good friend) came to visit Thursday morning. Spent the rest of the day unpacking and was called to the hospital that evening.
Friday...back to the hospital for clinic...and getting to hear the craziness of my time away.
Friday night...took 18 kids (with Liz and Alyssa who is helping now) from the children's center to a Coronation at the school. Iain has been really sick, so they were looking for a driver and I was just the person. :)

Reina and Andrea ready for the program to start

Norma and I taking pictures

Liz with her girls

Leaving the park for the 1/4 mile procession to the school.

The crowning of the  new school queen.

Another special wedding.

For my last weekend in the states, I was privileged to attend the wedding of a very special friend, Jennifer. Her and I met in Honduras at Hospital Loma de Luz in the summer of 2005...8 years ago! Crazy. I had just graduated from the Medical College of Georgia with my degree and she was leaving Honduras to go to medical school at the very same school. She knew that asking me to come to her wedding was almost impossible. However, I just extended my trip in the states by about another week and was able to go. :)

Jennifer and John's first dance.

Jennifer and I.

Family time

The past couple of weeks I have been in the states and had wonderful family time. My sister graduated from her Dental Assistant program on Saturday, August 27th. She was so excited. I was so glad to be able to attend her graduation.

Monday the 29th, my grandmother and uncle came in from New York and spend the whole week with us. They came in for my sister's wedding, but it was great to spend some extra time with them since they stayed at the house with us. The whole week before was lots of preparation for the wedding and tying up last minute details.
On Friday we spent almost 12 hours at the church decorating and getting things ready for the big day on Saturday. It was alot of fun making it pretty like she wanted. It was also alot of work!!! We were exhausted at the end of the day. We made the bouquets and boutonnieres and corsages with flowers we bought. We had to put the centerpieces together, set up the tables and set up an archway that my sister wanted in the church.
On Saturday...the big wedding day...we got up early for Mom and Shannon to get their hair done and be ready for pictures in the park at 10:30. Then we headed to the church. Got there early to do some last minute setting up, and then ready for the ceremony. It was beautiful.

Oh and I have to add one more detail...

Yes, I caught the bouquet...doesn't matter, does it, that it was only me and my 16 year old cousin. ;) She ended up on the floor. It was fun!

God's graciousness

Wow, what an exciting weekend it has been. Friday night we had a wedding at the church for a young couple that just came to know the Lord about 3 months ago. They were not content living together anymore without being formally married...one of the great works of the Holy Spirit. It is a privilege as a church to get behind couples and help them be obedient to the Lord by committing to one another in marriage. God is so gracious.

Marvin and Maria waiting to hear husband and wife.

Praying for their marriage.

me with the bride and groom.

Yesterday we had the second annual Hospital Loma de Luz road race. It was to benefit the indigent fund here at the hospital. This is a matching fund that helps our really poor patients with their hospital bills. It was lots of fun. We had 28 people sign up to run. It's fun to see the Hondurans run since it is not very cultural.

A few racing toward the finish line. :)

last few weeks

Update on Osiris: She was found to have leukemia. :( She has ALL or Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. She started her Chemotherapy about a week ago. She has received blood and platelets along with the Chemo to keep her levels up. Her dad was actually able to go visit her for a night. She has started a 3 year course of treatment according to the oncologist who is taking care of her. Please continue to pray for her and her mother Erlinda. Pray for healing and the finances they need to get her the treatment she needs.

Got to paint my new Sunday School classroom with a team that was here. They helped us paint it a nice cheery yellow.

New classroom and the guys working to build a cement base for a water tank.

Last week the kids were out of school for Student's week. I took the kids from the children's center to church for a bible school put on by a visiting team. They learned bible stories, did a craft, sang songs and played games. They had fun...it was too bad I was only able to take them 1 of the 2 days they did it.

kids listening to the Bible story

Kids playing a game outside

Famous Duck, Duck, Goose-boy did they have a blast.

Please pray

Please pray for a little girl named Osiris (8years old) who Dr. Joel sent to Tegucigalpa yesterday. She has been inpatient at the hospital for 2 weeks and is just not getting better. Her bone marrow is not making cells like it should and so all her blood counts are down, her Hematocrit, her Platelets, and her White blood cells. Dr. Joel sent her to Tegucigalpa for a bone marrow biopsy to see if she has Leukemia which is what it looks like.
The family is not very well off financially. The dad works, when he finds work, for about $5 a day to feed a family of 7. The mom (Erlinda) is a christian and is really finding her joy in this time in the Lord. We were able to send them off yesterday with some money for the trip, some snacks, and most important with prayer. We had taken up a donation from the employees to help with their trip. I am always so proud of how generous our employees are when we do something like this. All the employees fell in love with her while she was here inpatient. I got a phone call from her mom last night at 10pm that they had arrived in Tegucigalpa and were waiting in the emergency waiting room to be called back.

We drew Osiris' blood first thing so they could leave for Teguc. She has to wear a mask to protect her from things other people could pass to her since her immune system is compromised.

She pulled the mask down really fast so I could get a picture of her face.

Please pray they would see the people that the need to.
Please pray they would find out what Osiris has and be able to treat it.
Please pray for continued faith and perseverance of mom Erlinda.
Please pray for the Lord's strength for Osiris for whatever treatments and procedures she has to endure.
Please pray for work for the father to be able to sustain his family in this time.

Sunday School classroom #2...done!!!

After a week and a half of construction on my Sunday school classroom, it was done and ready for use on Sunday. What an exciting thing to dedicate this classroom to the Lord for His use. We had a prayer and dedication Sunday morning before splitting for Sunday school. The kids were so excited to be in their new classroom.

Some of the kids from Children's Center checking out the new construction with me.  :)

Prayer of dedication

First Sunday School class in new classroom.

I just have to say I am so in awe of God's faithfulness. He is sooo GOOD! It seemed impossible to build these new classrooms. We had spent a lot of the offering to put the tile in the church, so didn't have much. These classrooms were going to cost about $600 each. That's more than we have in the offering. That's a lot of money, Lord. How is this ever going to happen. We worked together as a body doing activities: raffles, selling baked goods, yard sale, etc in order to raise the funds. Wow, I am so in awe of God's awesomeness. We were able to build 2 classrooms in less than 3 months.

This week, a team from the states will smooth out the cement walls and columns. Next week, they will paint it, so that it is pretty. They will also pour a cement floor in the 3 Sunday school classroom that doesn't need to be rebuilt. This will finish the project of rebuilding the Sunday school classrooms that we have worked so hard for over the last several months. I will re-post pictures of them painted sometime next week.