6 week catch-up

I went to the states for the birth of my first nephew. He was born January 17th at 6:16am weighing 6lbs 11oz. I'm officially an AUNT. (I already had several prosthetic nieces and nephews) It was a joy to be there for his entrance into the world. He is growing so fast now and gaining weight and doing well. He just turned a month old and my sister just went back to work.

I got back to Home to Honduras 3 days later than expected because of a cancelled flight due to snow and ice. I came back to lots of visitors and new full time missionaries. There are so many people here right now, it is overwhelming to me. Came back to the change in clinic schedule the following week and lots of changes going on at the hospital. 

I got to give out school supplies that Word of God Lutheran Church donated for the kids at the church. It was a fun surprise for all of them and a great help to those families who have several kids in school and can't afford all the supplies.

Giving out school supplies to my Sunday School class

This past weekend we had the directors from Christians in Action Latin America here from Guatemala for a visit at the church. We had a very busy weekend with a couples teaching on Valentine's day, a church leaders meeting on Saturday and a celebration church service with several other churches we had invited, then a business meeting on Sunday afternoon after church. All great things, but not always the most fun. I have been elected the superintendent of Sunday School and will have more responsibility now with Sunday school. I love the kids at the church and am honored to have this responsibility of their learning.

We are starting to do more fundraisers at the church to raise money for several projects, including the water project (dug well with pump to a water tank, then into the church), a shed for storing supplies, and another Sunday School classroom. There are other things we would also like to do, but these are top priority right now. 

Adventures of rainy season

Yesterday I needed to get to town to submit my residency paperwork to the Immigration office before I leave for the states next week. Well, after rain all night, there were no buses passing, not many cars either. But, the Pirkles decided we were still going to try to go to town. I was thrilled because eventhough there was lots of rain, I really needed to submit my paperwork. We stopped about halfway to the paved road where there usually is no water...and this is what we came to.

Dr. Vance trying the water to see how deep and strong the current is.

We were not brave enough to try it until 2 other cars passed through. We waited at least half an hour.

Yeah! Once past this and another about a mile up, we were off!

So, got to town and got my paperwork submitted for residency. So, it's official. I am a Honduran Resident. Now just waiting on the card...which could take months with the new change in government this month.

My temporary paper showing I am a resident.

After hearing that another missionary turned around not being able to cross a river, we didn't think we were going to be able to get home either. Much to our delight, the river had gone down and was passable when we arrived. Home safe and sound and ready for the states next week with Residency paperwork in hand. God is so good!

baking cake

I had a wonderful afternoon today with my friend Veronica. I taught her how to make cake and she taught me how to use an oven made of mud with wood as the heat. The mud wood stoves are more common than a gas stove here, especially where we are in the campo (fields-middle of nowhere) and in the mountains. We got her oven fixed with a little door a couple of weeks ago, so today after about a month and a half of talking about making cake, we finally did.

Cake is in the oven

Veronica with her first homemade cake

The kids were so anxious to try it!

Finished product. :)

Please pray for Veronica this month. This time last year her husband was murdered in San Pedro Sula and we all walked through that tragedy with her. She has done so well this year and really beaten many odds. At first she was so depressed, she wanted to die so she could be with him. Then she finally realized this is not what her husband would want or what the Lord would want. She fixed her house back up, and moved back in without her husband. She has put a new thatched roof on her mud hut, put in a cement floor, and payed her two kids way through school last year. 

Now she is ready to start making cakes for her kids birthdays, etc. She was thrilled to learn how easy it was. It was a joy to spend a Sunday afternoon with her.

Visit with Osiris

Last Thursday I went to visit little Osiris during their 2 week vacation for Christmas. It was the day after Christmas and I wanted to bring them their little Christmas presents and see them one more time before they headed back to the capital of Tegucigalpa. I went with my friend Deyni, a medical student, who is studying in Tegucigalpa and met them there. We played, chatted, and prayed with the family.

Osiris in her princess dress that she went and put on specifically to show me. :)

Osiris with little sister, Dilcia, and little brother Hilber.

Osiris has more stuff animals than she has had in her life...she
decided to show them all to me by piling them up in my arms.

My dear friend Deyni and I. Osiris took our picture. :)

Osiris' family.

It's amazing to see how this family has grown. There is so much joy. There are lots of toys. There is lots of love.  As a family of 7 (one not pictured), with only the father working when he finds work, this father has struggled to provide for his family. Deyni said to me when we left their house, "What if God just wanted to use this experience to bless them? They are stronger, they are more loving, and closer to the Lord. The kids also have more toys now then they have ever had in their entire lives. There was a sack full of toys and stuffed animals. Even the kids know they have been blessed this year.

Merry Christmas

I hope everyone is ready, or almost ready for Christmas tomorrow.
We have started celebrating Christmas already here in Honduras. We started with a lab Christmas party on the 14th. I had the 5 lab employees over to the house and we had lasagna, salad, bread and apple pie. :) And of course secret santa.

Gloria was my secret santa.

Everyone at my house.

Last Friday (20th), they had the employee Christmas party at the hospital. All the employees are invited for a nice dinner with singing, Christmas music, and of course presents and candy. I didn't volunteer to help this year, since in the past, we have still had patients in the afternoon. They had an enjoyable time. 

Table with employees :)

Missionaries serving the food.

On Saturday, I was able to attend the wedding celebration of one of my best friends here in Honduras. Diana, my Spanish tutor, who taught me Spanish for my first 6 months here, got married on the 10 and celebrated with friends and family on the 21st. It was so exciting to see their relationship develop after her waiting of 32 years for the man of God that the Lord had for her. It was a joyous celebration.

Diana and I.

Cutting of the cake

Calix and I with Diana and Gerardo

Another with Leukemia

Last week, we sent another child, Julio, from the hospital to Tegucigalpa, the capital, for probable Leukemia. We gave him a blood transfusion on Friday, then they had the weekend to pack and get ready to leave for the capital. He arrived last Tuesday to the hospital in Teguc and received the diagnosis this week after about a week of testing. His blood was sent to Guatemala for specification of the type of Leukemia he had. He has probably from what I can tell AML, Acute Myeloid Leukemia. The most hope for these kids is a bone marrow transplant which they don't do here in Honduras. His mom, Sandra, is with him and is very concerned. She is very anxious and concerned for her son. She left 3 kids behind to bring him to Teguc. She is already ready to leave and desperate to leave. They have told her that he will need to be inpatient for 10 months before they are able to leave.
Erlinda, Osiris' mom, has been taking her everywhere and teaching her the ropes of having a child in the hospital with Leukemia. She says that children with the type of leukemia that Julio has almost all die. She hasn't seen one yet that has lived in her 5 months of being at the hospital. They say there is a 50% chance that the treatment will work. That's not very high odds.
Please pray for this family.
Pray for:

• healing for Juilo's little body
• hope for mom Sandra
• wisdom of Erlinda as to how to encourage knowing there is not much hope
• wisdom for the doctors treating Julio

• 

  Julio and mom Sandra at the hospital

Rain rain go away!

Well it's been raining for 3 days now, since Tuesday night. Yesterday we had a little pauses from the rain and then it would start again. Rained all night last night and all day today without stopping. (As of this morning we had gotten 15in of rain in the last 56 hours). The rivers are flooded and at times are impassable. Some of the lower lying streets are flooded as well. Went to see the river in Lucinda today and it was about waist high as people were crossing on foot. Employees were bringing clothes so they were ready to stay the night if needed. (As I am writing this, it has stopped raining...hopefully for good and we will see the sun tomorrow!)
With the large amounts of rain have come the power outages. Also, the water system here at the children's center needs all new tubing, but the hospital doesn't have the money right now to fix it. So, I have been blessed with water a couple of times since Tuesday. I try to take advantage and shower and wash dishes when I have water. I have been collecting rain water to flush the toilet and wash dishes when needed.
When the rain comes, it gets cold. Cold here is in the low 70's. This morning it was 70F in my house when I woke up. This is when we break out the sweaters, slippers, and warm blankets. With the humidity and very open houses, it always feels colder.
Taking advantage now of the electricity and internet.