Rachael’s Blog

Leaving on a jet plane

Well, I think my first plane is actually a prop, but I’ll get to the jet planes eventually!

First things first, I have exciting news (which everyone on Facebook probably already knows): I have a new nephew! His name is Caleb, he was born a week ago and is now at home living with his parents.  I’ve already seen him (and heard him) on Skype, but I’ll get to meet him in just over a week. I can’t wait!

Moving on…

One month ago, I was packing my bags preparing for an adventure in Honduras. As I wait for my flight out tomorrow, I’m sitting in the hotel in La Ceiba, reflecting on all that’s happened. I scarcely know where to begin. I want to catch everyone up on the last couple weeks, but so much has happened! I guess I’ll do my best to capture all the highlights.

About two weeks ago, a new medical student from South Carolina arrived. It was really great having her around. We spent a lot of time together, eating dinner, going on walks, riding the bus into town(!). I’m really grateful she was there, because having someone else with whom to share the experiences helped get me out of the hospital area. I’d been wanting to get out and see more of the community, and Kelly being here really helped with that.

As I mentioned above, last Saturday we decided to take the bus into town instead of riding with some of the missionaries going in. I was really wanting to experience life as it is for the Hondurans, and this was just the thing. We caught the 9am bus, which turned out to be full already. But full on a Honduran bus is a relative term. The buses they use for public transport are old US school buses, complete with the padded seats and roof exits in case of emergency. Then, they add overhead racks (both for storing bags and for holding onto when standing) and speakers for the radio. Not that the radio is very audible, due to the noise of honking, speeding down the road with windows open, and people talking. Anyway, Kelly and I did find seats (more like the edges of seats), with me toward the back and her at the front. Kelly ended up standing for a good half of the trip, due to people crowding onto the bus, while I shoved my knee into the seat in front of me to keep from falling off and into the people in the aisle. The bus would stop every so often to let more people on, but of course few got off until we got to a fairly large town called Jutiapa. In the meantime, they just crowded into the aisle, to the point that Kelly said there were ten people standing between the door and the driver! In Jutiapa, a lot of people got off the bus, making room for others to sit down and allowing me to relax a bit. Also, when the bus stops in Jutiapa (not at a designated bus station, mind you), vendors selling drinks and food crowd the windows and walk up and down the now-clearer aisle. I’ve never seen something like that before, but it was really neat. We didn’t buy anything - who knows where their hands have been before (or during) food preparation? The return trip was crowded, but not quite as bad, and we arrived at the bus early enough to find space for our bags and sit together, which was nice.  Overall, I’m really glad we took the bus. I enjoyed the experience (in spite of the dust and heat and overcrowding), and it gave me a greater understanding of what my patients deal with on a daily basis. I think back to a mentally handicapped little girl whose mother and brother had to bring her by bus, or to my Parkinson’s patient who had to travel around the mountains by bus. I’m not sure how they do it, but I think I better understand why some patients wait so long to seek medical care.

I also spent the last week housesitting for one of the missionaries, Renee, who had to go on a visa trip (Honduras only issues visas for a 90-day stay, even though they live here). Her house was a little walk from the hospital, which also allowed me to get out and see a bit more of the Honduran countryside. Everyday, I walked past a little banana and pineapple orchard. Did you know that each pineapple plant one produces one pineapple at a time? It also makes “sons” as the gardener called them, which are replanted elsewhere to then produce pineapples. Other sights along the way included horses grazing by the side of the road, a cow and three smaller cows/calves (I don’t pretend to know anything about livestock!), and multiple motos and bicycles driving by. I also took Renee’s dog, Jasmine, on walks, going to the beach so that she can run free and enjoy the streams that flow into the ocean. Kelly and I had a lot of fun playing with her!All week long, Kelly and I had been trying to get someone to take us to the nearby Cascades de Bambú, but it wasn’t working out. Finally, we got to go yesterday with Renee! It was so amazingly beautiful, water gushing over the rocks into a deep blue pool. We first climbed around to the top, where people like to slide down some rocks into a little pool of water. Unfortunately, a huge tree had fallen down, blocking the natural slide While Renee stayed back to relax, Kelly and I trudged upriver, coming upon little cascades of cool water. As I was working my way upriver, I thought it was interesting how Kelly and I approached the challenge: she stayed off to the side, walking along the rocks, while I swam through the pool and clambered over rocks in the river. It made me wonder if the way we tackled this situation reflected how we approach life’s problems. I’m not sure about Kelly, but I think I tend to attack things head-on, even though other options may be easier and a little less risky.

With regards to patients I’ve seen, the elderly man with Parkinson’s didn’t show up for his appointment this week. We put his chart in the “need to call” pile, because it’s really important that he follow up. Despite the long trip, I hope his family can get him in soon.

Another patient I saw over the last few weeks came in to follow up yesterday. She has Type 2 diabetes and when she first came in, her blood sugar was in the mid-400’s. We admitted her to the hospital and treated her high blood sugar (long story here, for you medical people!). While speaking with her, Renee and I did some diet education, especially with regards to high carbohydrate foods. Given the horrible poverty in Honduras, it’s often hard for people to make substantial changes to their diets, since vegetables and other healthy foods are more expensive and go bad quickly. However, when I saw this patient for follow-up, she said that she was no longer eating tortillas, potatoes, rice, or any fried meats! She understands that she can eat some of that stuff, but she really wanted to make changes to help control her diabetes and help her feel better. I’m so proud of this woman for making these difficult changes!

The last patient I want to relate is someone I’d like you all to pray for: on Wednesday I saw an older man with a year-long history of stomach pain and weight loss. Some of his symptoms fit gastritis or peptic ulcer disease, but the weight loss was really worrying. We started him on high-dose acid reducing medication and told him to follow up in three weeks. But, while talking with him and his wife, I told them that we aren’t at all sure that we know what his problem is - it could just be a simple stomach problem, but we can’t rule out something like cancer. I’m really concerned that he has something like pancreatic cancer, but there’s nothing we can do for that. Even in the States, where we have all the resources in the world, pancreatic cancer is almost a certain death sentence. Here, it’s hard enough for the patients to be able to pay for a CT scan! While I may be wrong, I really do think he’s got some sort of abdominal cancer. Before they left, I laid my hands on this man’s abdomen and prayed for him. I truly believe that God is the only one that can heal this man. My sponsor, Dr. Shaw, is supposed to update me on this patient when he returns.

As I’ve been preparing to leave, lots of the missionaries have asked me if I’m coming back. My answer has been, I’m not sure where God is calling me to, but at this point I don’t think it’s here. I really value the time I’ve spent at Hospital Loma de Luz - it’s solidified my desire to practice medical missions, and I’ve learned a lot about tropical diseases and diseases of poverty. I’m pretty sure I can treat someone with worms without any references, and I just need dosage information for those amoebas! However, despite the great medical need in Honduras, this country is very reached for the Gospel. It’s one thing to provide medical care to people who lack it. It’s another to use medicine to take the name of Jesus where it’s not been heard. I’m still not sure where God is calling me, and maybe someday in the future He will call me back to this part of Honduras, but right now I’m not making any decisions.

Again, I want to thank you all for praying with me and following along as I’ve experienced life in rural Honduras. Last night I was reading in Luke 11, and came across verses 9-10: “So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” I think more than anything this trip, God has been talking to me about placing my trust in Him, and nowhere else. These verses have emboldened me to trust Him to a greater degree, for the Lord promises that He will answer. My seeking and my questions will not be ignored. How comforting is that!?

I have one last prayer request for you all, not relating to my trip, but very important to me: my mom has been fighting rheumatoid arthritis for about 16 years now. It’s flared up pretty bad over the last several months and is hurting her a lot. Please pray for her and for her doctors as they look for better treatment options, and for complete healing of her body. Thank you. I love you, Mom!

A burdened heart

I suppose every day has its ups and downs. Today has been good, but it’s also been hard…

At the end of the morning, I got a patient who had a lot going on. Judging by his symptoms, I was sure it was something serious. We ran numerous tests, and in the end, it turned out that he is HIV positive. We then tested his wife, who also had a positive result. Even though I wasn’t the person talking with these two patients (my sponsor, Dr. Shaw, was), this was the first time I’ve participated in telling a patient this diagnosis. Here in Honduras, the government has a free clinic that provides treatment for all HIV+ patients, so we have referred them there.

After telling the patients the diagnosis, Shaw proceeded to tell them about Jesus, our Savior. They didn’t really care much, saying that they’re Catholics. We then prayed with them. Normally Shaw has a lot of difficulty with the Spanish, but I think the Holy Spirit was guiding him through that prayer, because it was pretty fluent. While the husband seemed resistant to us talking about this, I think the wife was touched. We told them that they can return to us at the Hospital for whatever concern they may have, medical or not. And now, I know that they are both in God’s hands. I cannot fix this, but Jesus can. So I will continue to pray for this couple’s salvation, and I hope that in the next few days, the wife (or the husband) will come back to see us and talk some more. Because really, what’s a few years of comfort without the assurance of eternal life?

Updates galore

I’m sorry it’s been so long since I’ve posted. I wish I could catch everyone up on all that’s happened, but that’s basically impossible (especially since I can’t even remember it all!).

First things first: my nephew has not yet made his appearance in this world. I’m not really sure what he’s waiting for, but he’s got an aunt who’s very anxious for him to come!

Moving on… I was pretty busy this week - work in the mornings, a couple of times in the afternoons, and then doing data collection for an ongoing school research project. Thankfully, the data collection is just about over, so that’s one less thing I have to do!

I know that many of you have been praying for patients I’ve talked about in this blog. Some of them I haven’t seen since our first encounter; others, I’ve seen or heard news. Here are updates on the few I know of:

1. The boy with the leg burns - he is doing really well. He’s back over at the Children’s Center, across the street. He no longer has casts on his legs and is using a walker to get around. Hopefully he’ll be completely healed soon. And more importantly, I hope that God will use this experience, and really all of his life experiences, to bring this child to Him and turn Him into a passionate man of God.

2. The really sick little baby - …she passed away last Sunday morning. Saturday it seemed like she was maybe doing better, but then Sunday she was gone. I don’t really know what happened, but Judy (the peds resident that was here) and the other docs were talking about an intracranial bleed, given a possible history of head injury. I know that this is not what I would have chosen, but I also believe that God has everything in control and that He can turn this situation into good. When you think about it, please pray for her family.

I am learning about the culture here, bit by bit. This week I saw a patient who was bit on the finger by a snake several days beforehand. Later, he had some small blisters develop elsewhere on that finger and hand. He was convinced that this was due to the snake, and a very dangerous one called the barba. Two different days, I tried to reassure him that this was not because of the snake, and every physician in the building looked at it and agreed. But this man was convinced that this skin eruption was because of the snake. Since we weren’t going to test his blood (there are no tests!) or treat him for a snake bite, he decided he would go to a local curandero, or shaman. I’m not really sure if he is actually going or not, but this encounter just pointed out to me how great are some of the cultural differences. To me, the snake bite did not cause his lesions, it just maybe caused the precipitating stress that did. To him, there was a direct cause-and-effect relationship between the two. It’s frustrating to know that there is a divide between some of my patients and me that seems nearly insurmountable.

I have had some fun over the last few weeks: last Sunday I went to La Ceiba with Norma, a lifelong missionary, and Christine, our lab tech. It was a lot of fund just hanging out and getting to know them. It was the small group interaction with long-term missionaries here that I needed. Then, a couple days later I went kayaking with Judy and Renee, one of the docs here. It was a blast, although I was afraid of losing my glasses when capsizing into the ocean, and Judy’s kayak didn’t really work that well. Then Friday, Judy left after her month-long trip, and today a new med student came.

I know that a number of you are praying for me, and I am deeply thankful for that. I need to tell you a little about what God’s been doing in my heart.

Honestly, over the first week and a half, I got so caught up in working and learning where I fit in, that I didn’t really look for anything special from God. Yes, I’ve prayed with some patients, but by in large, I’d been pretty content to just try to understand how the hospital here fits into the mission field, and how I fit in here right now too.

But then, over the last week or so, I’ve been seeing more and more how selfish I am. I’ve been often looking to my own comfort instead of looking for ways to serve others. I came on this medical missions trip, and instead have been concerned mostly about myself. My thoughts have also ventured back to my life in the States, how I’ve found new hobbies and immediately jumped into buying the “quality” items; how I am so selfish in my friendships.

I guess, first of all I want to say sorry to all of you friends and family, who have cared about me, remembered my birthday and the things going on with me, and for whom I have not done the same. I’m sorry for not being there for you. Please forgive me.

I’m not really sure where God is leading me with this. I think He still has more of my heart to reveal to me, and more of His heart to reveal too. My last Sunday in the States, two people essentially told me the same thing - that God is wanting to do something in me, and that I need to be expectant and quench the flames that come. I had forgotten this as I went through the first half of my stay here. I don’t want to forget it. God has given me an amazing opportunity here - I get to care for people who are very poor and in need of medical care, I get to interact with long-term missionaries and learn from them, and I have lots of time to spend with the Father. So far I haven’t made the best use of that time, but that can change now. Please continue to pray for me as I strive to hear God’s Voice and to let Him break down walls that I’ve built in my heart.

Of geckos and rain and limited resources

How I wish I could record the sounds here so y’all could listen to them! During the day, there are birds singing all the time. Then at night, there are crickets chirping away, along with lots of other bugs making noises. Last night there were a bunch of monkeys roaring (or so I was told - I think I was asleep). And there are always geckos making their little gecko noise. It’s kind of a chirp, but it also sounds kind of like a monkey. You can probably YouTube it. It’s just so peaceful to sit back and listen to all the sounds, especially after the silence of winter in Kansas.

And of course, there’s the rain. February is the end of the rainy season in this part of Honduras. It’s apparently been a pretty dry “rainy” season thus far, but it’s rained several times since I’ve been here. The other night, Tuesday, it poured for hours. Just when I thought it couldn’t come down any harder, it did, again and again. The Hondurans don’t seem to mind and just walk through the rain as I would take a walk on a sunny day. I opted instead for our screen-enclosed living room and the hammock.

The rains actually cause quite a bit of difficulty here. There are many rivers that come out of the mountains to dump into the Caribbean Sea, and several of these must be crossed to get places, be it town or our hospital. Wednesday morning, the rivers were so high that buses and trucks couldn’t pass, so people were stuck wherever they were at. This meant that the clinic was really slow in the morning, because the bus that brings patients couldn’t get to us! As soon as the water went down, the patients came. This also seems to be a way of life. It’s not uncommon to get stuck on one side of a river or the other, and not be able to get home. People often stay with friends or family members, waiting for the waters to lower. Thankfully, it doesn’t seem to take much time for that to happen.

I continue to learn a lot about how the hospital and clinic work here. At first, I was scared that I would be treating patients all on my own, but in reality I present the patients to the other doctors, like I’d do back home. I generally have some sort of idea of what I’d like to do next, so I’m kind of on my own and kind of not. I think the docs are still getting a feel for me and how much I know and don’t know, so sometimes they give me a bit more oversight than I’d like. I think I just need to remember this, and not feel belittled when they question what I’m doing.

So, clinic is supposed to start at 8am, but we’re in Honduras, which means that Judy (the peds resident) and I leave our place at about 8:10. For the most part, we just see patients in the morning; then, in the afternoon, the doctor on call sees anyone that walks in. Triage has been going pretty slow this week, since everyone’s shorthanded, so we actually sit around talking for a while before any patients are brought to us. Yesterday we finished somewhere around 1:30 pm, which is a bit later than usual. Today, however, we were really busy with lots going on, so I didn’t get back until 4:30 this afternoon! It was a crazy day: I saw a couple of usual things like COPD and angina, then I had a guy with untreated Parkinson’s, a girl with a knee injury, and a guy who’d shallowly cut his leg with a saw in a few places (just put a few sutures in).

The girl with the knee injury ended up crushing her tibial plateau, which is the top of the main bone in the lower leg. We put a full-leg plaster cast on her (my first time using plaster for casting!). She may have some ligamentous damage too, but we can’t do a knee exam, and we don’t have MRI available. Hopefully she won’t end up needing surgery and will heal well. As Jeff, the surgeon who founded this place, said, “God made our bodies with amazing abilities to heal itself.”

As for the older man with the Parkinson’s disease…I was amazed. I’ve seen advanced Parkinson’s before, but in someone who’s being treated. This guy was given herbs by some gringa a few years ago, but they didn’t help at all. He had a horrible tremor, so much so that his entire arms were shaking, as well as one leg and his chin. He also has the typical masked facies, slow movement, & fenestrating gait (I didn’t see it) of Parkinson’s. We started him on medication and said for him to come back in three weeks. He lives really far away, though. There are mountains between his village and us, so he has to take the bus on the highway around the mountains to where the dirt road meets that highway, and then take a different bus up to us. I’m not sure how long it takes, but it must be hours. I know it will be hard for his family to return, but I told them that it’s important, because we need to make sure the medicine is working and isn’t too high or low. I also stood there and prayed for him and his family, and I will continue to pray for them. Parkinson’s is a devastating disease, but it’s even more so here, because of the lack of resources and all of the other obstacles to good health care.

Through this patient with Parkinson’s, God has expounded on a lesson He was already teaching me. I know I have difficulty trusting Him. I often give something to Him, only to take it back, and then I lament how He didn’t come through. Last night I realized (or better, I was shown) that in doing this, I don’t actually give it over to God. I hold onto a little bit of it, and then when He doesn’t do what I think He should, I pull it back really quickly and say, “How can I trust you when you don’t come through?” I’ve done this over and over, but I never realized it until now. If I believe that He is Lord of all, that He is good, and that He is truly trustworthy, I have to give over everything. This means giving Him my patient with Parkinson’s, the other really sick patients and family and friends I have back home, and leaving them there. God will do what He wills, but He is infinitely more trustworthy and powerful than I am. His plans are perfect, mine are not.

This brings up another patient from today, though she is not my patient. A couple brought in their little 1 1/2 year old girl, who was not responsive, although she was breathing on her own. Judy and one of the other docs here, Abby, were considering transferring her, because they were concerned about head trauma and we don’t have any way to see if she’s had that, and because they thought she may need to be ventilated. In the States she would have been intubated (have a tube in her mouth) and on a ventilator right away, but here that’s not possible. For one, we don’t have a ventilator, so if she is intubated, someone has to sit there and use a bag to breath for her. And secondly, her parents don’t have the money to pay for her to go all the way to La Ceiba or to San Pedro Sula (5 hours away) for medical care. So she either stays here and we treat her, or she dies. Judy and Abby are now thinking that she might be in septic shock (have a really bad infection), but there’s no way to know that everything inside of her little head is okay. Apparently she’s looking pretty bad right now. And we’re left with nothing more we can do medically…we’ve already done it all. The only thing we can do is pray and leave her in the hands of our Father, who is good and faithful and kind and all-knowing. Please join with us in prayer for this little girl!

How I wish I could share every story with you, or better yet, bring you all here and let you see what medicine on the mission field is like. Thank you all for praying for me and for my patients. I hope that through this blog you can experience some of this life with me and see how beneficial are your prayers!

Traveling, traveling

(Written two days ago… I forgot to post it!)

Well, I’m currently sitting in the airport in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, waiting for my fourth and final flight of the day to La Ceiba! Here’s a recap on my day:

3:30 - my alarm clock goes off, telling me it’s time to get up (after only an hour of sleep - up late packing and then couldn’t sleep)

4:15 - arrive at my grandparents house for them to take me to the airport

4:45 - arrive at airport; wait at check-in for a long time because my confirmation number didn’t match my itinerary or something like that. During check-in, meet a family medicine resident from Wesley who’s going to Tegucigalpa. It was nice to have someone to talk to!

6:45ish - leave Wichita!

9:30ish - leave Houston. I ended up sitting next to a doc from Colorado on his way to a rural village outside of Tegucigalpa. He’s doing clinics there for a week. He let me read an article about the Miskito people in Honduras and injuries they have from dangerous diving. Very interesting, and sad.

12:30ish - arrive in Tegucigalpa. Go through Immigration, get bag (i.e. backpack), and struggle with three bags for the next few hours. Sitting at a cafe in the airport, a young woman next to me struck up a conversation. We talked about where I’m from, where I’m going, what she does, etc. In my tiredness, I think I was kind of oblivious to her. I’m glad she said “Hi.” She was the first of many very nice and helpful people I’ve met here in Honduras. As a foreigner, I really appreciate it.

5:30ish - leave Tegucigalpa

6:30ish - arrive in San Pedro Sula

And so now, here I sit, waiting for my plane to leave in an hour and half. I’m ready to go sleep for a long time… I think it may be surgery call since I’ve had so little sleep for such a long time. Dozing on the plane just doesn’t cut it.

From what I can see, Honduras is a beautiful country. The mountains around Tegucigalpa remind me of New Mexico mountains. And the mountains/hills around San Pedro Sula are lush green. I can’t wait to see what La Ceiba and the hospital are like! Actually, throughout the flights I was struck by the beauty of creation, from the clouds to the fields to the mountains. What a creative God we serve!

Also, today I realized that I haven’t actually gotten very excited about this trip. I think it’s mostly because today has been a whole bunch of traveling, and I’ve done so much traveling recently that this feels like more of the same. Then I remind myself that I’m in Honduras and going to be working at a hospital, and that’s when I get excited.

Prayer points:

-My Spanish - I’m amazed at how much of my Spanish I’ve lost. It’s rough communicating, knowing that I used to know the vocabulary and have conversations with ease, and now I can’t. I think it’s harder because I’m so tired - my brain just isn’t working quite right. Anyway, pray that God will help me regain my Spanish, and also that I won’t be frustrated by my limitations. And that in my weakness, His power would shine forth.

-Culture shock - I don’t really go through the stage of awe and giddiness that they typically describe in talking about culture shock. I tend to go straight into the more difficult stages. I know how life works in the US, but I don’t understand how it works here. I really want to let go of my fear (because I think that’s a lot of what this is) and just embrace the differences.

-My relationship with the medical team at the hospital - I haven’t met them yet, but that God would bind us together, and that I would fit in quickly and easily

I guess that’s about it for tonight. I’m not sure how much I’ll update once I’m at the hospital. It’ll probably depend upon Internet availability, how much I work, and remembering to blog!

Evening air and a nice hammock

Today was my first day at work here at Hospital Loma de Luz. So much is new to me here, it’s hard to know exactly where to begin, what to say.

I spent most of today shadowing Dr. Shaw, one of my sponsors here. Apparently I will be mostly working on my own, but I wanted to take today to get oriented to the place and the procedures. I’m a little bit terrified at the idea of working on my own, because until now, I haven’t really been expected to know dosages of medications. And when I have had to know, the Internet has been easily accessible. I know I’ll learn, and I know some, but I feel like this is going to be a steep learning curve.

About a few patients I saw today: a nine-year-old boy at the Children’s Center burned both legs pretty badly a few weeks ago. He had skin grafts done recently, and today we were taking off the casts so the bandages could be changed. We gave him ketamine beforehand, but it wore off mid-removal, so we needed to give him more. It was really tough to get those casts 0ff - read, my back was aching, my arms were exhausted, and I had sweat dripping off of my forehead! Eventually they came off and the surgeon, Dr. Jeff McKenney, said that he looks good. Later, I found out that this kid has had a really tough life. After his mom died, his stepfather threw him out of the house. He lived off of grass and dirt for a while, before a cousin finally took him to a public hospital in the nearby city of La Ceiba. There, they found a large ball of works and dirt and rocks, as well as a Meckel’s diverticulum. They took both out, but they didn’t do the surgery properly. He still had problems with ulcerations of his colon (due to the gastric secretions from the diverticulum) and he had a leak of the place where the intestine was sown back together, leading to a large infection. He was sent here because they couldn’t do anything else, and after surgery and recovering, has lived at the Children’s Center here ever since! I spent a long time talking with Iain, the director of the Children’s Center, today. I’d love to tell you more, but I have too much to talk about.

Today we also had a woman walk into the ER who had cut her hand on a machete. The web between her thumb and index finger on the right hand was sliced clean open, showing the muscles underneath. Thankfully, no tenders or bones lie there, so we just had to sew her up. I threw in several sutures, which was neat. And I got the chance to talk with her for a while. She lives up on the mountain and had to walk in today with her husband and two-year-old daughter. We ended up admitting her, not because she needs hospital care, but because there wasn’t time for her to get back home before dark tonight. Her husband gets to spend the night on the waiting room floor. It’s not much, but I guess it’s better than nothing!

As for where I live, it’s called the “hotel.” There are several rooms and apartments in a large building where short-term individuals and teams stay. There are two other people here right now - a recent high school-graduate doing a gap year of missions working with the kids here, and a third-year pediatric resident halfway through a month-long stay. I’m glad that there are other people here in the building. I don’t like keeping to myself a whole lot, so this gives me some interaction with others while not at work. It also makes for fun nights, like last night when we had movie night complete with popcorn, M&Ms, and brownies!

One of the things Iain said to me today left an impression. He said that I should come expecting God to do things. That God often uses short-term missions trips to speak to us. And that with fewer distractions, it’s often easier to hear Him, which I believe to be true. It’s just amazing to me how the hopes I have for this trip are being reinforced by many people around me. I just hope that I don’t get too caught up in the medical work and find myself at the end of this month, wishing I’d spent more time pursuing God.

Thank you all very much for the prayers! Today, I had very little difficulty with the Spanish, except for when the kids at the Children’s Center would run up to me and start jabbering away. Though mostly, they’re pretty shy and tend to talk to Iain or others they know.

Well, I could probably tell a million more stories, but I’ll save some for later. And someday soon I’ll post some pictures. The ocean is just slightly beyond the forest, down the hill from us. I get a beautiful glimpse of it whenever I walk to the hospital.

Two days left

Hi everyone!

As I’m writing this, I’m sitting at my favorite coffee shop in Wichita, Mead’s Corner, enjoying a Peppermint Mocha (special treat!). Forty-eight hours from now, I will be sitting in the Tegucigalpa airport, awaiting my next departure. I can’t believe it’s finally here! I’ve got so many emotions and thoughts right now, from excitement to nervousness to a little bit of stress (I have a long to-do list).

I’ve spent the last few days sick with a really bad cold. Tuesday the extent of my fun was watching the snow come down and venturing from my bed to the couch. Thankfully, I’m feeling a lot better now! And with my friends Sudafed and cough drops, the plane rides shouldn’t be a big deal.

Last Sunday was my final church service before leaving, so my home church prayed over me.  Since returning to Wichita a year and a half ago, I have come to value my church a lot. I guess I’d kind of let myself turn into a Lone Ranger Christian, which doesn’t work very well. With having to move so frequently for my education, I didn’t see much point in working to establish relationships and rely on others, only to then pick up and move. I’ve been learning, though, that we really are the body of Christ. We need each other. I’m not very good at relying on other people, but I think God is teaching me more in this area. So, having my church family come around me to pray and support me as I prepare for Honduras means a lot. Even more, to know that these same people will be praying for me as I’m down there is incredible.

I’ve always had a problem with writing too much, which I’ve probably done again. There’s just so much in my heart leading up to this trip. Yes, I’m excited for the medicine. But I’m even more excited for what God is going to do - for the ways He is going to show Himself, for the lessons He is going to teach me. Thank you all for joining me as I embark upon this new adventure!