Visit Helene

Feb to April 2010

2010-07-21T16:13:00.000-07:00

Ready…or not?!!

2010-07-16T16:34:00.001-07:00

Mostly, I love island life. It is largely slow and relational, with people and relations much more important than tasks and time. This is just a normal difference between warm climate and cold climate cultures. Me, being from a cold climate, has had to do much adjusting over the last 5 years, but it has slowly evolved into my frustrations and amazement being generally less frequent. Well, I am still floored at times by what can happen in what seems like a no-brainer, can't be misunderstood situation. For instance, on Saturday evenings, we as a team like to "go out" for dinner to a local 'restaurant'. This gives us one night a week off from cooking. In the process, there have been times where we have waited up to an hour for our food, and that has discouraged us, to say the least. It is not a restaurant like you are used to, where you are seated, and someone brings you a menu to choose your preferred meal from. This is where you show up, hoping that someone is there with the doors open at the 'usual' time for business. There is no menu, you just ask "what are you having tonight?", although there are standby's that you can always count on, like our usual choice of baleada's. Well, Kathy and I have volunteered to pick up kids for the Young People's Program at church every Saturday evening, so we are much more time conscious than we had to be previously. In order to speed up our dining event, I sought out the cook, and let her know that we would love to eat there, but would need our food at 6pm, because we had to leave by 6:40pm, and for what reason. She assured me this would be no problem, asked how many baleada's we wanted, and repeated the time we would be there. So, a ½ day later, we are walking down to the restaurant, and see her walking the other way! She says, "no problem, it's all ready, I'll be right there". Thinking there must be someone else at the restaurant in her place, we go on up….to a locked door at an empty restaurant. After waiting about 10 minutes, I find the owner, who had just come in from fishing and had no idea. Fortunately, she eventually calls the other gal, who says she's on the way right then. Another 10 minutes goes by and some other girl rushes by and says something about getting the key. She opens up, and begins preparing the food….only the baleada bread had been made. Well, we got our food at about 6:40, eat one quickly and put the rest in foil to eat later. On our way down the path around 6:50, we see our cook, sauntering on up the path, who then greets us cheerily and asks "how was dinner?". I just smiled, said fine, thanks, and go on with our evening plans…

Team of teens

2010-07-05T11:58:00.001-07:00

Well, off went our 2^nd team of the season on Friday morning. They were a great team of teens and young adults, very hard workers, easily engaging with the islanders, and willing to serve in whatever way was needed. We had some brutally hot weather during their time here, too, with temps up in the 90's and little breeze to cool the skin, nevertheless they complained very little and accomplished much. They built 10 pews for the Northside church, put new screens up around the clinic, varnished the floor in the medical reception area – as well as doing kid's club, sports camp, visitation and "Clean Sweep"; all in all a very busy time! Fortunately, they also got to play, with a jungle hike, beach swims, and a snorkeling trip. But the highlight of the groups time, for me, was meeting the one girl that came along at the last minute. She stated that she didn't know, or necessarily believe in, God. She joined the group at her piano teacher's recommendation when she'd mentioned a desire to go on a trip outside the country to help and serve. She was open to learn, but cautious at the same time. She and I had several opportunities to spend time together, yet I didn't try to influence her with saying much, just asked a few questions here and there. She did come to me later and said that I'd had a big impact on her, though, and that she wanted some of the joy and peace that she saw I have. She didn't realize, until I told her, that it was not me that was drawing her in, it was Christ in me, the hope of glory, the Prince of peace. I am thrilled that He used me in this way, and that she could see Him in my life! She had many other experiences here that have brought her to the conclusion that she does, indeed, believe in God, and I am convinced she will explore His presence further as she processes her time here in Helene. Pray for her with me, wouldn't you please?

God breathed

2010-06-28T11:55:00.001-07:00

Wow, I imagine that most people did not have a morning like mine this morning This morning, 30 minutes before heading to the Northside for church, a young man came and said that they wanted me to check on a woman that was having belly pains. I had seen her on Friday in the clinic, she was about 2 weeks from her due date, but knowing that this may be a reason for her pain, I did bring an OB kit with me. I went into the tiny 2 room apartment built below a house. A lay midwife was already there, saying that she was getting near time to push! So I checked her, it seemed a little soon, but I wasn't going to argue with her assessment at this point.

Every baby birth is unique, and I am constantly surprised that there are rarely any problems of any significance in the complicated process that comes from conception to that first blessed breath in this outside world. After 20 minutes of pushing, I broke her water, which helped. But as sometimes happens, especially with very big babies as this was, despite mom's strong efforts, it wasn't coming down much. In the end, it took all three of us to get the baby born, and it was complicated by the fact that the cord was wrapped twice around its neck! I was able to fix this problem, but still had to reach and grab a shoulder and pull, as Trudy pushed on the mother's belly. After being stuck at just the head out through several sets of contractions, we finally managed to pull/push him out! But he wasn't taking that all important first breath, even as we rubbed and rubbed, cut the cord and picked him up to "rough him up" to get him breathing. The midwife announced "he's dead" – but I said "No!! We're not giving up on him!" Then, as clearly as I've heard anyone speak to me, the Lord said, "breathe life into him". After a ½ second hesitation with an "eww" in my mind, I gave the little one two puffs of air – and that was all that was needed to get that first cry going! What a blessed sound that is, made even more so with the precarious start he had! Praise God, He once again took my inadequate hands and mouth and brought good from a potentially bad situation.

Doctor visit

2010-06-19T17:46:00.001-07:00

So, I love to learn new things! We had the pleasure of having Dr Kurt here this past week with his daughter – and for weeks before a doc's arrival I prayed that God would provide the opportunity to learn new techniques and procedures. This was no exception; again, I was not disappointed. He brought me a cool tool for removing warts, skin tags, lesions and the like, and we had several chances to put it to use. I also learned, in picture and theory at least, how to anesthetize an entire hand or foot, which will be especially useful for a situation with several lacerations or wounds that need cleaning or suturing – I only wish we'd had the chance to actually do it on a patient, but we discussed it enough, and he left me written instructions, so that I feel I could manage the procedure. He was so very encouraging to me, and the entire team, what a blessing! It was his first mission trip ever; I pray that the Lord uses this experience to draw him into future missions experiences, and for his daughter to have a hunger for more of this, too!!

Today we have a youth team coming in later, 15 just graduated high schoolers with 5 adults – more opportunities for God to draw them into His work for the Kingdom!! It excites me to see others find the joy of serving our Lord in various ways, diverse places, and stretching our realm of possibility beyond what we previously thought possible!

Come quickly, baby

2010-06-14T11:52:00.001-07:00

Sunday night came the dreaded "knock knock knock" on my door just a little after an hour from when I turned out my light. You know that time, when your stupid factor is at its peak, when you are unsteady from the heaviness of sleep, and you say silly things like "is it an emergency for me?", when there is basically no other reason anyone would be knocking on my door at that time of night! Well, downstairs was a man who was begging for us to go down to Bentley Bay (about a 1 mile walk) to "tend" his wife who had "taken in" around 7pm. Basically what he was saying was that his wife was in labor and they wanted my help. I said "I didn't even know she was pregnant, and I don't feel comfortable tending women I haven't seen for pre-natal care". He said "Shore she be in to see you, Miss Deirdre, many time. She jus don't leave the house wery often". A quick check of her chart revealed that yes, she had been in, but that was once…2 months ago. I asked him how many babies she's had, he had to think about it and count on his fingers, but came up with this being #9. I discussed the situation with our substitute leader, and we decided that I would go, with Dominic and our phone. So off down the path we went, arriving to their candle only lit house at 1am. She was at 6-7cm at that time, with contractions 3 min apart. She told me that "once my water breaks, the baby come fast". Mental note: remember this statement. An hour later she was at 8cm, I said she may stand or walk, letting gravity help. After a sit on the bucket to poop, she stood and her water broke. I did remember above statement, but didn't quite grasp the concept, for she lay down on the bed, and as I was putting on my gloves I heard a sound, picked up my flashlight to look, and there was a baby boy laying there, at 2:40am! When I said "my, here is your little boy already!", she said "well, I couldn't handle anymore of that!" Less than 2 minutes later came the placenta – minimal bleeding, seemingly no pushing, and not one scream of pain! His head was perfect round, since he really didn't have to spend any time in the process to speak of. I clamped and cut the cord, realizing that about all I did was that and rub her back to help. He's perfect, mom is well and healthy, and God has brought another life into our world!

Caught by the Father

2010-06-02T18:51:00.001-07:00

Just before our Bible study here at the clinic last Sunday, a neighbor girl came over to say they needed me to go up to the Northside to see about a boy that had fallen out of a tree onto a rotten stump, tearing open his leg. That was at least enough information for me to know that he had to come down to the clinic. I told her this, with the explanation that if I went up, it would only delay his treatment. A short time later I called a friend up there to make sure it was going to happen, and she said they were looking for a boat and driver to get him down to the clinic. He arrived a bit over an hour later, and his leg near his right knee was pretty torn open. It sure wasn't a clean cut; in fact I ended up pulling out about 25 pieces of rotten stump by the time I was through. It was deep, but thankfully no tendon was torn, and no major blood vessels lacerated. It took over an hour to clean it out good after numbing it up; even then I wasn't completely convinced everything was out. So rather than suture it up, I decided to pack it and dress it with a sterile dressing – which has meant that I must repeat this process daily by walking up to the Northside to his house. The first few days his calf was swollen and hot, but has since gone down and is no longer hot to touch. Praise God there has been no sign of infection, and every day the wound is smaller and cleaner! I am so grateful that he was not hurt any worse, and that the Lord was there to catch him when he fell! The story is that he asked his dad if he could go iguana hunting with a group of boys Sunday morning, and was told no, but to change his clothes and get to Children's church. He went around Dad, and asked Mom – who after getting tired of his whining, then believed the story that church was cancelled, so let him go. So you can imagine the rowing that ensued after his injury! Doesn't this sound like a story that could have happened in your neighborhood? Kids are kids the world over, even though the details may vary somewhat, the motivations and consequences remain the same. It's just another reminder that we are all so much the same no matter where we live in this world, or how we grew up, human beings are born in sin, and tend to gravitate to sin, yet the Father's hand is there over us all, just waiting to catch us and let us down safely into His hands. All we must do is trust in Him, and call upon His name!

Sometimes it is hard

2010-05-31T20:26:00.001-07:00

Where does the time go? Here I am, almost 1 year from the birth of my grandson, June 9^th, and it hardly seems possible he is "so big!" already. Walking, laughing, saying a few words…who knows, anything is possible! I say that because I really don't know, I have precious little contact with them from here in Honduras. If it sounds like I am whining, well, I am! I am a Grammy missing her grandkids something fierce! Meanwhile, here I am gaining "god children" as that is what they are to me when I have the privilege of 'tending' their birth. I think I am up to 14 or 15 now, up to 3 years old and down to just a few weeks old. What a life!! I have great joy in what I do here, there is such variety I will never have another job to compare, I'm sure. So why so down cast, oh my soul? I suppose it is all very normal for someone living on "foreign" soil, in a culture one didn't grow up in, surrounded by islanders that are basically all family to each other, and living with just a few other gringos that can understand the strangeness of it all! I imagine it has something to do with knowing that much life is going on "up there" that I have no part in, nor will I ever really catch up on, either. Nieces graduating from college, or off to Japan or India, going into High School, starting to date, having birthdays, boyfriend crisis'… Sometimes I wonder if I am having any significant impact here to offset what I am missing back 'home'; but then I remember that I am not here because of what I can do here for others. Nor am I here for what I can gain out of this experience. I am here simply because my Lord said, nearly 5 years ago, "Who will go?" And I replied, "Here I am, send me!" I don't ask for pity, for nobody in their right mind would pity me. I don't want advice as to whether to stay here or to go back to the states, for it is neither my decision, nor yours anyways. What I would love and appreciate is prayers for endurance, for peace, and for much joy in the work of His call on my life. And maybe for my son and daughter (in-law) to email me more often, preferably with pictures of those absolutely beautiful grandkids of mine!

No reason for concern

2010-05-25T06:45:00.001-07:00

Some thought that have been wandering through my mind as I fight off the urge to be anxious or worry:

"…do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on" (Matt 6:25) Oh, sure, no problem, Lord! But what is so bad about worrying, isn't being prepared, being concerned about how to take care of things tomorrow a good thing? Aren't we supposed to be good stewards of our time, our resources, our talents? Yes, certainly, but that doesn't mean that we have license to sit and stew about how we are going to get what we need for the morrow, or what is going to happen, or how we will handle the 'what if's'. For that is a sure sign of unbelief, of not trusting, or thinking that we can figure it out on our own! And I ask myself, when has my worrying about anything ever changed the outcome?! OK, so call it by another name, call it 'planning'. I have wasted many an hour, or even a day, doing this. I plan for a certain situation, or I plan "for a rainy day", which either never comes, or I am not prepared for anyway, despite the hours of stewing away at the possibility. Or perhaps I am just to follow the Lord on through the trouble, and to trust Him in the midst of the storm, instead of thinking that it is my job to fix the issue, even if it never comes! Oswald Chambers wrote "It is not only wrong to worry, it is unbelief; worrying means we do not believe that God can look after the practical details that worry us. The only cure for unbelief is obedience to the Spirit. The greatest word of Jesus to His disciples is abandon." Lord, help me to leave the cares of this world in Your much more capable hands than mine. Teach me to follow you so closely that I cannot envision a reason to worry, since my life is hidden in You!"

BABY BIRTH!

2010-05-16T18:29:00.001-07:00

BABY BIRTH!

Wow, that is all I can say in response to having the distinct and joyful pleasure of being the one to "tend" a young mother Friday. This is being known as the "God-mother" to the newborn, and I've been blessed to do this at least 12 times in the last 3 years! It never has become "routine" for me, and I am never less than breath-taken by the arrival of the little wrinkled, messy bundle into our harsh, cruel world. This was the 2^nd time for me with this Mommy, her 1^st son being the first time I tended by myself, and that was 2 ½ years ago. She came to the clinic around 7:30pm Thursday, so I thought we well may hear the cries of the tiny critter by midnight, but alas, this was not to be. She and I walked and walked those first hours – in the clinic, outside on the decks… She also lay on the floor, dozing lightly between contractions, it was cooler there, she said, than on the bed. The babe was slowly making it's way down toward the final goal, just more slowly than either of us preferred. But, as was bound to come, finally it was time to push. But, she argued, she didn't have the urge to strain, so she wasn't about to. Dear Heather was there by this time, helping me rub her back or belly through each contraction, tried to tell her that this urge was not nearly as strong after the 1^st baby, but she wasn't listening. She adamantly insisted that someone had "tied her up", meaning put a curse on her to keep the baby from being born. We tried everything, but she just knew that she "wasn't going to born the baby without being cut" (having a C-section), and she was insisting that I bring her down in the boat. I said no, the baby was moving down just fine, but we were at the point where she had to help, she HAD to push, we were not leaving the island. God gave me the words of conviction, and I held her head in my hands, and I told her in no uncertain terms that I was going to help her open up, and she was going to push until the baby was out. There was no other choice, no other way. She finally said "ok, ok, I will try it your way." I was never so relieved in my life! So she stopped fighting her body and me, and pushed with all her might, and Heather coached her through each contraction, and I did my part – so God could bring that little bundle of joy into this world at 5:15am!!! He was a bit stressed from the wait to enter into it, but it didn't take long for him to pink up, cry lustily, and even open his little eyes to look about. As I had him over cleaning him up, Mommy burst into tears, reaching out to hug me and saying "I'm so sorry Miss Deirdre, you were right, I should have listened!" It's all good, what counts is they are both healthy, he at 7.75#, she at home just 2 ¼ hours after birthing him. I love my life!

Dr Bob, DDS

2010-05-11T12:09:00.001-07:00

For the last 10 days we've had a dentist here from the states, in fact, from my home state! He was my dentist when I was a child, so there has been great fun in catching up and discussing issues of my childhood, when I went to school with 2 of his children. But that isn't the point in bringing him up. It has been a much busier time for me, as I've had all the regular duties on my plate, plus I have been helping him out in the dental clinic every afternoon. I have had a good time; as I enjoy learning new techniques, and seeing a real pro at work! He is kindly and gentle, in addition to being very talented, too! We've pulled out so many teeth, filled just as many, he's shown me ways to get out the wisdom teeth, entrapped baby teeth, and teeth that have so rotted that there is just the shell of a tooth remaining (those are the really tricky ones!) He also has done dental work for all the staff here, including me. I have needed a crown after a root canal done 15 years ago, but never had dental insurance and was too cheap to spend the money on myself. So he whittled the tooth down, took impressions, and then put on a temporary stainless steel crown. Now he'll go back to WA and make me a nice one, and send it down with the next dentist in June so he can put it on! What a great deal! And I just had to pay the same amount as the islanders, L50 (about $2.50) – can't beat that with a bamboo stick!

My “regular” day

2010-05-04T16:49:00.001-07:00

So, what is a "regular" day? Obviously, each person's idea of this is unique, so how can it be said to be regular? For instance, on Helene I usually wake up at 6:30am weekdays, and whenever it gets too hot for me to remain in bed on weekends, usually 7:30 or 8. Most days I go for a run after starting the coffee. 30 minutes later I'm pouring the coffee, sweating like a madwoman because it's 85 degrees out and I just ran 3 miles through a trail, over a hill, down a beach, and back. "Little" Dominic (or "old man" according to his island nickname, for what reason I really don't know) thinks this is pretty crazy, he may be right except that my caffeine addiction says I must do it anyway. Personal devo's, morning devo's, then the day gets started for real. The medical clinic is 'first come, first serve", unless an emergency comes along to trump the cough/cold/fever already in line. I may pull a feather out of an ear, I may put 4 sutures into a 6 year old's eyebrow, or I may listen to the fetal heartbeat of a woman who just learned she was pregnant. It's all in a day's work in our medical clinic.

Other days I go out and walk the island to make home visits. Here I will walk a wharf that only has every 3^rd or 4^th board intact anymore, praying not to slip into the muck below, inhabited by nasty crawling creatures of tremendous variety. It's happened, it is disgusting! I will probably battle island dogs that seem to hate me just because I'm white-skinned (how do you think that happens? I don't know, since I am one of the few people that would actually stop to pet them for a time, if they only wouldn't bite my hand off for doing so!) My rounds covers about 4 – 4 1/2 miles on Tuesday mornings, and I love it – getting out into the community is one of my favorite things!

Afternoon might mean a Ladies Bible study, or a tooth pulling, or laundry and fixing dinner for the team. Sometimes I will get called out for an emergency visit, or one will come knocking on my door. Like this evening, only it was a phone call that summoned me to the far west end of the island to see Papa Lee, who "was low since yesterday". Well, considering he is 97 years old, this could mean a whole lot of things, but I packed up an IV and some meds, along with the usual array of vital sign checking devises, and set out to see him. 20 minutes later we arrived, he was indeed 'low', poorly responsive, dehydrated, and probably post-stroke. He has survived many many incidences when we thought he was going to be on to his heavenly reward, maybe this is another time he will survive and surprise us all, and maybe not. For now, he has 1 liter of fluid in him via IV, his pressure came down, and his body is cooled off. He is responding a little, held my hand, and jumped to the pain of the needle stick. Praise God he is in no apparent pain. We prayed together, the family and I, discussed his life and tenacity for living, laughed some and shed a few tears together. It was a blessing to serve the Lord again in this place. A "regular" day? Mas o menos, more or less.

The beauty of challenges

2010-04-27T19:02:00.001-07:00

Life here in Helene is a challenge for me in many ways. There are the physical challenges, such as dealing with the heat and humidity, the bug bites, the multitude and variety of noises, and the constant fatigue. Then there are the emotional difficulties that come with living in a community setting with others that I am not related to except by rebirth, and with living among people of a different culture and traditions. You cannot hide; you cannot do or say pretty much anything without it directly affecting the rest of your team here. Then there are the spiritual pressures and changes constantly going on. These are both intensely positive, and at times incredibly difficult to go through. I believe that this is where I have gained most by this season of my life. I cannot say for sure, but I can see this may be the main reason that God brought me here to Helene. I am so very thankful for that – He loves me enough not to leave me in the condition that I am. He always desires to stretch me, to mold me, and to entice me to reach into Him in new and delightful ways! There are times when I am like the caterpillar that is ravenous, eating and eating up life for some future, yet unknown purpose. Sometimes I feel like I am in the cocoon, bound up and going through a metamorphosis that is not pleasant, but is necessary. Then, as you can imagine, there are those wonderful, breathtaking moments when I have fought hard, and am now emerging from the cocoon, newly formed, ready to stretch out my wings to bask in the Son, to gain strength from His love, to fly out into the world for His purposes! Oh, glory and relish those days! For before you know it, the cycle repeats, the pain of change returns, and the purpose of life continues – to learn and grow to be more like our Creator.

Trouble in rest

2010-04-16T18:22:00.001-07:00

In reading the Old Testament lately, it has become clear to me that whenever the Israelites had "rest" from war, or had time on their hands for whatever reason, they found trouble. They either got bored with the status quo, or were able to be too aware of the distractions of the nations around them, or something, because that is when they soon "turned from the Lord to their own wicked ways". Give them a little time and freedom, they then 'left' God and began following the evil in their hearts. So I had to internalize this, and look into my own life. Have there been times of too much peace and rest when I have fallen away from the Lord? Is that when I have been distracted from Him, and allowed myself to follow the lusts of my own wicked heart? Is this part of the reason that God ordained 6 days of work and just one of rest? I do understand the need for rest, we all get battle wearied at times, and just need to rest in the Lord, my problem is that I won't do that often enough. I will just continue working and striving, all in vain because I am following my own road instead of just looking to Him and staying in the shadow of His wings, listening to His voice to tell me "go there, speak this, touch here, walk there…". This is a different kind of rest, one that is just a freedom from having to figure it all out myself. He tells us over and over again to "wait on the Lord", which means as I wait, I must focus on Him, not on the world around me. Here is the safety in rest without the idleness leading to sin. As you who know me know, I have difficulty 'resting', but understanding the importance of resting in the Lord makes it that much more desirable a thing to do!

2010-04-12T18:32:00.000-07:00

Just a few photos from our Feb 2010 return to Helene. Team Helene as we now are, and some of the girls that came to visit us that first day back on the island.

Pigs on the beach

2010-04-12T16:28:00.001-07:00

I have been on Helene for over 4 ½ years now, and sometimes I forget that things can be weird here when compared with our ways in the states. You probably don't usually see pigs rooting in the sand on the beach when you run in the morning in the states. Not to mention the cows with their ropes wrapped around their horns wandering on the sand, in the bush, through your yard… The noisy multitude of chickens roaming everywhere should be food for the starving dogs limping up and down the path, right? Well, that is what I thought, too, until I learned recently that it is precisely because of their roaming that they can't be eaten…their meat is just too tough to chew upon. How about something that is very strange to us, but is unnoticeable to anyone in the states? Like a small pickup driving by in front of your house? I about fell out of my seat when I saw that happen several weeks ago! That sight came just days after the heart-wrenching sight of a large bulldozer chomping its way up from our dock, through the school fence and over the top of the bushes and small trees that dared to get in its path. We heard the "beep beep beep" sound familiar to anyone who has heard a truck back up, but completely out of context here on the island. Well, now there is a road cut up the side of the hill behind us, where a new cell tower has been built to provide clear cell service to the islanders, who for the most part don't have indoor bathrooms, or a kitchen sink. All in the name of progress, right?

2010-04-06T20:53:00.000-07:00

Wow, already past Easter in the year, hard to believe. We're about ready to begin the Christian English school year next Monday, so there is much activity with the teachers all contracted and grade levels figured out, new classrooms to be organized and cleaned - the kids are excited and anxious to begin. This year the island school board has decided on many important issues including who to hire, how many students to enroll, they've worked through a conflict of interest issue, and decided that the children must wear closed-toed shoes - no slippers (flip-flops). They aren't requiring a school uniform, which is very unheard of in this country, but for financial reasons it is a good decision. So, soon the property will be teeming with Pre-K thru 6th graders from 1pm to 5, the noise level will go up by many decibels, and most likely I will have more afternoon visitors in the medical clinic..."can I have a bandaid please, Miss Deirdre?" Or look at this sore, that cut, these bites...but they make me smile even as I sigh and hope for a few moments of peace to read a line or two, or answer a few emails. Hallelujah Father for the joy of this life you've given me!!

2010-04-03T11:31:00.000-07:00

Good Friday...strange name for a day Christ gave His life for the sins of the world! But it certainly is good for we who call on His name! It breaks my heart that daily I live a life that nailed Him to the cross, but I know I am also grateful daily for the love He has shown me by willingly going there! Then came the dark day that He remained in the grave. A day we know little about - but it was certainly a day of mourning for His followers, who didn't understand the victory of the Resurrection Day to come! Lord, let me die with You, be changed from the inside out, then be resurrected anew, into a whole person, the one You intended from the beginning! On the 3rd day, He rose again - Hallelujah!!! The fact is, death was conquered forevermore! He IS risen, not will rise, it isn't a future event we are waiting for, it has happened. Thus, I need to remember, I also am risen with Him, was dead, but now am victorious, in Him! Now that is truly cause for celebration!

2010-03-30T19:15:00.000-07:00

Tuesday evening in Helene. Well, there's YP (Youth Program) at the Methodist Church next door, for the first time in months - so that is a great thing! Today our Bible Study "took it to the streets" by starting our new ministry of visiting unbelievers homes, instead of just meeting with other sisters. (or as the island ladies say, we were "visiting the sinners" - yeah, like that doesn't include every one of us!) Bonnie was very grateful for our visit, even though she hadn't been warned beforehand and was in the midst of cooking when we arrived. She was working up to send us away until a better time when Miss Leolin said "Bonnie, when Jesus comes knocking at your door, you can't send Him away, you've got to stop and hear what He has to say thru us!" Her 8 year old son got in on it, too, by saying "Ma, it's only fried chicken! I guess saying that it is pretty unimportant compared to having a talk about Jesus! Sweet kid, he got the job done, and we had a great hour sharing from the Word and our hearts! I am looking forward to this new way of doing things, God is so wonderful and sure is keeping me on my toes and challenged!

2010-03-18T21:06:00.000-07:00

The short term team season starts tomorrow with our first team of the year. I am looking forward to having some fresh faces around here, and the team from Portland WA is always a good one. The teacher training at school is in full swing, with a record number of women showing up to "try out" so to speak, for the teacher and assistant spots. There are some of the teachers from last year that are a little upset that their position isn't guaranteed by that fact, and that they have to attend the training knowing this fact. But it isn't us, but the island led school board that will make those final, difficult decisions. It has worked out very well to have the school board ever since it was formed last year. The new school director, Elizabeth, is doing a fantastic job, and her obvious knowledge of island culture makes everyone feel more confident in the acceptance and understanding of the agreements and decisions. Remie is doing wonderful work in the medical clinic, and now out in the community as he is being 'hired' by various islanders to check blood sugars, give shots, and do wound care. I love to watch his confidence and skills grow and meet community needs in a win-win situation!

2010-03-13T09:28:00.000-08:00

Hello again, long time! Since I haven’t written anything in this blog since 2007, I suspect that nobody has been here to see it either! So, just to catch you up…

· I am still in Helene, Honduras serving as a nurse missionary, and have now been here for nearly 4 ½ years!

· God has been growing and stretching me steadily – spiritually, physically, emotionally, and vocationally. I am now doing dental and veterinary work in addition to the medical work!

· I am running or participating in 2-3 Bible studies a week, as well as continuing to disciple/mentor several island girls or young women.

· I am now a Grandma of 2! Aubrie Jean is 3 ½, Wyatt is 9 months old!!

· The Lord has done some amazing things here on Helene, with the school now being run by an island-led school board, my clinic assistant of nearly 3 years went off to college for nursing, so I am training a new assistant with a very strong interest in the medical field, hoping to become a doctor someday!

· We have left the Alternative Missions organization, and are now a part of a new non-profit called Missions Encounters, Int’l (MEI). It is very exciting to watch God open doors and new opportunities and possibilities with this change.

I do plan to become more consistent with this form of communication now, so check back regularly if you are interested in keeping in touch with me or the goings on here in Helene. I would love to hear from you anytime! If you’d like to see some pictures, check out my web album at: http://picasaweb.google.com/livewyre4cj.

God bless!

Deirdre

2007-05-19T19:10:00.000-07:00

I saw this on one of the boat trips to Roatan. It was a very large fishing vessel offloading to a barge. We are getting more and more larger vessels in our area these days.

Pastor Teddy, along with a few islanders, and
a visiting team from WA rebuild the walkway in the pond that was falling into the swamp. Projects like these are plentiful on Helene, and we need visiting teams to get them all done.

Bentley Bay from the sea, the furthest west village on Helene.

Learning from Dr Tony, DDS my latest ministry area of interest, emergency dentistry. So far I have just assisted, but my turn will come to numb gums and pull teeth!

This was a sad and strange sight to see! Overnight, these 'wee wee' ants came out of the bush, making these pathways you see, straight for the Hibiscus bushes! Every leaf was devoured, leaving one little wilted flower. Believe it or not, all the leaves came back within a few days after Jerry, our "gardener" followed the tracks into the bush to kill the ant nest. But, alas, they have struck again since then.

Joe and Willis refinishing the cabinets for the medical clinic remodel. This has been quite a process, of course taking much longer than we hoped it would. When done, we will have 2 private patient rooms, a reception area, and a pharmacy. It will have a computer desk with reference materials, and a lab area. I can't wait to show more pictures as the process continues!

Miss Sheila with Zachary

Here are a group of ladies on the Northside in front of Miss Zula's house. We were gathered for a Bible study.

Here are Paster Teddy, his wife Heather, and their 3 kids, Jahari, Jadiri, and Zachary in front of their new home.

Here I found Sharina doing her homework in the Pond, sitting in front of an old shed, surrounded by mud, chickens, and garbage, but she had found shade and a quiet spot to get it done.

Argarta and her son, Daroni with Marian on the right. We were having Bible study on Miss Zula's porch.

I snuck into the kindergarten room to get a picture as they were working on their favorite project, coloring. They were making cards for us to send back to WA for Miss Marjie. We hear she just loved them!

This is in the oldest classroom, the 5th-6th graders of the HEC (Helene Education Center). Compulsary education only goes to 6th grade in Honduras, and that is the extent of the English school, too. Anything beyond that, basically 7th and 8th grades, is called college. There are some trade schools, and some 'university' courses on the mainland.

Tannie and her 2 week old son, Rodney. This was another birth I missed, he was born while I was away to the states in Febuary.

OK, so did you know that cockroaches are next to impossible to kill?? We have poured bleach on them, tried many sprays and powders, but the one thing we finally did learn (almost by accident) is that hot water kills them almost instantly!!! It is inevitable that you will have these scavengers in abundance when you live over sand or dirt, in a tropical environment, where there is food in abundance that they can manage to gnaw into somehow. Thank the Lord they are mostly nocturnal!

2007-05-19T17:07:00.000-07:00

Church of God Convention, April 11-15th, 2007

I only attended the last 2 days, which was plenty to get a good taste of what happens there. There are 4-5 meetings or services a day, from the 6am prayer meeting daily, to the evening service at 7pm, that went until 9-10 pm. There were breaks for meals, they provided breakfast and lunch, free of charge. It is a tremendous undertaking for a church, the majority of the work seeming to be the meals, which ladies from other churches did help with.

Here I am with sweet Tamika, Kiera's daughter. She was so good for all the sitting we did!

Here is the choral group from the Helene COG, minus Mr Rowlands, who made it in just in time to sing Sunday morning.

Front row from left: Aileen, Marian, Zula, Bonnalee, Liolyn.

Back row: Amalia, Pastor Teddy

It is quite an honor to get chosen to sing at the convention, so they get matching "suits" for the show. Even Miss Liolyn said it's "much about the clothes you wear", people bring a different outfit for almost every service and meeting. I didn't have enough, so had to buy a new skirt/shirt!

Here they are, up singing their hearts out on Sunday morning. They did a great job with Amalia leading the choir. You can just see Aileen peeking over Amalia's right shoulder, but Mr Rowlings is directly behind Miss Liolyn on the left side.

A few of the ladies and kids who I attended the event with:

Henry, Marian, Kiari (Marion's youngest) Marixa (Marian's sister & Henry's Mom), Tamika, and Kiera. (Henry lives on Roatan with Miss Liolyn so that Marixa can work more. Its been that way since shortly after his birth. Not an unusual arrangement for many of the kids)

The kids were sure better behaved than I can imagine may American kids being at something like this!

Here were my hostesses for the weekend, Miss Liolyn and her sister, who's house we stayed at. She had AC in her bedroom, which is where she spends 90% of her time since she lost her legs to diabetes. She is so grateful and gracious, and made me feel quite welcome. It was just a difficult night because they kept waking up every hour or so to talk! Then dear Miss Lili woke me up at 4:30 to ask what time it was, then said "oh, good, then we can lay back down for another 1/2 hour! Ug, it was good to get home and sleep!

2007-05-19T13:16:00.000-07:00

I went with several of the Helene team to a futbol (soccer in the States) game at Diamond Rock on Roatan. I was the official medical person there, it seems otherwise, there usually isn't anyone there in that capacity. Amazingly, this day there were no injuries or incidents, despite both teams playing for hours in 85-90 degree heat!

Marvin (left) and Ewings (right) getting some water on a much needed break during a period intermission.

Marvie and Ewings work closely with us here at the clinic. Marvie works with Clean Sweep, which is a program that travels the island path, cleaning up garbage and burning it, cleaning the beaches, and doing minor repairs on the bridges. Ewings works with us as a Clinic Assistant, he starts and helps maintain the generator, collects and burns the garbage, drives our boat, and generally assists wherever needed under the direction of Joe and Camas. Both a greatly involved in Bible studies and individual discipling.

This is the younger team taking a victory lap after winning 3-2!

The older guys, after receiving new "suits" from a generous donation from friends from America. This boosts their morale greatly!

Futbol is definately the most important sport here in Honduras, as well as much of the world over. Kids start playing almost as soon as they learn to walk, and it is played year round. It is just about the only organized sport I see them play, with the possible exception of basketball, which I believe the gringo's brought to Helene.

2007-02-08T20:48:00.000-08:00

Its all about me..... AUBRIE alone

I like riding in the car, especially with Grammy entertaining me!

This is my lepord suit that I fit in, at least for now - I'm so cute!!

Being on my tummy isn't my favorite position, but the workout is good for my arms, I almost can turn over both ways now. I can't quite get my legs and arms under me at the same time to crawl yet - but soon!

I love my teddy, he comforts me when I cry, and sleeps with me all the time. I have to wear socks on my arms so I won't scratch, that excema makes me crazy sometimes!

2007-02-08T20:38:00.000-08:00

My grandbaby Aubrie and others.... I am now 5 1/2 months old

My first moments hugging her at the airport since she was just 1 week old

Mommy Chantale, and I

Chantale, Ryan with Aubrie, and proud Grammy (or Nana?)

Daddy enjoying a moment of laughter with me before its back to work

2007-02-08T19:11:00.000-08:00

Islanders photos, such beautiful people!
Here is Garnell with her 1 day old baby boy.... he was just under 12#!

Here I am with some of my Northside ladies Bible study, and baby Tamika in her Mommy Kiera's arms

just more kids hanging out, mugging for the camera!

Hanging out on the steps of a Seco home, can't believe they can hold their weight!

2007-02-08T18:44:00.000-08:00

And to the highlight, the water balloon dousing on Christmas morning...

Cleo and I filling up water balloons in the kitchen, we did about 200 in all

The kids, anxiously awaiting.... we first lure them in close with candy....

Then pelt them with the water balloons! It is truly refreshing good fun!

Of course we end up throwing a few at each other, but save the vast majority to the sweating, excited, screaming kids down below!

2007-02-08T18:24:00.000-08:00

A few Christmas photos

Just finished putting a few outdoor lights up and needed some evidence

Almost finished-we just added a couple more after this, but lookin' good! Alisa and I all decked out for Christmas Eve services
Here was our Christmas season team, but we did lose Michelle a few days before Christmas, and Ewings was included since he was invaluable help to us for the entire month of Dec. Paul, Ewings, Alisa in back, then Toshiba, Michelle and I in front.

2007-02-08T18:10:00.000-08:00

Miscellaneous shots from Nov/Dec 2006...

Here is a beautiful evening shot at Half Moon Bay in West End on Roatan

A jellyfish seen from shore

Ever get to that "silly place" after working in a very hot room for much too long with other silly, silly girls??

Stitching up a very deep stab wound, on a very drunk man inflicted by his girlfriend. If it hadn't been for Dr's Scott and Trish, we would have just had to pack the wound and send him downisland.

2007-02-07T12:15:00.000-08:00

A few last pictures before leaving Guanaja for now... we will be returning as other short term teams sign up. Eventually our hope is to have an AM team established there, Lord open the door!

This is the Guanaja police 'car'. There are 3 policemen, so they just fit into it when all are together. Notice the spare tire under the front seat?

Here is team Helene (minus Michelle) in Bresa de Mitch, love that fan palm behind us!

Savannah Bight view, it is pretty crowded(big city compared to Helene!)See the horse? Another somewhat common form of transportation. The children just loved to sing, both in English and Spanish

2007-02-07T11:53:00.000-08:00

The next day we headed to Bresa de Mitch, a village built along an old air strip. We all piled onto this flatbed that doubles as a taxi and transport vehicle. Fortunately, it was a nice sunny day! Different laws than in the states, huh? Can you see the big ticket we'd get in the US??

This babe was, believe it or not, 2 months old. The mother had been given IM antibiotics her entire pregnancy as treatment for migrane headaches.... what??!! So babe was born with liver damage prematurely.

In this community, very few spoke English, so Joe, Elana and Silvia all doubled as interpretors in addition to the medical aspect. It really slowed the process down, but I did learn more Spanish, including writing prescriptions in Spanish. Gotta go to language school!

Probably to most common form of transportation on the island, besides walking. One islander said that the roads are getting 'crowded with cars'. I asked how many cars are on the island now, the answer was "15".

2007-02-07T11:36:00.000-08:00

We then headed over by boat to Mangrove Bight, where we met in a community center. This is a much bigger community, larger than any one area on Helene by at least 3 times. We saw 70 or so in 3-4 hours.

We had to get organized quickly, with some team doing intake, some triage, some seeing patients, some doing pharmacy duty. We saw everything from rashes, to colds, to stomach issues and heart problems. We checked vitals, blood sugars, lungs, skin, eyes and ears. It seemed endless, everytime I thought we must be clearing the place out, I'd look up and didn't see any less waiting than who I'd seen. It was crazy, but I also felt God's presence and need there, it was such a blessing to me!

While people were waiting to be seen by medical staff, other team members were doing dental teaching, kids clubs, singing, and here painting fingernails.

1/2 an exhausting day later, we're on the hill outside of the village, waiting for our ride back to Savannah Bight. This brand new road has been in progress for over 6 months. It doesn't go into town yet, so people can drive to the end, but then have to carry everything around the barrier and the rest of the way home. They cut the road out of a steep hillside, without putting anything against the hill, so it keeps collapsing onto the road again after the rains.... who knows if it ever will be usable.

2007-02-07T11:02:00.000-08:00

We did a medical outreach in each of the 4 communities served by the Savannah Bight clinic, when they heard we were coming they started lining up early, then we would see just about everyone that lived there!

Here we are coming into NW Bight, accessible this day only by boat because the road was again washed out by the rain. It was a rough ride around the east end of Guanaja to get there, with waves as high as 8' in our 20' boat! There is only a few ways into the shore because it is so shallow as you come onto the beach.

We set up the clinic is someone's home, there are only about 10 homes in this small village, but we still were there 2 hours to see everyone.

This was quite a poor community, the people were very appreciative of our visit to them. The have the hardest time accessing the SB clinic.

This was quite a unique home style, 5 people live in this tiny A-frame

2007-02-07T09:44:00.000-08:00

Our facility was well used for everything, from just having people in for 'play time' in smaller groups....

...to kids clubs that had a great turnout....

....to a bilingual, multichurch worship night....

to a medical outreach, in which we probably saw 50-60 people in 1 day!

2007-02-07T09:23:00.000-08:00

Guanaja outreach, Nov 2006 with New Life Church

Here is a view of the village of Savannah Bight, where we stayed, out of the window of the building AM was given. Note the fact that they have "current", the poles really stood out to me, not being used to seeing that on Helene. It isn't exactly reliable, tho, we had a couple outages while we were there that lasted several hours.

The medical team from New Life, with Elena 3rd from right, she is the 'nurse' who runs the clinic in Savannah Bight. I learned during our time there that she really has very little formal medical training, mostly just 20+ years of on the job experience. There are only 2 medical clinics in Guanaja, which serve around 6000 people, they are government run, which means they depend on provisions that are very unreliable. She does officially have a doctor there, but only rarely in reality is he on sight.

The front of the building we have. It is a large 2 story structure that needs quite a bit of work to become functional for hosting teams, but any time the doors were open, island children came running!

View of Savannah Bight from high on the hill behind, this island has much more 'mountainous' terrain than Helene, and is 3 times the size.

2007-02-06T14:20:00.000-08:00

More on the Procedure Room saga, finally getting done! Here is Camas with a team finishing the interior work so the finish work could start. It was very hot in there, thus had to be insulated.

Painting was not as fun as it looked! Besides being a sweatbox, the Honduran paint is terrible, it took 3-4 coats to cover the cement board. All the wood trim is made piece by piece, from a 1 X 6 board, then cut, planed, routered, sanded and stained - really makes one appreciate Home Depot!

But the finished product is a small, but usable temporary clinic, where we'll be until the main clinic remodel is done. Here is Alisa, with our 2 new receptionists in training, Saroli and Shamari.And so now the old clinic has been torn apart (scraping the linoleum and glue up was a very tedious 3 day job!) and the changes have begun. We'll have 2 much larger rooms, and the reception area is going to be out on the porch, which will be enclosed and floored. The cabinets are being rebuilt, wiring redone, new tile floors put in, new shelves in the pharmacy.... it will be wonderful! Much of this is done thanks to financial support from friends like you who believe in what we're doing in Helene!

2007-02-06T14:09:00.000-08:00

Another project I was involved with was helping Paul to fix Tania and Bobby's front steps in Oct. They were sinking and the posts were rotting. Bobby was out of the country working on a ship, so she needed help making this safe for her and her kids.

The demolition! Its a fun part, except the fact that the fire ants were biting our feet all up! Had to keep jumping up onto the steps to get away.

Finishing up on the 2nd day, in the pouring rain, not surprising since it was rainy season. It was a great feeling to accomplish this job!

Tania and her kids, very thankful and pleased with their new steps.

2007-02-06T13:55:00.000-08:00

This is a 'Habitat for Helene' project. Teams can come down and provide labor and materials to fix a house that we deem in need. This home is Dean and Laverne's, they have 10 children, most of them live in this tiny 3 bedroom house. With rainy season upon us in Oct and a roof leaking from rust holes, it was perfect timing for this project to get done!

A new tin roof, the cheapest way to go, knowing that the sea air and humidity will cause it to rust again in several years. The noise from this type of roof in the rain is tremendous!

Here is Laverne, on wash day. She has both the 'old' way of washing with the washboard, and the 'new' idea, which is using a PVC pipe to agitate the laundry around in the bucket or basin. Either way, it is a laborious process to wash for a large household! Then on the line to dry.

2006-11-19T15:35:00.000-08:00

Pictures from the Newport, RI team here in early Oct '06

Stephanie with some island girls on our front deck

The team went swimming on Northside, so did about 25 island kids!

Sarah and I during some visitation time up on Northside, lovin' on the kids some. Can't help it, they're all so so cuddleable!!

Stephanie checking out Linden's catch that day, he's out fishing most days of the week, weather permitting.

2006-11-19T15:22:00.000-08:00

More Guanaja...

Here is the Savannah Bight Medical Clinic, serving 3 times as many people as we do here in Helene, but with probably 1/5 the supplies/meds. This problem will be helped tremendously by the team coming down.

The main street in Savannah Bight, which is where we will concentrate our efforts on our outreach in later November. They are getting "too many cars" on the island according to one person, now up to 15!

Michelle, Larry and Joe on Graham's Key, where we had dinner. He is a man from the Cayman Islands that bought this key and built a resort, quite a life if you ask me! He does a wonderful job with a classy spot.

A truly gorgeous sunset shot from the beach on Graham's Key

2006-11-19T15:10:00.000-08:00

Introducing Guanaja, from our scouting trip there mid Oct, '06

Here's the airport, folks. 2 flights in and out a day, if there are enough fliers. There aren't any ferry boats or anything, so this is the way on/off the island if you don't have your own boat.
The is Low Key, a small but very crowded key off the main island. It is the main center of commerce, where the major's office, bank, gas stations, and one of the 2 medical clinics is located. Called Low Key because it is low in the water (at least that is what I've been told), or also known as Binaca Key (Guanaja is also known as Binaca)
The narrow streets can get very congested, but only from people and bicycles, no cars here. Houses and businesses are completely intermingled. The school sits pretty center on the key.
This is near the school and medical clinic. No hospital on Guanaja yet. You can hardly see a patch of ground here.

2006-11-19T14:55:00.000-08:00

Some work projects around Helene...

Laverne and Dean getting a much needed new roof under Habitat for Helene funding, with the help from the Newport STM team

Procedure Room work! Its getting there folks, slowly but surely. It has to be ready to be used in January, when a construction team is coming to tear apart the existing clinic, for remodelling by a 2nd January team

Help from the Newport RI team here, too

Painting, painting, painting. It takes at least 3 coats of this Honduran paint to cover. Lots of practice on my house back in the states paid off!

OH come on! you're saying I missed just a SPOT??

2006-10-05T21:07:00.000-07:00

We do take time to relax and have fun, too. This is on the mainland in Honduras where we went to recooperate from the week long meeting to plan the projects and priorities of the mission for 2007.

This is the vehicle that came to pick some of us up to go white water rafting, quite a sight! It was an old military transport 'bus'.

Me, Camas, Alisa and Emily...before getting wet

About to jump in....Paul, Emily me, Alisa and Camas

Just a birds eye view of a milder rapid we traversed, in fact, we jumped off this rock into the rapids - the guide said it was to remove our "fear of the waters power", it certainly was exhilarating!

2006-09-26T16:56:00.000-07:00

!Quince! Sept 15th, Independence Day -
celebrated by a parade down the path, all schools participate in their groups, usually with some sort of new uniform if possible.

Being soldiers is a big part of the marching routines

The girls love to do batan dance routines, and practice a month ahead

The boys are the drummers, or in this case they carved wooden guns to carry

2006-09-26T16:38:00.000-07:00

Emily playing the 'Hokey Pokey' with some of the boys on Children's Day

Out visiting one day, here I am with Tamika, she's 6 weeks old here
Heather has to do Jadiri's hair when she's sleeping or she fights too much. If she wakes up, it has to wait to get braided (or plaited)
I had SueEllen and Esslyn over for a sleepover one night. One of the greatest things for them was to be able to take a real shower, and sleep under a fan all night long. We really had a fun time!

2006-09-26T16:27:00.000-07:00

Ewings took Camas, Alisa and I out iguana hunting (they do eat iguana, and yes, it tastes like chicken....sort of)

We tramped through some pretty thick jungle searching out those iguana

This was a tailor shop where Emily had some school uniforms made up for Quince. These kids sang songs to us while we waited for them to be paid for and picked up. They just flocked to our boat when we drove up.

Most of the team, minus Camas, plus Tom Hackett, outside Casa Calico

2006-09-26T16:07:00.000-07:00

Harvest Celebration Sept 7th, 2006

They get all dressed up and go to the Methodist church for "recitations", children and adults alike practice and memorize a variety of songs, poems, Bible verses, or even something that they have made up for the occasion. Its almost as big an event as Quince, the independence day.

2006-09-04T21:07:00.000-07:00

A few favorites....

a couple beautiful schoolgirls peeking out the HEC door

Cooling off Helene style - bathin' in the sea!

Interesting Pond scene, the oven on the left (old style clay oven) is much more reliable and used than the oven on the right, that has definately seen better days!

Laundry day, one of intense labor using a washboard, several rinse cycles, lots of squeezing, and finally hanging up. Then just hope they will dry despite the humidity, before the rains come!

2006-09-04T20:55:00.000-07:00

More pictures from around the island...

Here is Esslyn and Saroli, during a sleepover for 9 teenage girls!

A pretty evening from up on the hill behind the clinic

A rare sight, this was taken by a team member, a gorgeous sunrise!!

Just interesting... a shack in the background, in the foreground a seatless chair, sitting in front of a recently used campfire, in the pond

2006-09-04T19:20:00.000-07:00

Before Aubrie was born, it all wasn't quite 'real' to Ryan yet....

He thinks he could understand what it felt like, inside and out, to be Chantale....

...but unfortunately, he couldn't know how amazing it really is! Chantale was such a trooper during it all. And what an angel we are all blessed with now!

The two new Grandma's just couldn't be any more proud!!

When she looks at me, my heart melts and I know that I am blessed indeed! Its especially nice to know she's in good hands, and not mine!

2006-09-03T21:21:00.000-07:00

While in CA, Ryan took me and Julie, Chantale's sister, to the shooting range on the Ft Irwin base

Ryan shooting his .45 cal semi automatic

Now my turn with it - its loud with a lot of kick!!

This was my favorite gun to shoot, an AK15 semi, hardly any kick

Julie had never shot a gun, she did great and had a good time, too

2006-09-02T14:02:00.000-07:00

It's a GIRL!! My beautiful grand-daughter, Aubrie, is born!

Her birth day was Aug 17th, at 2:47pm. 7lb, 1/2 oz, 19" long.

Her very proud parents, Ryan and Chantale, live at Ft Irwin, CA

Daddy, Ryan, looking at her for the first time, quite a realization, I'm sure, that he really is a father now - and all the God given responsibilities!
The beautiful, very happy new family...Ryan, Chantale, and little Aubrie
Being a Grammy is just the BEST!!!

2006-06-25T12:31:00.000-07:00

Some pictures from around the island...

Just visiting with the girls....

small restaurant in Seco

Miss Cynthia's store and restaurant on Northside

During school recess: Trisiana, Celene, Trisia, Jesse, Kira

2006-06-25T11:17:00.000-07:00

Bringing John B. home

John had to lay down to have any hope of being comfortable for long. Here we managed to get him into a double seat on the airplane. I sat across the aisle so that he could stretch his legs across, and I could hold his feet is necessary. Also the airline staff wanted me right there in case he needed more pain meds. He did well, slept part of the way even.
We managed to get a van going from Roatan airport to Oakridge so he could lay down again, he was exhausted and medicated enough to sleep much of the way.
We had been really worried about he boat trip to Helene, but with the gurney pad on top of the stretcher, he said he was actually more comfortable than he'd been in many weeks. Greg took it very slow and easy, taking about twice the amount of time as usual for the trip.
A few days after arriving home I took Mom and Dave over to meet him and visit for a short time. Mary and Daisha got in the picture also. In this bed is where John most likely will spend the majority of his last days.

2006-06-25T11:09:00.000-07:00

Some pictures from Mom and Dave's visit here

Here they are standing with Willis in front of his house, Willis is great with planting and landscaping

A shot of me and Mr James on his steps, he was just getting over having chicken pox for the first time!
Mom and me as we were walking thru Bentley Bay, we were just drenched by a really big downpour! So the laundry there was just getting a "second rinse".
Dave's birthday was just 2 days after they left here, so I made cake for 30 people, and surprised him with it! He was thrilled, even made a speech holding a metal spatula as a microphone

2006-06-25T11:06:00.000-07:00

Mom and Dave with the islanders, and stuff

Here they are in the boat returning to Helene after our 3 days in West End, they both really enjoyed the boat ride, despite getting wet and windy

Here's Mom with 5 day old Trenia, Kiara's new baby girl born 6/13
...and now mama and baby! she said all she wants to do all day is watch her baby girl sleep and eat. I held her next... she christened me just before I went to the Sunday evening church service - but baby pee doesn't stink, right?
This was the group at Northside Church of God that evening, but many of the islanders got away before the picture was taken.

2006-06-25T10:58:00.000-07:00

Some pics from our Roatan trip

This monkey lives at the hotel we stayed at, for some reason he really took to me, and would come running over any time I went by (no comments from the peanut gallery please!)

Mom, Dave and Fiona at Anthony's Key Resort, where you can swim with the dolphins, what amazing creatures they are! So smart and friendly!
This was taken on the front porch of our room, it was a great jungle-like setting, you could hear parrots from a nearby cage all day, too.
The beach across the street was beautiful, called Half Moon Bay in West End. We were able to swim out and snorkle right off the beach, too.

2006-06-25T10:46:00.000-07:00

Some pictures from Nanci (Mom) and Dave's trip to Helene June '06

Here's their arrival boatride in, we had the pleasure of Ensmore driving us home on Wally and Suzie's skiff after we spent a couple hours visiting them in their beautiful home on Roatan

They arrived at a really crazy time, right before the big hog and fish fry the clinic was doing for the island. The team here had been working furiously all day to pull this off, we 3 plus Camas got to just walk up and enjoy the feast (almost) But Mom and Dave had been up for around 36 hours, so it was pretty overwhelming for them.
We went visiting up to the Northside community on the day of my home visits there, so we stopped and chatted with Heather, Saroli and Zanoli (in the doorway) while Heather was doing her daughter Jadari's hair
Just couldn't resist this shot of Dave in front of Miss Betty's house with her grandkids hanging out the window and in the doorway.

2006-05-26T17:36:00.000-07:00

Some Helene Team photos

taken at Parrot Tree in February....

Alisa, Sus, Sheila, Joe, Marjie, Camas, Jessica, Emily, Christy, Abbey, me

here we are, some of 'the girls' in Larry and Sheila's house

In March (April?) out at Pidgen Keys - Paul has arrived!

Our most recent staff pic, taken the day Marjie had to leave us...

(April 29th 2006)

Joe, Marjie, Sheila, Larry, Camas, Paul, Alisa. In front: Emily, me & Sus

This is about what we have to work with now, minus Sus, and for now, Marjie... we are few, but we are strong!

2006-05-22T12:22:00.000-07:00

Here are just some miscellaneous pictures from around...

Here are some examples of Esslyn's nail artwork. The point of teaching her to do this is partly to make some money for her family to live on, but just as important is that of teaching her to work, to stay with a 'job', to save her money to be able to buy what she needs when there isn't enough work to do, and to run a business, at least as much as she can in the environment she lives in. It seems that many of the islanders are seeing the potential profitability of this business, and are wanting to do it also.

Here we are taking some short term missions girls out for a hike in the jungle, we do like the STM groups to have some fun while they're here to work!!
Here I am with Ewings, he'd just caught this iguana 15 minutes prior, and I just loved seeing it up close! (so of course had to take a picture) They are such prehistoric looking creatures!

2006-05-22T12:15:00.000-07:00

This is the picture posting for my Honduran hospital experience journal, this really only gives you a taste of a 3rd world country hospital.

Here's the reception desk, there was a window, but it seems only those with an appt can go to that window...but we thought we did have one! Alisa was invaluable, as there was very little english spoken here, and John speaks even less spanish than I do!!!

This is stage 2 waiting area, after you are called to triage, then given another number, you come and wait outside one of these doors to see a doctor, very few places to sit for the number of patients!
This was a sweet little lady who sits outside the double doors that go to the inpatient wards. She sells little bottles, has her left leg amputated because of diabetes. She lives at the hospital because all her family is gone now. The staff find food to give her, but I don't think she's officially a patient any longer.
This is a picture of the emergency room, but the inpatient wards were very similar, many beds having just a curtain to separate them from the hallway

2006-05-22T12:06:00.000-07:00

The machines are old, to put it nicely. To be fair, this one was out in the hallway outside of the X-ray room... not quite sure what it is?

Alisa showing her expertise with being an X-ray tech!

here's the working X-ray machine...think I'm kidding about old equipment?
John stood waiting, us to right there in the room, while the tech went and pushed the button behind a small lead apron...not warning to Alisa and I
OK, we found this sign to be just hilarious, maybe we were just tired, but doesn't this "nurse" look just a little too sensual?? She sure has those big red pouty lips going on!

2006-05-08T11:11:00.000-07:00

More La Ceiba pictures

'chew' shopping in downtown Ceiba at the street vendors. I really had fun doing this! We purchased about 45 pairs of shoes for the school kids

Here's the pile we came up with! It was definately a challenge getting them back to the island!
Here is a shot of the 3 of us girls, dressed up for our dinner at Applebee's
Going Hollywood! Just the 5 of us to come back home, the pilot asked us to sit up front for proper weight distribution!

2006-05-08T11:00:00.000-07:00

Here are some shots from our La Ceiba weekend

Just one of the street vendors, he saw me with my camera and motioned for me to take a picture. Then, I should have guessed, asked for money for taking the picture.

You think going to the bank is a pain in the states?? Here are the Saturday morning lines at the mall, 4 banks in this corner. This was after the doors opened to allow half the people waiting into the lobbies! It is typical to expect to take 2-4 hours to go to the bank!
Another chance to do some worship, out by the pool of our hotel
A little plane at the end of the tarmac was ours, just for the 5 of us. For those of you who know my past fear of flying, I am so very thankful that fear has been erased!! The brakes squealed, the cabin smelled like sour gasoline, but the pilot was great and we arrived in Roatan just fine.

2006-05-08T09:45:00.000-07:00

Just a few somewhat random pictures from the work I do, and who I do it with....

Here I am with Loveland, suturing up Raisa's toe, she was a challenge to convince that I was trying to help her, but once the Lidocaine kicked in, she was a perfectly calm little patient.

...and here is the result, 12 sutures and 30 minutes later!
Miss Marjie and I, hanging out on the front porchDown on Roatan, working with Larry on coordinating and orienting the team we'd just brought in, got a quickie "how to" on the cell use.

2006-04-30T16:22:00.000-07:00

Here are a few dory pictures from the Northside, just to show you their "car"

This is one of Linden with his first dory, taken last fall while he was working on it. It was finished about 1 month after this photo was taken.

....and here is the finished dory, appropriately named "At Last", he had waited about 40 years for his first 'car'!
Here you go.... this is to show you the old style dories, just hollowed out of a log, lots and lots of work! These are just sitting on the Northside beach, waiting to be repaired for use. I liked the contrast with the newer dory in the background.
A picture of Cassandra and I, a Northside friend of mine

2006-04-16T15:40:00.000-07:00

and up to the church service on Northside later that morning...

here the kids turned to face us to do their recitations

the ladies and I dressed up in our Sunday best!
can you see who I saw on the way home?

OK, I was out at Pidgen Keys, too

2006-04-16T15:18:00.000-07:00

RESURRECTION DAY!

Some photos of the sunrise on Easter morn, from the public dock service

HE is risen! HE is risen indeed!!
Clinic attenders: me, Susanna, Alisa, Camas, Emily and Marjie
On the way back, a view I couldn't pass up, the rays going upwards to the sky, at the same time downwards to the earth!

2006-04-15T13:12:00.000-07:00

Festivities for Good Friday on the Northside beach

I know this is small, but I wanted an overview shot, this is looking down to the main area of gathering. See Susanna, Emily and Alisa there?

Again, here I am with dear Esslyn, she cut all her hair off and its adorable! I had just finished bathing in the sea with about 40-50 kids! I am holding Dara, she was contented as could be just to be held
This is what happens when they're all wet and just flop down to play in the sand! Its Ryan on the left, not sure who's on the right
Many of the ladies bring up food to sell - chicken, pork, fish, baliatas, chips and soda, as well as various other goodies could be found for sell by 4-5 of the islanders. There was also an abundance of beer, which usually leads to trouble later. Praise God no injuries this year!!

2006-04-14T21:28:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics of our trip to Pidgeon Keys April 13th

The boatride on the way out was soooooo smooth! We hardly stopped talking the whole way for our excitement of all having a "fun day off" together!

(left to right)Alisa, Sheila (behind), Emily, Joe (driving),Larry, Susanna, Marjie and Paul - just missed Camas' head in the shot

Here is the island stop in the Pidgeon Keys, a tiny island that looks different every time we visit because the seas change the size and shape
We had a picnic first on the beach before snorkelling - one little umbrella just didn't cover us all - so Larry staked his space first! Fortunately, the sun wasn't too hot that day! Before we headed back, we took a time for some worship, Camas led us with his beautiful guitar playing - rarely have I had a more gorgeous site for singing praises to our Lord!

2006-04-10T16:44:00.000-07:00

Here he is! Isn't he just the cutest boy??! We hiked up to the cross after he helped me hang some laundry. I brought 2 'boom-booms' for us to eat at the top. Loved the conversations we had about Jesus and heaven on the way up. Such simple wisdom from the mouths of our children!

Here is a shot of me and Miss Nella. She lives in the pond, in a tiny 3 room shack with her husband. She is one interesting lady to talk to, and can surely get off on some strange tangents in conversations! Last time it was all about how God wants us to "mix the blood of the nations", and that the problems occur when blood remains too pure. In other words, one can be 'too white or black'. When I said that God loves everyone, and created each one perfectly in His image, she agreed, but still said that He never meant for us to keep to our own race so much. I shook my head and told her I don't believe any of that, that skin color is just a shallow covering, she just laughed and said I was a 'good girl'.
On market day someone found this beetle under our deck and brought it up. I'd never seen anything like it - so don't you know I had to pick it up!! Got lots of 'ewwww's' from the girls. It crawled up my arm so I had to keep it from getting too close. Its feet were like little hooks, but it didn't bite or anything. It had wings, but didn't fly away. It was about 4" long.
YUP! I'm in a 3rd world country alright...see his gun? He was just directing traffic in Coxen Hole, which is the big city of Roatan. Sorry about the lack of clarity, it was taken thru the bus window.

2006-04-08T21:39:00.000-07:00

Here is Victor and Jocelyn - they were married legally 43 years ago, but now have had their church wedding! The church was packed, so I had to watch from outside. There were about 10 attendant couples, dressed to the nines! This was one event that actually started early, about 45 min after it was due to start!

The throwing of the bouquet. I didn't see any garter throw, tho!

2006-04-04T16:15:00.000-07:00

These girls were tickled by Sheila putting rabbit ears over her head, it sure made for a great picture!

Zack being his funny, silly self with an umbrella up at Rocky Point

This is the "bus stop" at Oakridge, where the 'Good Shephard' lets us off for whatever we need to do on Roatan. A fairly busy, pretty dirty place.

Here is one of the means of income for the local ladies...braiding hair, often for the visiting teams and occasionally for the staff. It took 5-6 hours for them to do these girls hair (one guy also had his hair done)

2006-04-04T15:19:00.000-07:00

Hello and good day!

I just want to share a few pictures of a couple local villages..

This is called Bentley Bay, on the path looking west

Here is a view in the middle of Seko, peeking between houses out to the Caribbean, see the gentleman in the middle of the picture?
Here I am up on the Northside, just after going bathing in the sea with about 25 kids, a few girls joined for a picture
This was taken the same day, he was out quite a way, just paddling around in his dory. I zoomed in a lot to take it, that's why its somewhat fuzzy, but I really liked it anyway. These kids get around in the dorys like kids at home ride a bike!

2006-04-01T17:36:00.000-08:00

This will be my last post this evening, they are having a movie on 'the big screen' (the huge whiteboard under the covered deck) this evening, and I promised Esslyn I'd be there, so need to go. I took these shots up at the cross 2 weeks ago, just wanted to share some of the beauty, too.

Nearing sunset

Some of the boys.... Yorgin, Jake, Phil, Darryl, Dominic & Raymac
(for those who may remember from last time, Yorgin in the one who's foot was all cut thru the tendons and needed surgery by Pat. He's doing just fabulous now, and has a great scar to show for it!)

Just crazy boys, especially Phil up there at the top!

One more gorgeous evening shot from the cross before heading down for dinner....

2006-04-01T17:23:00.000-08:00

I'm still here uploading, what a great connection! By the way, I just found that you can comment just by hitting the 'comment' link below.

Here is the group I took up to Rocky Point earlier this week, minus a couple camera shy girls

Now for some of the critters I saw, this is what they call a sea spider (fitting!) It is about 2 feet under the water level on the pier post, and was probably 7-8" in diameter!

Esslyn called this a sea cow. I picked it up (despite all the ewwwwws! from the kids) It was very soft, had no skeleton - but looked like a snail underwater. He "inked" me with a pink smelly solution when I held him too long. He lived thru my curiosity, and crawled away when put back.

Here's beautiful Demarius (she loves to be photographed!) holding a sea worm, just a gooey jelly like creature.

2006-04-01T17:13:00.000-08:00

Hey, maybe I'll get pics up twice in a day! Just thought I'd share some people photos this time....

Here you see Jessica, Alisa, Sus and I in front, and Sheila, Christy, Emily and Camas in back. This was at the Coral Cay going away bash.
This is Bethany (Sus and Em's sister) with a slew of kids before bathing in the sea at the public dock.
Anell and Damarius in that hammock at Rocky Point.
This is of the 'bus stop' at Oakridge on Roatan. This is where we get off or on the boat to head to/from Helene. A very busy place indeed!

2006-03-31T11:36:00.000-08:00

Hi all, well I managed to get these up online, so hopefully this will be a continuing trend! I had not figured out how one can comment online, just that it is possible...will let you know when I know!

Here is a picture of the HEC (Helene Education Center) It is taken from the path looking south (towards Honduras)
This is of the main "clinic" from the path, that is what the mission building is called. My room is on the upper floor, to the left. The 2 smaller buildings in front are cabins for visitors.
Here is a pic of the main medical clinic treatment room. The entrance to this is on the lower floor on left side of the main clinic.
Here is one of the two smaller classrooms, the one closer to the water is almost done, just some finishing touches and it can open for kids!

2006-03-27T20:14:00.000-08:00

Esslin and friend, 15 year old stand-in mom to her siblingsDemarius, the 8 year old sister
Zack, Esslin's little brother, at the door of their home Toshiba! Best watch dog, security guard, companion, trail guide we could ask for!

2006-03-27T19:55:00.000-08:00

Here's my room, from the doorway. Not all decorated yet, but on the way'Bathing in the sea' with some island kids, about 20, actually!Rays off a full moon just at sunset, what an amazing sight! WHY??

One of the 5 scorpions we found over just a two week period!!

2006-03-26T20:15:00.000-08:00

Hello to my friends and family,
Thanks so much for taking the time to view my new blog page. This is a completely new experience for me, but I hope that it will give you an opportunity to see photos from here, to comment directly and ask questions that may come up directly. I have to get just the right satellite connection to get the pictures uploaded, and from what others have been able to do today, this is the day! I pray that this new (for me!) way of communicating and sharing is a blessing to you and I both! I love to have the chance to share pic's and people with you! So here we go.....