this one might be long since i'll be covering the past few weeks of my life

well... hermana has come and gone :( but i enjoyed the time i got to spend with her. in her first day of working in the hospital she (and me too) got to see an absess thing on this lady's back get popped. it was soooo cool. it was probably about the size of a golf ball and exploded chunks and gooey stuff like a volcano.

we also went up to Agua Fria with the pastor to do a worship service for the people of the village. the service was held on somebody's back porch. me, hermana, and 2 other girls that work in the hospital did the children's stuff in the kitchen area. one of the girls read then noah's arc and later we made the witness bracelets and i explained to them how to make them and what each color meant.

while hermana was here we got to meet up with our friend from Choluteca (which is where me and my family normally go in Honduras). Yeny, little baby Stephanie, and Yeny's cousin met us in el Valle de Angeles. it was sooo good seeing her again and finally being able to meet baby Stephanie. we spent a couple of hours with them in the valley while the group shopped.

as far as political stuff goes, everything is fine. there have been rumors that Mel is at the border of Nicaragua y Honduras but then again there have been lots of rumors about him and when he is coming and where he's at. one thing is for certain, i am safe where i am at so NO WORRIES.

this past wednesday i was sitting outside waiting for the wednesday night church to start and Ashley came up to me and said that BMDMI (Baptist Medical and Dental Ministry) was doing a medical brigade about an hour from the hospital and that they needed help. Ashley has gone on trips with this ministry many times so she knows the missionaries.
i had about an hour to pack and eat dinner before our ride was going to pick us up.
this medical brigade was sooo awesome. pretty much the whole town was involved. the kitchen and women sleeping areas were in the school (they canceled school that week for the brigade) and in the courtyard of the school were 3 portable/metal showers with a heated waterhose for showering. the pharmacy was in one of the churches. the medical clinicwas held in another building, i'm not sure what it was. the dental hygiene area was on somebody's front porch. the eye clinic was in somebody elses house.
in the middle of the town/village was a HUGE white tent where all of the services were held.
patients had to register to be seen by the doctors and get a card with all their information.
me and ashley did blood pressure and weight. and i could not beleive how high some of these people's blood pressure was.... i remember one lady's was like 209/109 or something ridiculous like that.
it was almost like the whole village shut down to do this brigade. in the medical clinic alone, i know we saw more than 2,000 patients within about 3 days.
all the dental area did was pull rotted teeth. i got to watch a few teeth get pulled.... they did have some numbing meds to help.

yesterday one of the contruction guys came in with an in-grown toenail or something similar to that and had to get the whole toenail taken off. i got to watch this too... and i've come to the conclusion that i can handle bloody nasty stuff, but something about pulling teeth and toenails makes me queezy to my stomache.

there is a minanite colony down the road and many of the people there are friends with people in the hospital. a lot of the younger people do translating for the hospital. one girl, Jamie, came to show Kenia how to crochet because Kenia always saw her doing it and wanted to learn. Jamie said she wanted to learn how to knit but nobody she knew knows how. i told her i could teach her, so today i went with her and 3 of her sisters to this place down the road from her house to teach her how to knit and her teachers.
i don't know what to call this place we went to, but they teach sewing classes and other craft classes and carpentry and things like that. so i got to teach them how to knit and it was soo exciting for me. haha. and while i was there, they were teaching me how to make pine-needle baskets. after being there for a few hours, they said they needed to go collect pine-needles. i figured we go down the road to the nearest pinetree and pick up some needles... boy was i wrong. apparently certain pine-needles are better than other. depending on how dry they are or what color they are determines if they are good to use for the baskets. we went hiking up and down hills (in skirts and flip-flops) looking for dead pine-tree branches to get the "good pine-needles". haha this was quite the adventure and now i have a better appreciation for the hardwork that goes into making these baskets... not only are they hand-crafted, but you also have to go on excursion to find the pine-needles you use!!!! hopefully i will get to go back tomorrow to finish working on my basket.
Jamie told me that there is a guy coming in a week to teach them how to make hammocks..... but i won't be her. i wish i would have met her earlier in the summer since we enjoy doing the same kind of craftie grandma stuff like sewing and knitting and making pine-needle baskets haha.

well now that my novel is complete..... until next time :)

hace frio y lluvia

It's a cold and rainy day in Guaimaca. I'm literally FREEZING!

Things have settled down in Honduras as far as the political riots and stuff. Sunday was crazy in Teguc. I went over to Iris's and Neptaly's house to watch the news and it was very scary. I'm glad, though, that the Honduran people stood up to Mel and blocked the runway so he couldn't land. I think there were 2 deaths in all that chaos from sunday.
I think there still is a 6:30 pm curfew for Guaimaca.
Sunday night, I finally went with Mabel (girl that works in la farmacia) to play volleyball with her youth group. I've been trying to go ever since I've been here but it has never worked out.

This week has been pretty low-speed. I helped out some in the hospital/farmacia and did some trim painting in the doctor's new house that is being built. I also helped Pastor Mingo put together bags of clothes and flip-flops that he takes to the mountains when he ministers to the poeple.

The next group comes tomorrow.... which means HERMANA WILL BE HERE TOOOO!!!

a VERY exciting day

Me and Sandy (one of the missionaries here in Guaimaca) are the only Gringos here this week. Today I decided to help one of the nurses, Caralina, in the hopital today. Her rotation today was mainly giving shots to patients. So I know now how and where to give you a shot in the butt and in the vein of your arm. I was telling her how I wanted to see a baby born before I left this summer and not even an hour later a pregnant lady walked in!!! She was in labor for about an hour or so. And yes, I got to witness the mircale of life. It was the most beautiful (but somewhat disgusting) thing I have ever seen. At one point I got a little nauseus and had to look away. I stood right by Caralina and Dr Ana and watched as the baby was being born. I will not go into detail..... but it was such an amazing and beautiful thing. Caralina was laughing at me because I cried haha. All the woman here have there babies naturally.... and apparently this was a big baby. I helped Caralina clean and bathe the baby :)


On another note, I'm sure a lot of you have heard about the crazy politcal problems that have been going on down here. I am safe, so no worries.
Early yesterday morning, the president of Honduras was arrested and taken out of his home (apparently still in his pajamas) by the military and armed forces. He was trying to change the consitution (pretty much so he could be in office for another term). Sunday was supposed to be the day that citizens voted for this change of the consitution but it never happened. I think somebody told me he is in Costa Rica or Guatemala.
Yesterday, we had to drive to Teguc to take the group to the airport. We left super early because we thought traffic would be rediculous and that protestors would be everywhere... but it was the complete opposite. I have never seen Teguc so calm and empty. There was hardly anybody driving around. The buses are normally packed with people but there were only a few on them. The only cars that were out were lined up by the gas stations waiting for gas. I guess everybody was scared so they stayed inside.

Today has been by far the best day!!

This morning, 6 of us went to Los Hobos to evangalize door to door. We usually get translators to talk and Sam. But.... we couldn't find any translators this morning because it was last minute. So I was expected to translate. We split up into 2 groups and the people in my group know absolutely NO english. This was the first time I had ever translated by myself and talked to people that I did not know. I was terrified. At the first house we stopped at, we talked to a girl that was 14. This was definitely way out of my comfort zone and I'm not very confident in my spanish speaking/listening with native speakers. God showed me that I could do it and gave me the confidence I needed. At times it was hard to understand them (ie: sluring of words, slang, and i've noticed that a full set of teeth makes it easier to understand what they're saying). 2 of the places we stopped, the people weren't very open and I wasn't sure if they understood what I was talking about but the last house we stopped at was reassuring. This lady was kind and spoke back and told us a little about her faith.

After lunch we went to a village reeeeeeeally far up in the mountains, I'm talking like FAR. We drove over a few rivers and through lots of woods. I have honestly never experienced anything like this before. The people that lived there literally lived off of the land. I'm pretty sure all of them farmed. We met at one house which is where they have their church services. The kids sang songs for us. They said that some of them walk 1 to 2 hours to get there (this is how far apart some of the houses and communities in the village are). It was so amazing to me that these people walked so far to worship. We were literally in the sticks. I went with Pastor Mingo to one house..... we walked up and down up and down, over a creek up some more and up some more and up some more.... the walking path was about a foot wide. We finally reached the house to visit with the family. And apparently the path would lead to another community further up the mountain. I was just in awe that these roads and paths kept going with literally no end. More houses and communites.

I can't even express the thoughts and feelings that were going through my mind. I had no idea that communities this far away (and almost isolated) existed. They had 3 liter coke bottles that they filled with water from the river to drink. I'd say that 99% of the food they ate they cultivated themselves. It is so amazing that we go to these places miles from civilization and they know, love and worship God. And they walk 2 hours up and down the mountain sides to get to the place of worship.

I don't think words or pictures could describe this experience today. I would say more but all that hill climbing has absolutely exhausted me

ok

Lupe is doing ok. They drove him to the hospital in Tegucigalpa last night and he had surgery this morning. They said he will be in the hospital for the next few days. He's not really sure who the 2 guys were but said he recognized them.

sorry it's been awhile

Sorry it's been a few weeks since I've updated anything, I've just been busy and there has been some internet issues.

Well... I am still having fun and loving every minute!! Since I've last updated, I have gone on a few medical brigades in some villages in the mountains. While the doctors are doing their doctor stuff, I do what I do best... PLAY!! Of course the kids are shy at first but then a good game of frisbee gets going. There's this game they like to play called "quitala" and you have to try to keep the frisbee away from whoever is it. I really didn't want to leave when it was time to go, and they didn't want us to leave either. We left a jump rope for them to keep at the school and they got soooooo excited. As I was leaving one of girls gave me her bracelet. I wish sooo much that we could go back and see them again.

A baby was born last night and nobody woke me up!!! But next time I will be awake!

Sam just told me that Lupe (the guy that works on our internet and is a friend of Sandy and Joann's) just got shot twice. One grazed the top of his shoulder and the other hit the left side of his chest. Apparently these guys were robbing 2 girls and he tried to help them. They are currently driving him to Teguc which is about 2 hours from here. There isn't much they can do here for that so they are taking him to the hospital in Teguc. Please keep him in your prayers and I will update as soon as I know more details.

funny picture... pleeeeease look at the boy in the green shirt haha


You'd think i knew what i was doing here.....

toilet at one of the brigades... i think you get the idea

View of Guaimaca from the prayer tower

finally got some pics to load :)

at one of the schools in Guaimaca

Sara, Trista, Radney and me at dinner

Balloon hat and swords. I failed at making these

Zipline at Jarins!! I was only a little scared

precious

Medical Brigade

AJ and our translator Nelson

Group :)

HAHA "Father Abraham had many sons, many sons had Father Abraham..."

after Church

montando el caballo en el valle de los angeles!!

MY FIRST EARTHQUAKE EXPERIENCE

last night i felt my bed shake. at first i thought it was the wind, but that didnt' really make sense. then i thought i was just dreaming. but it was indeed an earthquake. I'M OK!!!! the shaking only lasted a few seconds and wasn't enough to make anything fall or move. apparently the parrots in the kitchen went crazy and there are feathers all over the floor. i haven't looked on the news websites but Sam just told me that a bridge collapsed somewhere between San Pedro and Teguc and some buildings have cracks in them.

in all my life, i never thought i would get to say i lived through a 7.3 magnitude earthquake in Honduras.

some down time

the medical group that was here left saturday morning, so since then, there really hasn't been much to do. me and sam are the only americans al Hospital Bausita de Gauimaca.
Sunday we went to church here on the campus.
Monday we went and helped Mabel in the pharmacy. She is our age so it wasn't hard getting to know her. there wasn't much for us to do. i counted, bagged, and labeled pills. 60 per bag, and let me tell you, it's hard to count that many pills at one time.
Tuesday was a chill day.
Today we went to a school and handed out parasite meds. these kids were a little on the wild side (to say the least).
a group of 3 is coming in tomorrow and more groups will be coming down soon so things will start to pick up around here.
"la caceta" is a little store/eatery place (which is located on the property) and i found out today that they sell diet pepsi for L 12 (L 20 is about $1 in U.S)! i am super excited about this.

i haven't done any work in the hospital yet besides the pharmacy, but hopefully i will soon.

i'm sittin in the prayer tower now which is like a tower/porch thing above the living area. from here you can see most of Gauimaca and the surrounding mountains. i dont think pictures could capture the beauty seen up here.

although i am the only person sleeping in the girl's dorm, i am not alone. everynight i get to cuddle and spoon with numerous bugs and lizards. it's comforting to know that they are there with me to scare the monsters away.

i wich i could post some pictures on here, but internet connection is not so great and it takes a few decades to load 1 picture. maybe soon i will be able to put some on here so all you guys can see how much fun i am having down here :)

to everyone who wrote me letters and cards: i enjoy them and looked foward to reading a new one every morning with my bilingual Bible and cup of joe :)

[counting vitamins]


yesterday we went up to a village faaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrr up in the mountains. there was no electricity available. we went to a school of 6th graders and gave them vitamins and anti-pesticide medicine. we walked about a half a mile to a field and play soccer and frisbee. needless to say the honduran kids beat the americans haha.

we had lunch by a little river which was AWESOME! after lunch we split up into groups and went to a few houses to share God's love with the people and invite them to a service that will be held at the Hospital Bauista this thursday.

before going back home, we stopped by an orphanage, which is the largest orphanage in honduras. there are around 400-500 kids that stay there. we got to see and play with the 2 and 3 year olds. they greeted us with open arms and were ready to play. they loved the bombas (bubbles)!!!

today we went further up into the same village and did a clinical type thing at one of the churches. since i have no medical training whatsoever, i did what i do best, play :) they loved the bombas too and we played frisbee.

no joke... we have gone to get ice cream EVERYNIGHT since we've been here. (and no i did not partake in all of that ice cream consumption thank you very much)

and i'm not havin very much luck uploading pictures.... it is taking FOREVER

estoy en honduras :)

today marks the start of my adventure in honduras... and it sure has been an eventful day. when i arrived in tegucigalpa nobody was there to greet me!! talk about scared but i was surpislingly calms (must have been all those gammy num num prayers). i waited for a little over an hour not sure what i should do. the man i was supposed to meet had a flight delay so this created a little bit of confusion but long story short... i am in Guaimaca, Honduras now, safe and sound. arroz con pollo para la cena :) i'll get some pictures up soon! love and miss my family and friends back home!!!