Monday  

Woke up at 3 am. Made coffee and did devotions. Got ready for work, took a walk, and made eggs for breakfast. Off to the hospital at 7am. The beginning of the day started off very slow. There were lots of patients but somehow I only had about 5 for vital signs. When I was done with them, I wandered around the hospital looking for work. Dr. Ryan, the head doctor went into the emergency room, wound care, the OR and other areas of the hospital looking for work for me. There was none. I sit for about an hour and wander into the wound care again. The had a few patients. I started by unbandaging one wound and cleaning it. Next was a fractured leg which I helped with. There was also a woman who had the largest foot/ leg  I've ever seen. It looked like she had a bag around it. From the knee down, you couldn't even see her foot. Strangest thing I've ever seen. Then there was the man Dr. Jeff did surgery on to put his foot back together. He had pins in every toe. We unbandaged it to see how it was healing. One toe was very black but the others looked good. There was also a man who would need to have an amputation and it smelled really bad. The lady that already had an amputation needed her stitches out. A busy afternoon after a slow morning. 

  Karl fixed an endoscope and worked on a baby warmer, as well as repaired the operating room sterilizer. A full day for sure.  

Sunday  

Got up and went to church. It was a good service. After church friends invited us over for pastilittos. They are dough filled like a ravioli only larger and filled with chicken or beef. It is hard to find someone here that makes them and these were the best I've had! What a treat. Then we came home. Karl painted the doors and woodwork at our house that he had started yesterday. I did some laundry. The day went by too quick. We still haven't seen the beach yet but some day we want to walk down and spend an hour there. Tomorrow we will be at the hospital.  

Thursday

Got up and did my usual routine. Got to the hospital around 8. Did vital signs and then went to the emergency room and wound care. They had more than enough help there so I wandered into the hall to see if there was somewhere else I could work. I ran into a nurse who asked if I wanted work. I gladly said yes. She went with me up into the attic supply room and asked me to organize all the items that were not yet on shelves but in boxes. She worked with me. When I was done with that before going home, I went over to see the Mckenney's pet monkey Jack. He is a little white face about 6 months old. We had him outside on the porch and he jumped all around. He would jump down from the wall onto my head and then run around and hang from my arm. He was very fast. So much fun as I love monkeys.  

Karl spent the day watching surgery again and waiting for the c-arm to fail but once again it worked perfectly. He watched Dr. Jeff put pins in all five toes of a man. He had broken all his toes.  

Then it was down the long dirt road to home where. I made spaghetti for dinner and cleaned up. 

Today I got up at 4,did my devotions, made the coffee, took a shower, and went for my walk. I had wonderful mango and pineapple for breakfast. Made lunch which was tuna fish and out the door by 7 am. I did vital signs until I finished all the patients then went into the emergency room. Our first patient was a machete wound that needed stitches. Next was a man who got palm spurs in his arm. They are like large spikes that went in under the skin like a sliver. Dr. Peter had to cut open his arm to get them out and it was quite a job! He kept flushing it with iodine. Then after he had to stitch it up. Next up was a young boy of 9 years old who could not walk due to pain. Upon examining him we found there was fluid around his knee. He did not fall or injur it and it had been that way for two months. After x-ray and ultrasound Dr. Peter took some of the fluid out. It was an infection and he suspected something much worse. He sent the blood and pus to the lab. Then he gave the boys mom and grand mom enough money to go buy ice cream while we waited for the lab work to come back. Our last patient was a young man who had been in a motorcycle accident 4 months ago. He had injured his left shoulder and could not move his arm. Dr. Peter felt so bad. The boy had damaged the nerves and muscle and he could do nothing to help him. He said he needed a miracle and began to pray over the boy. 

In between cases, I finished organizing more in the wound care. It was a good, busy productive day and I am grateful.

Karl said he feels like a maytag repair man these days. He worked on the washing machine again today.  

We returned home at 4 and did laundry. Leftover chicken and rice for dinner. They we played a game of scrabble and now it's time for bed.  

Tuesday  

Our time here is flying by. I was up at my usual 4 am, did devotions and made the coffee. At 4:30 the power went out and it was dark until about 6 am but..I had coffee! Once it began to get light, I made my lunch, got dressed, and went for a walk. The power came on about 6:45. We left for the hospital at 7 am. 

 Once we arrived, I got my assignment to go do vital signs down at triage. Karl work on the c-arm. After vital signs I was asked to work in the emergency room and wound care but the hospital was well staffed today and they didn't need help. The head doctor then asked me to go into the surgical area of the hospital and make up surgery packets. I did that until I ran out of materials but it was just about time to go home. Karl fixed the c- arm and was working on the oxygenator. As we were getting ready to leave Dr Jeff asked Karl to go into the OR to be sure the c-arm was working properly. I tagged along since we were ready to go home and my work was done. We watched as he set a boy with a broken arm that the bones were not lined up. He pushed and pulled for about 45 minutes and minulapated the arm until it was in place. The c-arm worked fine so after the surgery we went home. 

Up at 4 am and did my devotions, made the coffee, put my chicken in the crock pot for dinner, ate mango and pineapple for breakfast, made lunches, got dressed and we are off to serve the Lord today. Pray everyone who meets us sees Jesus's love through us and we will be a shinning light. 

The day started out with a ride down the bumpy dirt road. I actually like the dirt road as you see so many interesting sights along the way and no one can go too fast. My first job was vital signs. After that I did a little filling. Then I was asked to help out in the emergency room and wound care but they didn't really need any help. After that I organized bandages and gause as well as other things onto wire racks in the wound care room. 

  Karl went to the children's home to fix the washing machine. He had to come back as it is outside and it began to pour rain.  Then he went back to finish the job.

Sunday- we got up and went to church. On the way we called Freddy to pick him up but he did not answer. Last Sunday we were to meet him and bring him to church with us but he didn't show up at the meeting place. We have not seen him yet this trip. 

 We had a guest speaker at church who gave a very good message about God's love and what happens when we are hurt and don't forgive right away. Bitterness sets in. After the sermon I told him how much I enjoyed it and he told me he was only 17 years old. I had thought he was about 29-30.  

After church we went to visit friends who came to our house on Saturday to see us. They had called us when they found out we were in Honduras and wanted to come over so we had them for lunch on Saturday. They asked us to stop by after church and they wanted to give us some fruit from their trees. They gave us a very large mango and some star fruit that she told me to make juice out of and give it to Karl. After returning home we went swimming for half and hour then when I got in I made the juice for Karl which he will drink in the morning. She said it was good for diabetics.  

I also found out that Santos who was cut with the bottle accepted the Lord today! What wonderful news. He will be leaving the hospital tomorrow but need to stay in the area and not return to his home yet until his face is healed more.  

Tomorrow we leave for the hospital at 7 am. Got my backpack packed and lunches partly ready for morning.  

A Day of Prayer

Talking to Lisa Bradley this morning she requested prayer for a 29 year old man from the dump named Santos. It seemed a month or so ago he was hit with a glass bottle someone threw at him. No medical attention meant infection and what looked like an abscess to me. He had a very large and hanging ball of puss coming off his jaw. She brought him to the hospital and although they said he needed surgery, they couldn't schedule him until Monday but asked he stay close by in case it rupture. Lisa put him up in a hotel near the hospital. At 4 am the hotel called Lisa and said they were taking the man to the hospital as it had ruptured and he could bleed to death. The call went out for blood donations as there is no blood banks close by. Usually hospital workers or friends donate and the blood goes immediately into the patient. They have no time to test for diseases. He receives the blood he needs and surgery was preformed. Praise God! He will stay in the hospital a few days. 

 The next order of prayer was for a missionary family that lived here and served at the hospital for  many years and went back to the states about 4 years ago. Their daughter is getting married on Saturday in Honduras where she grew up.They were coming from the airport when their van with the bride and groom as well as other friends and bridal party collided with a motorcycle. Everyone in their van was fine but the two on the motorcycle were badly injured. In Honduras if an American is in a car accident it is always your fault. They requested prayer for the people on the motorcycle. I have heard it said in Honduras if you injure a Honduran you may be responsible for their medical bills as well as taking care of the person for their life ( financially)if they can no longer work. This will be a cloud over  the joyful wedding day of their daughter. I pray for the victims as well as for our friends that the outcome is good.

The next set of prayers were for Karl. We needed a cable and some groceries so had to go into town. He thought he knew where the store for cable was but could not find it. I began to pray and praise God we found it! They did not have what we needed (although they had one yesterday, they tend to only have one of each item often and it must have been sold)so we walked across the street to another store and did find what we needed except they did not have the connector. We go back to the first store and I began to pray for them to have the connector. Praise God once again, they had it! We come home and Karl hooks up the wires while I bake brownies for our company tomorrow. Praise God we got all our issues solved this week so we can go out to the hospital next week and concentrate on serving the Lord there. 

Wednesday...Got up knowing Karl had to go back to town to get the screws he needed. They didn't have them yesterday which is " no problemo " as they will just make them and he can come back yet another day and get them. That's what they do here in Honduras. If they don't have it, they can usually make it. The neighbor, Hoss and Karl went to town and the man forgot to tell them he would not be in until 12. It's too far to come back and go out again so they decide to shop for some other things while there. I finish putting things away, doing dishes, etc and decide to go to the pool while I wait for their return. An hour later I come in to take a shower and grab a towel under the sink and it was soaking wet along with all the towels! It appears we now have a leak under the sink and I can not get a hold of Karl to let him know while he is in town! I count it pure joy to be here serving my Lord but we could sure use a few extra prayers! 

Monday- the pump the neighbor gave us worked only for about an hour. Off to a store about half way to town to get some polyethylene that we needed, thinking we will get a new pump tomorrow since it was too late in the afternoon to go all the way to town. As God would have it, this store sold pumps also! We were able to get a new pump and Karl was able to install it before nightfall so we now have water pressure! Praise God. 

Tuesday- we will need to go to town later but when we awoke, Karl put together the wardrobe cabinet we had gotten. About 8:30 am the power went out while I was trying to do laundry since I now have water. the power came on briefly again for about half an hour then went back out. We decided after lunch to go back to town to get the cable we need for the internet along with some parts for our toilet to fix it. As luck would have it, we got a flat tire before we left our neighborhood! Since our spare is no good, we need to have our neighbor bring us to town so we can get new tires. I decide to stay behind and swim and finish the laundry once we have power. They were able to get some used tires as well as the parts for the toilet and the cable they needed but it is starting to get dark and they are not home yet. In Honduras you do not drive at night due to the dangers on the road as well as the large pot holes you can not see at night.