Back at Villa Nuria

Arrived back safely at our hotel after a relaxing weekend in Copan where we enjoyed the Mayan Ruins, Canopy Ziplines, the Macaw Mountain, more good food, Granitas and Licuados!

The road to Copan gets worse each year, with lots of holes, tumulos, and big trucks to follow up and down the windy mountain passes. But, the scenery is beautiful, and Gustavo is a very safe driver.

We're packing our bags tonight, and will be leaving for the airport around 8:00 AM.

Thanks again for remembering all of us and our Honduran partners, making this past week an incredible one to remember. It's hard to believe that it was just a week ago that we visited the orphanage which began our journey here in Honduras.

Our team is already thinking about next year and would like you to seriously think about coming too!

Bob, for the bte MAMA team

Santiago

We had a lovely drive to this community along the river and thru banana fields and farms with cattle and sheeps. The community of Santiago is across the mountain from Maranatha.  We alternate between these two villages annually.  We were in the church and Pastor Andrea Molina and her family welcomed us and helped us set up.  Since it was our last day, we worked like a finely oiled machine.  Dinora handled crowd control with the assistance of Pastor Andrea and her brother, Will, who guarded the door and only let one or two people in at a time. As a result, the lines were MUCH shorter, and the church remained somewhat open and a LITTLE bit breezy.  It was still a very hot day.

We saw about 230 people, which brings us to a grand total of about 1145 for the week.  Rolando has been sharing a short sermon and his testimony before we start.  We have had a few people approach him with a desire to make changes in their life and asked for Bibles, so today we gave Pastor Andrea money to buy two Bibles.  We would like to commit to bringing numerous Bibles every year, because many can not afford ONE Bible to read.

There were many patients with throat and ear infections and also some cases of the chikungunya virus. (We have been religiously spraying ourselves w Deet mosquito repellent.). The medicine supply held out for the week, only running out of little things like gloves and labels.

The men in our group were a stone's throw away painting a preschool. The block wall they were painting soaked up a lot of paint since it was the first time it was painted. They went through around 7 gallons of primer and 4 gallons of blue paint for a room 15x15. It took them the whole day to do the one room and the medical team had to wait for them to finish so the van could leave.

A highlight of the week was our celebration dinner tonight with the whole team!  The 9 of us (Rolando off to see his family in Tecucigalpa at 6pm tonight), Drs. Alisson & Domingo, Med students Gloria & Arlene, nurse Gresy, and of course Pastor Juan & family & Dinora & family and Aurora & Gustavo. We enjoyed a Power Chicken takeout dinner outside of our hotel rooms. Gustavo brought extra chairs and we relaxed and chatted outside and then shared words of recognition and gifts for each team member. It was a time of joy in the work accomplished and new friendships made.

We leave early in the morning for Copan for some R & R.  Thank you all for your prayers.

XOXOXOXOXXO
The Team

Our friends at Gracias a Dios

We were around the perimeter inside the church. It had a shiny floor with loud acoustics. We almost ran out of the deworming pill cause Linda did not grab the new bottle thinking we would not need it. We had exactly the correct amount needed for the people that we saw, including the ones that threw it up. There were three team member working at the pharmacy with lots of space so that ran much smoother than the other days. Many people were fairly heathy and just came to visit.

The men in our group went to a nearby school to paint three rooms. It was pastor Juan, Bob and Brent, along with about ten other people from the community.  Brent had an entourage that followed him around all day and wanted their picture taken.  The medical team can tell what color paint they used based on Bob's pants🎨

We had a delicious dinner in the Gracias a Dios church with the leaders and their families. The children that are sponsored visited with us afterword. There were a lot of pictures taken throughout the night.
Ice cream was provided by our youngest male at the hotel when we returned.

Kate and Linda for the team

Choloma

Today there were many bumps in the road figuratively and literally.  After a rough ride we arrived at the village of Choloma. We were happy that 214 people could be seen by the doctors and 250 could be dewormed. We also had a dentist with us today that did over 100 fluoride treatments for the kids.

The boys in our group worked about a mile away painting a Mennonite church. They worked alongside pastor Dennis who was a pastor at another Mennonite church nearby and had his church painted last year. Dennis was also the pastor who was singing with pastor Ken a year ago. After painting the whole inside of the church pastor Juan and Dennis started singing.

I have been learning how to take blood pressure and weighing and measuring. Today we had a big crowd so I just did the blood pressure for adults 40 and older. The kids 19 and younger were weighed and measured, my favorite kid that I saw today was half asleep while his mom was holding him on the scale and standing him against the wall to be measured.

It was a hot day but we managed to find some shade where we ate our lunch consisting of quesadillas. After lunch we gave out coloring pages and crayons to the kids and they loved them. At the end of the day I helped give out beanie babies and toy cars. I learned the importance of the word "fila" which means line😃 All in all it was a hectic but good and productive day. That's all for now.

Rachel for the team

Tuesday

 After an hour and a half drive we arrived in Los Flores to an anxious crowd. Since the medicine was not right behind us there was time for Rolando to share the gospel with the people waiting to receive the medicine. Once the medicine arrived our team set up in the school in three separate rooms. After Gresy took a blood sample for an anemia test, I had the best job of all!  I told them that it would only hurt for a little and that it would all be ok. Then I took away the tears and brought on smiles when I gave them a lolli-pop and stickers.

We were glad to have Rachel along with us to today to take the blood pressure and weigh the patients. After seeing 202 patients, we handed out matchbox cars to the boys and silly bands and coloring books and crayons to the girls. I painted some of the girls fingernails as well as some of the boys who were jealous of the girls.

Gustavo managed the crowd through out the day. When the children got restless Linda and Cindy started singing with the children. They sang a few Spanish songs and then taught them Jesus loves me in English. I enjoyed taking pictures of the children and they were excited to see themselves on the camera. I really enjoyed the children and would love to bring them home with me if I could.

The men in our group mixed concrete for the Mennonite church in the community. They did half of the floor using 19 bags of cement and had about eight men from the community helping them.

Geri for the team

San Jose de Cayo

I had a pleasant ride to the community while the rest of us had a little bumpier ride☺️.  The people were excited to see us when we arrived, and patiently waited while we got set up. We saw around 250 people today in the medical clinic. We were blessed with four doctors and a nurse that will be with us all week. Cindy, Kathy and I were distributing the vitamin A, deworming medicine and (Bob's favorite gummy bears or) multivitamins. Geri and Gresy were doing the anemia check and lolli-pops😃. Rolando was in charge of handing out the micronutrients, eye glasses, tooth brush, tooth paste and, of course, took time to chat with the people of the community. After that, they went to see the doctors. The doctors: Gloria, Arlene, Alisson and Domingo, were content and blessed after serving with us today. If the patient received a prescription from their doctor, they went to the pharmacy where Barb, Kathy and Dinora graciously assisted them with their needs.

Bob, Pastor Juan, Brent and three people from the community worked together to paint the inside and out of a preschool.

As the business died down it was time for more JOY and little gifts. They loved the crayons, silly bands and the beanie babies. Of course, they all loved the soccer ball, especially Rolando and Pastor Juan who found time to play with the kids.

The school teacher who is the pastor's wife was so touched by our love that she gathered three of us in a group hug and gave praise as she prayed to the Lord. Thank you all for your love and prayers.

God bless you, Linda for the team
March MAMA Team

Church service and orphanage

We woke up early this morning. Since it was the weekend and there were a lot of people here we wanted to beat the rush for breakfast. After breakfast we waited some time before it was time for church. Gustavo and Dinora came to pick us up around 9:30 and church started at10 at Central Mennonite church. Rolando was able to interpret the message for us which was nice to be able to understand what the pastor was saying. He had a great message about the joy we have in Christ that is everlasting instead of the joy the world offers which does not last! In talking about our experience after dinner most shared that they really enjoyed the servic for various reasons.

After church we went to Pizza Hut for lunch. Then it was off to the orphanage.

The orphanage that we went to was about 30 minutes from our hotel. We were greeted by the kids who were excited to see us. Pasor Gorge and his wife Zavala are in charge of the orphanage. There are thirty eight children in their home. They have been taking care of the kids for six years. In talking with pastor Gorge we realized that in his commitments to Christ and the change it has caused in his life he is showing compassion to the orphans in his community. He is saddened by the fact that there is room for fifty kids in the home and he barely has the fund to support the thirty eight he has currently.

We had beanie babies, hot wheel cars, coloring books and crayons to give to the kids. They were very greatful for the gifts as well as the rubber band bracelets which Geri brought along that her granddaughter made. Kathy Moyer also brought some rubber bands along to make more of the bracelets. We had a great time helping them make the bracelets and gave us a chance to interact with the kids.

We returned to the hotel around 4:30. This gave us a chance to go swimming, sit by the pool or a time to relax and prepare for the coming week. We did some prep work for our first day of clinic, ate dinner and had a team meeting to finish off the evening. The two doctors, Dr Domingo and Alisson, are going to be with us this week.  Alisson is the niece of Dinora, she received a scholarship from MAMA to attend medical school and now she is using here talents to help MAMA.  They have a medical clinic of their own and would like to someday expand that into medical teams where they would spread the gospel and help people with their medical needs.

Thats all for tonight. Thanks for all your prayers and support.

March MAMA Team
Brent

Arrived 'home' - welcomed with smiles and hugs

It feels like we have come back home - flying over the lush mountains and green fields of Honduras before landing at the San Pedro Sula airport.  Our friends were there waiting for us with big smiles and hugs - Dinora, Denia, Gustavo and Aurora, and also Valeria. Airport check-in and the flight were smooth, and we arrived on time with all of our luggage. Rachel Myers flew in from Pittsburgh, and she arrived a little before us.

The rest of the afternoon was spent sorting through the luggage, preparing for our Sunday visits and getting ready for the rest of the week. Aurora brought us dinner around 7:00 PM, which was chicken and rice with vegetables - delicioso !

We're getting older, because by 8:00 PM most of us were exhausted. . . . . except for Brent.  We learned later that he had broken away from our group at the airport and bought himself a
GRANITA !!!!  (Caffeine)

Thanks to Jake , Hugh, and Jerry for taking us to the airport safely.  And, thanks for all the prayers that have been lifted up for us.

We're looking forward to the worship service at the Mennonite Church in San Pedro Sula in the morning, and then visiting an orphanage after lunch. Pray that we will be open to God's leading at the church with our brothers and sisters, as well as with the children in the orphanage.

We give thanks for our gracious and faithful hosts, and look forward to spending an incredible week with them.

Hoping that we remember to pass along all the best wishes and hugs from our supporters back home to our Honduran friends!

Hasta mañana,

Bob, for our team

Team #29- Off to San Pedro Sula

Deep Run East's 29th team is busy packing and weighing suitcases!  5 persons were willing to use only a carry-on for their personal items.  We thank them for this gift of allowing us to pack 14 bags of medicine and donations!  (Of course there were a few things these folks could not take in a carry on- like Brent's 30oz ketchup!)

We depart from Newark on the direct flight at 9:30am on Saturday.  So thankful the snow storm was today and not Saturday. 

Our plans for the week include the worship service at the Central Mennonite Church in San Pedro Sula on Sunday morning, visiting kids at an orphanage, a celebration dinner with our friends at the Prince of Peace church in Gracias a Dios.  In addition to the medical clinics each day, we will be painting and doing some concrete work at preschools and churches in the communities.  Our teams have been to all of these communities in the past.

We appreciate your prayers as we serve this week!
Bob Moyer, Kathy Moyer, Gere Schmidt, Kathy Myers, Rachel Myers, Cindy Kramer, Linda McKellar, Brent Gehman, Rolando Zelaya, Barb Rice