Mission to Honduras

We’d seen it all before. Or so we thought. Several of us had made medical mission trips to this Honduras clinic for years. We knew the layout, we knew the people, and we thought we knew what to expect. We were wrong. How thankful I am that God uses unexpected events to deepen our relationship with Him.

Our Team
Our mission team has come to love Honduras, especially the mountainous region in the center of the country where our team has provided care to so many Hondurans in years past. The country is naturally beautiful, bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the pacific Gulf of Fonseca, and to the north by the Mosquito Coast. Honduras is a good destination for first-time missionaries, due in large part to the gracious Honduran people we serve.

This time around, our mission team totaled twenty-four. Not a huge group by mission standards these days. But with four docs, a nurse practitioner, two RNs, and some very motivated volunteer help, we felt we were in good shape for our nine-day mission. Our volunteers included two high school teachers, three business men, six college students, five high school students, and one junior high student. All worked together in great unity to love and provide care for those in need. They are living examples of our focus, which was to bring the wonderful Good News of salvation to the people of the third world through the gift of medicine. Our team worked day and night to provide medical care to people who simply cannot afford to visit a doctor’s office, and who are so very appreciative of this care.

Relationships:
The team had many opportunities to begin new relationships whether among the team or with those within the community. One evening the team was invited to a time of singing and dancing and enjoyed a concert of traditional Honduran folklore music. Evenings included a time of spiritual reflection and worship through music and sharing in small groups. New relationships were built and existing relationships were strengthened.

The Location:
We set up shop at the tiny, open-air clinic at San Antonio de La Cuesta, a small village in central Honduras, and stayed in the Catholic convent in the center of town. The main road consisted of loose gravel with deep and treacherous ravines on both sides, created by the torrents that fall almost daily during the rainy season. The accommodations were rustic, yet clean. Meals were prepared by hard-working women of the community and served in a home next to the convent. We ate flavorful, authentic Honduran meals which included seasonal vegetables and fruits such as avocado and pineapple.

The clinic in La Cuesta was always packed with patients who lined up early in the day and often waited patiently for hours for intake. During the five days of clinical medical outreach, over 650 ambulatory patients were treated.

Team members worked in the Intake/Triage area, took vitals and assessed patient conditions. Those who worked in the pharmacy distributed prescribed medicines and vitamins. Prayer was offered to patients upon entry to the clinic and they exited with a blessing and health hygiene pack to assist their daily needs. Many team members offered their gifts and talents as they entertained patients in the waiting area with playful interactions, music, and laughter.

In all, more than 900 health and hygiene packs were distributed to this Honduran community. Two half-days of gynecologic services were provided serving over 45 women, including 19 patients who underwent Pap smear screening, many for the first time.

Cases:
During this particular outreach, multiple patients were diagnosed with very serious medical conditions which required immediate intervention. One, a child, suffered from a deep thigh abscess with possible osteomyelitis, a potentially disabling bone infection. Then, in an extraordinary statistical anomaly, three cases of carotid artery aneurisms were discovered by our doctors. This type of aneurysm, a balloonish bulge in an artery that feeds oxygenated blood to the brain, could result in an immediate and life-threatening hemorrhage if it were to rupture. These four cases were referred to area hospitals for immediate surgical intervention. It was deeply satisfying to get these very ill people the care they needed. We were saving lives. It felt good.

Lessons:
Our lesson for this mission? Faith. Trust God. He loves each of us more than we can possibly imagine. Every tear His children shed is known to Him. Every single one. He will act in His time, to the fulfillment of His promises, and to the glory of His kingdom.

While on mission, each team member's life is touched in a different way. God's presence was felt deeply as the team endured uncomfortable conditions and situations. Each life was challenged to trust in our Lord and Savior as we were faced with the depth of poverty and need and the emotions that followed. Each team member was integral in the great success of the 2008 trip. They loved deeply and served well.

May each of us come to serve one another in love. Apostle Paul wrote in I Corinthians 15:58, "Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." Let us continue to grow more deeply in our faith and be transformed through the work of the Holy Spirit.

In His strength and for His service,

Gloria Hagstrom, RN
Secretary & Cofounder
By The Holy Spirit