January in the Jungle

January has been the month of visitors. We had some incredible time to plan for the upcoming season and prepare our facilities for the impending arrival of our visiting groups.

Claudia Berry, a strategic planner from Healing Place Church, first came to us in May of 2008. She was instrumental in getting the mission and vision of Healing Hands Global out of our hearts and onto paper. She returned to us this year and took us a step further. We were able to create an organizational chart, a plan for 2010, and most importantly we realized another part of God's vision for the role of the church in the Honduran healthcare system. We thoroughly enjoyed her time with us, we just wished there could have been a little more of it! We want to give a big thank you to Pastor Dino for allowing her to come spend some time with us, and to Mrs. Claudia herself for being such a pleasure to work with!

Wendy, Claudia, Heather, and Martin

Brandon and Evie West came to serve with us last June with Lee University. Honduras has found a special place in their hearts and they are seeking the Lord about a future calling into missions. It was great to have them as a part of our team for a week and we pray that God will be clear about His plan for their lives.

Evie and Brandon West

We also welcomed Kevin and Jerri Lalonde, along with their two boys Daniel and Joshua. Kevin is a Physical Therapist and Jerri is a Labor & Delivery Nurse, and they will be moving to Honduras in November of 2010 to serve with us for an extended period of time. It was a joy to have them around, and watch them be stretched into their roles as medical providers, parents on the mission field and all around servants. It was sad to see them go, but we know they will be back and we are eagerly awaiting the day of their return!

Kevin, Daniel, Jerri, and Joshua Lalonde

We had the pleasure of hosting a dental brigade on January 28th, with Luke World Missions at our hospital in Rio Viejo. Fifteen dental students were able to serve the people of our area by providing extractions and manual cleanings. This was the second year in a row that we were able to Partner with Dr. Yoon and Luke World Missions and we hope this will be a lasting relationship!

Luke World Missions Dental Brigade

Rev. Ron White with Vision for Christ also paid us a visit at the end of January. He came to stay with us and provided screenings and glasses to over 300 nurses and other staff members at Hospital Atlantida in La Ceiba. He also spent one day with us in Rio Viejo screening the people of our area and giving them the gift of vision. He has such a heart to restore the sight of those who cannot see to read the Word of God. It was an incredible pleasure to host an optical brigade at our facility!

Rev. Ron White providing services in Rio Viejo (pic taken from his facebook)

With such an wonderful January behind us, we can't help but look with anticipation into the rest of 2010! We are so excited that you have chosen to come along with us through the HHGlobal Blog! Thanks so much for your prayers and support!

Jose's Gift

We met Jose' Lopez and his mother, Maria, at a brigade in their village almost a year ago. Jose' was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and epilepsy, but had never been able to take medicine to help with his seizures. Thanks to the team sent from Bay Community Church, Jose' took his first anti-seizure medicine in March of 2009.

Kevin puts Jose in his chair for the first time.

Jose' found a special place in the hearts and minds of everyone at the brigade that day. So much so, that the group decided to adopt Jose' in order to provide the medication he needs daily to control his seizures. Then, David and Iris Fulton took on the project of getting a custom made all-terrain wheelchair specifically designed for Jose' and his medical conditions.

Dr. Martin explaining how to operate the chair, and Kevin fitting it to Jose.

After a year of hoping and waiting we were finally able to give Jose' a wonderful gift, and have it fitted to his body perfectly by Kevin Lalonde, a visiting physical therapist, and our nurse Michael Oliver.

Daniel Lalonde giving Jose' a flower.

Maria putting special braces on Jose's ankles.

Our interns from Bay Community Church got to be a part of the day.

That brigade was almost a year ago, and Jose' and his mother have been coming to the clinic for regular monthly check-ups. We have seen great progress in his condition, he is gaining weight, and his mother is all smiles when she brings him to see the doctor. What an incredible opportunity to bring the gift of hope to Maria and her son. Thank you Bay Community Church for making this possible!

Dr. Martin and Wendy with the family.

Look at them go!

Loading Jose' up on the bus.

Here at last...Our 2nd container!!!

This morning at 7am, we received great news...our long awaited container from Bay Community Church in Daphne, AL was on its way up the road to our front door! Little did we know that it would be a 12 hour adventure before the container was safely on the ground and all packed up for the night.

Less than a mile from the hospital, the truck found an extra steep, extra muddy, and extra slippery incline that he couldn't overcome on his own. But God answered our prayers and sent help in the form of a dump truck from La Ceiba. So not only did we get the container pulled up the mountain, but we got a free load of gravel to use for the floor in our home!!

We had an incredible turn-out of volunteers from Rio Viejo and the surrounding villages lend a hand in the unloading process. It was awesome to see the hand of God move in so many different ways.

We feel like we are living Malachi 3:10! The windows of heaven have opened up over the hospital and we have run out of room to put it all!

Our incredible team worked hard at unloading, organizing, and separating the essentials from the nonessentials! Talk about thinking on your feet! To top it all off, we had Brandon and Evie West who brought an incredible energy level to the table and put their organizational skills to work!

Once the container was unloaded and pulled off of the 18-wheeler by the dump truck and about 15 guys, it was repacked with the supplies and equipment to be sorted as time allows. Now that the halls of the clinic are clear again and the porch is swept clean, we can hardly believe what we have seen in the past 12 hours. The hand of God moved so many times today that we know for sure His presence never left. He stood right by our sides, giving us wisdom and protection.

Thank you so much to everyone who had a hand in getting this blessing to our front door...from the people who packed it Stateside to the people who repacked it on the mission field. May God bless you as abundantly as He knows how.