Healing Hands Global

As It Should Be

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Stewart) — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 19:32:00 +0000

We had our first team of the season this year, Life Church International from Atlanta, GA. What an incredible refreshment for us. They came with their hearts set to serve, full of energy and expectation. They helped us start new projects and finish the ones that have been hanging over our heads for the past month or so. They continued to demo the interior ceiling of the hospital, as we get ready to do a major overhaul on the electrical wiring. They also painted our storage container (the big gray box sitting on the property for over a year), and helped us perk up the dorm patio by painting the planter box and raw concrete columns.

We also welcomed Brandi Compton, a Texas born Registered Nurse who has been working in the Colorado Back Country for the past 4 years. Brandi has a heart for missions, and will be doing an internship here for the next 6 months. We are believing God will make her path clear before her, so that she may follow in His will for the rest of her life. What an awesome thing!

Dr. John and Anna Tucher have also been serving with us for the week in the outpatient clinic. Dilligently seeing patients as the demolition went on around them. We were so glad to host Dr. John for the second year in a row, and this year he brought his beautiful wife Anna with him.

Together the team went out to a small village named La Colorada and taught the kids some lessons on healthy eating and hygiene. We were also able to give each kid a new back pack filled with school supplies and a new pair of sandals, thanks to Clint Downing and Neighborhood Ministry, Inc. who collected and shipped 32 brand new backpacks fully stocked!

Then once we returned from the school the team broke ground on the new volunteer housing building, that will house up to 20 long term volunteers!

This week was such a demonstration of the Body of Christ at work. We have had people from all over the place: Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Colorado, even Canada and Korea! What an incredible blessing it has been to work with these great people, and we are all inspired to see what God does next. This week was a great example of how things should be around here, and around the world - Christians coming together, laying aside their personal lives, and instead living for the Kingdom.

Sweet as Candy

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Stewart) — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 00:52:00 +0000

As we prepare for all of the things God has for us in 2011, we know that He is committed to the people of Honduras. He continues to show that by the resources He sends our way, one of those being Human Resources. We believe that He is building a dream team, and the first member of the year is Mrs. Candy Beebe, RN.

We have been operating the clinic without a Registered Nurse for the past few months, and we felt pressed to reach out for help. We sent out a few distress calls and one was answered by Mrs. Candy. She is not new to Honduras, in fact, she and her husband lived in a town about 2 hours from Rio Viejo and helped get another medical/dental clinic off the ground. So she is just the person for the job!

She arrived right in the middle of that rainstorm we had this past week, and we are so glad she made it to the hospital safely! If you missed our last blog entry you can scroll down or click right HERE to watch the video of the storm and the first delivery at the Jungle Hospital!!

Life at the Jungle Hospital

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Stewart) — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 17:44:00 +0000

As many of you have read on our FaceBook and Twitter posts, we have had an eventful few weeks here at the Jungle Hospital. The following is a video narrated by our very own Wendy Williams, filmed by Rachel Williams, and edited by Mark Younger. It was a true team effort, just like the events portrayed within!

We hope that this video brings glory to God, and shows that His plans for His children are sovereign and good...even when they don't seem that way.

We hope you enjoy this video as much as we have! God is good all the time!

Where we have been, and where we are going...

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Stewart) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 20:04:00 +0000

A word from Martin G. Williams, MD:

Hey everybody, we pray that you are having a great 2011! We can’t help but feel optimistic that God will bless you, protect you, and provide for you. You have to agree, that this is the best time in the history of humanity to be serving God! Here we are in the jungle, keeping tabs of how wonderful God has been to us, and we have to tell you that 2010 was very active. Here are some of the highlights of 2010:

2010 Highlights

These are the short term missionaries who contributed:

13 mission teams (medical, dental, optical, construction, education and administrative)
11 visiting practitioners (medical, dental and optical)
5 missions interns

These are the beneficiaries:

2,206 students instructed in health and hygiene classes
1,894 patients were seen at brigades in their communities
1,100 patients were seen in the rural clinic of Las Minas
1,599 patients were tended at the hospital in Rio Viejo

We were hosts to over 150 laborers who came to share the gospel in various ways, and expand the Kingdom of God. They used their God given talents to serve almost 7,000 of the least of these. These workers not only put hands and feet to the gospel, but they also brought the blessing of First World medicine for our Third World patients, supplies for community health classes, as well as funding and labor for construction advancements.

Accommodations and Other Improvements

To improve living area of the dorm, we added a roof over the existing cobblestone porch, and built a gazebo for hammocks, resulting in an addition of more than 1,100 square feet.

January - we received a container full of medical supplies. June - container was moved and organized. July - a roof was built by a small construction team. December – became medical storage and part of interior fencing.

For the first time in our missionary tenure we were able to move into our own home. We moved-in in July, and the house was finished in September.

Our last challenge of 2010 was the construction of the perimeter wall behind the hospital, which was completed just before Christmas.

Future Endeavors

At the top of our agenda for 2011, is the construction of an OR/Recovery ward, and long-term volunteer housing. The first one is an 800 sq ft building, with a third devoted to the surgical theater and the remainder for an eight bed recovery ward. The second is a two story building, with four efficiency apartments meant to house long-term volunteers and missions interns. The Volunteer housing is first priority, and we are actively seeking funding for this $70,000 project; as soon as we receive our first contribution we will break ground.

Expanding Our Area of Influence

This is the start of our fourth year as a primary healthcare facility. God has given us favor and experience in dealing with an ever increasing patient load, but more importantly in dealing with the local healthcare leaders. This favor that we’ve gained, we’ve discovered is a valuable asset. God is leading us to use our relationships to become part of a network in which we direct other medical ministries. We are defining guidelines, protocols, and showing them how to integrate with the Honduran medical system, very much like we have been able to do with our hospital. We are learning the importance of partnerships and networking; the most benefited, we pray, would be the Honduran people.

In anticipation of God’s faithfulness, we are extending an invitation for volunteers that would come to help in any one of these venues. We are looking forward to partnering with you in 2011, and in sharing the victories that God will most assuredly give to us, according to Ephesians 2:10.

Martin G. Williams, MD

Jungle Hospital

Here is a video giving God the glory for the things He has done at the HHG Campus in 2010!

Celebrate with us by watching this amazing video!

FAYE Ministries...At it Again

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Stewart) — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 16:03:00 +0000

Our last group of the season came all the way from England! FAYE Ministries graced us again by bringing a team to help us take the first step toward changing the inside of the hospital from our home into a functioning inpatient facility.

Dr. Martin with some of the painting crew!

After the team arrived we took them on a tour of the facilities. Even though the project of revamping the interior of the hospital was already on the books, the team took it upon themselves to start the project of tiling the floors in our home. Their team leader, Mark Bonam, went into the city to purchase the tools they would need to get the job done.

The freshly painted inpatient facility.

Tim "the tile-man" Gilkinson working in our home.

Even with all of the work on their plate, they still managed to squeeze in a little fun in the dorm. We throughly enjoyed spending time with our old friends and making new ones from across the Pond.

We hope there will be more opportunities to serve together again in the future!

Expansion and Restoration

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Stewart) — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 17:42:00 +0000

In the first week of August, we were blessed with a dental team from Fairhope, Alabama. Dr. Gene Brabston's small group packed a big dental punch. They came prepared to expand our dental services by providing fillings and dental restorations on top of extractions.

This small team was comprised of a dental assistant, a dental hygienist, Dr. Gene and his wife Trinka. This was the first time in HHGlobal history that we had a complete dental team with all of the necessary people and equipment to provide cutting edge - for the jungle - services.

Our dental room will never be the same. This team has risen the bar on our dental services and we can't wait to have them back again next year!

Love from Loxley

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Stewart) — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 16:34:00 +0000

This past July we had a team from the Loxley Church of God, from Wendy's hometown of Loxley, Alabama. It was an incredible team composed of the core youth in Pastor George's youth group. From the start we could tell that this group was different. They all had incredible testimonies of God's saving grace in their lives, and you could tell that their spirits were full to overflowing with love ready to be shared.

Team Loxley crammed in the back of a cattle truck!

Pastor George, a Power Team member, came prepared with incredible feats of natural strength, and then shared a powerful message about how God's supernatural strength can manifest in our lives. The students were amazed by his testimony, his demonstrations, and they could really tell that he wanted them to succeed. It was a very special week for the kids and for the team. Everywhere you looked you would see the youth of America loving on the youth of Honduras...and THAT is powerful.

Pastor George inflating a hot water bottle until it explodes.

They painted a house, visited 4 schools with education and an innovative presentation of the Gospel, they hiked out to a remote village to love on the children and teachers, they rode in the back of cattle trucks and pick ups all week long, and they loved every second of it! This team has made its mark on Honduras and will always be in the heart of HHG.

Sharing the Gospel message through songs and service. This group had such HEART!

Bringing in the Harvest

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Stewart) — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 17:36:00 +0000

Family Harvest Church from Robertsdale, AL just left us with a big hole in our hearts. They were only here with us for a week, but we all bonded through blood, sweat and tears! Their incredible team came with unwavering Christian character, optimism, and an "and then some" attitude. Nothing could deter them from serving the Lord with their whole hearts.

Not even missed flights, fire ants, changed schedules, rain storms, overwhelmingly big projects, sleepless nights, or wood peckers spoiled their mood. They were a joy to be around and the hardest workers we have seen all summer long...and that is saying a LOT!

Their team was able to accomplish so much in the short week they served with us, and we can't wait to have them back next year. Thank you so much Family Harvest Church!

Here is a short video documenting their time with us. We have never worked so hard and laughed so much at the same time! We love you guys and miss you already!

The Second Time Around

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Stewart) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 04:45:00 +0000

For the second year in a row, Lee University from Cleveland, TN has blessed us with an incredible team. As Lee Alumni it has been such an honor to partner with such a great University. We are even sending our son, Samuel, there this Fall. Lee raised the bar even higher this year and brought a spectacular team of students and practitioners!

For 2 weeks, we hosted medical brigades in 6 different villages up and down our mountain road. We also packed up the whole team, and drove over 3 hours to Las Minas, a village close to our hearts but far away from our hospital. The team camped out at the school across the street from the medical clinic and saw hundreds of medical and optical patients over their 3 day and 2 night stay.

The team ate together, slept together, served together and played together. It was an incredible time of service with a team of 22 people sold out for missions! We can't wait until next year when we get to do it all over again.

Here is a link to a slide show of some of the moments captured during their 2 week stay. We hope and pray that they never forget their experience in Honduras, because we know we will never forget them.

Miracles Abound

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Stewart) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 03:46:00 +0000

A small group in number but big in spirit, came to us from Westmore Church of God in Cleveland, TN. God was definitely with this team as they were able to accomplish a supernatural amount of work in just one week.

Step 1: Unload and clean out the mildew infested 40" container.

Step 2: Build and install metal shelving inside of the 120 degree metal hot-box.

Step 3: Clean off the equipment and sort the supplies.

Step 4: Reload the 40" container and turn it into a medical warehouse.

Step 5: Since they were so ahead of schedule they built more shelves, installed everything imaginable, organized scrubs, PT equipment and everything in between.

Step 6: Step back and look at what God did.

We even managed to squeeze in a school project and hike to Paraiso to finish up painting the trim at the elementary school. The team played games with the kids and had an incredible day of service and involvement with the community.

We are so grateful for God's grace and protection. We give Him all of the glory for an incredible week...we absolutely know that we couldn't have done it without Him!

Jubilee Church: Team Trifecta

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Stewart) — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 19:14:00 +0000

We finished off the month of May and started June with a bang. A team from Jubilee Church in Daphne, AL returned for the 2nd year in a row and brought a trifecta medical, construction, and education team! We ran hard all week with our 3 ministry areas functioning at full capacity!

The medical team saw patients during our regular clinic hours on Monday and Tuesday. The education team went out to 4 village schools and delivered an amazing health program. The construction team added a much needed roof onto the front porch of the dorm increasing our living and dining area, they added a roof over our back porch to help keep the rain out of the back door and shade our scrub sink, and they roofed a new gazebo which will be a great area for our teams to relax.

Then the whole team worked together on Wednesday and adopted a school in the village of Los Limpios. We remodeled & repaired the kindergarten, and repainted the 5th & 6th grade classroom. We repainted all of the chalk boards in the school and the team brought tons of school supplies for the teachers. They also brought backpacks full of supplies for all 25 of the kindergarten kids!

All systems were firing at full speed, and it was amazing to see the progress around us. Jubilee was the 5th of 6 straight teams this summer, and not only did they accomplish much in the physical, they encouraged us spiritually and helped refill our cups for the ministry that lies ahead.

Here is a photo journal of the last week. There are a ton of pictures, but it was hard to pick from all of the incredible shots! We wanted you to be there with us as we dedicated the kindergarten, handed out book bags, cared for the patients and built the roofs...but these pictures will do the next best thing!

The Medical Team

The Education Team

The Dorm Before

The Dorm After

The Gazebo

School Project: Los Limpios Remodel

Hiking to the School

The Kindergarten Before

Dedication Ceremony

The Kindergarten After

The kids and their teacher

Thank you Jubilee Church for making such an incredible week possible!

The Month of May

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Stewart) — Mon, 31 May 2010 19:35:00 +0000

The past month has been an incredible time of service to the people in our community. We had a great time serving with old friends, and there were also plenty of opportunities to make new ones! We hosted 4 teams in May, visited 11 villages, hosted our hygiene education program in 11 schools, painted 4 classrooms in 2 different village schools, shared the Gospel message with 545 students, held 2 dental brigades in Las Minas and 1 in Rio Viejo, made tremendous progress on the construction of our home, and added much needed outdoor living space onto the dorm, all on top of holding our regular out-patient clinics here in Rio Viejo.

Whew...

The following are some pictures showcasing the wonderful teams that have are now a part of HHGlobal history, and will hopefully be a part of our future!

The Fab Five from Life Church Memphis, TN

Education in San Luis

Craft time with TK

Big Lake Heights COG

Group Shot at a school visit in Japon

Hike to the village of Pirineos

Medical brigade in Pirineos

HPC Education Team

"Peaches" on 3

Community Outreach in "Paradise"

Took on a BIG painting project and HPC finished STRONG!

Sharing the Word with the school kids

Teaching hand washing

Healthy Eating Team

Dental Hygiene can be fun with the crew from HPC

Dental Brigade in Rio Viejo

Dr. Blair, Dr, Randy & Trey, serve it up dental style

HPC St. Amant Brings Out the BIG Guns

The ceiling crew finishing their work

Mark moving materials Honduran Style

The theme of this week...

With such an incredible month behind us we look forward to seeing God's Glory in the months ahead. The groups have kept us so busy on the field that there hasn't been much time for office work, but just know that things are moving at a break-neck pace here in the jungles of Honduras. We are so grateful to God for His provision and protection.

Please cover us in prayer as we continue to seek His will for the ministry, and follow the path He is showing us.

Ten Thousand People in Two Thousand and Ten

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Stewart) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:20:00 +0000

Numbers are important. God devoted an entire book of the Bible to numbers, showing us that He takes an account of things...showing us that he cares enough to count...that He truly misses the one that is missing.

Last week we hosted a medical team from Bay Community Church in Alabama, along with Dr. John Tucher from Arizona. We held 4 brigades in 4 different villages of our river cove, covering 309 people with medical care and giving them medicine that will change their lives. We visited 3 schools, educating 269 students about the importance of basic hygiene, and equipping them with the supplies they needed to make a difference in their homes. In 4 days we touched 578 lives with the love of Christ.

Ten volunteers may seem like a drop in the bucket, but with God's grace and favor they were actually the start of a ripple that will continue to move the water long after they are back at home. Thank you for your hearts to serve. Thank you for the laughter that still rings in the dining room. Thank you for the investment that you made into our patients, and the love that you shared with some of God's favorite people.

With your help we are closer to reaching this year's goal of 10,000 intentional connections with the people in our area. We are closer to our goal of bringing the light of Christ into the homes of 10,000 Hondurans...10,000 of the forgotten ones...10,000 of God's favorites... ten thousand people in two thousand and ten.

We won't forget you, and we hope that you won't forget us. We pray that the seeds planted in your hearts will grow roots that connect you right back to us. We pray that the beats of the hearts you listened to this week would set the rhythm of your life.

And most of all...we pray that you would come back to us real soon!

Opening Season with Seacoast

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Stewart) — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:36:00 +0000

Our first official group of the season came to us from Seacoast Church West Campus in Charleston, South Carolina. We hosted a small dental and construction group from their church last September and we were so excited to have them back only 5 months later!

Stacey, Pat, Ron, Libby and Geri

Pastor Ron Hamilton returned with his wife Libby and nurse/dental assistant Stacey, along with 2 nurses Geri and Pat. With their help we were able to see 90 dental patients in 3 different villages. They provided 101 extractions, 82 fillings, and 23 cleanings to the people of our area. Pastor Ron was the first dentist to provide fillings last year and he definitely raised the standard of care by leaving us the necessary equipment to provide restorative care to the patients who come to our dental clinics!

Pastor Ron providing restorative work. Hard at work in our Rio Viejo dental room!

The nurses Pat and Geri helped serve patients in our clinic and helped Michael and Rani with a huge inventory project...counting all the donated medicines from last year, and bringing our hospital inventory up to date!

Geri, Pat, Libby, Rani and Michael counting meds!

Pat checking blood glucose in the clinic!

We also had the privilege of partnering with another local ministry, Give Hope 2 Kids. We split the Seacoast team between our two ministries for an incredible experience and then got the 2 parts of the team together a couple of times during the week. We were able to come together to do hygiene education in some of the village schools.

What a great way to open the 2010 season, and we can't wait to host another group from Seacoast Church next year! Thank you Pastor Ron and Mrs. Libby for bringing such a wonderful group to serve with us.

The entire Seacoast Group!

Maybe we will start a tradition of opening every season with Seacoast!

Extreme Make-Over: Jungle Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Stewart) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 20:35:00 +0000

Bus driver...MOVE THAT BUS!!!

Here we go, gang...are you ready to see what we've been up to?

Fresh paint on the exterior.

The second floor veranda.

Our new living room in the dorm.

No escape from the jungle with plants inside!

Our favorite guest room!

1st floor dining room

El cuarto de damas...the girls bunk room.

El cuarto de caballeros...the guys bunk room!

Can you be in love with a building...well...maybe not, but we definitely have a lot of love for this building! We can't wait to see all of the faces that will pass through the doors this year, and we hope they won't want to leave!

Painting Time...Rain or Shine

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Stewart) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 20:22:00 +0000

It feels as though we have been putting the finishing touches on our dormitory since we opened its doors in February of 2009. We have hung cabinets and curtain rods, installed sinks and faucets, painted the interior of the first floor and the second floor, picked out fabrics and plants. Even after all of these improvements, we were still lacking one very important thing...the outside of the building was the sad, gray color of raw stucco, and the mildew was threatening to cover the entire building from the bottom up.

Then, to our extreme delight, we had a group of guys come to our rescue. Pastor Jerry Taylor, Mr. Frank, Mr. Bob and Jeff from Bay Community Church sacrificed 4 days to come paint our buildings!

Armed with a paint sprayer and 4 suitcases chock full of brushes, rollers and masking tape...our heroes landed in Rio Viejo to find almost 100 gallons of paint & primer waiting for them!

We all joined in the effort to paint the 3 unfinished buildings on the HHGlobal campus: the dorm, the Williams' House and the Caseta (snack shack). The next 4 days were consumed with tape and scaffolding, spraying, rolling and brushing, all against the clock...and against the weather!

We tested the team's ability to multi-task as they completed our list of "Honey-Do's" in-between rain showers. So despite the in-climate weather we were able to go the second mile!

Our Beautiful Dorm!

The Caseta

The Williams' House with Primer

Thank you so much Pastor Jerry and Bay Community Church for getting the job done...rain or shine!

January in the Jungle

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Stewart) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 19:10:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Stewart) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:43:00 +0000

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!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Stewart) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 01:33:00 +0000

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.

Roofs, Roofs, and more Roofs...

noreply@blogger.com (Healing Hands Global, Inc.) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 19:10:00 +0000

The summer season ended with a BANG! For months we have been praying for the completion of roofs on the ministry grounds. A new roof for the hospital, preferably one that didn't have 100+ leaks, a roof for the missionary house for our family, and a roof for the little building close to the hospital that we affectionately call "the snack shack".

God answered above and beyond all we could ask or imagine. In a matter of three weeks time in August all THREE roofs were completely finished. It is nothing short of a miracle. Knowing where we live and the logistics involved it is a HUGE miracle! Can you say with me, "nothing is too big for OUR GOD"?!

On August 8th, Healing Place Church and their group of 15 men hit the ground running. They arrived late and were up working before the sun was shining. They began ripping off the old leaky roof from the hospital and putting on the beautiful new metal roof. They had five days to put take off the old and put on the new, a considerable project considering that the building has over 6,000 sq. ft. and much of the wood substructure had termite damage that needed replacing. But God was in the house, and this incredible roofing team FINISHED THE JOB IN TWO DAYS!! On the third day they began tackling the roof on our house. The team decided to give up their free day at the beach, the normal way to spend the last day in the country, so they could work on our house one more day. Day #5 left the house about 70% finished and we were ecstatic. These guys were our heroes!

Another week of prayer and a phone call to our good friend Brenda Jones of Life Givers International. We begged her to send us some of the guys who put the roof on our dormitory building last year. Three days later she had three guys on a plane headed to Honduras! Kenny, Archie and Travis worked for three days and completely finished our house! Three more heroes to add to our growing list, not to mention Ms. Brenda!

More prayer and one more building to roof. We had the left over supplies needed and desperately wanted to get the snack-shack roofed before the heavy rains began. I mentioned it at our women's Bible Study and a friend working with the orphanage in Urraco, Give Hope 2 Kids, suddenly said she would send her husband to see us. Four days later he's here and working on the third and final roof. Ten hours later we have our third hero, Jared Tippy, plus his helpers from Rio Viejo, Jacob and Misael Urbina.

We are celebrating and praising God for his incredible goodness. "Now to him who is able to do immeasurable more than all we ask or imagine... to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

"A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. "

That's how our God blesses.

Breath of Fresh Air

noreply@blogger.com (Healing Hands Global, Inc.) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 21:11:00 +0000

We were starting to think that all of our remaining summer teams were going to cancel due to the political unrest in our country, but God gave us a breath of fresh air brought by a team from Seacoast Church in South Carolina. Although the team only consisted of 6 people, the dining room of the dorm was once again filled with laughter and love.

Pastor Ron Hamilton, who is also a dentist, came with Dr. Mike Sabback and his wife Jeanne, Stacey the nurse - who is now a Honduran certified dental assistant , and our construction dream team...Chuck and Charlie. What an incredible week of ministry. Our thirsty spirits were quenched with unabandoned worship services and what could only be described as family time.

We really did hate to see them go, and the only reason we didn't lose their passports is because they bought their return tickets before they even left the country to head home! Thank you so much for your servant hearts, and the joy you brought to us in a dry time! We can't wait to see you again next year!

A Little Bit of Joy with Jubilee

noreply@blogger.com (Healing Hands Global, Inc.) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 15:26:00 +0000

Jubilee Church fromDaphne, Alabama spent a Holy Spirit packed week with us in early July. Their 3part team of medical personnel, community educators and detail mindedconstruction workers catapulted us into the next level of service. Despite theresonating political humm in the background Jubilee served it up Jesus Styleand put the "flex" in flexibility.

They painted, decorated,doctored, organized and sawed their way through the week so quickly that whenthe time came we were not ready for them to leave. The medical team helped usnavigate through a normal week of clinic and sort though tons of donated medicinesand supplies. The community education team painted and redecorated the RioViejo Kindergarten. They also taught healthy eating classes and brought theparable of the lost sheep to life by performing a skit to tell of God'sunfailing love for his people. The all-star construction team put the finishingtouches on the second story veranda by custom building and installing screenwindows, photo-cell flood lights, hooks for hammock chairs, and sealing ourstone staircase. They also built and installed screen doors and windows for theintern housing, saving them from the heat and the bugs in one fell swoop!

The whole team hiked 2hours out into the thick jungle, crossing 4 rivers and 7 creeks to reach avillage never before visited by a doctor. The hike was absolutely breathtaking,both in beauty and in level of difficulty. We all became a part of the medicalteam that day as we ministered to close to 100 people who had been waiting atthe school house since the early morning. The education team performed theparable of the lost sheep and taught the hygiene-healthy eating lessons to young and old alike.

The Holy Spirit showedup mightily in our times of devotion and led us to finally dedicate thedormitory to the service of our Lord. God moved in the hearts of everyonepresent and called one man to be baptized here in Honduras. At the baptismalservice 17 people came forward to commit or recommit their lives to the Lord,two of which were our Sam and Rachel.

What an incredible time for us as a ministry! We can't wait to see what God has in store for this country and the people of the Cangrejal River Valley. We firmly believe that God has special plans for the Honduran people and we thank Pastor Rife for answering God's call to come and serve with us. God continues to move mightily in this country, and we intend to bring Him all the glory as the international community looks on. Stand with us in prayer that God's will is done in this country and in all of His creation.

Medical Mayhem

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Stewart) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 17:45:00 +0000

In June, we had 2 weeks of medical mahem as a team from Lee University brought the thunder! We saturated the area with medical coverage by hosting brigades in 7 different villages, including a 2 night, 3 day stay in Las Minas. It was incredible to finally see medical, dental, optical, and community education all going at the same time. Their team comprised of Lee students, alumni practitioners, faculty and family was an incredible work force. We were able to dig-in and minister to many of the hurting people of our area.

One of the highlights of their stay was the time spent camping in the "Mountains of the Burnt Monkey" also known as the village of Las Minas. Where the team camped out in tents for 3 days and ministered to an incredible amount of God's people. The team really gave it their all and even thought is was probably the most difficult part of the trip, we hope it was the most rewarding.

We were so impressed with their work ethic and their hearts to serve that we have invited them back again to serve with us next summer. Honduras won't be the same again, that's for sure, and neither will we! We had a blast Lee, and we can't wait to do it again!

Westmore and Friends

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Stewart) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:25:00 +0000

In June we had the pleasure of hosting a medical team from Westmore Church of God in Cleveland, TN. At the same time we had the opportnuity to welcome two nurses from another team visiting in La Ceiba and a couple of old friends (and now RNs) Doug and Pam Lolley. It was incredible to see how God made a way for each one of the group members to find a way to Honduras specifically for that week.

We took the group to the village of San Luis - a flat, completely dry, 30 minute hike - where we were the first group ever to administer medical care in their village. It was an incredible challenge as the supposedly easy hike left us all out of breath and tired before we even arrived, but God showed up and our strength was renewed as we began to minister hope and healing to His people.

Although this team was a bit out of the ordinary, a combination of 3 different groups of people, God knew exactly what He was doing when He brought them. It was a week of spiritual breakthrough and personal victories for the entire group. We hope to see them all again next year...we don't know how we are going to do it but we want them all back at the same time!

Update from Rio Viejo

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Stewart) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:30:00 +0000

With all of the media attention that Honduras is receiving this past week, we wanted to give everyone an update. The government in Honduras is going through a challenging time, as the struggle to remain a democratic nation has become the primary topic of conversation. Here in Rio Viejo, you wouldn't even know there was a problem except for all of the people talking about the situation.

We have an amazing group from Jubilee Church in Alabama, and we are serving the Lord just like any other day. This group is a medical, construction and educational dream team! It has been a great time of service and fellowship, and we are only halfway through their stay!

Please continue to keep us in your prayers, and if you would like to read more about what is happening here in Honduras, go to http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124623220955866301.html#articleTabs_comments%26articleTabs%3Darticle. This is an article from the Wall Street Journal that gives an accurate rendition on the of what is happening in the country.

We love you all and we need your prayers now more than ever. God continues to move in this country and we trust in Him completely.