Our Monday morning began in the same way as I imagine many of yours did. We ate a healthy breakfast and drank our Barnabas House coffee and then headed out for work. Our hearts were beating with excitement as we wondered what the day would hold. As we commuted to our place of work, we passed stores opening to sell their goods, mothers walking children to school donned in uniforms and backpacks. We passed the Monday morning wash drying in the sun on the clothesline and we saw men busily working in their yards and fields.
We bounced along the road that led us higher and closer to heaven to reach our destination in the village of Buenos Aires. Greeted by unknown faces, we quickly set up shop and got to work. The needs were great as reflected in the numbers served. Over 328 people were examined in the general clinic and 842 services were provided. The eye clinic had one of its highest volume days and Dr. John said that he encountered two of the highest eyeglass prescriptions since coming to Honduras.
Each team member was given a wooden cross necklace last night to share with someone special. Four were given out today.
Hampton said he could have given a cross to every person he met in the eye clinic but chose to give his to a young girl who seemed like she could use something that would put a smile on her face.
Dr. Judy gave her cross to the mother of an 8 month old boy who was failing to thrive. The boy was born prematurely with a heart murmur and the family could not afford the necessary medical tests in order for him to receive needed treatment. The mother said that she had prayed that there would be someone here today that would help save her baby’s life. This is miraculous answer to that cry for help from a desperate mother. The child was referred to the Extended Care Program and will be evaluated by the September cardiac team.
Robin’s cross was given to a 4 year old boy who asked her for it. She gladly gave it to him telling him that the cross meant he had Jesus in his heart. He assured her that he did.
Meera gave her cross to Lillian, an 18 year old mother who adored Meera. She wanted to have her picture taken with her and from the picture posted with her head on Meera’s shoulder, it is quite clear how fond she was of her. It was quite a touching moment to witness.
Many of the people we met today will never order a hot drink from a barista or receive a 5% discount for using a red card in a local Target store. But at the end of a long day, don’t we all just really want the same things? No matter what our addresses or our last names might be, we want jobs that give us a purposeful and a meaningful life. We have mouths to feed and bills to pay. We all want access to good health care, we want our children to do well in school. We suffer heartache and pain with losses and feelings of happiness with joyful news. When we are dog-tired at the end of a long Monday, we want to come home to people who love us and food to satisfy our hunger. We want to share the details of our days with the people we love and we all have a need to feel like we may have made a difference in the life of someone else during our day. The hearts of the Hondurans beat the same as ours. Although we come from different life experiences, our hearts were united today with people just like us. Thank you for your prayers of support as we continue our work week serving the people of Honduras.
