El Zapote

Thursday, April 10, 2025

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. -Deuteronomy 31:8

Clinic day four started with a winding and bumpy ride high up into the mountains…the kind of bumpy that registers as steps on your smart watch and provides a full body workout as you try to stay in your seat.  Upon our arrival, we set up in a small school in the community, with the help, as usual, of enthusiastic children.  As patients started to register, we observed, as we had in other villages, that this community brought their elderly patients to us first, with young families arriving as the day went on.  This concern for their fellow community members was reflected in the way that some families and children spent the majority of the day in the clinic area, with the children all running around and playing together as they made their way through the clinic stations.

The children, as usual, were highlights of the community.  One team member gave his agape cross to a little boy who kept stealing glances at him as he was working and was finally persuaded to come over to say hi.  I enjoyed interacting with a group of girls who wanted so badly to talk with me but couldn’t stop giggling and slow down their speech enough for me to understand their Spanish.  They carried on the conversation anyway, and I eventually understood that they wanted to know if my blue eyes were fake, because they hadn’t seen that color before.  We all enjoyed watching a father entertain his group of young daughters by blowing bubbles with them.

Other interactions reminded us of Deuteronomy 31:8 - that God is with us and never leaves us, despite our circumstances.  One team member gave her agape cross to a woman who sat down at her clinic station and cried as she explained the tragic loss of her son.  They prayed together, and she gave her a cross as a reminder of the connection they shared and God’s presence in her life.  As we debriefed on our day at dinner time and shared the ways God has been present during challenges in our own lives, we were reminded that God does not leave or forsake us.  Whether in a village in Honduras or our day to day lives in the US, He promises to be with us wherever we go.

-Dr. Gabbi Beck