Medical Outreach

My brother and my dad seeing patients at the clinic.

Last week, on Friday, we left Copan for a trip to Tegucigalpa, Honduras, the nations’ capital (where AFE is located) to join my parents’ medical outreach serving the people of the garbage dump.  We will be here a week total, and so far during the past 3 days, we have seen over 600 people in the clinic, served over 1500 plates of food, gave out 15 footlockers of shoes, distributed eyeglasses to those in need, and proclaimed the love of Christ to all who were there.  *To learn more about the medical brigades, you can click the link to the right of the blog labeled Honduras Impact Website and to learn more about the people of trash mountain, you can click the link labeled AFE's Website.* Photo courtesy of Eric Engerbretson.

Arroz con pollo *everyone's favorite day*

My mom and my grandma making spaghetti

    







          While my mom, grandma, and I have been cooking and serving lunch to anyone who comes to the clinic, Ryan has been working on the building project which I helped with last March 2010 and October 2010.  The structure is getting close to being complete and will be a fully functioning learning center for rural pastors and leaders of surrounding communities to come learn literacy, health and safety, sanitation, agriculture, micro-businesses, and basic theology. 

Today was a meaningful day for our team of 39 as we served the workers and families of the students at AFE.  I can’t describe the emotions that overcame us all as we began to process our day during the evening devotional time.  As our team members shared stories of the people they saw, I thought about the most meaningful part of my day.   

When I was here in Tegucigalpa in March 2010 with Ryan when we made the decision to commit to living down here and serving at AFE, it was the first time I ever stepped foot on the garbage dump where these people live and work.  I had another opportunity to go to the dump last October 2010.  It had been 9 months since I had been there and seen these people with my eyes. 

While I was cooking the food today, it wasn’t clear if the people would come down from the garbage dump today to attend the free clinic since most of them would rather not miss out on an opportunity to work.  I asked God to bring the people and most importantly to not let me become desensitized or calloused to the people of the dump.  My biggest fear during this time we are here is to forget how I felt the very first time I saw these people.  As I continued working on what I was doing, a few minutes later I saw a line starting to form of the people from the dump.  I immediately started to shed tears as my heart was going out to them.  I realized at that point, I won’t let myself ever forget, it is impossible to forget.  

Photo courtesy of Eric Engerbretson

God loves these people and miracles are  happening everyday…just this week a few students made the decision to start attending school at AFE.  God is at work in their lives and He has a purpose and plan for their lives.  Today our team got to be a part of God’s story for these people, and I can’t wait to see what God is going to do in the next year and a half while Ryan and I are at AFE.

Please keep our team, those we have served, and those we will serve in your prayers as we have 2 more days of clinic.