For the past two days we have been working at Fuerzas Unidas Iglesia Metodista (United Forces Methodist Church), which is a church on the outskirts of Tegucigalpa. The church is in a very poor neighborhood called Colonia Jose Angel Ulloa, which is plagued by gang activity and many other problems. The wonderful pastor there, Sandra Carcamo, is a light to this community, and her church is an oasis of love and grace for the people who live in this area. In addition to to hosting medical teams, this church provides day care to 21 children, and offers bible classes and classes in sewing, construction, and health and hygiene. Although public education here is “free,” many children do not attend school because their families cannot afford the expense of uniforms and supplies, which are required. The church provides scholarships to fill this gap.
See this link for more about Fuerzas Unidas.
Today and yesterday we served nearly 300 patients in total. The consensus seemed to be that overall the health of this community has improved greatly since members of our team were first here a few years ago. First UMC of Frankfort, KY also sends teams to this church (including one last month), and their commitment is bearing fruit here.
One unfortunate girl today had a very severe skin condition. When we first saw her we thought she was a burn victim. Her left eye was mostly swollen shut and her vision in her right eye was also impaired. The mother was told upon the girl’s birth that the condition was due to a lack of prenatal vitamins, but the doctor in our group that examined her was highly skeptical of that diagnosis and believed it may be some type of genetic disorder. We were able to take several pictures and we will send them to a dermatologist at Vanderbilt upon our return. The girl was brought in by someone identified as a “guardian.” The girl’s mother lives in Houston, Texas, and our best translator was able to talk to her via cell phone and tell her that we were going to try to get the girl some help through Vanderbilt. We took contact information for the girl (in Honduras) and the mother (in Texas), so we hope to be able to do something more for her.
At lunch today, a lady who spoke English saw some of us in scrubs and figured out why we are here. Most of us had been through the line and sat down but she insisted on buying lunch for two people in our group. She had tears in her eyes as she told them how thankful she was that we came to help here, and said the least she could do was buy lunch for them. This kind of response illustrates how profound the needs are here.
We have a little shopping time before our return flight, but our service here is done for this trip. We will sleep well tonight (and late, because our flight is not until 1:45 P.M.). I see that quite a few people are checking for updates, so thanks to everyone for your interest, support, and prayers.
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