Here is the latest update from John and Ana:
Greetings from Honduras,
We are busy!! The two pictures taken at the beginning of the day [see below] could easily have been taken at the end of the day and they would look the same except the faces would change. We are seeing hundreds of patients every week. 468 last week alone. On days we know we will see lots of patients we take another doctor with us to help.
It seems the people are poorer every week. Famine is beginning in some parts of Honduras due to the high cost of food. The poor have no resources to fall back on. They live day to day. There is no government assistance such as welfare or food stamps. They work hard just to eat. More and more cannot afford to purchase the beans and rice or eggs which they need to survive. There was an article in the paper last week about people subsisting on tortillas and salt. Can you imagine eating only tortillas and salt and then trying to work? Your body would waste away; which is what is happening to the poorest of the poor. I think I told you in my last e-mail that Ana & I are helping one family that was living like that and with the help of the First United Methodist in Tuscaloosa we began helping another 4 month old baby that was starving to death. With less and less nutritious food the body becomes more susceptible to disease which we are seeing more evidence of.
Ana and I appreciate your supporting our efforts to help the poor in Honduras and we hope that you will continue to do so. We know that things are becoming difficult in the states. Everything costs more. But multiply that effect by several times and that is what is happening in Honduras right now. Added to this, the government of Honduras has subsidized many things to help keep the cost low for the poor people. Well now they are removing many of the subsides because they can’t afford to subsidize gas, electricity, and other commodities any more. This is hitting the poor really hard. We ask you to keep us and our work in your prayers and continue supporting us as God leads you.
Filed under: General
