Future Plans

For all of you who are interested in my future plans... I have definitely begun the process of moving towards missions. I met with my pastor and my uncle (a missionary) last month to begin figuring out my next steps. And after a little prayer, and a lot of God tugging on my heart, I put my house up for sale. I am currently devoted in the jr. high ministry while I wait for my house to sell, and then I hope to rejoin the ministry down at the clinic in Honduras. I will keep you posted as new things develop. I will be leaving this blog up so that people can still peruse my Honduras pictures, but I will not be posting anything new to this site. If you would like to keep up on my life and my plans for the future I have a new blog

http://www.jen-byhisgrace.blogspot.com/

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By His Grace,
Jen

The journey's end...

I have been home for a little over a week now and I wanted to put up a final post. Last Friday I began saying my goodbyes as I began my journey home. My last day in the clinic was busy as usual, but it was also filled with sadness as I said goodbye to the clinic staff and to the patients. The staff all gathered together at the end of the day to share thoughts with me and to pray for me. I can't even express the love and kindness that they showed me, but I will say that I was very blessed to have such an amazing send off. Sheree and I, together in a picture at last.
This is my pal Sonia, she is the x-ray tech that I used to walk home with when Giovanni didn't come to pick us up. (Gerson and Yadi are goofing around in the background.)
This is Dr. Gerardo Flores. He has such a heart for the Lord. He was one of the individuals that was an encouragement to me on a daily basis. It was truly an honor to work with him.
This is Gerson, he is one of the medical interns that has been working at the clinic here these last couple of months.
Leaving Olancho

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Leaving the clinic was hard, but leaving the family in Olancho was much harder. Roldan and Conchita were pillars of strength for me. They were always there to encourage me when I was struggling. Karely told me that Conchita cried when I left...but the tables were even, because I cried when I left as well. It was hard saying goodbye to Lety who became like a sister to me, and to her son, Daniel. I have never had a little brother before, but Daniel became a brother and a friend. Leaving Olancho behind, we set out for Tegucigalpa, where I said goodbye to the rest of the family and to Sheree. After living, working, and playing together everyday for the last three months, saying goodbye to my sister and friend was not easy. She, and the rest of the family and staff will continue to be in my prayers.

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By God's grace, and only by His grace, I made it on every one of my connections and I was reunited with all of my baggage in Boise. My homecoming was very rich. It was great to see family and friends here that I had been missing. I am starting to settle back into life here...I have already returned to work and to jr. high ministry, and I finally unpacked everything last night. God has definitely given me a heart for missions and I look forward to going out in His name again. There is a need at the clinic in Olancho, and I am already praying about the possibility of returning there... But wherever He leads, I will follow.

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Thank you again for your faithfulness and prayers for me.

In Him, Jen

On the home stretch...

Well, I'm definitely on the home stretch of this journey. This will probably be my last blog post before I come home. I leave for the states on Saturday, and I have only 1 day left at the clinic. It doesn't seem even the least bit real to me that I will not be there next week. Over the last couple of days I have really come to know the phrase "no se vaya", which means "don't go." The clinic will be shorthanded once I leave because they don't have any other trained nurses at the moment. You can be praying that the doors would open for the clinic to bring in another nurse to help with the workload.

This is my pal Jefrey...He has a very severe burn on his leg that I have been doing dressing changes on twice a week since I got here. He has been a patient at the clinic for over a year.
I have been preparing for my return to the states in the next couple of days. I am bringing back some files and x-rays on several different kids that need to be submitted for surgery in the U.S., so I am bringing back chores to keep me busy. Sheree and I have been working hard the last couple of nights to get things ready before I go.
This is Maria...She is one of the heart kids whose paperwork I am bringing to the states with me.
Just getting everything ready to go.
This is Saira...She is another of the heart kids that I am working on her paperwork.
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Thank you to everyone who has prayed for me, sent me emails or comments, and stayed up to date on what is going on in Honduras. It really was such an encouragement to me to know that people were rooting for me. God has really taught me a lot in my time here…some of them were hard lessons, but my time here has been a very rich experience. Thank you again to all of you.
See you soon, Jen

Kicking it in Teguc...

I just wanted share some of the fun that I have been having. It's not all work...Sometimes we play too...

We had a great time with the gynecology brigade last week. They were a lot of fun to have around, and they changed up our routine a little bit. Before we sent them back home we all went to La Pita for lunch and a little bit of fun in the canopy. The canopy is a five part zip line that is in the "canopy" of the trees. It's not good for anyone with a fear of heights, but I had a blast.
After all of our fun last week, we topped it off by chilling in Tegucigalpa for the weekend. Sheree and I had to take the gynecology brigade into the city to drop them at the airport, and then we spent the rest of the time shopping and relaxing...we had a great time. I hadn't been to the city in almost two months. Tegucigalpa is like a little America, they have several malls...all of which are bigger and nicer than our mall in Boise, and they have restaurants...I ate at a Wendy's. It is a totally different world than here in Olancho. The most American thing that Catacamas has to offer is that we occasionally will go and get pizza at the Texaco gas station. It's hard to explain, but I definitely prefer our world here in Olancho.
But spending the weekend with Sheree's honduran sisters Karely and Dilian, and her niece Linda was a really special treat for me. They have all become my very close friends, and I am going to miss them when I leave.

Another brigade week...

This week is another brigade week, which for me means that I have more pictures to share with everyone. It is a gynecology brigade (not really my thing), but nevertheless we are learning lots of new things and there are a couple more white folks running around the clinic with us.

Last night we all gathered together for a big dinner as a send off for the Canadian family that is leaving to go back home after living here the last 4 months. We laughed so hard that I think I pulled a few stomach muscles!
Today my friend and fellow nurse, Cynthia, came back to visit me at the clinic.
Sheree has been getting funnier everyday...but nothing was funnier than when she told me today that I would be translating for this doctor...It was a totally frightening thought, but I actually think that it went okay.
This little doll is only one day old. I just thought this picture was precious with the little one resting between Sheree's healing hands.
Left to Right: Rachel (a nursing student that has been following me this week), Me, Megan (the gynecologist that is here training Sheree), and Sheree on the bottom...We went machete shopping after work today and we thought it would be funny to take a picture with our machetes pointed at Sheree...but notice that mine is in it's sheath...Sheree knows me well enough now that I was not allowed to hold an unsheathed weapon above her head. : )

Sorry about the mug shot...

Sorry about this first picture. It was one of those "turning the camera on yourself" moments. I realized this weekend that I haven't made it into a picture in over a month. Things are generally too wild at the clinic to stop and jump in front of the camera, and by the time I get home...well, I'm not exactly worth taking a picture of.

This is me the day after I finally rode Sheree's horse.

I thought these faces might soften your hearts a little after that last one. This little guy has had to be sent to the hospital twice for respiratory problems. Most of the little ones scream when they get a neb, but this little guy seems entertained by it...He spends the whole time sticking out his tongue, trying to lick the mask.
This little guy is one of the kids that we are trying to get accepted for surgery. He is 2 months old and weighs 6 lbs...He is so precious.

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As for what is going on with me...Today, I tried out my skills as a makeshift paramedic...I didn't care for it much. Our first patient of the morning was having chest pain, and the second I did his EKG I knew he has having a heart attack. We did all that we could for him at the clinic: morphine, nitro, aspirin, IV, etc. but our oxygen tank was empty. We put him into the back of one of the clinic cars and I continued to give nitro and morphine, while Giovanni drove 90 km/hr on bumpy roads to the nearest hospital 30 minutes away. (I have a new respect for paramedics.) It wasn't quite as easy as it would seem to draw up medication with a needle and put it into the IV line without poking anyone, when the IV is swinging from the overhead light fixture. But the patient did make it to the hospital, and the doctor there called the clinic later to tell us that he was doing fine, and that he was certain that we had saved his life.

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They're not all good stories like that one...About 20 minutes later Sheree called me on my way back to the clinic from the hospital telling me to get back quickly because she had a patient in respiratory distress. His oxygen sat was 64% (really bad) and we were out of oxygen at the clinic. We all held our breaths while we waited for the family to go and bring an oxygen tank to the clinic for him. We did get him some oxygen, but his situation is not good, and he is not long for this world. He recently accepted Jesus Christ as his savior so he is ready to go, but it was still a very sad time explaining the reality of the situation to the family. I sat in the ER with the family for hours, and then we prayed with them. It was a very draining experience, but I have learned over time, that while it is difficult to be a part of situations like these, it is also a privilege to be allowed to be used by God in these moments.

If she doesn't make you smile, nothing will...

This is Kelin and she is adorable. She always has the biggest smile on her face. She is just one of several of Sheree's heart kids. This week I have been working on the paperwork for five more little ones that need surgery in the U.S. One of the little kiddos is only 2 months old.

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This week has been particularly busy because we have been short 2 nurses this week, and I have been the only one at the clinic. One of our nurses will be returning from vacation next week, but the other one has been moved to help out at one of the community projects.

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Just so you know that I am still myself no matter where I go...

Today I did something very "jen" like.... I walked full on into a wall. Thank the Lord that I broke the initial impact with my forehead or I am very certain that I would have broken my nose. As it was, it brought tears to my eyes and I already have a bruise on my forehead. I told Sheree afterward that it was my new method of trying to knock some sense into myself.

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Answers to prayer and other such things...

As to answers to prayer...

This is Ana Sarahi.

I sent out a prayer request through my mother earlier this week for this little girl, and I am very grateful to all who are praying for her. Ana was born with bilateral clubbed feet. She traveled yesterday (Praise the Lord) from Honduras to the States for surgery. I believe this little girl is only 3 years old, and in order for her to get the surgery she needs, she had to leave her mom and dad and travel alone to a different country where they don't speak her language, all for an operation... I can't even imagine how scary that is for a little kid. She will be living with a host family in the states probably for a minimum of 2-3 months before she can return to her family here in Honduras.

On to other such things...

Today was crazy, as expected. Friday's are always nuts, and there are always more emergencies on Friday. We had 6 emergencies today (only 3 beds in the emergencia). I started the morning with an unconscious diabetic with a BG of 32, and rounded off the day with a hypertensive alzheimer's patient that tried to hit me twice. All in a day's work...

With Sheree in Chile this week, I spent a lot of time getting to know some of the other staff that I work with, and getting to know the town better (as I had to walk home twice). I had many opportunities to chat with them this week that were a blessing to me, and I hope to them as well. Every conversation is still painful for me, but worth it. I found myself frusturated and embarassed several times this week with communicating, but I think I am growing more accustomed to feeling like that, and it doesn't seem to hinder me quite as much as it did before. That was a huge answer to prayer for me...humility can be a tough.

Just a few of the little reasons...

I don't know all of their names, and I don't know all of their stories...but these little guys have stolen my heart...

Sheree with one of her adorable little patients. The kids absolutely love her.

Just another one of the angels waiting to be seen at the clinic.

This is Antony... a very sick and dehydrated little guy that I got to know pretty well over a couple of days. This picture was taken as he was finishing his IV fluids and starting to feel a little better. He has the biggest, most adorable curly hair.

This kid is one of Sheree's heart kids that we are working on getting accepted in the U.S. for open heart surgery.

This is Yorbin. Please pray for this little guy, he is 2 years old, and the cutest thing since sliced bread. He has a heart defect known as Tetralogy of Fallot, and he also needs surgery in the U.S. On any given day his oxygen levels are usually only around 75%. This little one has been rejected by one organization, and we are still awaiting a response from the other organizations.

Catching up on posts...

These last two weeks have been absolutely jam packed with opportunities and craziness, and I want to catch you up on some of the stuff that has been happening. These are some of the photos from last week when the brigade came to help out. There were many projects that they helped us with, and there were many pictures taken during their time here. I can't wait to show you guys everything when I get home...

The brigade consisted of 6 spanish students from a christian high school in California, with 3 adult chaperones. They were small in number but very useful. They handed out items like toothbrushes and toothpaste to the patients, and entertained the kids while they waited to be seen by the doctors. Some patients literally wait 6 or more hours to be seen at the clinic.

The group packed their bags full of every sort of medication/bandages/supplies that they could get their hands on, and brought them down as donations. And then they spent hours upon hours sorting through and organizing the mess in the pharmacy.

The big project that I helped them with was organizing and painting our emergency area. If you read my blog about a whole lot of chaos, this is from that thursday.

From left to right this is me, Sheree, Yadi, Larry, Jeanie, and Cindy standing in the finished ER.

But in the midst of it all, I finally made it to the only tourist spot in all of Olancho... The Caves of Talgua. They are thousands of years old and the burial site of an ancient people group. It was pretty awesome to see, and it was also a great way to escape from the afternoon heat here. : )

So much has been happening...

So much has been happening that I want to tell you guys about that I will have to post a couple of different things in the next couple of days. But I have to start with today...

Today Sheree was in the capital trying to get visas for these 4 kids who need to go to the states for open heart surgeries. Thank you to all of you who prayed...all of the kids were approved to travel for their surgeries in the next couple of weeks.

But since Sheree was out of town, that meant that once again I was at the clinic without any english speakers. And today, that was a challenge because there were some really complicated moments. There was a 17month old little boy named Josue completely listless, in hypovolemic shock. I mean totally out of it. His eyes were open, but he wasn't really seeing anything, and he wasn't moving at all except for that really scary fevered breathing. It was really scary. I put an IV in him and took his temperature...it was 105. I spent 2 hours sponging him in tepid water before he really came back around. We gave him a lot of fluid and then we sent him on to the hospital.

And then just shortly after Josue had come around a bit, this little 8 month old came in with a fever of 104, I gave her a suppository, but less than a minute later she was seizing. It took us 4 attempts to get an IV in the little girl before we could give her some medicine to stop the seizures. I sat and monitored both of these kids for an hour or more while we waited for taxis to send them to the hospital. It was totally scary, and such a crazy morning.

But it was kind of an uplifting experience for me because for one, I do actually think the kids are going to be okay, and because I was able to do what I came here to do. In the midst of the craziness with Josue, Dr. Gerardo and Dr. Salavarria came over to the bedside, and I told them that I was going to pray for the kid but in english. And I prayed for the kid in english while they prayed beside me in spanish. That was a powerful moment. And then later before I left for the day, Gerardo thanked me for being there because he said when he got there that morning and the kid was dying in his arms he turned around and saw me, and he said it was like from heaven. It was nice to hear.

More to come...

A whole lot of chaos...

• Earlier this week I posted a blog about a little bit of chaos...Well, as the week went on I think I fully upgraded to a whole lot of chaos...

• Okay, so the chaos that I caused trying to get home from the clinic on Monday was only the beginning. I had some requests to clarify that story...I think the shortest version is that it took Sheree's sister in Teguc., her mom, her pastor's wife, 2 nurses, and another guy at the clinic to get me home. I can explain when I get home...

• Tuesday and Wednesday were both busy in their own rights because Sheree's mom came with a group of highschoolers to help at the clinic. Sheree was sick all week, so I was busy looking out for the group, Sheree, and the patients.

• But really, chaos completely ensued on Thursday and Friday. The group did a complete overhaul (organizing, cleaning, painting) the emergencia both days. Thursday, after seeing a stack of patients, we started the project in the emergencia...and while people were starting around us in the emergencia I stopped to stick an IV in our dear doctor. I got her situated on a bed in the consult area, and then alternated between helping the group and giving her medications and fluids.

• But Friday really took the cake. The emergencia was completely inaccessible for patients on Friday, which turned out to be a major bummer. We had 4 patients come through ER that day. The first one was a young guy with swelling in his brain that we had to send off to the capital, but the other 3 patients were in my charge, scattered throughout the consultation area on every available bed. The first one was a 1 year old that was very dehydrated that I had to put an IV in (I hate poking the little ones). And the next one was a hypertensive uncontrolled diabetic (220/98), that I had to manage with IV labetalol. And the last one had me praying...she was a 28 year old gal, one week post-op with malaria, with a blood pressure in the 60s (that's bad). I literally stood at her bedside squeezing fluid into her and holding her hand for 2 hours before we could get her sent to the hospital. There's so much more that I could add but I know that this is a novel already...

• Last week had some truly amazing moments, but was definitely a whole lot of chaos...

Just a little bit of chaos...

This week has been pretty busy at the clinic. Sheree was gone for the first two days so I was on my own for the first part of the week. I had quite the adventure getting home from the clinic that first day...I caused quite a bit of confusion, but it was actually pretty funny once Conchita stopped worrying. Today was unbelievably busy and Sheree was really sick. She has been so sick all week that the last patient that I took care of today was her. I had to stick an IV in her and pump her full of fluids and phenergan, but she is feeling a little better now.

My mom has been asking for pictures of where I'm living so here are some pictures from around the house...

This is the view of the neighbors from the stairs up to Sheree's room.

This is the courtyard outside, and the door across the way is my room.

This is my room...I would have cleaned it before I took the picture but that doesn't sound like me now does it?

This is Mario and Daniel playing futbol in the courtyard.

This is me with Meli, Linda, Fernanda, and Vivian. We hung out together all weekend. They don't seem to mind that they have to repeat everything at least once before I understand. Children have a better understanding of unconditional love than most folks.

So these are the devils...

I have lost an awful lot of sleep to these fellas...

You can't see all of them, but there were nine. NINE yapping puppies outside my windows that don't shut...EVERYNIGHT. Now there are only eight, we had a bit of an accident last week. It might have been sad, but Sheree's mom and I have discussed forming a hunting party to make the number zero. : )

Another picture of the little rascals...which now that I am getting more accustomed to the noise, they are starting to get kind of cute.

These are only part of the herd of chickens/roosters that chime in with the puppies. I call them broken roosters because they crow at 3pm, 1 am, whenever...their clocks are broken.

More Pictures from Semana Santa

More pictures from our trip to the lake...

Kayaking with my friend Diliam

From left to right: Karla, Diliam, Sheree (who they call Fresa), Daniel, and Lety.... just hanging out at the river. I am kicking back in the hammock behind Karla.

Daniel and Sheree

This is everyone eating together for Father's day which they celebrated last Wednesday.

This was just an awesome photo that I had to share.

Semana Santa

This week is Semana Santa, or Holy Week, and virtually the entire country takes vacation. I went with the family to Lake Yojoa...about 7 hours away from Catacamas. There were 11 of us in a cabin approximately 10ft x 10ft... we were practically sleeping on top of each other but we had a blast. It was a really great time for me to get to know them better. We did devotions and prayed together every night, and laughed and played hard together all day.

Lake Yojoa

Conchita and Roldan are the parents of the family...they are both genuinely nice people.
This is my pal Daniel at the hot springs, he is 12, and he speaks some English...he's one of my best buds here.
We went to these amazing waterfalls and Mario, Diliam, and I went down behind the waterfall. It was a truly exhilirating experience...A little scary for me because my contacts folded and I couldn't see anything. Diliam had to take my hand and I literally had to be led blindly over a bunch of boulders. But when we got behind the waterfalls and I could see again, it was truly an amazing experience, well worth the journey.
Some of the family from left to right: Karely, Sheree, Linda Sheree, Diliam, Me, and Mario.