Lift, Stretch, Grow

Several weeks ago, there was a team in town that came to work with the Christian school. There was a physical therapist in the group who was aching to work with some disabled kids here in Honduras. After we met, through a fellow mission worker, the rest of the week was a blur of trying to keep up with Bobby as he raced from one Little Hands kid to the next always ready to do anything he could to help. His expertise was a huge blessing! We were able to write up specific plans for several of the kids and even make up special excercise sheets with pictures for the moms so they can see just how to stretch and manuever thier child's muscles. Bobby explained how important it is for the children to have good shoes to support weak ankles. For Ruth, one little girl who has one leg that is shorter than the other, we made a lift out of a pair of flip-flops and inserted it inside her new shoes.

Rebin, Santana's son, has CP and has very little muscle tone in his neck. He is barely able to hold his head up. Bobby, Mr. Otto and Brian worked together to make a "standard", a padded wooden structure with several fabric ties. Now, Rebin spends time everyday, standing in an upright position. His neck muscles are gradually getting stronger and he is able to play with toys placed on the tray near his face. Before this, Santana had dug a hole in the ground and placed Rebin in it, so he could strengthen his neck. The standard is adjustable so it will grow as he does.

Bobby spent time with some of our other children as well. He provided insight into Erica and gave Alissa some direction on how to best help her. His enthusiasm and passion for helping special needs kids was a great encouragement to all us us. Having Bobby here made us realize how much we need someone with his gifts and expertise to give the Little Hands kids the best chance of reaching thier full potential. Please pray that God will send the right person to fill this need. We hope to see Bobby back here again in the future!