Wednesday, September 24, 2008

A Day for Eyes!

Yesterday, Brian and Jeffery took a truck load of people to Tocoa, the next town over, about a 45 minute drive now that some of the cavernous potholes are filled.
Norma is a widow from church. She attends the sewing classes here, but has a difficult time because her eye sight is so bad. We were able to take her to a clinic, have her eyes examined, and buy a pair of sturdy glasses that should last her a long time.
Jenny is a Little Hands teen. We have been looking after her for a number of years. She had tumors behind her eyes that disfigure them and make it difficult for her to see. Jeffery made a connection with an upscale eye doctor from La Ceiba, a major city, who is willing to make a special contact for Jenny that will change the odd appearance of her eye, making it look more normal. Yesterday they were able to fit her for the contact which the doctor is making for one tenth of the normal cost.
Monday while working on the trucks, Brian got a piece of rusty metal in his eye. That night we tried to get it out, but it was firmly stuck into his eyeball. Yesterday, at the clinic where they took Norma, the optometrist, looked at his eye, but could not remove the particle. She drove him over to a doctor friend across town. This doctor was able to remove it, much to our relief. In the process, he was able to share why we are here and what we are doing. Each of these doctors expressed an interest in helping Little Hands in the future, and didn't charge a fee for helping Brian! Once again, we are thankful for His perfect timing!

Monday, September 22, 2008

Alexandra Doing Well!

Here's Alexandra with her mother and brother. When we went to visit them last week, she was fighting a cold, but otherwise doing great after the surgery. It is amazing to see where she used have a huge tumor, now it looks normal with just a small incision. We are rejoicing that God made a way for Alexandra to be healed. Yesterday her dad came to see Brian. They had some good time to talk together. Please pray for Selvin and Sandra,Alexandra's parents, that their hearts will be softened and they will be more open to the gospel.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Alexandra Update #2

Yesterday Alexandra's surgery went well. They were able to remove the large tumor in her armpit. The smaller ones on her arm and fingers will be dealt with later. As far as we know she is doing well and will be able to come home soon. Thanks for all your prayers for this little girl and her family. Please continue to pray that the miraculous way that the God worked this all out would be a testimony of His great love for them.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

El Dia del Nino/Day of the Child

Yesterday was El Dia del Nino here in Honduras. We celebrated with games, pinatas, cake and little gift bags for the neighborhood Bible class and many of the kids Little Hands helps. There were over 100 children and their parents in attendance.

This picture is of one group waiting for their gift bags that contained candy and a small toy as well as bandaids and other useful things. As they left, many of the children came up to me to say a genuine, "Muchas Gracias!" Day of the Child is a big deal here and it was a special time for us to take part in a cultural experience and show these precious little ones a helping of Jesus' love.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Alexandra Update

I talked to Brian. They made it safely to SPS and met with the surgeon. He says it should be a simple procedure. The surgery is scheduled for Thursday morning at 6:00. Brian was helping them get settled in at the Ronald McDonald House where they can stay for free. Thanks for all your prayers!

Thursday Update: Alexandra did not have surgery this morning. Please pray that they will be able to fit her into the schedule tomorrow!

Seeing His Hand at Work

We just returned to Honduras after leaving to renew our visas again. As we stood in line waiting to get through immigration, we started talking to the guy behind us. We learned that he is a surgeon who will be working in San Pedro Sula for the next week with a team from the states. As we talked, we started thinking of a little girl named Alexandra, who has a large tumor under her arm with many smaller ones down her forearm and across her fingers. Our friends in the states have been working for months to get her there to have the surgery. They had just come up against a brick will as her father didn't have some necessary paper work and it didn't look like it would be possible for her to make the trip. The more we talked to our new friend, Jeff the surgeon, the more we saw God's Hand at work in it all. We had only just set foot back into this country when we started to see the plan He had worked out for Alexandra to get the help she needs. How interesting that out of all the people on the plane, we just happened to get in line with Jeff, who just happened to be there a few days before the rest of the team, who just happened to be made up of the exactly right kind of doctors to help this little girl. Isn't God good?
As I write this Brian is driving Alexandra and her mother, Sandra to SPS. They will meet up with Jeff and his team late this morning and she may have surgery this afternoon or tomorrow. Please pray for safety as they travel. Brian is still fighting an ear infection that started before we left to renew visas, though he is doing better now. When I talked to him, he said that poor Alexandra is very car sick and has thrown up a number of times. Pray that they will easily find the hospital and the Ronald McDonald house where mother and child should be able to stay free of charge. Pray for the surgery to be a success and that there won't be any complications!