Baby "Jack" is here!

This morning Maybelline and Jeffery welcomed baby "Jack" via C-section. He's a big boy at nine pounds and has a full head of black curls. This afternoon when I saw him, he was bright-eyed and alert. His mom wasn't so perky. She was in alot of pain. Please pray for a quick recovery for Maybelline. As you can see Jeffery is already a great daddy. Pray that Maybelline and Jack will be able to come home soon.

Belize is out, Florida is in

After much consideration and shopping we have decided to hold off on Belize as an option for renewing our visas. We felt that it was not safe enough to pursue this time around. We found tickets to Ft. Lauderdale for under $300 and so the cost, believe it or not, isn't much more than the belize route! Also, as an added blessing, Brian's Mom & Dad are going to meet us there. We will be able to spend about 2 and a half days together with them! Please pray for us as we go. We have a couple of long bus trips. Our flight leaves at 1 am on Tuesday and returns at 12pm on Thrusday. We will have to wait in the airport for about 5 hours till our flight leaves. We were not planning to return to the U.S. this early but God seems to be working things out and we are excited to visit with our family.

Update on Carlos and Maybelline

Carlos is home from the hospital and already gaining weight. This picture doesn't show how tiny he really is. We are keeping a close eye on him and making sure his very young mother gets him to the clinic every other day to weight him and chart his progress. Keep praying for this family.

Tomorrow morning Maybelline is scheduled to have a C-section. Please pray for safety for her and baby "Jack". She is nervous, but looking forward to finally being able to hold this little guy that we've been waiting for. Pray that the American doctor that we met will be able to attend the birth as Maybelline has more confidence in her that the hospital staff. I'll post pictures when I have them.

A Real Missionary

This week I have felt like a real missionary. Besides Carlos's saga, we've had someone on our doorstep most mornings very early and people needing something several evenings, until it's quite late. Two of the kids Little Hands regularly helps were in and out of the hospital this week. We had a few nights of keeping thier siblings here while mom was at the hospital with the sick child. The cars continue to die and need to have various parts revived...sometimes it a flat tire or the battery or who know's what. A neighborhood child has been here almost every day to have us docotor his boils. He had one the size of a golf ball. I pestered a doctor friend in the states to tell me how to drain and dress it and how to convince a mother that she needs to use a spacer with her child's inhaler for it to do any good. We spent one morning at the beach with two children who had never been there even though they live only a few miles away. Thier handicaps didn't stop them from enjoying the sand and water. We welcomed back fellow missionaries who have become dear friends because they understand what life here means. We are struggling again trying to get a plan for renewing our visas before our time is up. Even though we were told the renual last time would be good for three months, it's actually one month and by the time they finally got our passports and visas back to us, we didn't have alot of time left. So, we are looking into a trip to Belize next week. A prospect I'm not looking forward to with four little people to tag along. So...in all we are exhausted...and blessed. By the sweet smiles of thankfulness. By knowing that someone will have seen a little of Jesus. By the relationships that are starting to grow with the people here. (The boil boy brought me a bag of mangos to pay for my doctoring services.) We hit the pillow at night to tired to talk, but happy that it looks like a child we are learning to love will be alright after all. This is a crazy life...it is a mix of things that tear my heart and things that fill it up again. I don't think we'll ever be the same.

Carlos Update #2

Today we heard that Carlos had the surgery this afternoon. We don't know how he is doing now, but at least he made it through the surgery. Thanks for your continued prayer for his recovery!

Update on Carlos

They were able to start an IV and the doctor's quickly diagnosed a blockage in his stomach that prevents the food from getting any farther. This is easily corrected by surgery. Yesterday morning they took him by ambulance to San Pedro Sula. (SPS is a major city that has a modern hospital, but it is at least a six hour drive from here.) He didn't look good when they left and we haven't heard anything since they arrived. If he had been helped sooner, his chances for survival would have been very good, but at this point we can only pray. As far as we know they will try to do the surgery. There isn't any reason to wait until he is stronger as he can't get sronger when he isn't able digest his food. Please continue to pray for little Carlos and his family.

Urgent Prayer Request

This morning, we heard about a sick baby that wasn't able to keep any food down. Brian and Maybelline, (who still hasn't had her baby yet,) went to check things out and immediately took the fifteen year old mother and baby to the hospital. Carlos is two months old and weighs just five pounds. He is so thin and frail. Brian says he barely looks alive. Please pray that they will be able to get an IV started and get some fluid into him as soon as possible. Pray for peace and comfort for the family. Pray that Brian and Maybelline will be able to share Jesus with them. I'll send an update when I know more.

Update on Brandon, Maybelline, and E-mail Prayer List

Tonight Myra and Brandon came home. He seems to be doing well. They are to go back on the 14th for a re-check. Thanks for praying for their family.
People keep asking me about Maybelline. She is doing fine...no baby yet. And as you ladies know, those last weeks waiting for the baby to arrive can get to be pretty miserable! She is ready for him to get here and apprehensive about the labor and delivery. So, I know she would appreciate any prayers for her comfort and safety for the baby. I'll let you know when he gets here!
If any of you are on our e-mail prayer list...we are trying to get an update out to you. We have been having such a hard time with the connection here. We finally got all the addresses transferred from the old program into yahoo and then we found out the mailing list option doesn't work! Talk about frustrating! So if you've been waiting to hear from us that way...I guess you'll have to keep waiting for now. We're working on it!

Connection Trouble

We are having ALOT of trouble with our Internet access. I am trying to get our e-mail prayer list update up and running again. It has been great to have this modem, but this past week we have had so much trouble with it, that it has only been a source of irritation! Please pray that what ever the problem is will be resolved soon! I miss being able to post when ever I want!

Update on Brandon

Late last night Myra called us from the hospital in La Ceba. We heard from her again this afternoon. They still have not set Brandon's broken arm. Today she told us that maybe tomorrow there will be an operation and then he will come home then or the next day. I feel bad for the poor little guy. When they came back here late Sunday night, he had not had anything for pain. That was hours after the accident. At the hospital, they don't have anything to give out. So on the way home, Alissa had to stop and get some Ibuprophen for him. He was such a trooper. Please continue to pray. When they do set his arm, I'm afraid it will be a scary experience for Brandon and Myra. I'm sure they appreciate your prayers for them. Thanks!

Pray for Brandon

Some of you know Myra, the cook for Little Hands. Today her four year-old son, Brandon fell and broke his arm. Alissa sat with them for hours at the local hospital and they were only able to splint it here. She is to go to La Ceba, a three hours drive away and be there at five tomorrow morning so they can start standing in line, waiting to see a doctor. I looked at the x-ray and I think its broken at the elbow with a small piece of bone completely separated. I have not been impressed with what little we've seen of the local hospital and I'm assuming they will have to put him out to set this so that is why he has to go to the bigger city hospital. Brian will take them to the bus stop in the middle of the night. We also have another mother and child staying here tonight to catch a ride to the hospital at 5:00am. They live quite a distance from here and cannot get a bus to Trujillo early enough to start standing in line at the hospital. It looks like a long night. Please pray for comfort for Brandon and peace for Myra. Thanks!! When I know more I'll keep you posted!

Day of the Worker

Hi everybody! Sorry to not be posting much. I've been wanting to, just been to busy. On Friday we celebrated the Day of the Worker and had a cook out at the beach for the workers. It was a hot, but lovely day and we all enjoyed ourselves. Most of the kids have a little sunburn on thier faces, but nothing to bad. The cookout was very Honduran. We started late. The workers were even later. Some didn't even come! The chicken had been marinating for days and was SO delicious. We also had chimol (like salsa), frijoles (beans), and tortillas. The chicken was in large pieces so at the picnic site, we had to hack it up into smaller chunks with the world's dullest knife, while raw meat juice sprayed everywhere. The kids played in the water and sand for hours. Mayra and her entire family arrived by motorcycle. One motorcycle, two adults, and three kids. As I said before it was all very Honduran and quite nice. There are many things that we just didn't do at home in the states, that here, are just normal and expected. And I guess we are adapting because we had a lovely time and all those "weird" things are just ok by us. ( I have to admit...I do still struggle with the chicken juice. I have a ways to go, I guess!)