More than I ever wanted to know about rice

Today I had the morning off and decided to accompany our resident agriculturalist and his family and visitors down to the fields in front of the hospital. The Hondurans were harvesting rice from the field and it turned out to be quite fascinating. First of all, the rice looks like just another weed growing in the field. Second of all, you have to beat it to death on a board to get the rice off. Then the rice has to be tossed about and blown to get the husk off. The most interesting thing to me was realizing that rice does not have to be grown in a swamp. I have always seen "rice paddies" in huge puddles of water. However, according to the locals, rice can be grown anywhere, it is just often grown in swampy areas because it tolerates the water better than any other crop. Other plants would be washed away or drowned out, but rice stands firm in deep waters. Fascinating!

After the rice lessons, we wandered through the fields taking random photos of pretty scenery, huge banana spiders, and cute little crabs. Then we headed down through the "enchanted forest" to Miss Christie's beach. It was a lovely day!!!

Apologies

I would like to apologize to all who have looked at my blog for updates the last 6 months and found absolutely nothing. I have been a complete slacker and I'm sorry. I vow to be much less of a blog slacker in the future! The following blog entries will be completely out of order and random, but at least it's a taste of my life and ministry here! Thank you for your patience!

Extreme Easter Egg Hunt

This Easter after a wonderful worship service and a delicious potluck, we had our second annual easter egg hunt. Some of the missionary kids felt they were "too old" to be hunting for eggs, so I set them to work hiding them. Next thing I know they are climbing in the trees, up on the roof, putting eggs in wall crevices high above the ground. And one creative young man decided to make an "egg bomb". Very funny!

I invited the kids from the Children's Center to come play with us and for some of them it was their first easter egg hunt ever. However, it didn't take long for them to join the competition and be running all over the grounds, climbing the trees, crawling under cars and climbing walls. Some even risked life and limb climbing down into a ravine! Fortunately, no one was injured!

Sunrise Service

Easter sunrise service was a really special time for our community this year. For those of you who know me, you might be shocked that I would drag my body out of bed BEFORE the crack of dawn for anything! However, on this occasion, my sweet friend Mariah was getting baptized, so I knew I had to go. Even though most of us arrived bleary eyed and stumbling about on the sand, we were soon lifting our gravely morning voices in praise to the Lord who had created the lovely beach reflecting pastel pink clouds.

Then we all walked over to a little stream that plunges down the mountain side, forming a nice little pool in the rocks before spilling into the ocean. People gathered on the rocky cliffs on either side of the pool to witness the baptism of one of our 12 year old missionary kids, Mariah. It was a beautiful scene to witness her father baptize her and tears of joy sprang to my eyes. This act of faith was a powerful witness to the other missionary kids and the Honduran children who were present.

Sally the Anteater

Sally was found hanging by her tail at the side of the road. Her mother had been killed and the killers were trying to sell the baby. Baby anteaters live on their mother's backs until they are 1 year old. Sally is only a few months old. Even if she had been set free she wouldn't have survived. Rosanne saw her and took pity. They bought her just to save her life. Now she has become a very sweet pet! After some research on what in the world anteaters eat besides ants, everyone was surprised to find that milk mixed with honey and blue cheese is a favorite. She puts her front claws on the sides of the cup and sucks up the liquid with her long thin tongue. She makes a slurping sounds like someone slurping up spaghetti!

I had the privilege of babysitting her last night and it was very entertaining. After her milk, honey and blue cheese dinner, she went outside for a look around the place. She slowly meandered through the yard, occasionally digging up ant hills and having a little snack. When she was tired she snuggled up in my lap for a nap with her tail curled around my arm. Today she wanted to explore the house so while I was cooking I let her wander around. Suddenly I heard a noise on the stove. Sally had climbed up the side of the oven and was sitting on the stove. Luckily the burners were off! Later I turned around to see that she had climbed up the drawers onto the kitchen counter and was sitting on the cheese grater. I decided to wash that again before grating more cheese. I swear she can climb up anything!

These photos aren't that great, but give you an idea of what she looks like. I'll get some better photos soon!

A New Heartbeat

March 21, 2009

It is such a privilege to be the first one to hear a new heartbeat! It is awesome to hear them breathe and cry for the first time, to see them open their eyes for the first time, to see them eat for the first time. But to hear their little heart beating inside their chest...the sound of health and vitality. That is really something!

Neidy came in today with her newborn baby. When I saw her last week she told me she would have her baby over the weekend. I smiled and nodded and said "yes, maybe". Today she comes in with a precious little bundle all dressed in pink. Victoria, born last weekend, is a perfectly beautiful baby. Victoria has a perfectly round head, perfect little features and a sweet little cry. What a doll! When I listened to her heartbeat for the first time, I was reminded of the miracle that occurs each time a new life enters this world. That all those complex organs are working together just right for this little being to survive and grow. What a marvelous designer we have!

Sunset on the beach with Jasmine

The Girl Without a Face

Cancer has taken over her face, leaving a part of her mouth as the only recognizable facial feature. Seven year old Marbella came to our hospital with a large, advanced, cancerous tumor covering her face, asking if there was anything we could do. She was admitted to the hospital for fluids and pain control. A biopsy was taken. In this country, with such an advanced tumor, little Marbella will not live much longer in this world. Our pediatrician recognized this immediately, and began talking to little Marbella about the Lord. The first few days she would just turn her head away or change the subject. She was not interested in talking about God. As a community we prayed for her and her parents prayed for her. After a week, when our Pediatrician approached her yet again with the Gospel message, she finally listened. Something had clicked and she was ready to hear the good news. That day she wept and accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior. She will be with him soon!

The Hatfields and the McCoys...

There's nothing like an old fashioned family feud to keep us docs busy. In the small village of San Jose de Eden, a five hour hike up the mountains from the road, all has not been well.

Last week after already going into the hospital twice that night, I was called at 5:30am with the report of a 79 year old man that had been shot in the chest and in both arms. My first question was, "Is he alive?". The nurse told me that he was talking to her and complaining of a "little pain" in the right arm where she could see the broken bones bulging at the skin with every movement. Miraculously, the bullet to the chest did not damage any major internal organs, but he did have two broken arms. He says men came into the home to rob he and his wife while they were sleeping and when he got out of bed, they shot him three times. His family made a makeshift cot and carried this man down the mountain in the dark for 5 hours!

The next night as this sweet old man was laying in bed with two casts on his arms so that he couldn't even scratch his nose, another man came in from that same little mountain village. He had been cut up with a machete and had bled so much that they couldn't get a blood pressure. After giving him a lot of fluid and stopping the blood gushing from his arm, he improved some. Dr. Greene was caring for him and just happened to be his blood type, so then and there between giving meds and sewing up his wounds, Dr. Greene donated blood for a transfusion. If that isn't an awesome missionary doctor, I don't know what is!!!

It turns out that this young machete wound victim had been attacked by a son of the elderly man who was shot. The other son (who incidentally had been shot in the shoulder a month ago) of the elderly man was in the hospital with his dad and kept going into the room where the machete wound victim was. Once everyone realized what was going on, the police were brought in to help protect our patients from the revenge of family members.

Later on, a young boy came in with a gunshot to his knee and reported his father had been killed. He was from a village near to the others. We can't find a definite connection, but it sounds like there are several angry men in that region who are drinking too much and causing a lot of problems!

Fortunately, there has been no violence in the hospital and everyone denies everything. We sometimes hear about these family feuds in the mountains where there is no law and no police ever venture. People take the law into their own hands in those parts, just like in the Old West. Who knows what may have precipitated this latest round of violence? A stolen cow, a stolen wife, land disagreements from generations past... We just pray that as we reach out to communities here and eventually farther up in the mountains, that people will learn a way other than revenge. We pray that they will learn the way of Christ and not feel compelled to shoot and machete each other in retribution for what has happened to their family or forefathers.