Pan American Health Service's Blog

I had the opportunity to attend the Convention of Adventist Services and Industries (ASI) in Sacramento, California this past August. I witnessed how God continues to give food and support in these times of crisis. Read the rest of this entry »

Dear Friends —

With grateful hearts we are celebrating the 50th Holiday Season for Pan American Health Service in Honduras. Nestled near the shores of Lake Yojoa, our beautiful campus remains surrounded by the Hunger Haunted Hills filled with treasures — Something of Value — lives of precious children rescued from hunger and abandonment. The challenge is being met with your support! Read the rest of this entry »

For over half a century, the Pan American Health Service has been devoted entirely to the physical and spiritual care of children in Honduras. Our physical focus is specifically for children afflicted with malnutrition. This disease is a pathological condition that is the result of lack of food intake and excess metabolic expenditure. The end result is the physical consequence of starvation. Read the rest of this entry »

The  Honduras government is on alert due to the dengue epidemic that has been driving down the country in recent months.

The numbers of people infected with this disease surged in recent weeks due to constant rains that have hit these days have helped to increase the deadly mosquito breeding sites. Read the rest of this entry »

“Mommy, where’s my dad?” It’s the question that day by day five-year-old Max asks his mother Lola, one of the 15 single mothers who seeks refuge at PAHS. Lola simply evades her son’s question and changes the subject. Just like she did, her children are growing up without knowing their father. Four decades ago, at the age of two, Lola came to our children’s home. She was not malnourished or sick, but her mother did not have the resources to sustain her. Lola was always characterized as a devout and responsible lady. She finished her high school and received the opportunity to study at Unadeca, the Adventist University of Central America located in Costa Rica. Read the rest of this entry »

Our beloved Papi

Stephen A. Youngberg, born in South Dakota, was the son of Norwegian immigrant parents who took him to the mission field in India when he was one year old. Stephen grew up in India observing as his parents served the poorest of the poor, thus was born his love for the less privileged.

After marrying Verlene DeWitt in 1942, he attended Loma Linda University Medical School graduating in 1946. He was commissioned as a Captain in the United States Army and received an honorable discharge in 1954. During the 1950′s Dr. Youngberg worked in Southern Mexico helping to establish a medical mission there, he later owned succesful medical practices in South Texas.

After co-founding Pan American Health Service, Inc. in 1959, he moved his family to the Central American country of Honduras in 1960 following the sale of his medical practices in Texas. Dr. Youngberg loved and was dearly loved by the poor of the region which he served for forty-one years. Dr. Youngberg died in 2001 and he is buried in the PAHS campus cemetery in Peña Blanca.

As Hondurans, we share a great passion for football. Now, the World cup it´s taking place in South Africa and for the second time in our history, Honduras had the opportunity to participate. Our children also love football, that’s why we wanted to please them with a special visit on Thursday. The football players from Marathon, which is a team of first division in Honduras, cordially agreed to come to the institution and learn about our work in benefit for malnourished and homeless children. Read the rest of this entry »

“I like to walk ´chuña´ (barefoot), that´s why I don´t use my shoes”, says Cristian, while a shy smile is shown in his face, but the true reason by which he prefers to be barefoot, is because his shoes are uncomfortable to him. This is the third time that Christian is received in Pan American Health Service. The first of them was exactly six years ago, when he was only nine months old. Severely undernourished, he spent three months in rehabilitation, during that time he recovered successfully. Read the rest of this entry »