“Mommy”

“Mommy, I want a baleada,” (the Honduran version of a “burrito.”)“Mommy, I want to jump on the trampoline.”“Mommy, I want juice. Mommy, I want candy.”I looked down into the faces of 6 little girls surrounding me at their school Open House. Instead of feeling annoyed at the whining sounds directed at me, I felt pure joy!

Our family was just finishing up a month of volunteer work supervising children’s activities at the PAHS campus. We had become acquainted with the children when we came as part of a volunteer building team months before. Why was their whining sweet to me? Because you cannot whine with that intensity at someone you don’t love, someone you are not 100% sure loves you back unconditionally. Their whines meant one thing to me -- they truly meant “Mommy” when they called me that! People ask me, “What do you do in Honduras?”They want to hear about some amazing building project, a medical/dental clinic that helps hundreds of people a day, or at the very least an energetic vacation bible school in the evenings. These important activities God has called others to do.

What He called our family to do is very simple and may seem unimpressive….to model and provide the love of family and a home for these beautiful children who are separated from their own parents and homes for a variety of reasons.No, it is not impressive. It is not the type of calling that fills one with pride in the re-telling of mission stories when returning home, but it is a calling of deep joy and immense satisfaction: I am called here to be “Mommy.”Our days are filled with homework, applying band-aids accompanied by hugs and kisses, attending school functions, fixing healthy snacks, playing -- and just plain being there. We have had many children sitting around our table at night, learning (hopefully) manners and how a family functions in a home. We have been able to enjoy the normalcy of life…baking a cake to take to a class party, watching “our kids” play soccer, seeing “our kids” in the school program, talking to the teachers to know what is happening at school and how the grades are going.

No, it is nothing extraordinary, but it is the very “ordinary-ness” of it that makes it so special. Sometimes God’s greatest gifts come in very simple packages….and that is what He has given us here in our Honduras home.“As far as lies in your power, make a home for the homeless,” Ellen White reminds us. “Let everyone stand ready to act a part in helping forward this work. The Lord said to Peter, ’Feed my lambs.’ This command is to us, and by opening our homes for the orphans we aid in its fulfillment. Let not Jesus be disappointed in you.”I am honored that God has called us to serve by just being a family.

I am honored to be called “Mommy”. 

God sent us to get you

Alicia and Nellie

I entered the Casita Feliz on a special mission. A joyous place, filled with happy voices, smiling little faces and tiny hands reaching out to be squeezed, the “happy little house” is the new dwelling of Alicia, 7 years old,a waif brought to the Nutritional Rehabilitation Center four days before by a Medical Team from Central Texas Medical Center in San Marcos, Texas. I wanted to see how she was feeling today and assess the recovery progress she was making.

Having been a photographer for the Team on the last day of Field Clinic, I had developed a special bond with Alicia which started when I was asking her to stand closer to her mother for a picture while they waited to be seen by the doctor. My hand brushed her very taut belly and my eyes immediately fell to her feet to confirm what I suspected – Alicia was in a state of severe malnutrition - her feet barely visible because her long dress was swollen, peeling, and raw, the secondary effects of not having enough protein and vitamins in her food. My heart ached as I looked through the camera at her sad brown eyes. Her demeanor spoke of a life of pain, indeed the struggle to survive. My gut instincts told me this was the child we had come to the mountain village of Santa Rosa de Bacadilla to retrieve. She was the reason we were right here, right now. Reflexively I felt a deep gratitude and sent up a prayer to God for having sent us, for the privilege of being part of this Medical Team … today.

My heart quickened as I saw the family enter the humble little structure that usually serves as a one-room school but today was a one-room Clinic filled with Doctors, Nurses, Support staff, and Patients. I quickly followed knowing I would have an important role to play in the treatment of this particular family. My fluency with the language, my profession as a Registered Nurse and a lifetime living in these mountains and watching malnourished children recover give me a unique perspective and skill set that would come in handy. As they sat before Dr. Ivery - a pediatrician - and her translator, Paul, I hunched down next to the mother.

Then, for what seemed like an eternity but was probably a little less than an hour, we coxed and cajoled the mother to allow her malnourished seven-year-old daughter and three-year-old son to be admitted to the Nutrition Program at Pan American Health Service in Peña Blanca.  The father – who it turned out is Alicia’s stepfather – was convinced much sooner than her mother that this was a good idea. Her mother kept repeating, “I don’t want her to be brought back to me dead” and “I don’t want a dead child”, while all the time resisting her consent for her children to be treated and restored back to health. At some point, I glanced over at Dr. Ivery, a mother herself, who had tears streaming down her cheeks. With a lump in my throat, I said to the mother, “See, the doctor knows how seriously sick your little girl is and it makes her sad.  And she is a mother too and knows how hard it is to think of being apart from your children”. At this, I saw a ceding in the mother’s manner. Tears started to well in her eyes as she said: “Ok, but tell the doctor to stop crying”.  I breathed a sigh of relief as I knew Alicia was on her road to recovery.

Having the consent of Alicia’s mother for her and her little brother to be admitted to the Nutrition Rehab I stepped out of my role as translator/nurse and resumed my photography job.   The next time I looked back at Dr. Ivery and Paul’s medical station my heart was warmed to see Nellie, a nurse, and Karen, a respiratory therapist and the leader of this Medical Team gently washing Alicia’s swollen and peeling feet. After softly bandaging her feet up with Karen, Nellie scooped Alicia into her arms and tenderly carried her out of the one-room, make-shift Clinic, up the trail to the vehicle that would transport her to a new life.  I was transfixed as I snapped photo after photo, my mind reeling at the miracle I was witnessing, my heart full of a knowing that Alicia’s life will never be the same again.  I was struck by the symbolism as Nellie carried Alicia up the path … up and out of her life of pain.

Four days later, I am in the Casita Feliz on a mission. I am here to see how Alicia is feeling today. My heart leaps as she responds in a one-syllable chirp that sounds like a little bird: “Bien” (Good) to my question of “Como te sentis hoy?” (How do you feel today?).  I feel deep gratitude and great love for this child bubbling up in my chest and impulsively, without thought, I blurt out, “You know, God sent us to get you. Did you know that?” Instantly her face lit up, her eyes sparkled and joy radiated from one of the most beautiful smiles I have ever seen. That moment was a clear confirmation for what I knew in my gut when I first took her picture: God sent us to Santa Rosa de Bacadilla to get Alicia.

He puts poor people on their feet again; he rekindles burned-out lives with fresh hope, Restoring dignity and respect to their lives - a place in the sun! ~ 1 Samuel 2:8

Up until now, God has helped us

Linares Family

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. As I walked the aisles of the Exhibit Hall, I found myself standing in front of and photographing the booth of Gospel Ministries International directed by David Gates. Previously I had had the privilege of meeting him when he visited Honduras a few years ago, where I had also heard him talk about his ministry. 

I later learned more about his missionary work through his two books which narrate some incredible miracles that God has manifested in the life of this man. I was in awe of the simple and extensive faith that connects Mr. Gates and his family to God as they have witnessed miracle after miracle expanding their ministry, and similarly, all those missionaries who with the help of Our Lord left behind the comforts of “The Land of Opportunities”, strike out on the adventure of cultivating souls for Christ. Reflecting on this I thought of two couples whose presence and testimonies have blessed me. During ASI, we had the opportunity to meet up once again with John and Cathy Sage Linares, who we had the pleasure of meeting in February when they came to the Pan American Health Service Campus as part of the Oakhurst Seventh-Day Adventist Church Mission Team from California.  John and Cathy felt moved to sponsor two of our students to give them the opportunity to receive an education according to Biblical Principles.

Both, John and Cathy, were impressed by our mission in Honduras and they have expressed their intention to visit once again next year to carry out a special project. Cathy - a Speech Therapist by profession – plans to have special sessions with the children of the Casita Feliz to give extra support to those who are a little behind developmentally because of their malnutrition.

Another faithful couple, Paul and Kay Newby, participated as part of the Mission in Motion medical team of Central Texas Medical Center in May. They also brought us good news and reminded us of God’s promises for these difficult times. Paul, a pastor and paramedic, felt the call of God to give of his time for missionary service on our campus and in the mountains surrounding our Peña Blanca Community. He and his wife, Kay, have witnessed God’s providence as others in the Dallas area have been raised up who wish to support the construction of a Fire Station and  Emergency Medical Service in our community. They also wish to support the training of young people who would staff such a facility.

Through these two couples with missionary hearts, we have been able to confirm that God still works miracles for us as well, and in the same way that he has manifested amazing miracles in the life and ministry of David Gates, providing millions of dollars as well as security, He is also doing great things for us. We depend on You Heavenly Father!

Our experience

We are two girls who have graduated high school this last year, and we wanted to take a break before heading off to college.  We heard about Pan American Health Services, and loved the idea of helping at an orphanage.

One of our first challenges we faced was the language barrier. We had taken two years of Spanish in high school but because we hadn’t used it much, we found ourselves at a dead end when trying to talk with people. It was very difficult for the first few weeks, but were getting used to it and learning little by little.

Our project here was to start up a pre-school for the kids in the Casita Feliz, because by the time the kids were old enough to go to school, they were very behind because they didn’t have the preparation that parents usually give at home.  It’s also difficult for some of the older children in the Casita, because sometimes parents come to take their kids back into the mountains, so they can’t go to school for a consistent education.  Therefore, our preschoolers range from 3-10 years old.

Before we came we had no idea what to expect or how primitive it was going to be. Lucky for us we were able to talk with a family that had been here recently. They gave us advice and told us what to expect. Although it was really helpful, we still had a few surprises when we arrived.

The food here is very basic, because the mission provides food for all the residents in the orphanage, all the workers, and also other people in the community who need food.  A typical breakfast consists of bread, beans, and homemade cheese or eggs.  Lunch is rice with lentils, beans, and tortillas. Dinner is sometimes leftovers, or sometimes beans and tortillas. There’s the occasional vegetable as well, and we’ve been lucky enough to have oranges for dessert as well! It took some getting used to, but since we eat the same thing every day, it didn’t take long for us to grow accustomed to it! Sabbath is the best day, because we get to eat spaghetti, Honduran style! Also some days they add variety and serve different rice with chicken. We live for those days!

We were happy to discover, when we arrived, that they have internet for certain hours of the day every day of the week. It’s so nice to be able to communicate with our friends and family.

We stay in the dorm with the girls. It’s really great; sometimes we forget it’s an orphanage because it seems like a regular school dorm. The only down side is that the showers are freezing cold, but that’ll be nice during the hot months and we hear that it gets blistering hot.

One of the professors in the Adventist academy recently offered to tutor us in Spanish.  Classes are going great; we get tutored twice a week.  We also are starting up guitar lessons, taught by our Spanish tutor’s friend.  They are both very generous and kind; they’re doing the lessons for free!

The people here are very open and friendly, very willing to help you out in any way and are very personable. The people make everything worthwhile and we love it here because of them.

Lauren and Rachel

“To him who believes all things are possible”

Suyapa and Ingrid

As we move farther into the beautiful mountains of Santa Barbara, (located in Northwestern Honduras) I can’t help but admire the natural beauty of this place; beautiful pine forests, refreshing streams, the impetuous Ulua River and extensive hilltops that merge to form a magnificent landscape.

Without a doubt this is one of the most pleasant journeys I have taken, excluding the atrocious state of the “road” we are traveling on which has been washed out by the rain in which diches and uneven surfaces are the predominant, a fact that has our driver making a thousand maneuvers just to stay on course.

Any lover of nature and photography would be ecstatic to have this experience, however, my thoughts go beyond the natural composition, since our mission is to locate Ingrid, a girl who is suffering one of the worst cases of malnutrition I have ever seen in my life, Grade III Marasmus. At nine years of age, this deplorable illness has had its way with her, and as if this was not enough she also suffers from a mental health problem that limits her ability to live a normal childhood.

Her twin brother did not have the same fate, and here in front of us can be seen the contrast between a child who is well and the ravages that malnutrition can make in a young life. This is the reason we are here… if they cannot come to us, we will go to them. The famous saying with my own modification goes: “If the mountain cannot come to PAHS, then we will go to the mountains”.The extreme poverty that sails the most remote communities of Honduras does not permit its poorest inhabitants to seek the help they need; to go