Tuesday Update

To be able to call out of Las Mercedes, Dennis has to walk to the top of a mountain in the village. He sounds out of breath when he calls.... must be one heck of a mountain! At least he's had beautiful weather for that hike up the mountain side!

He's gotten some feed-back from the locals, so he's modifying the clinic's floorplans to better suit their needs.

Only 2 more signatures needed to finalize the MOU! He hopes to get them tomorrow. Also tomorrow, they will be traveling to Copan, and should have internet access once again.

Correct posting time: 11:00 a.m.

Today is Saturday and we are spending the morning in La Esperanza at the mercado. We will be back at Las Mercedes in the afternoon to see patients. It has been sunny and warm. We are sorry for the news about Duke basketball and the death of John Hope Franklin - a truly inspiring man. Congrats to UNC and we wish them well against Oklahoma. We may not have internet service again until Wednesday but we will capture the information each day and post it when we can. Dennis

BLOG DAY 1 and 2
Day one started with an excellent display of team effort. Our bus driver was missing some “paperwork” and decided that we could not be taken to the RDU airport. We quickly formed groups and delegated drivers to transport the team to the airport in time for our six o’clock am flight. Surprisingly, we flew through security with no problems, although I am sure we disappointed a few passengers along the way. We had a successful landing in Tegucigalpa and were welcomed by sunshine and warm weather. Our baby blue school bus driven by Niehmia (who thankfully picked us up on time) and was driven into the mountains. We arrived at the Heifer compound and were greeted by Gloria our host and we enjoyed the afternoon playing frisbee, walking, reading, and packing medications. Tim Wheeler from the Heifer organization presented an approach to community development.
Day two began with a lovely school bus ride through the mountains of Honduras. We all enjoyed the countryside and each other’s company. We toured the hospital in La Esperanza and spoke in depth with the chief nursing officer about the patients, staff duties, and services offered by the hospital. Following the tour, we piled back in our school bus and took a very windy dirt road farther into the mountains. We arrived in Las Mercedes and were greeted by several young children. Once again, the team pulled together to set up camp and the clinic. Within a couple of hours, we had an operating clinic and pharmacy and treated approximately sixty patients. Common ailments included dehydration, headache, cough, musculoskeletal complaints, goiters, lice, scabies, and a variety of skin problems. The day ended with a meal prepared by Gloria and the women of the community. We are currently writing the blog under the beautiful starry sky and look forward to another full day of clinic tomorrow!

Shout outs: Hi Touche and Maggie!
Thanks Kyle’s mom for the cookies!!!
Happy Birthday Yesie Rivera (we sang for you)
Happy Birthday Bob Love, Mel Hi Max, Nance, Max, and Ben!
Jacob, do you want to spend a month with the Wheelers this summer in Tegucigalpa?
Hi Hillary’s mom and dad… she made it out of the country for the first time!!!!!!
Hi Mom, Dad, and Jake Love you, Ashley
Hi Dani, Ale, and Edgar Love, Mom
Hi Mom, Dad, Joey, Julie and Christian! Miss you! Love, Ingrid
Shout out to Jacob, Madeline, and Peter!
Hi to all the Doucettes/Knierims Love, Shanna and Kyle
Hi Mom and Mel! Love you and miss you (there is no phone out here), David

Afternoon Update

Everything is going smoothly today. Dennis has been working hard on the MOU and has gotten most of the needed signatures. They still haven't been able to get on the internet, but when they do, they'll be more updates!

Correct posting time: 3:25pm

1st Day of Clinic

Dennis called Thursday afternoon to say they had made it to Las Mercedes. Friday they will set up for their 1st day of clinic there. All is well and the weather has been really nice ever since they arrived. They are hopeful that they will have internet this weekend and can post to the blog.

Happy Friday everyone!!

Correct posting time for this update is 8:00 a.m.

Tegucigalpa!

Dennis called to say they have safely landed in Tegucigalpa!

Note: The correct posting time for this update is 3:00 pm.

~D

Group has arrived in Houston!

Well, the day started on a frantic note when no bus arrived to take the group to RDU! Luckily they were able to get to the airport to make their flight!! Thanks to everyone that made this possible.
Dennis has called to let me know they have arrived in Houston. Hopefully, the trip will go as planned from this point on.
~Debbie

More packing day photos...

Honduras Packing Day

Three Months of Preparations...Classes, Retreat, and Packing Day

Packing Day

We had a fabulous packing day. All done in record time. We still need 600 toothbrushes - hopefully we can get those in the next few days. We meet at the parking garage Wednesday am for a 4am departure to airport and a 6am departure to Tegucigalpa. Everyone will remember their passports - OJALA.