Rain does NOT cool you off in Choluteca

We finished up our medical clinic on Thursday because both of our doctors had to either go home or had other commitments.  Our medical/eye glass teams saw a total of about 340 patients in two days.

Our bus driver always picks up the ladies and children and lets them "hitch" a ride with us.

 

 

The nurse and doctors mostly gave out medications for parasites (most of the little kids) and antibiotics for upper respiratory system.  There were  only a couple of potentially serious cases.  An elderly lady was taken to the hospital because of her blood pressure and she was admitted and there were some babies with fevers.

Here's some of our medical team.  They have done an amazing job considering we are very short of translators.

 

 

  I worked in the eye glass clinic again today.  We had several older people who had very poor vision and they would just have to try on all of the glasses until one worked.

Donated prescription glasses (These plastic bins later served well for our foot washings.  You get pretty resourceful down here!)

 

Diane had this little old lady who said she had cataracts.  She kept trying them on and would make faces when the glasses didn’t work.  Diane said she tried on almost every pair she had and then finally she found a pair and she started reading the Bible.  She kept reading the Bible as tears were running down her cheeks.  Almost every one of us had similar touching experiences.

I believe this was the lady with cataracts. If you will look closely, we have rigged up boxes and suitcases to make a table for our donated reading glasses.

 

In the afternoon, I helped Diane in the Ladies’ Bible class.  Thursday’s lesson was about baptism.  I had brought some of my earrings and had hoped I would have enough to give to all of the ladies in class, but I didn’t,  so, I decided to mark 5 chairs and give those ladies a pair of earrings. I used an illustration that I got from our preacher to give out the earrings.

 

This is Karen with her children.  She helped us all day inside the church and came to everyone of our Ladies' Bible classes and church services.  She made a special connection with Diane's preacher's wife who came the year before last.  You can see she is wearing the bracelet that I made with the ladies on the first day.

 

 

 

 

I told the ladies that  I had a gift for 5 people.  I held the earrings up and asked if they would like to have them and I just stood there.  Then, I said, “If you want them you must come and get them and receive them.”  I then asked them, if the earrings cost them anything.  I asked them if they earned the earrings and they said, “No, they are free.”

 

 

This is Aaron Erkleman, one of our big guys.  You can see how we can get inventive.  Some of the men worked on a covered area where additional classes can be help outside.

 

 

 

  I asked them if they had to do anything to get the earrings and they realized they had to do what I asked and get up and get them.  I explained that we must obey God by repenting and being baptized for remission of our sins.  It is a free gift that we must receive from God.  We finished the lesson by giving the ladies a sugar scrub, foot washing and a new pair of flip flops thrown in for good measure.

 

While we were having our class, many of the young people had a VBS lesson for the children.  We finished up the evening with a gospel meeting at the church.  Today was a little different because we had a hard rain.  It seemed to cool off everything for about 10 minutes and then it was even more humid.  One more day to work at Choluteca!!

 

 

Hasta luego!!

We start the day and end the day with a devotional to God. Steve Schneider from Mobile, Alabama is leading this one.

 

PJ  xoxo