Wednesday, January 17, 2001

5:30a.m.
As the sun rises in the morning, the Son of God whispers gently in the wind. Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
6:45 a.m.
Worship was brought to us today by,
Bruce Williams in the am, and Miles Merwin in the p.m.
8:00a.m.
Our angels of mercy are off once more to their designated duties. Some with weariness of body as they work while still feeling the effects of the illness, but none weary of spirit. We are happy, blessed and resting in the Lord.
12:00noon
Lunch has been prepared and brought to the site for all of our workers. Our kitchen crew has no easy task as they try to prepare meals that will suit the taste and needs of a group this large and diverse. The preparation alone is a major undertaking in sanitation. It is not like cooking for a crowd at home. Preparation here has to be down to a science so we do not get sick from the food. Today Cynthia LaRoche, who is in charge of the kitchen showed me just what had to be done in order that we might have something simple such as baked potatoes. The potatoes are soaked and cleaned and then you would think that would be about the end of the preparation. But no, the potatoes here are caked with dirt that does not come off with out individual scraping of each little spot. The dirt almost seems to be imbedded deep in to them. These ladies spend hours washing and scraping these little potatoes for close to 70 people. Our group has grown as other helpers have joined us and are now eating their meals with us. Everything we eat has to be washed and dipped in a special solution; sometimes this process can take hours alone. We must be conscience of everything that touches our lips. So serious is this that one theory Dr. Kellerman has on why we might be getting sick is that some drops of water might get into our mouth as we take a shower. Our lips must be tightly closed while we bathe.
Our kitchen crew starts their work earlier than any of us, and ends it later. They receive no great fame for their work and in some cases receive grief. It is they who must deal with any roaches, rats and assortment of insects that decide to visit. They literally hold the health of all of us in their hands, and my respect, admiration and thanks go out to each one of them. Cynthia, Louise Gai, Rose Benoit, Artie Lord, Ruth Fitzpatrick, Lois Merwin and to any one else who has filled in for kitchen duties, God bless you!
5:00 p.m.
Moses our Nicaraguan translator called home today to talk with his wife. She said they have had tremors everyday since Sabbath. We have been warned that another earthquake will hit either Nicaragua, El Salvador or Honduras again and to be prepared.
Optical clinic handed out 73 pair of glasses today.
Dr. Williams's clinic saw 26 people and pulled 52 teeth.
Our medical team, which was split today, saw 260 patients at the compound. One man came in to the clinic in heart failure and was given medication and then taken to the hospital in Tegucigalpa by Pastor Wagner and Kim Beisiegel, R.N. Dr. Daniels and Mayrama Claudio R.N. made a house call to a little boy on the compound that had cerebral palsy and was having trouble with his asthma. They left him with several bottles of ventolin.
Chetram Parboo who works in the medical clinic arranged for each patient to be given 2 packets of vegetable seeds to plant. As they register to see the doctor they are handed these seeds, this has to be one of the best prescriptions for long-term health that can be given.
Some of our team went to the medium security prison today. It was certainly an experience to remember. They saw about 300 patients and I am sure they were a little apprehensive as they took care of their needs. Half of these prisoners were gang members that were heavily tattooed, some of them having the number 666 etched permanently across their forehead. This had to be an incredible sight. The guards were so concerned about getting their own needs met medically that they were not guarding our people carefully enough from the prisoners. Alex Dest who was there to help translate, quickly reminded them. The prison has a dentist that comes in 2 mornings a week, but he is only able to pull teeth and not maintain them, as his only equipment is a chair and light.
The prison was considerably different than what ours in the states are like. The prisoners cook their own meals. My first thought was why would they let prisoners have a knife in which to cook with, but they wouldn't need one as the only food they get would be beans, rice and corn and no knife would be needed. Several of the inmates had the word Los Angeles tattooed across their chest, signifying the gang and city they belonged to. They had been deported from California back to Honduras for committing crimes. As terrible as the prison is, most of these men are better off in there than some of the people that were living in the area we are working. These men, although violent and restrained from the world at least have the guarantee of a home, food and clothing, albeit minimal, it is secure.
There are 140 inmates studying the Bible with an S.D.A. Bible worker, several are going to be baptized this week. Sometime we have to lose our supposed freedom in order to find real freedom.

Deena Wagner has started to spend one hour each day teaching English to a few ladies in the compound that have requested it. Mari Bella, Flora, Consuelo, who is holds a position similar to a Mayor in this little village, and Louisa who is the daughter of Flora. The ladies approached her the first night of our meetings and asked if she would help them to learn to speak English words. She meets with them in Mari Bella's house and teaches them by saying "this is: a chair, a wall, a book, etc. Then she has them repeat it. After the lesson is over she has them test her on saying the item in Spanish. They particularly want to learn how to say Bible, Jesus Christ and God in our language. Deena will also write down the 23rd Psalm and go over that with them. They will be able to compare the words with their Spanish Bible. What a blessing the blending of hearts through Jesus Christ is.

There is no man that hath left house, or parents or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting. Luke 18:29,30

Because of Him I smile in Honduras,

Jennifer Young