The sounds of the morning awaken us to another day. Packs of dogs have barked most of the night and roosters who are way to anxious for another day started calling several hours before sunrise. But our hearts are as happy as the Melodious Black Bird that sings his song all day long here. We can truly say it is well with our soul.

Last night the medical team went to set up the clinics that will be opening today. Most of the glasses arrived yesterday as well as the medicine and other needed items. Some of the dental items came this afternoon and will be set up and ready to go tomorrow but they will still be working with out all of the necessities. All the workers left for their various jobs at 8 A.M.

The medical clinic had about 20 people waiting on the steps when they arrived and by 9 A.M. when the clinic officially opened there were about 100 people in line. By the time they stopped registering patients at 4 O’clock they had seen 296 people. A large crowd for such a small community.

There were 50 pairs of glasses handed out in the optical clinic.

The construction team is really working hard and it is amazing to see the difference between yesterday and today. Already the building is taking shape and you can get a good glimpse of what is to come. Paul F.and Angelo M. was busy doing the chiseling today instead of putting down brick. When I saw Paul he said he wanted to keep moving so he wouldn’t stiffen up after this days work. There were 860 bricks put down today.

The kitchen folk are doing a wonderful job with our food. Everything is tasting great and is plentiful. They are working very long hours and Pastor Gary is trying to arrange it so each can have a little longer break at some point during the day. They have been using the hospitals dishes and utensils and washing them all by hand. But as of today that will change and they will switch to paper and plastic which can be tossed.

As always, great friendships and bonding are taking place amongst our team. Marcie B. is on her first mission trip with us and is enjoying herself very much. She told me that for Christmas she requested her family give her things she would need on this trip. Well her daughter Jenna who came with us on our Guanaja mission gave her the most important item…a can of cake frosting! Many of you will remember how we chuckled over Jenna eating the chocolate frosting straight from the can as soon as she could get to a store.

We are in need of special prayer for the situation with our totes. Today we were able to pick up 13 of them in Tegucigalpa but the airline has held back the 23 remaining ones. Not only is this a big problem with us not having all of our equipment but it is taking extra people and time to go in to Tegucigalpa each day.

Ralph C. has been busy working on changing the water valves that supply fresh water to the hospital. One of the rusted valves broke off right before our dirty and tired team came in looking forward to that shower. But Ralph has it fixed now and the water is back on. Art C. has been assisting him each time. We have been having troubles getting enough water. Pastor Gary who was part of the pre team bought a 90 gallon hot water tank for the hospital and Rigo and Brian installed it. We are so glad he did that as we would of only had cold water showers and it has been very cool here for the last several days because of an unusual cold front that past through. We actually had to go out and buy blankets for all of us it was so cold.

We had a nice surprise yesterday as friends from the states stopped in to see Kevin B. They were Gary, Jean and Jessie Brodis from the Vernon Vt. Church.; they were here with Rick Stevens and his wife that he met here in Honduras while on a mission trip with us a few years back. How the world has shrunk in this last generation. It is easy to see how the gospel will go like lightening across the world when we truly rise up and become fishers of men.

And Jesus said unto them, come with me and I will make you fishers of men. Mark 1:17

Smiles from Honduras,

Jennifer Young

Mission reporter