His Eyes

If you are paying attention, a lot of times opportunities to help are put right in front of you.

Case in point...our optometry tech was on the road and saw someone rubbing his eyes with gusto on the sidwealk.  He inquired...and the person replied that he had been suffering with pain for days.  They chatted, and he recommended he come in to the clinic to get checked out, which he did.

Turns out...he had a piece of metal now firmly in his eye after those days, which...would indeed provide some discomfort.  

Thankfully for him, Luis was there, saw him, and took the time to show him some love.

Cristian lives just a 5 minute or so drive from the clinic, probably a 15-20 minute walk.  Darwin asked if I wanted to visit him at home a week ago.  Darwin had first visit him shortly after he had been shot while working on a bus in our neighborhood.  We went back recently to check on his ulcers.  His mom takes very good care of him, but being paralyzed from the waist down he is susceptible to these issues. We took them some gloves, some diapers (we always ask for adult diapers to put on containers...they are so expensive here. We didn't have any the XL size he needs, because of the ulcers), we spent some time talking, and then prayed for all of them.  Then...his mom sent me home with a big rose bush for Valerie.   

This doesn't look like a clinic, but a hospital.  It is Doctor Carlos, doing a "minor surgery" for a patient with a lipoma that was bothering her.  She had been looking for a place that could remove it for her...and then she found a place that would take the time, effort, and had the people with the skill and materials to do it.  

The optometry clinic sees patients literally from all over the country, and sometimes patients from other countries.  

This week, a regular visit from the Micah Project, another ministry here that helps young men that have/had been living on the streets of Tegucigalpa.  

Helping people...and helping people in other ministries help people, is a very cool thing.  

We get updates from the pastors and farm managers fairly regularly, depends on the week and what is going on.  

This week was different.

We received these pictures from Rony in Las Botijas and a brief explanation.  

I'll translate:  "We went on Sunday to take a sick sister to Zambrano (the town down at the main road) who was in pain."  (Later found out she went from there to Comayagua to the hospital)

"Then we brought her back today (Monday) and she came with a baby."

Wow.  

So they used the Land Cruiser as an ambulance (not the first time in these areas) but it appears everyone was in for a surprise.  

My bigger surprise is that she went down on Sunday on that somewhat, oh who are we kidding, VERY bumpy road, and then right after giving birth went right back up the next day.  

Darwin then sent me some pictures of using the actual ambulance here in Tegucigalpa to help a family whose grandmother had broken her hip.  The hospital was sending her home because there was nothing more they could do for her, she could go home to die.  But she couldn't walk, and the family had no funds or way to get her home.  He stepped in to help.  
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All this spawned from my thoughts, the question, and then finally...from my work shirt choice today.  

Translated: 
"A part of something bigger"

(That cross you are seeing is not accidental either)

Seen here is Bible institute graduate Luis, who we are praying will be the next pastor for His Eyes, continuing a burgeoning work that Jonathan has started in a village Jonathan spells "Guayavillas."  I say he spells it that way, since I can't find it on a map, because it could be spelled about five different ways.  

He will be moving there (we bought him a bed) and working on that...we pray God's favor over him and the work there how that might develop. 

We met with an architect a while back, and had a follow up meeting this week.  We are not ready to share publicly yet how this is all going to look (and cost) but since this is just between you and I, this will take our existing clinic building, more than double it, and add a full third floor.  This to make room for more areas of attention in the clinic (more optometry, dentistry, new services) and everything needed to do surgery.  

Another new staff member will be coming on board in January, as we go back to cooking in The Milk Project.  Our director resigned during the early periods of COVID, and our cook Consuelo stepped in and stepped up to take her place.  Now...we need a new cook!  So meet Sulma Karina, who upon interviewing, not only can cook...but would also be a good teacher, and that will be key since she will end up pulling duty doing both, especially with the kids struggling there as well as here with not having in person classes for now two years

On the farms, we have people...people that are working on trying to finish the housing for those other people who will be coming from afar to work on the harvest for the next several months.  Once this is done...then we can hopefully have the vehicles in place (an ongoing struggle...still have two down) to start moving more materials to do many weeks of concrete work on the road.  I will be one people who will be very happy when that happens.  

This year has seen all the emotions for all of us in Honduras.  Highs, and lows, and some in-betweens.

The clinic has been going gangbusters helping people, especially as we are still seeing so many that can't get even regularly scheduled visits at the government hospitals/clinic.  Our staff has seen more illnesses, some COVID, and some family members also suffering quite a bit.  

We have a pediatrician now, another dental chair (now seating three patients at once) and moved the optical to make more space for dentistry.  

This hasn't been easy, but so encouraging to see this progression, and to see the architect working on plans for a future surgical/birthing center building.  Trusting God to work all that out...all in God time.  

We have had vehicle issues...like four of the mission's vehicles down lately, varying from brakes, overhauls (yes, more than one) and wiring harnesses needing replaced.  That part always sucks, for what it does to capabilities, abilities of pastors to get around, and to start to doubt on the vehicles.  

Prep work continues to get the new houses for migrant workers in Sampedrana before harvest time.  The rain has been relentless this year, making progress slow, and harder than we would like.  Rome wasn't built in a day...but they had better roads.  Another thing that will need investment, this winter.  It can be frustrating some times to see what you want done, but be held back.  At those times, again, we have to lean back on God's timing, and not our expectations.  
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Harvesting and giving away avocados I love to see personally, because in the midst of road work, trying to find people to drink Hill Climber coffee (which isn't easy, and can be quite demoralizing), this is a tangible way we can remind ourselves why we do what we do with the farms...to show people Christ loves them, in many different ways.  

The Churches are continually working, week after week, although it has been difficult with COVID, to get pastor's meetings going well, and just to get the interaction we are all used to, and need. 

One thing happened recently, we put the need out to our monthly email recipients for a family in Las Botijas that needed a roof for their house.  It isn't something we do normally, but felt like we needed to stop overthinking and put it out there.  Several people donated, to the point we had enough for their roof, plus to help with the houses mentioned above for the migrant workers.  

2021 has been full of expected, unexpected, gains and loss, and frustrations and expectations surpassed.  I don't see that changing. 

​After today, I am a little more at ease about that.  Not 100%, but one day at a time.   

So that is some uncomfortable growth there.  

In other news, we are praying for some more comfortable growth.

After a lot of work over many months, we are ready for some more fruit trees on the Tegucigalpa property.  More room for birds to perch, more shade, more oxygen, and maybe even some fruit eventually, presuming we can keep them alive and well.  

We put some money in the local economy buying nine clay pots to put around the property.  Big pots though, about a meter by meter.  Big enough to plant trees in them and maybe some plants eventually around the base.  

There is some other space we have though that have the rest of the trees without being in the way long term. 

I say long term because we will be meeting soon with an architect to see how we can plan for the next 5-20 years on the property with expansion of the clinic, probably big expansion over a couple decades,  a proper meeting area (for pastor's meetings, etc.) and a non-clinic office area for Oscar, and more parking, extra space.  

Should be interesting.  I am guessing there will be more to hear on this in the coming months as we work out a plan. 

The white Ford keeps taking a beating but keeps ticking up in Sampedrana on the farm.  One recent casualty was the back bumper which got a big dent in it.  But...we didn't need the seating area in the bed, so Pablo is "modifying" one of the seats to be a beefy strong replacement.  



We are experimenting with some leather projects with a friend in the USA, he might have a market for leather journal covers, etc.  During the experimenting, Maria had some bits of extra leather to make some key chains.​

Some of you know that Valerie and Felipe will be at Camp Allendale near Indianapolis this summer working with the camp/campers there and raising funds.  

But what not everyone knows is what that fundraising will be used for...
(short answer...Milk Project)

Expanded answer...
Part of our long term plan is to increase our impact in the geographical areas where we are already working.  So where we have Churches outside Tegucigalpa, can we also add the other things we do as a mission?  Not every community could support or make even close to cost feasible a clinic, nor can we do coffee planting everywhere, but we do look at each community.  

So, we will be focusing in 2021 trying to raise the up front funds we will need to do the construction for Milk Project buildings...

first... in Las Botijas, where we will have less to do (play area, kitchen, storage...we can use the classrooms already built to start)

second... in Talanga.  We will have to figure out with an architect how to build in Talanga, given we will want to add a clinic there as well.  We were going to buy property adjacent...but it is very expensive.  So maybe we can save the money and go second or third story with some new construction?

We won't raise enough at the camp to do all this...plus we will need sponsors to keep the project going when construction is done, but that is the plan...exciting stuff as to how it can help children in these communities, and the Churches as well to have these outreach possibilities.  

The coffee harvest continues.  It is almost over in Las Botijas, but still plenty to go in Sampedrana.  I chose this year to dream big and have a goal of holding back 10,000 pounds, hoping that we can find homes for all of it abroad.  

Well, not sure if the dream is possible yet, but we already have over 10,000 pounds green already.  And we are selling the rest we are harvesting as it comes.  

The raspberries we bought in October to plant on the farms are producing.

Not much for now, but Carlos sent the "first fruit" back with Oscar for us to see.  

Yet another way we are focusing on helping rather than just doing this as a business.  These raspberries won't be sold...they will be used for the Milk Project or juice for staff or people working on the farms, Churches.  

If we can find homes for this coffee though, we could actually end up doing a lot more for the ministry.  I shouldn't say if...but when.  All in God's timing.  

As always, if you are interested in joining us on the ride by drinking some, you can do that right here