We have a team here this week doing medical brigades. 

Since we have not had an optometry/eye team for many years, and thus can't do a rural brigade for that since we would need quite a few folks to pull that off...at a minimum at least we can take reading glasses for those over 40 to compliment the medical (and for this trip, dental and gynecology with some of the gang from the clinic going with us.)  

Valerie needs to be in the clinic in Tegucigalpa of course, so I have been handling dispensing the reading glasses...and addressing any other vision complaints, giving advice or pointing them to the clinic or public hospitals depending on what they need.  

What I am continually amazed to see is how often places here try to sell glasses to people that do not need them...or at least, sell them glasses that arguably aren't worth the investment.  

In Cantarranas yesterday I saw a prescription that was the minimum you can put in a pair of glasses (also optioned with expensive add ons to increase the price) and the patient was told she absolutely needed these to see clearly and be able to function. 

They wouldn't hurt her of course...but this was a money grab for sure, not really thinking in her best interest.

Just yesterday there were several other such stories, and over the years we have heard and seen countless examples.  It definitely makes it hard to know who you can trust.  Especially since the above prescription I saw was given at another church and was presented as a brigade, not a for profit business (which it is.)

 So...I could just post here Matthew 10:16 "“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves."

But there is a reminder there to check ourselves when we act/react to others in all circumstances as well.  

So I will add two other verses about trust:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6

"Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst."  I Timothy 1:15

We are hosting another team from CIY (Christ In Youth) this week, and looking forward to another medical brigade arriving the day they depart.  

It has been good to have groups back in force this year, it just opens doors to ministry opportunities that otherwise we don't have usually, in the past including hospital visits, but that is still not possible with the restrictions there.  

We are now able to get out to do more clothing though, and seeing that the need is certainly high, just like a lot of things that have been stopped or curtailed in the last couple years.  The picture above is after a distribution this week at a church that pastor Manuel knows (about 20 minutes outside Talanga) and the pastor and other leaders asked to pray for us after the distribution.  They were thankful to God for the help to the community, after being let down by someone else in ministry who promised the same thing in the past but just took (money, food) and never delivered any clothes.  

Maria hitched a ride with the group this week, as they were going to Las Botijas to work on the floor for the new Milk Project building there.  She has been working with Oscar and pastor Rony to find a director and cook for the Milk Project...and confirmed in that trip we have both now!  The goal is to get everything else we need, and for a time to cook in the mission house there, to start on August 1st.  The rest of the building work will take a while, as it will then start to get down to slower items like cabinets, buying appliances, etc.  But...we have a start date and the people needed to do more house visits and give classes every day.  

Then comes the hard work where we need to pray that everyone adapts well, works well together, for all the communication and help from Tegucigalpa to coordinate together, and of course for the impact this will have for the kids and families.