end it with a bang!

Yesterday was our last full day of work for 2011 at CURE Honduras.
We had a busy day of removing lots of casts and making new appointments for after the new year.
It's always a joy to see the finished result of our patients after a long journey of treatment. We had two of those today, Jasmin and Astrid. Jasmin had nerve damage in her neck and arm and before her surgery, her left arm was practically useless, and she wasn't able to move it from her side. Now you can see that she has strength and can lift it to her face!


Astrid was born with undeveloped hands, meaning all of her fingers were connected like a paddle. After multiple surgeries, she now has all of her fingers on both hands, and it was beautiful to watch her thank and hug Dr. Bridgeman for what he has given her. Seriously, that moment was just about the best Christmas gift I could ask for. There's nothing like the gift of healing!


Today, our last day of work for the year, we only had a few patients in the morning and we ended the day with a bang! We hit the 11,000 mark for how many patients we've seen with the two new babies that came in today, patient numbers 11,000 and 11,001!

This is little Akon, one of the new patients, an (extremely adorable) two month old who will be having surgery for his undeveloped hands.

This afternoon we celebrated Christmas and finishing another year of work with a great celebration. We had a big lunch feast and each department of the hospital (O.R, ward, clinic, administration) each put on a Christmas performance, and we had some pretty good LAUGHS! I think I work with the funnest and funnies people ever.


And now tomorrow I fly back to cold Pennsylvania to see the snow and my FAMILY! I've never ever been so excited to go back home before and see all my family. And I get to meet my new baby nephew, Levi! I'm also looking forward to seeing the snow, which I never thought would happen. Yes, I'm thankful that I can wear shorts and sandals all year round hear and that we decorate our palm trees with Christmas lights, but I'm ready to bundle up and see the snow for a bit. The only missing piece will be my sis Emily who will be staying in Rwanda :( But we know that there is a time and a place for everything, and I'm glad that she will have a great African celebration. As excited as I am to see my family and friends, there is still the slightest twinge of pain leaving everyone here. I would love to spend the holidays with my Honduran "family," but we can't be everywhere at once and we all have to enjoy each moment to fullest wherever we find ourselves.

Said goodbye to my dear hospital until next year...

I pray that the closing of this year brings back lots of good memories and lessons learned for all of you, and as we think about the new coming year that we will remember to live for what really matters most and for what has lasting impact.

From International Justice Mission

Today is Thanksgiving Day, my favorite day of the year! And I am simply very grateful to be celebrating this season of thanks here with my Honduras family, to be sitting here in the hosptial clinic as I write this, watching our beautiful children come in at out the doors.

At the same time, I am giving thanks for my family who is celebrating in the US, and one in Rwanda. May I never forget how blessed I am, whatever each day brings. To God be the glory for everything we have and do!

There is a very interesting New York Times article that my friend (Pauline, doctor and wife of Dr. Jay, our medical administrator here at CURE Honduras) sent me on the benefits of being grateful... let this be a reminder for us to live out 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 on a daily basis: "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

As all of us from the US know, the day after Thanksgiving is the crazy day of shopping till you drop, and it just keeps going until Christmas is over, only to be repeated over again the next year! Well, my dear friends and all of you who love to shop and buy gifts for those you love, I want to give you some great gift ideas for this year, a gift that goes beyond just the person your buying for. Something that will help to change a person's life forever, something that will go towards helping a child hear about the purpose of Christmas and what it means for Christians who remember it as the time to celebrate the birth of Christ who came to bring redemption to a lost world.

The first place that you can check out these gifts is CURE's gift catalog, where you will find great gifts which will support a life-changing surgery for a disabled child at the same time.

Also, as I remember today how grateful I am to be a part of a loving family, I want to remember the millions of children in the world that do not have families to celebrate with this Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year. You can help bring an orphan into a loving family by purchasing your Christmas gift at Show Hope's gift catalog.

One last note- TONIGHT and Sunday night, CNN will be showing a documentary, "Common Dreams" about The Restavek Freedom Foundation in Haiti. I think you don't want to miss this!

CNN's COMMON DREAMS Thursday, November 24th at 9:00 PM PST Sunday, November 27th at 8:00 PM EST

Happy Thanksgiving, my friends around the world! What's one thing you're giving thanks for today?

November Already!

Well, I have now been trying to get this update published for about, oh.... maybe three weeks now? I guess it's good that life is keeping busy- I wouldn't want it to be any other way! I just can't believe it's already November... with the hardly changing weather here, I so easily forget that time is still passing by so quickly and the new year is almost here!

-cure

I am excited to pass along the announcement that the Tim Tebow Foundation will be partnering with CURE to reach more children around the world with physical and spiritual healing! See more at cure.org.

Working with CURE continues to be a blessing. Each day I see many beautiful children who are receiving treatment that is otherwise unavailable to them, and it is completely changing their lives. I'm learning a lot about medical conditions and their causes and treatments as I translate to the patients for Dr. Jay in clinic. It's still a work in progress as my Spanish is still coming along, especially my medical vocabulary, but my co-worker Jozzeth (lab and x-ray technician) helps me a lot with Spanish.

Some days are hard when we have a patient in which there is no treatment, but it causes me to trust God more and remember that the medical experts aren't the answer to all the problems. While God uses the work of doctors to accomplish great things and save lives, doctors aren't the end all. We know that God is ultimately in control, and He the creator and healer of all. We need do our best for those He places in our path, and when something comes upon us that is beyond our control, it's a good reminder that really everything is beyond our control without God. He is the author and creator of life, the healer of all, and we are simply His instruments.

This past weekend a group of went to Danli, a city on the Nicaraguan border about 7 hours south from here, for a mobile clinic. We are starting to do more mobile clinics where the doctors from CURE travel to other cities to see patients and schedule them for surgery, that way the patient only has to come to our hospital once, as the doctors will then make rounds to the other cities again to followup with patients and get new patients. Our first mobile clinic went well; while Dr. Minueza and Dr. Vasquez gave a course to doctors and nurses in the area on how to treat children with clubfeet, Dr. Jay saw patients with Dr. Zepeda, the very caring doctor who is the orthopedic surgeon at the public hospital there in Danli. He is in fact so good that Grace, our clubfoot program coordinator, said she wishes she could clone him and have him everywhere. He is the first doctor we've had who actually organized the clinic himself and got together all medical personnel for the clubfoot course; normally we have to go through a nurse or some assistant. It is clear from being in clinic with him that he really cares about his patients and is frustrated by the Honduran system that cares more about money and less about people.

Grace, our clubfoot program coordinator

Dr. Minueza, spine surgeon and part time worker at CURE, Dr. Vasquez, orthopedic surgeon and Medical Director of CURE, and Dr. Jay, orthopedic surgeon (hand specialty) and Medical Administrator of CURE

Dr. Vasquez teaching the clubfoot course. We actually had a baby come into clinic that day with a clubfoot so it was a perfect demonstration!

-languages.

My co-worker Jozzeth (mentioned above) is learning English and always has a daily word in English that he wants me to explain the definition of or the pronunciation of. One day last week he asked me what the word "stuff" meant. I couldn't think of an equivalent word in Spanish, and he confirmed that when he translated it, there was no word that correctly fit. I told him that it is really a general term and can be used for a lot of things, when talking about a bunch of objects in general. He took that answer for a while, but then came back later and said that he still couldn't figure out the meaning, that he couldn't use the word "stuff" in a sentence. I tried to think about it more and finally said that when we are lazy and don't use a specific word for something, we just say "stuff." I told him this word means everything, depending on what you are talking about at a given moment. When I told him that it can me anything, whatever objects you are talking about, the lightbulb went off and he said "Yes!" He always snaps his fingers or claps really loud and puts his fist in the air- I love those moments.

The more I teach English, the more thankful I am that it's my first language, because it's so difficult to learn. Not only are words so often not spelled phonetically and pronunciation has to be memorized, but there are many words with multiple meanings, and a lot of times when I'm asked a question about grammar or something, I can't even explain the answer because there isn't one, it's just the way it is. With it being my first language, all of the oddities seem normal to me until I try to teach it and have to think about the reason behind it, I realize that there is no reason. I realize that every language has its difficulties (Spanish is one of the easiest languages for English speakers to learn, and it seems like it has endless verb tenses and conjugations). I think the reason why English seems so difficult to me at the moment is because I was just never aware of it, and now that I'm trying to explain it, I realize some things are just the way they are and practice is the only thing that will make it perfect, because languages simply don't like to follow rules.

-clouds.

The Honduran sky never ceases to amaze me. I've been trying to think of an adjective that accurately describes the beautiful cloud displays here, but I just can't think of one that does it justice. There really are no words to describe the ever changing color and display of the magnificent clouds here. San Pedro is in a valley surrounded by mountains, so most days there are big clouds sitting low around them, with the mountain peaks standing tall above. One morning I opened my eyes around 5:30 when the sun was just starting to come up, and out the window from my bed I saw this view. Not wanting to miss it, I stumbled out of bed and grabbed my camera, and snapped this shot with eyes half open. Turned out pretty well... but I must say it wasn't because of the photographer, it was all because of the creator of the scene.

-cookies.

I made chocolate oatmeal cookies last Friday and brought them to work for those of us in the clinic (and those of us who pass through :). In the afternoon when the patients were gone and surgeries were completed, Roberto, the chief of the O.R., and Dr. Garcia, our anesthesiologist, came into the clinic for some reason. I saw them eyeing up the cookies, so I offered them some. After Dr. Garcia ate one, he came over to me and holding up the cookie, said, "ya se puede casar!" meaning "now you can get married!" It took me a second to connect getting married with him eating the cookie, but then I realized, oh. He approves of my cookie baking skills :)

-becoming Honduran.

Sandra, one of the ladies that works at the hospital asked me something and I responded with "si, pero no" meaning "yes, but no." I forget what the question was, but she laughed and in Spanish said, "you are becoming Honduran now! That's a Honduran phrase!" And she went on to tell the others around us "now Ana is becoming Honduran!"

-skype

For about the first two months that I was here, I only talked with my two older sisters on skype, but now that my sister Abby got an account at home, it has opened the door for me to talk with all four of my younger sibs, plus my nieces and nephs! It makes a world of difference seeing their faces and talking with them, but I still miss them just the same.

Chatting with Livi and Tristan a couple weeks ago while they were at my house. This made my day.

-20

Today I turn twenty and will officially never again be a teenager. Many days recently I've wanted to cry over this, but I've been trying to convince myself that this is a good thing, and I think I've almost got myself to believe it. Grace brought me the most amazing coffee cupcakes to work this morning, so it's all good :)

-Thursday

In two days my mom is coming to visit me for the weekend! I really cant' believe it's actually happening. I get a visitor!

Aldo: Smiling Through The Suffering

Aldo lives near Tegucigalpa, about 5 hours from our hospital. He lives with his three brothers and five hundred other children in an orphanage called Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos (Our Little Brothers and Sisters). Aldo has a congenital disease called Neurofibromatosis, as well as limb length discrepancy (his left leg is shorter than his right leg), a dislocated hip, and scoliosis. Needless to say, he’s had a difficult journey and although it's looking brighter ahead, it's a long road. He had his first operation approximately one year ago, in which the surgeons put an external fixator on his leg, which over time lengthens his shorter leg. To make a long story short, the fixator did not work as it was intended to, and Aldo now has more complex problems.

He came to the hospital yesterday with Carol, a physical therapist (originally from Austria) who works at his orphanage, to see what the next step in his treatment will be.

We are blessed to have Dr. Tim Mead here this week with his wife Jana, before they move to the Middle East where Dr. Mead will be the new medical director at CURE in the United Arab Emirates. Dr. Mead was the medical director at CURE Kenya from 1998-2011. He and Dr. Bridgeman discussed what would be the best option for Aldo, and decided that it will be to remove the fixator and then place a rod in his left femur bone, because it has become so thin that it will break if he stands on it without the fixator. Aldo is basically wheelchair-bound right now, although he uses a walker in physical therapy. After this next operation he will be on his way to being more mobile. As of right now he sleeps laying his chest on his lap because his hips have become very stiff from being in a seated position for so long that he cannot lay down.

The beauty in all of this, for one, is that we have Dr. Mead and Dr. Bridgeman here to make sure that he gets the best care possible, and that Dr. Bridgeman will be here to see his treatment through till the end. What's even more beautiful in this, is Aldo's shining smile through all of this suffering. He has a smile that lights up the room and an attitude that's ready to have fun. He's excited for life despite his circumstances, and we know that this can be attributed to the fact that he accepted Jesus the last time he was here one year ago, and since then his life has changed- he has hope in the midst of all of this.

When Dr. Mead was explaining on the phone to one of the directors at the orphanage what the procedure is going to be, he said, "This kid has the world's best smile, with some of the world's worst problems." This is true, and Aldo, despite his physical circumstances and being 14 years old and only in second grade, knows the secret of being content in all circumstances and keep smiling through all of it.

When asked over the phone by one of the orphanage directors how long the recovery process will be, Dr. Mead replied, "Since we are going to bathe him in prayers, he'll hopefully heal within six to eight weeks." So please join us in praying for that!

If you would like to support Aldo's surgery, please visit him here.

This Episode Includes: Apple's Leader, A Lesson in Redemption, & Eating Fish At The Lake

I feel very out of loop with current news, especially in the US as I am obviously not there, and as I don't have television or read news on the internet (need to work on that), I get most of my news through friends here, and what I don't get from them, I get on facebook [when it lets me log in], which isn't a lot of news unless it's something big. Well, today my brother Andrew posted the following quote from Steve Jobs: "Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn't matter to me ... Going to bed at night saying we've done something wonderful... that's what matters to me." I proceeded to read other news posted about him, and was shocked to learn that he passed away. Mr. Jobs has made a pretty much direct impact on my life, seeing that from the time I typed my first words I've been on a Mac, and pretty much all my other valued possessions are from Apple as well. The company has been a big part of my life, perhaps bigger than I realize, and for his great work, for going against the odds, and being a great example of a generous man, I will always be thankful.

I admire this quote which he spoke to John Scully (who was at the time president of PepsiCo) when persuading him to become Apple's CEO in 1983: "Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want a chance to change the world?"

____________________________

Last weekend I went with the Bridgemans to the 10th annual missionary conference that is held in Siguatepeque, a city about two hours south of us, half way to Tegucigalpa. Siguatepeque is a beautiful place that is much more "fresco" than here. It was breezy and cool, and man was I wishing I could bring that weather back to our 90+ degree, humid San Pedro. Anyhow, besides the cool weather, I met a lot of other missionaries, some new ones, some who have been here for a very long time, and some in between. It was a great time of connecting with these families and learning about their ministries. The Bridgemans and I were able to share with some people about CURE, so now people from other parts of Honduras know that we are in San Pedro and are available to them should they know of any kids in need of orthopedic treatment.

The speaker for the weekend was Dave Howard, brother of Elizabeth Elliot and was best friends with her late husband, the well-known missionary Jim Elliot. Mr. Howard has been in ministry for well over fifty years. He lived in Costa Rica and in Columbia, South America for most of those years, and has more recently traveled to many countries around the world with his home base in the US where he lives with his wife.

At the conference he taught on the life of Peter as a parallel to teaching about the life of being a missionary, and really any follower of Christ- being where we are only out of obedience to God, of continually growing in our relationship with God, and this means when we fail (not if, but when), how to recognize what caused this, and to realize that no matter what, God is there to restore us, He uses us despite our failures, that by His strength we have triumph over our sin, and He is continually bringing us closer to Him as we bring our flawed selves to Him.

Peter was called by Jesus to follow Him and make disciples. Peter obeyed this call and was a close friend and faithful follower of Jesus. He grew in his relationship and ministry with Christ, yet there came a point when Peter failed greatly. Mr. Howard mentioned many other great men of faith who fell into great sin, yet who God restored and used for His glory- Abraham had a child with Hagar. Solomon, the wisest man on earth, had 300 wives and 700 concubines. Moses murdered an Egyptian. Job lost his patience. David, a man after God's own heart, committed adultery with Basheba. Peter denied he knew Jesus three times.

All of these men who accomplished great things for God, who had a very real relationship with Him and who experienced His miracles, fell. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak (Matt. 26:41). It's in all of us, since the fall of man at the beginning of time it's been in all of us equally, but we have to choose to live by the Spirit's strength and know that our strength comes from God alone. We all know from experience that it's hard as flawed humans to choose rightly.

After Peter's denial of Jesus, we see in the end of Matthew 26 that he "wept bitterly." Peter had great remorse for his sin, and only with his recognition of his sin and sincere repentance, was God able to heal him and use him in mighty ways. We read in Acts chapters 1-10 of the powerful ways that God used Peter for the work of His kingdom after Peter's repentance and healing.

I continually have to bring my flawed self to God and ask for His grace and forgiveness to restore me. Such a big part of life is recognizing my sin so that I can give it to Him and be freed from it and keep living in the light.... how much easier said than done! The is a continuous process... my pride gets in the way and I start forgetting who's glory I'm living for, where my strength comes from. The only good in me is His work through me. And the only way He can work through me is if I don't pretend like I can do everything perfectly- only when I continually bring the weeds in my heart to God, can He take them and plant something beautiful, and once again use me.

We mustn't forget the weeds keep growing, yet there are less and less as we grow deeper into God.

"...He takes a world corrupted by evil and begins a long, long process of redemption. We reduce it to a handful of times, but we must not, it is the story we are living."

-Eugene Peterson

"A thousand times I've failed, yet Your mercy remains, and should I stumble again, still I'm caught in Your grace..."



_____________________________

On our way home from the conference, we passed by Lake Yajoa, Honduras' largest natural lake. It is a popular lake for fishing, and there are many restaurants along the lake where you can stop and have fresh fish, so we had a nice break from the curvy roads down the mountain and enjoyed fried fish, Honduran style.

View of the lake from the outdoor seating

Abigail, Charlotte, and Lillian swinging on the porch, waiting for the fish to cook

Pick your fish out of the freezer,

watch them fry it,

and enjoy!

Seeing the Beauty

--A couple days ago a friend of mine emailed me and told me that I need to give an update and shouldn't become a lazy blogger (he added "like your sister Emily" but I won't mention that part :). I responded to him by saying that I will give an update, but that "nothing too exciting" is going on. In reality, a lot has been going on, in fact it's only been about two weeks since I wrote but I feel like it's been forever because it's quite busy! I think because I'm getting into the routine of life and things are becoming more "normal" to me and I don't see the beauty and excitement of life as I did when it was all new. When I told him that nothing too exciting was happening, he told me I was nuts. He reminded me of the job that I have, that I get to be a part of connecting the doctors and nurses who have the skills to heal these children with those who have the resources and want to make their work a reality. Of course I was aware of this as I am a witness to these kids everyday and get to share their beautiful faces and stories. But because I started getting into the routine, it took someone to tell me to open up my eyes and see beauty for what it is and not become blind to it. Thinking about this, I realized how blind I become to so much of the beauty of life altogether. I get accustomed to waking up everyday with the mountains surrounding me, the beautiful sunrises and the ever-changing breathtaking cloud displays. In the simplicity of being able to to run, to walk, to talk with a friend, to share a hug with someone. God is showing His power and love through His creation everywhere, and so often I forget the very miracle that each day is.

So that is the latest that I've been learning.... Eugene Peterson spoke at a conference I attended the weekend before last. He spoke into this when he said, "Everyday we wake up to a world we did not make. And we marvel at its intricacies. After a while we quite noticing. The world contracts and we are reduced to a life of routine.... Wonder is the only launching pad for exploring creation.... ordinary time is not what biblical people just live through. It's a gift lived with fullness." As he talked about the sheer beauty and awe of creation and living a part of the grand story of God, it made me want to open my eyes everyday with the perspective of a curious child finding joy in everything. I don't want to become one who continually tries to fill my life with new things of no real value because I've grown tired of the most beautiful thing I'll ever have: to enjoy the creation that God has placed around me, the people and the earth and the stars in the sky and to make the best of life wherever I may find myself.

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands (Ps. 19:1).

So, in effort show some of His beautiful creation, here are two of our precious clubfeet patients that came to the hospital today:

Anderson, one of the cutest babies ever, has graduated from casts to bar shoes!

Jorge, a new patient of CURE as of today!

--In other news, life in general has been keeping quite a fast pace... the weekend before last as I mentioned above, I flew to the states for a conference in Florida where I got to see my whole family (!!!) except for my sister Emily who is currently living in Rwanda. Everyone else was there, and it was so good to see them all. My younger siblings are growing so fast, I can't believe that the girls are almost as tall as me. The things you don't notice on a daily basis you sure will notice after a month! My nieces and nephs who are just as cute as ever are growing up so fast; it's hard to miss this stage of their lives! But it makes seeing them all that much better.

I got to see some friends that I see only once a year at the conference, so it was great to catch up.

with all my siblings except for Emily, and nieces and nephs except Tristan who decided to no cooperate for this pic, and the twins who were sleeping. What a great bunch I'm blessed to be a part of.

CURE had a presentation on evening, and they brought a girl from the Dominican Republic who was a patient at their hospital there. She doesn't speak English, so they asked me to translate for her. She has a very cool story: Dale is one of the senior staff at CURE, and back about four years ago he went with his son, Jordan (who has recently become my friend), to the hospital in the D.R. Jordan met this girl named Heidy who was born with only half of her legs, so she struggled in daily life as she walked around on her knees. Her hands were also not formed properly, so she had surgery on one of them an can now use it normally. After Jordan left, he told his dad that it felt that he was supposed to buy Heidy her legs. He was only fifteen at the time, and his dad warned him about the commitment he was making, about two thousand dollars to buy prosthetic legs. Jordan felt that he was supposed to get them for her, so when he went home he worked and worked and worked to get enough money for them. Long story short, he got Heidy her legs. When he told the doctor in the D.R. that he finally could buy her legs, the doctor told Jordan that he had faith that Jordan would keep his word, so he went ahead and bought Heidy's legs, so she had been walking for months already.

Fast forward four years to the dinner last weekend. Jordan shared this story, and at the end, Heidy came in. She didn't know that she would meet the man who bought her her legs until she met him at that moment. You can imagine what a powerful time it was!

With Heidy and Jordan

Heidy with Dr. Harrison, founder of CURE

--So that was a beautiful weekend, then it was back home to Honduras. It was much harder leaving my family than I anticipated, but once I was back and made it through the dreaded airports and customs and immigration, the Bridgemans welcomed me home and it was good to be back.

We've been attending a missionary church, and after just two Sundays of attending, the worship leader asked me if I wanted to be a part of the worship team. I was really excited because I've missed doing that so much, so I sang this past Sunday for the first time. I'm really grateful for this fun opportunity!

Other weekend activities usually include some activities outside. I went with Pauline and the girls to hike to the Coco-Cola sign on the mountain again. And once again we didn't make it to the top- we were told it takes about an hour and a half to the top, but after about an hour with the girls in this heat, it's time to turn around and head back down. We then went to Hotel Copantl where Jay was at a doctors' conference, and we swam in their pool.

On Sunday afternoon I went to the Bridgeman's neighborhood to run. I've only gone running a few times here so far, because the only place I can go is around and around my very small neighborhood, and after about 20 minutes of running in circles, I'm hot and bored. I was looking forward to running in a new place, a big place where I could get "lost" in the trails, and explore new places. I didn't realize how much I've missed running; I took off excited to run through all the roads and see new faces, houses, and scenery. I came back nearly an hour later, only because it was starting to get very dark. I'm vert happy about my new place to run!

There is a trampoline in their neighborhood as well, and if you know me you know I LOVE to jump! So it's likely that many weekend nights you'll find us taking a walk to the community trampoline :)

The latest news is that Pauline and I are going with the girls tomorrow to an annual Honduras missionary conference until Saturday in a city about two hours away. Jay has surgeries to do tomorrow and Friday, so he will meet up with us Friday night and we'll all come back Saturday. We are looking forward to meeting other missionaries and being encouraged there.

Tonight before a big group of us went out to dinner with two visiting CURE staff from Guatemala and the US, I had talked with my sis Emily for two and a half hours on Skype. Needless to say, it was a good afternoon.

Rory and Bri's First Birthday!

One year ago today, I was in California on my way to a conference with my family, and we got the news that my brother Andrew and his wife Jennifer had two new baby girls! My twin nieces Aurora and Brielle were born, and today I am flying out to the same conference where I will get to see my whole family (except for my sister Emily who is Rwanda) and I will get to see the girls for their first birthday!!! I am so blessed by these sweet girls that bring so my JOY to our family!

Anj and Jen, congrats on completing one year of parenting. Keep up the good work!

31 Years!!!

Today I'm wishing my parents a very happy 31st anniversary! Having 11 children together, plus fostering others, and now six grandkids later, they are still going strong.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. -1 Corinthians 13:4-8

stories of life

Week 3:

(Note: please skip this first long story if you don't care about the details of my soccer stadium experience- I like writing as a way of remembering, but you very well may not care about the details!)

-¡Fútbol!

One of the highlights of the week was going to a futbol (soccer) game in the big stadium on Tuesday night with Dr. Hector Canales and his brother Juan. Honduras vs. Paraguay. I was going to stay home and not do anything exciting, because for one thing I didn't yet know Dr. Canales very well (little did I know how that would change!) but I realized that I should go out and have fun and have a good Honduras cultural experience. It was one of those "A Million Miles In A Thousand Years" moments (for any of you who have read this book by Donald Miller). What started out in my mind when asked if I wanted to go was, "sure, I'll go. It was nice of him to ask," and ended up to create some of the funniest memories I have yet as I experienced one of Honduras' favorite activities.

First of all, when we got there, the crowd of people from the parking to the stadium entrance was overwhelming and I was focusing all my attention on not getting separated from Dr. Canales as I pushed through the crowd. Thankfully he caught on soon enough and had me walk in between him and his brother. When we entered the stadium there were food vendors everywhere set up with their portable stands. We climbed up the the big cement stairs to the first level of seating, and as we neared the top, the noise got louder and the lights got brighter until we reached the top and the big field was in front of us. We made our way down close to the front rows, right next to the marching band. Dr. Canales told me that the stadium could hold forty-five thousand people, but only fifteen to twenty thousand would be there that night. There was music and shouting and announcements going on as we sat on the big cement bleachers waiting for the game to start. There were people of all ages getting excited for it to start, and I'm pretty sure I was the only one of them who wasn't Honduran. Kids and adults alike walked up and down the rows shouting out what food and drinks they had to sell- pizza, cotton candy, grilled corn, plantains, and turtle eggs to name a few.

As the game got started, the guy sitting on the other side of me than Canales noticed that I wasn't Honduran. He smiled and said, "Americana?" I told him yes I was, and for almost the rest of the game he was full of questions for me. It was hard to understand him sometimes with all the noise, but it was good for my Spanish. He told me he had twin boys who are 14 and they were sitting a few rows in front of us. He then started buying me all these food and drinks that I didn't even want, but I took them to be polite. I looked over to Canales like "what should I do?" and he just smiled and shook his head.

(Skip forward to Friday night, a small group of us were at dinner, and I was telling my friend Grace about the guy buying me all the food at the game, so she jokingly asked Canales why he wasn't looking out for me. He responded with, "I was listening to their whole conversation and I didn't hear anything inappropriate so I thought it was fine!")

The game started to get more intense because we were losing 1 to 0 and it was getting closer and closer to the end. About twenty minutes from the end, it started to rain a little. Oh right, I remembered, it rains every night here! Why I thought it would be any different that night I don't know. A lot of people started leaving then, and the other smart people had umbrellas and tarps to hide under, while Dr. Canales and I just stood in the rain (Juan shared an umbrella with three other people) as we watched our team struggle to fight. Soon the rain came down harder and harder and I didn't even care anymore about being wet, it was all part of the experience. The rain only got harder, and lighting started flashing and thunder boomed. Just a few minutes before the end, Paraguay scored a second goal, and it was then that we decided it was time to dash. Or rather slowly make our way out with the rest of the crowd. Now that everyone was totally wet and just wanted to get to their cars, and it was so dark and pouring rain, I was once again concerned about getting separated. I'm not as good at pushing through people (yet) as the Hondurans. I wanted to hold on to Canales but thought that would be weird, so I just tried to follow. Thankfully, before we had barely even left the bleachers, he saw my struggle so he put his arm around me until we got away from the chaos. Phew. We waited at the bottom of the covered steps for Juan, and when we didn't see him coming for a few minutes, we started for the car through the parking lot and sidewalks that were turning into little rivers. As we plodded along with the rest of the crowd, laughing at our very wet state, Canales said with his Spanish accent, "are we having a hurricane or something that we didn't know was coming?!" At least we were having fun. We continued to dodge cars and people and then heard people start yelling and shouting. Another goal for Paraguay. 3-0. It was a sad ending for our team, but we had fun and have hope of doing better next time!

We Finally made it to the dry car that we very quickly made wet. Canales told me that he's been in worse rain at the stadium before... geesh. Juan finally came and we were off on our very slow drive home through the dark and rain. THAT was a memorable experience.

I got home soaked and cold but with a happy face. After I got clean and dry, I saw the BIGGEST roach speeding around my house. Oh God, I prayed. These are the times I hate living alone! This was the second roach I've found in my house, and far too big and fast for me to deal with. But I had no choice, and by His strength and the help of a broom, I defeated it. Getting stronger every day... Oh, and I just got up from writing this to get a drink and saw a baby gecko run behind my microwave.

I wish I had pictures to share from the game, and wished before I went that I could've taken my camera, but I didn't know with it being so big and being for work if it was a good idea. Because of the downpour, I'm now very glad I didn't take it!

The next day after the game I was talking about it with my friends Jose and Jozzeth at work, and Jose said that in October Honduras will be playing against the US. Which team should I cheer for?

-Maintenance....

Just two weeks in to my life in the apartment, and I've already had my living room partially flooded twice, my toilet sprung a leak and wasn't fixed for several days, and then after that my fridge broke (which also wasn't fixed for several days). The fridge was warm but the freezer was about the temperature of the fridge, so I had nothing frozen, but I put all my fridge foods in the freezer. Thankfully I have an amazing landlady (Mayra) and she brought the necessary repairmen to fix both the toilet and the fridge. Sadly after they fixed the fridge and freezer, I came home to some frozen lychees and tomatoes that I had to throw out. And Mayra told me that there's nothing to do to fix the flooding- all the houses have problems when there is wind and rain.

Thankfully I had a good attitude through all of this and am remembering that this is all part of life and I am experiencing almost no troubles in light of what my friends and family back in the States are going through who are having so much flooding.

-Upkeep...I thought I was already good at this.

I thought from doing much housework, grocery shopping, and taking care of kids back at home in the States, that it would be a breeze for me living by myself. Well in some respects it is, but in some other respects, it's much harder. I don't have my dad here to kill the roaches and fix the toilet. I don't have my mom to cook or siblings to help me clean. It's me. Just me. And I love that I'm getting this experience, I love that my apartment is so small and is generally easy to take care of, but I just surprised myself at how much "housework" actually goes into life even in a house made up of just one small kitchen, one small living room, and one small bedroom and bathroom (actually two bedroom but I never go into the guest room).

On a daily basis I am doing all the normal things like making my own meals, washing the dishes, scrubbing the counters, taking the trash out, and on a weekly basis sweeping and mopping all the floors, cleaning the bathroom, and doing my laundry. All of this is normal stuff that I'm used to doing, I guess it's just more time consuming than I expected! On top of this, I try to get enough groceries at the store to last me a week when I go with Pauline, because frequenting the grocery store is not a highlight of life for me.

I like to keep it simple, but I'm learning that being responsible for a house and a life can only be simple to a certain extent....

In the midst of this adjustment, I am realizing how much I admire moms. I don't even have kids or a big house and it just feels like a lot sometimes. I've always admired moms, but I see them in a different way now I think. Whether a working mom or a stay-at-home mom, it's busyness and work that doesn't end. I must say that right now I would make a terrible mother. But that's why I'm not one right now! I'm thankful that there are different seasons of life, that God prepares us for each season we are to enter. I'm realizing now that I'm really grateful for the season that I'm in right now! I'm remembering to enjoy each season and not take any for granted, because just as the seasons change from summer heat to fall colors to winter snow to spring flowers (clearly I'm referring to life in the US, here there are two seasons: hot and rain :) so life continues to change. Enjoy the moment you are in.

-Ace

A "difficult" part of transitioning my life here has been having to leave Ace at home alone all day everyday and to see him so hot all the time. He's used to being around people all day and getting to run around a lot outside. Mostly all the dogs in my neighborhood have a yard to run around in, but we live on the second floor! I frequently bathe him to keep him cool, and we go out on a walk every afternoon, but I've found he can only handle about twenty minutes in the heat outside at a time. I at least glad that he is here with me, and he's getting used to the new life, so really if this has been one of the hardest things, I don't have much to complain about!

-Getting Connected

On Saturday morning I went to a ladies' brunch which was a group of ladies from ICF, the missionary church that we've been going to. I met some new girls there and am getting to know people better which is awesome! One of the ladies, Tara, works with many orphanages in Honduras, and I was telling her about CURE and how she can contact us if she has kids with orthopedic problems. She was very happy to hear that and told me that recently they had a girl who broke her finger, and it was never set so it healed very crookedly. I'm thankful that I get to share about CURE and for the possibility of bringing in more patients to get healed.

-El Dia De Los Ninos (Children's Day)

So just like we have Mothers' and Fathers' Day in the US, Honduras also has Children's Day! The staff at CURE told me that it is a universal holiday, so we must have it in the US. I assured them that as far as I know from spending my whole childhood there, we surely do not have it! How we got gypped of this holiday, I don't know!!! However, Saturday was Children's Day here,

so on Friday at the hospital after clinic, we held a celebration for all of our patients who were there that day, plus a class from a local school came. Dr. Canales' mother came and did a Bible class with the children, then we had a big pinata and ended with a cake. It was fun to see the children enjoying the day so much.

-It just keeps getting better. And better.

Each week working at CURE gets better. It started out with the craziness of getting the Bridgemans and myself into our homes, and then trying to make a daily schedule that fit into the hospital's routine. Now that I'm getting to know the staff better and am fitting into life, work is not only super fun but it's fulfilling. I've met some of the most beautiful kids that CURE serves, and I love capturing their faces on the camera and sharing their stories. I also get to help translate some days for Dr. Jay in the clinic which has been great, and although a little difficult still, my medical vocabulary is growing every day. For the first two weeks I wore "office clothes" to work, but now that I've started helping in clinic I get to wear my scrubs, and that's a great feeling. Learning how to cast, clean wounds, and remove stitches are some of the things I've started out with and I can't wait to keep expanding. I get to work with and learn from such fun people and sweet kids which makes me look forward to each day more and more. I used to look forward to the weekends so much (and still do) but on Friday I actually had the thought, oh man, I'm not going to hospital for two whole days!

During these past three weeks, sometimes I just stop and tell God, I am so unworthy to be blessed with an experience like this, to be with people like this, I can't think of anything better. how can I ever thank you God enough? what could I ever do? And then I realize, nothing. There's nothing I ever could do. Everything I have and am is by His grace alone, and I think that's the point: God wants me to be in a place, always, weather it's a high or a low, that I realize it's all about HIM. it's all from Him, through Him, and for Him. sometimes when His will is that we go through hard times, it's harder to see the blessing. Blessings in disguise usually are only seen with hindsight. if only I would learn from my past experiences! But I think that's how we're supposed to feel when we're in the center of God's will: when I am overwhelmed with love for life, it's a gift to me to remind me I am totally reliant on Him for every beautiful thing. when I am overwhelmed with life and just want to be done, it's a gift to remind me that when I have no strength, He is my strength to carry me through and bring me out stronger. No words can accurately say how grateful for this season of life. I think if I stay here too long, I might never leave.... and now that I've been told that there are very good nursing schools in Honduras... :)

Last week: Dr. Jay and Dr. Canales casting Belkis, one of our clubfoot patients.

This week: Dr. Jay putting a new cast on Belkis. She's a screamer, so as I took this picture he was saying, "really, you have to get me on camera torturing a child?"

My first day of clinic, last day of office clothes! Dr. Jay removed pins from this boy's foot now that it is healed from surgery, and Jose was teaching me how to clean and cast it. This poor patient, he was the loudest screamer we had in all the three weeks I've been here. Good patient for me to start with!

CURED at last!

Today in clinic we had two cases in which the kids had previous treatment for their club feet at other hospitals, yet both with no improvement. Thankfully they

were both directed to CURE and are now receiving proper treatment for their club feet!

Daniela is a five-month old baby who has already been casted fourteen times at another hospital. For a baby the casting process should only take four casts, six at the most. She is now receiving treatment with bar shoes to correct her feet and will be back in one month for a check up!

Bella is a two-year old girl who has been getting casting treatment for nearly her whole life at a hospital in Tegucigalpa. When the casts were continuing to fail her improvement, a friend told her mother about CURE, so she made the 4 hour trip to our hospital. Even though we have two doctors in Tegucigalpa with whom we work with, she prefers to make the trip every week here to be sure that her daughter is getting the proper treatment.

To be a part of healing a child born with a birth defect, visit cure.org/curekids!

¡La Segunda Semana!

Week number two in San Pedro has been filled with with highs and lows- making great memories for sure! I have been in my apartment now for a week, so life here is feeling a lot more like home compared to the first week when I was in the dorm at the hospital. Although I miss living with the Bridgemans and chatting with the guards in the evening, and now I have to wake up an hour earlier before work, I'm still thankful for this nice place to live in a safe neighborhood. I'm learning to be totally independent in almost every way, except for the fact that I don't have a car, but can't drive alone anywhere anyway even if I did. But I have great friends who are always up for adventure, so there is never a lack of activity!

Some of the latest:

-Church.

The Bridgemans have been visiting a different church each week to see which place is right for them. I've been going with them and am liking the different experiences, although it will be nice at some point to find a place to connect with. The first week we went to Geraldo and Aracely's (our Spiritual Director) church, and this past Sunday we went to ICF (International Christian Fellowship) which is an English-speaking church made up of mostly missionaries. The Bridgemans like this one (as do I) because until their girls get more sufficient in Spanish, they want them to be in a place that they like and understand.

-Recreation

On Saturday while Jay had to study for his upcoming final board exams (can't wait till they are over! I thought Jay was fun with how busy he now- it'll be great when the studying is done!) Pauline and I went with the girls on a (very HOT!) hike up one of the mountains surrounding the city. There is a trail that leads up to a big Coca-Cola sign (displayed like the Hollywood sign) so we made our way up this trail but after about a hour decided we should head back with the kids and wait for a cooler day to go to the top. We were very happy to find this safe place to hike that is close by.

On Sunday afternoon while Jay continued to study, Pauline and I went with the girls to Club Hondureno Arabe, where we pay 100 Lempira (about 5.50 USD) for the day to swim in their olympic size pool. I've never swam in a pool this big before; swimming laps have never been so fun! It is quite a nice place, and we plan to order from their Middle Eastern menu next time!

The first weekend that I was here, I went to Zizima (a big water park) with Pauline and the girls. Most of my pictures from the first week that I was here, including these, I have not yet been able to download onto my laptop because the setting my camera was on is not readable by my computer. As soon as this bug is fixed I will upload these great pics!

-Storms

Every night, with very few exceptions, we have crashing thunder and bright lightening along with torrential rain. I feel so sorry for Ace because no matter how many storms we get, he is equally afraid. As soon as he hears thunder, there is no personal space left for me, and we sleep on the same pillow. I really don't mind, it's just that for his sake I really wish he'd gets used to it!

Some nights the rain is lighter which is a huge blessing, because that means my house won't flood! This afternoon I went to the hair salon across the street from my apartment, and while I was there we had the worst storm yet. I felt badly for Ace because I knew he was terrified. Well, that should've been the least of my concerns- I should've known, but I guess I was just hoping so much for the opposite to be true, but when I opened the door, there half of my living room was flooded. Thank the Lord that I didn't leave anything on the floor! All the way from the door, under the couch, under the table, to the kitchen counter. *Sigh*.... I need to talk to my landlady about this issue ASAP! I do, however, realize as I drive past the shanties on the way to work and back every morning, how much I really have, and how nonexistent my house "woes" are compared to the majority of the world.

My apartment viewed from the front door- my bedroom is straight ahead and the guest room is behind the wall that is behind the twin couch that Ace is on to the left. The kitchen is in the back behind the table, and out the back door is a terrace where the washer and dryer are.

Half of my living room was flooded- completely under the big couch on the right, all the way under the table and chairs to the kitchen counter!

As I was sweeping the water from my living room outside my door, my next-door neighbor who I'd never met before came upstairs and as he saw me, he asked, "que te paso?!" meaning, "what happened to you?!" I told him the rain came under my door, and he promptly opened his door to see if he had any flooding. Only slightly. I don't know if my place in on a downhill or what. He then asked me how long I'll be here and where I'm from. When I told him los Estados Unidos, he replied in English, "oh, so you can be my English partner!" We chatted for a minute and he told me his name is Mario and if I need anything to knock on his door. That was nice of him, but really? As Jay kindly put "we need to get to know him better and I need to talk with every guy before you hang out with anyone!" Glad to know I'm not the only one looking out for myself! The Bridgemans are proving to bless me in increasing ways everyday. About five minutes later I got a knock at the door, and it was Mario, telling me he had extra tickets to go somewhere (it was in Spanish and I didn't know where it was) with him and his friends. Oh great. I'm glad I already had plans to go with the Bridgemans to get frozen yogurt. But who knows, maybe I'll end up having a really cool neighbor.

View from the front terrace (that I share with Mario) of the rain clouds setting in over the mountains.

-God's sense of humor

Before I came here, I was hoping that there would be an easily-accessible hair salon that I could go to since it had been just shy of a year since I had my hair cut. I debated just going at home before I left for worry that I wouldn't find a place, but I knew that I would be able to get it cheaper here and I like trying new places. I still worried about finding an easily-accessible place though, until the day I got here and saw advertisements everywhere for salons. Well as I mentioned above, there is one across the street from my apartment. I don't even have to leave my development. I don't even have to walk down the sidewalk. All I have to do is walk across the grassy yard between the two buildings and I'm there! It was a good lesson in remembering that God is in the details, even the ones that really aren't important! I think sometimes He gives us these little blessings to remind us that He is in control and has a plan from the beginning. There are the those moments in life when you realize that He's been taking care of everything all along, and all the while you were worrying you never saw His hand in it till something so unexpected happens. This was one of those moments. And since I know this, I can rest in the fact that whatever, whatever comes me way, must be necessary for me. Knowing there is a lesson to be learned in every situation helps me better trust Him through it all.

My apartment is the yellow building next to the brick wall on the left, and the salon is the yellow building with the red roof straight ahead.

-Heat.

The heat continues to stay around the nineties and low hundreds, with high humidity. I was told by one of our staff a few days ago that only in December and sometimes January does it cool off in this city. Well, it's a good thing I'm getting used to it. Ace, however, is a different story. If you know him at all, you know that he is terrified of water. He just hates it, and every time I'm done giving him a bath, he he shakes and runs around like a crazy man and rubs himself of the ground until he is dry. Well apparently yesterday he decided that being wet was better than being hot. When I was in the shower, he actually jumped in and sat under the running water. I could not believe my eyes! When I was done, he jumped out and as if he didn't mind being wet, he went and laid down on the couch. I never thought he'd get to the point that he'd choose wet over heat, but he sure did!

-Eating simply.

Now that I make my own breakfast and dinner everyday (we eat lunch at the hospital made by the cooks on the weekdays), I am trying to broaden my horizons with making new recipes. Pauline gives me a "cooking lesson" whenever I am at their house for dinner, and I am learning all kinds of new recipes! Chinese, Italian, Greek- she makes all kinds of good food and I am appreciating the lessons. There is one little problem, though. When I am at my house and I'm thinking what to make, all I ever want is cereal, fruit (mangos and bananas), and peanut butter & honey sandwiches. Seriously. I keep thinking about making all different kinds of food, but nothing ever sounds as good as those three foods. I really like practically every food I've ever tasted, but I never realize till now that if I have a choice, I really like simple foods. I keep asking myself, "am I just too lazy to make anything better?" and that might be part of it... Last night when I was going to eat cereal, I decided to make myself eat my vegetables before they went bad, so I made myself a tomato and cucumber salad. Granted, it's only been two weeks, so I know at some point I'm going to be ready for some new things, and when I am I'll have a wide variety of choices now that I have Pauline to help me!

Depriving myself of my beloved cereal and peanut butter sandwiches :)

-Dog-walking and running

Almost every house in this neighborhood has a dog, and as I am walking down the street with Ace in the afternoons, we always set off the "barking" alarm as we pass each house. By the time we're at the end, the whole street has been barking! It gets old pretty fast.

On some days after I walk with Ace, I run around the development. Ace can't run with me right now because it's simply too hot for him. There is a big soccer field and basketball court at the far end of the neighborhood so I run around those for some variety because the development is very small and I have to run around it quite a few times. It's a different experience running in this neighborhood; on the sidewalks there are a variety of obstacles like trash cans, chickens, iguanas, overgrown shrubbery and trees, etcetera. I wish beyond words that I could run down the bike/running trail along the main road, but I'm simply prohibited to leave my development by myself! :( I know it's for my best interest though, so I'll take what I can get. And besides, I never see girls running out there anyway; it's always big burly men.

On another, better note, I got home late tonight and had to walk Ace after dark which I don't normally do. It my very well light neighborhood it's not that big of a deal. And on my walk, I saw a girl about my age walking her dog, and as both of our pups ran towards each other we chatted for a minute. Then I saw a kid in a soccer uniform sprint past me. I figured there must be a game going on so I walked down the field, and sure enough there was a big game of pickup soccer going on. There was only one girl on the whole team, so who knows, maybe next time I'll join her!

Note to Mom: I wear my toe shoes everyday that I hike or run- they are the best and perfect for every activity. Thanks!!!

-Tela!

Today the hospital was closed, and we had a staff retreat at the beach in Tela- a beautiful city on the north coast about and hour and a half northwest from us. We had a lot of fun at Telamar, a nice hotel and restaurant on the beach, swimming, playing "futbol" (soccer), fishing off the pier, and eating at the at the beach buffet.

One minor detail, on our way there, the Bridgeman's new car of less than 24 hours broke down! :( Not to worry, we had Coto and the rest of the guys there to fix it, plus we had a caravan of about five cars, so we had enough space and joined Heraldo and Aracely's car with plenty of room (according to Honduran style:)

Boys to the rescue of the broken car

View of the pier in the distance

View of the beach from the pier. Riding horseback on the beach makes me happy

-CUREkids

I am loving my job as a patient photographer/videographer/storyteller, which I share with the world through cure.org/curekids. I am slowly but surely getting comfortable with the job and life here, and would dare to say that I work with some of the most amazing and wonderful people on earth! I also am loving the experience of spending time in the clinic/ward with Dr. Jay and the other medical staff, watching patient examinations, learning what different medical conditions mean, watching legs being casted, ect. Our work schedule is from 7am to 3pm, so I'm working on switching myself from being an "owl" to a "rooster." I thought waking up at 4:45 every morning would be bad at first, but it hasn't been hard- I'm learning to like it!

-Lessons....

As I hope you can see from the above news, my first two weeks here have been wonderful, better than I ever expected, yet at the same time have been filled with difficult times as God is revealing to me different areas of my that are not honoring Him. They may seem small and easily ignorable, but when God shows me an area of sin in my life, there is no inner peace in me until it is resolved, although I usually can pretend that everything is great. And that's part of the problem. I have a hard time keeping it real. I will share specifics as they form into a story, but it has been a work in progress and is going to continue to be. It's not fun, I wish everything could be perfect now, but as we all know that's not real life! Following God means dying to self daily and that takes a lot of humility.... Pauline has been a big help in trying to get me to accurately express life, but it's not easy! I feel like life is one long, continuous lesson. Yes, these two weeks have been the best, filled with blessings, and at the same time, the hardest, filled with challenges (blessings in disguise:). I'm so thankful for the laughter and grace that He gives through it all as I live and learn.