The great Exodus

NH here:
Well, friends,
An update on my last post: The baby is doing swimmingly. (I shall post a picture later). And after tossing and turning all night praying for my older patient with pneumonia, I walk in, and she looks SO much better. I think that she has finally turned the corner and will make it. Praise the Lord. (as Billy White would say).
I just got back from a day of clinic. There was nothing terribly exciting so I will take this time to fill you in on yesterday. We had originally planned on going to the missionary church, but we heard Saturday night of a Honduran service that was several miles up the road and decided to tag along with a missionary couple and a team from the U.S. Great decision! The church was, I don't know, 75-80% children. Many of these are children from the Sanctuary House Children's Center, just down the hill from the hospital. This place serves as a home for 30 something children who are either 1.) chronically disabled requiring close medical attention, 2.) from very rural areas and needing access to education, and 3.) abandoned, abused, at risk, or just needing a safe place to live for whatever reason. We were sitting at church surrounded by children who were all looking very unsure of these new gringo faces present in their congregation. All it took was a little broken Spanish and allowing them to "do my hair," and we made some fast friends. There were two girls, Josenda y Reina, who even Josh loved. I am pretty sure he would take home with us if we were able. Reina was delighted when I told her that her named sounded like the English word for rain and went around telling everyone. I have to be careful though, because then the rest of the children kept coming up to me wanting to know what THEIR name sounded like in English, looking very sad when I could not think of anything.
After church, we piled into two pick-up trucks with a couple of families from the church, a missionary couple and their grandchildren, and the team from Oregan. We set off for the waterfall. The water was cool and beautiful, and we all enjoyed watching the more daring of the group climb to the top and jump off. Benton is the grandson of one of the missionaries who has lived here for 10 months now. He is VERY precocious and says "I am more Honduran than American now." He decided that he wanted to be baptized. He was baptized on the spot by the pastor from Oregan. Such a beautiful, impromptu ceremony that would rival any of the formal baptism ceremonies that we have in the states. It reminds me of my own baptism by a Sudanese pastor named Abraham in a tributary of the Nile.
Prayer Request: Starting on Thursday, there will be a great exodus of health care providers, and I will be left to man the hospital with very few helpers. Thankfully at least one other physician will be staying. It is exciting but frightening at the same time as all of the providers throw as much information at me at once. "In case of emergency, call...." "The delivery kits and ultrasound machine can be found here....." "At night, the ambulances won't come so you may need to drive them yourself." It is scary, but I know that the Lord will be with me. Please be with me as well in your prayers.
Blessings to you all!
NH