Good-bye Loma de Luz

Josh and I went to the Children's Center and got pulled into a water fight. Great fun.

If you guys remember the blog of the family who got in the motorcycle accident. The dad and son both had severe head injuries. Here they are. A beautiful sight considering all of the doctors thought that little boy was going to die on me before I could get him to Ceiba.

This sweet little one came to us after getting a basilar skull fracture.

This is her afterwards. Doesn't she look WAY better?

Just a good pic of us walking down the road to the Children's Center. As yall can see he shaved his beard, because it was interfering with his snorkeling.

This little boy was in the hospital with acute post-strep glomerulonephiritis. He a hypertensive encephalopathic seizure and almost scared me to death. I have never given Lasix or an ACE inhibitor to a child, but I did to him. Here he is back for his follow-up appointment. Doing great, blood pressure improved, and weaning off his medications.

NH here:

I guess I too must write a closing blog..... What shall I write? I always hate the final wrap-up. Last night, Josh and I had dinner with a missionary family, and they asked the inevitable questions: What has impacted you the most during your stay here? Impossible to answer, but I will give it a try.

The Lord is constantly refining me through this crazy career in medicine. Just when I take a deep breath and think that maybe He'll allow me to be comfortable in my abilities and skills, He begins to stretch me even further. This has allowed me the realization that He is in control after all. When you are placed in a situation with limited medical resources as a physician used to being able to "do all you can do," you started praying first and doing medicine second. He is in control. Sometimes He allows renewal of life (like the elderly lady who I thought was going to die from COPD without a ventilator) and sometimes he takes it away (like the 28 weeker who we bagged all of the way to Ceiba just to die several hours later). I do not understand sometimes why He does the things He does sometimes, but I have learned/am learning to rely on Him.

I have learned about a beautiful word called "redemption." I used to think that this was kind of a Bible word or a future word. Like, once we get to heaven, we will experience redemption. I have been learning and witnessing that the Lord has redemption work he is doing right here on earth. As J mentioned in his last blog, the children's center has been one of our favorite ministries to witness while we were here. We have come to know Liz and Ian, two Scottish missionaries who spend their lives with anywhere from 20-30 children in dire need of redemption. The other night, we sat on their couch while they showed us pictures and told us stories of the kids we had grown to love. The before pictures were shocking, but the beauty came with the after pictures. These children are being redeemed both physically, most obviously, but also in Spirit. It reminds me of Genesis 50:20 where it says, "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today." There is evil and bad in the world, but He can redeem things/people for His purpose.

We have done much thinking and praying about whether or not the Lord is calling us to international missions full time. I cannot say I have received a clear answer about this. We all want a lightning bolt from heaven, and God to say, "I want you to do_______." Well, at least for me, this is not usually the way that it happens. He is ALWAYS faithful to reveal things to me, but it never seems to happen in MY timing. I would like to know what I'm doing after residency so I can go ahead and plan. But I feel that God is saying, "Trust in me. I am sufficient for you." This is a difficult lesson and one I feel I will learn many more times over in this life before I get it. I guess I am a neurotic, control-freak, Type A person when it comes down to it like most people in medicine, but I am learning to hold things loosely before God.

If I have not said this before, I want to make it clear. In no way do I feel that God NEEDED me here in His work. But do feel very priviledged that He has allowed me to participate in His work that is already going on here. God is palpable and present at Loma de Luz, and I have just been a priviledged witness and participant. Loma de Luz, thank you for the lessons about God. Thanks for serving Him selflessly in your little corner of the earth. Thank you for allowing us to be participants even for a short time in your ministry. We hope to be back someday.

Thanks to those who have read along with us as we have taken this journey. I hope that you too have been able to learn and grow with us. We are off tomorrow morning to Roatan for a REAL vacation. Like a real one. Not one where I am working. Not one where we are visiting family. A real one. When we get home, we MAY do a final blog about our vacation or at least post some pics from it.

NH