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This was a little girl who lives at the children's center with her young mother. The funny thing about this was that she was also my picture, and the last time I saw her, I was squeezing pus out of an abscess over an eye. About 10 seconds after this picture was taken, she remembered me from that and started squalling uncontrollably.
This is Marilyn, another child at the children's center. Apparently she LOVES J. We played a really fun game where I would pretend like I was going to pick her up, and she would cling to J. Its the opposite of what usually happens at church where children look at him and start crying. He was loving it. I think here she was looking at him wondering where his big ole beard went.


Big Sister doing her hair.

Our friends before a rousing game of deer, shield, pistol. The kid to our right has finally forgiven us for kicking his tail in soccer and then not letting him cheat. We were not quite sure what we were arguing about, but I'm pretty sure we were right.

NH here:

Well, its been a few days, and there are a few things about which to update you all.

I was able to go to Rio Esteben, a town a little ways down the road to do prenatal clinics. It has basically been an effort to provide women in more rural towns access to prenatal care. The vast majority of babies born in Honduras are born at home, and the women/child death statistics are atrocious. As you can imagine, a breech baby born at home.... not a good idea. Post partum hemorrhage.... common cause of momma deaths. So John, a midwife here, had the idea to go out into these rural villages and bring prenatal care. There was alot of hesitancy at first, but he said that the doppler has been his saving grace. Women EVERYWHERE love to listen to their baby's heart beat. We measure bellies, listen to heart beats, try to figure out when the heck their due date is, and encourage first time moms and moms with risk factors to deliver at the hospital. At this clinic, I also met Patricia. She is a 17 year old Honduran girl who is going to nursing school and working at these rural clinics as well at the OB clinic in the hospital. It was very fun to work with her and teach her how to measure bellies and find fetal heart tones.

Last night, J and I were invited to pizza night at a missionary family's house. The pizza was delicious, and we enjoyed picking their brain about their years on the mission field, raising support, etc. And as with any dinner that includes 3 doctors (both the husband and the wife are physicians), the conversation always ended up back on medicine. We can't help it! Anyways, as we were finishing up, there is a call on the radio. A 29 week baby was born. At first the physician had handed the baby back to mom to hold thinking that there was no way that she would make it. But then this little fighter started crying, looked pink, and had pretty decent tone. She was working hard to breath, but this little girl was fighting. They were calling to speak to the Pediatrician so we headed down the hill. After much debate of what could be done for this little one with the resources we have. (We do not have a pediatric ventilator, only had one does of surfactant that was 5 months expired, and the closest place with a pediatric ventilator was in San Pedro Sula.... at least 4 hours away). After much debates and nobody really wanting to be the one to make such a horrendous decision, we decide to give a dose of surfactant (which I became the "expert" on having seen it done maybe once by our NICU nurses and read about in Harriet Lane on the way down the hill) and bag the baby until La Ceiba (1.5 hours away). They would then be able to transfer them to San Pedro. The catch is, as before, the ambulances refuse to come out this far, because they say it is too dangerous with all of the drug/gang violence/farm animals in the road.

I volunteer to go, and J volunteers to go with me. Also coming with us is the leader of the children's home (who ends up getting roped into these drives on a semi regular basis), the midwife (to take care of mom and to interface with the Honduran physicians), and one of the EMT's. The EMT, interestingly enough, is leaving for the states on Monday and had requested some neonatal resuscitation teaching which I had JUST done the night before. Coincidence? I think not. Nothing like putting your new found knowledge into action. We bag this tiny little baby all of the way to La Ceiba, and she remains relatively stable the whole time. We arrive and the same resident who was there last week greets us as we enter. We drop mom and baby off head back towards the hospital. These situations are difficult to deal with in the states, but the decisions are nearly impossible here. I mean, the baby looked good for 29 weeks, but there are alot more factors to take into account and alot more hurtles for this little one to jump over.

On a random side note, we were driving back and had several close encounters with farm animals walking in the road. You see, if they are facing you, you see their eyes shining. If they are facing away, however, it is difficult to see them, and this fact is the cause of many car/motorcycle accident. Anyways, our driver mentioned a brilliant idea for a short-term mission team. He said, he thinks it would be really helpful if a team came in and painted the back side of all of the cows and horses with reflective paint so they would be easier to spot while driving at night. Something to think about, Oasis Church, if you're reading. Hahahahah.

On a more personal side, this time here has made me think about where it is the Lord would have in the future. I have been praying alot about it and trying to be still and quiet before Him waiting for a word. I have not heard one. I am someone who believes that the God can definitely give people specific callings on their life (There is no way I would be a doctor had I not had that specific calling). I also believe though that there are times when we do not hear his voice directly, and it is not wrong to look at the gifts and passions He has given you and move towards those things. So the things that I know about myself: I have a passion for the poor and for women's and children's health. I enjoy working in other countries but fear losing the broad set of skills that my residency has afforded me. I do not love emergencies but seem to thrive in them. I have a PILE of loans left to repay and feel that it is my burden alone to repay. Missions does not lend itself well to paying off loans. I do not LOVE the idea of raising support, but I DESPISE the idea of other people paying off my loans. I have also been told by others though that the later you wait to go on the mission field, the less likely you are to do it. As you can see, there are many thoughts floating around in my head. Pray for clarity. Pray that I would be but clay in His hands to be used for His glory.

That's all for now. Going to watch Survivor with our missionary sponsors. Oh, yeah!

NH