Karen's Rus Rus Report #11: Cleaning Up And Clearing Out

Well, it's been a busy day. The last of the IHS team was flown out by Wes this morning. Denise, Rachel, and I emptied out the guest house and apartments, started the laundry, hung two loads out to dry, and are working on getting our own suitcases ready for a morning departure to La Ceiba. It is extremely hot today so working is tiring. We're all very much looking forward to staying in an air-conditioned hotel room in La Ceiba tomorrow!!!

 Wes cleans the windscreen before departure this morning.

Denise and Rachel organize pillows and sheets.

Wes and the two teens staying with the Wiles washed the airplane to ready it for our departure in the morning. It seems one of the local horses that roam Rus Rus somehow worked its way through Wes' hangar barricade and used part of the airplane as a scratching post! Wes will give the airplane a good inspection to make sure all is well before we can leave tomorrow. Don't you know the "car" always breaks down, or has a problem, right before you want to leave on the family vacation! Ha!

 Washing the Cessna 206

Could one of these horses be the suspect rogue hangar roamer?

Off To La Ceiba

It'll be fun to see what La Ceiba is like tomorrow. La Ceiba literally is the other side of the country. It's the other side of the tracks, so to speak, geographically and culturally. There are no roads from La Moskitia to that side of the country and there is little desire on either side for there to be any. 

I'll spend the night in La Cieba and leave on a bus early Friday morning with some of the IHS team for a 3 hour ride to San Pedro Sula Airport. My flight leaves San Pedro around 1:30pm. I have a four hour layover in Atlanta and should arrive in Columbus to my husband's loving arms around 11:30 PM. 

Sad To Leave, Looking Forward To Being Home

I find myself looking forward to getting home to Keith. I've missed him greatly! It will be nice to be back in my own surroundings again but I know, even only after two weeks, there'll be some culture shock going home just as there was coming in. And it will be an adjustment to leave as I've made good friends here and I will miss them when I've gone.

I have been welcomed so well by the Wiles family and by the folks of Rus Rus. Today, Carlos and I visited with Wendy and we were teaching her how to play Cribbage! She did very well and I was  able to practice using my Spanish numbers too!

Playing Cribbage with Wendy

I said goodbye to Geraldina, MAG's resident nurse, and some other villagers as I walked back to the house to help get the last sheets off the line this evening. Even though they aren't quite dry they have to be taken down since it's getting dark.

Thank Yous and Prayer Requests

Thanks for keeping up as I've been on this adventure and thanks for keeping me in prayer. Please continue those prayers for the travels home and as I assimilate all I've experienced. Please also pray for the Wiles family that they can have some relaxing time away for a few days and be ready for the next work team that is soon to arrive. The work team is actually from Carlos' church! They hope to finish the generator shed that was started in October, move the generators into the shed, and get everything up and running again. Once that's done they'll start to lay the block for the fuel storage shed.

Beginning of the generator shed: October 2012

Wes makes each block by hand, using a mold.

Photo Credit: Andrew Tonn

Pray also for Carlos as he will be here alone for that time taking care of all that needs done....running generators, filling water towers, filtering water to drink, feeding the animals, starting some literacy training for the local lay pastors, etc.

Blessings! I look forward to being back "on the grid"!

Karen's Rus Rus Report #10: Closing The Clinic

Closing The Clinic
We closed the clinic today. The visiting villagers began their long walks home this morning. The "bodega" is empty and no one is left using the outdoor cooking area. We only had a few local patients waiting. It was a pleasant change. We did cast a broken arm, and ran an IV for a patient that was very sick. After the IV was finished, and we set her up with antibiotics, they put the patient on a horse so she and her husband could make the 2 1/2 hour walk home.

 An IHS nurse prepares to run the IV.

Statistical Summary
Here are the final numbers for the IHS/MAG medical/dental clinic as reported by Denise Wiles:

Medical Patients: 1,055
Dental Patients: 175Eye Clinic: 156
Total Patients: 1,386 (Honduran and Nicaraguan)

We also had to refer 21 patients for further medical care. 
The pharmacy filled 3,588 orders for medicines and vitamins. 

"Carlos Paz, with local pastors, was also able to share the Gospel every other evening with patients staying overnight to be seen the next day. Many came forward to receive Christ and others to reaffirm their faith."

"Praise God for such a heavy week of ministry, work, and love!"

Packing Up And Heading Out
The IHS team has packed up their gear and is working with Wes and George (our partner missions pilot up in Ahaus) to coordinate flights back to their various departure points. It looks like one plane load will depart today (Tuesday) with the majority of the team flying out tomorrow (Wednesday). George's plane is due for maintenance so Wes may end up doing all the flying. We'll have to wait and see.

I was chatting with the doctor on the IHS team and she mentioned she'd like to return to Rus Rus after we get a truck down here. She was very interested in going along with Wes and Geraldina to visit the outlying villages and provide on-site care. That's exciting. All we need is a truck!

If you'd like to make a donation to help us place a truck in Rus Rus, please click HERE.

We're still working out the specific details of my own departure but I hope to blog one more time before pulling out of Rus Rus. If that doesn't happen, I'll blog a bit more after I get home and catch my breath. Thank you for your continued prayers! This has been an amazing experience.

Rus Rus Hospital is the large white-roofed building central in the photo. If you look closely, you can see our Cessna 206 on the airstrip just opposite the hospital. The smoke is from villagers burning vegetation. Photo Credit: Clint Hanley

Crunch Time, A Shaman Gets Fired, and Rus Rus Needs A Truck

Crunch Time At The Clinic
By Saturday we were a very tired medical and mission team! But we all persevered and started another day of the clinic with a waiting room and a porch full of people from various villages. We hoped for a lighter patient load as many men hunt on Saturday for food.

The hospital waiting room at Rus Rus.

I spent part of the day in one of the exam rooms trying to get a feel for working with a family, a medical professional, and two translators. It's pretty crazy!

We've seen many things at the clinic ranging from major injuries, broken bones, serious infections, and old injuries and wounds needing treatment to TB, lice, scabies, and a whole family with Pink Eye. Nearly everyone has parasites (mostly treatable) and many have eye issues due to the sun, dust, and all the smoke from the nearly constant burning of things that goes on around here.

Actually, the day did end a bit earlier (4:00 instead of 6:00) which allowed many of the team to go for a swim in the river. That's also where the village ladies do their wash and the kids play.

The local laundry and water park.

A Village Living In Fear And Darkness
We also worked with a group of folks from a distant village where a Shaman had just lost his job. He was fired by the people of the village. In that village, when the Shaman isn't doing a good enough job of keeping everyone healthy...they simply cut off the Shaman's head. You're fired!

Unfortunately for the people of that village, many are still getting sick and are dying. The only explanation they have is that they must not have buried the Shaman's head deep enough. This is one of the reasons we're out here doing what we do. These people are deceived and without hope. But for a few hours on Saturday, they were exposed to the love and compassion of Jesus Christ and professional medical treatment that can actually make a difference.

The people from that village have never been taught the basics of bathing, brushing their teeth, or washing their hands, nor do they have any concept of germs or sanitation. If we had a truck here at Rus Rus, Wes would be able to drive Geraldina, our indigenous nurse, out to that village and begin providing some basic health education that would dramatically change the lives of those villagers. And as their lives improved through better health, the villagers would be exposed to Geraldina's faith and Wes' witness and the light of Christ would begin to eradicate the darkness and fear that currently controls the lives of everyone in that village.

A truck. That's all it would take. Please click HERE to help Rus Rus get a truck.

Worship With Our Miskito Brothers And Sisters
Time is a bit more fluid and a lot less precise down here. Last Sunday I arrived at church at 9:30 and missed all the singing. I went to church at 9:00 today and helped organize the benches because no one was ready to worship until 9:30 or so. But that's okay. It's just how it is.

There is something special about sitting in the midst of other Believers, in another part of the world, as they worship in their heart language--knowing they're worshipping the same God who created and  loves us all. I had to fight the tears. There were a couple hymns that were the same as the ones we sing in the States. Those of us who knew the words sang them in English as everyone around us sang them in Spanish. It was wonderful. One of the songs was, "When We All Get To Heaven."

Our second Sunday in church

I had the privilege of reading the first chapter of Joshua in English as part of the service. I know that sounds rather mundane, but it felt very special to take part in worship with the Believers down here.

A Daily Realty: Meals, Dishes, and Laundry
After church Denise once again served another delicious meal. Denise deserves a lot of credit for the work she's doing at home to keep us working at the hospital. And whether she's prepared a traditional Miskito meal of rice and beans with fresh tomato, onion and peppers (Honduran cheese with jalapeno and soured cream on the side); or smoked pork chops that taste like ham and melt in your mouth...eighteen people can generate a lot of dirty dishes three times a day.

Here's the team having dinner in Wes & Denise's house.

The team's been really good about helping washing up after every meal. There may not be enough electricity to run appliances or to generate hot water but how many other houses do you know that can claim to have eighteen dishwashers! Eighteen people can also generate a lot of dirty laundry in a jungle environment. Oh, Wes and Denise do have a clothes dryer. It's strung up between the trees and they store it outside up in the sky. It doesn't need electricity to work, but does refuse to work when the rain clouds come in and it never works at night.

Pray For The Team's Health
Please pray for the team's health. It seems several of us are coming down with cold symptoms! Not surprising with the work load we've maintained and the many villagers we've worked so closely with.

• To make a donation to help Missionary Air Group deliver help and hope to the people of La Moskitia, please click HERE.

• To learn more about Missionary Air Group's ministry, please click HERE.

Karen's Rus Rus Report #8: Adventure In Puerto Lempira

Departing Rus Rus In The Cessna 206
Wes and I departed Rus Rus in the Cessna 206 a little after 8AM, Friday. We were transporting a 24-year old man to the hospital in Puerto Lempira to keep an appointment with the IHS surgical team. This is the young man who'd arrived at our clinic Monday with complicated, infected drainage from an earlier surgery needing to be re-opened and repaired. We'd been trying to get him worked into the IHS surgery schedule since he'd arrived and today was the day.

After take-off from Rus Rus, looking back at the airstrip and hospital.

Photo credit to: John Ford

The flight went fine and we landed at Puerto Lempira (PLP) without incident. Even though PLP is a "major" airport in Honduras, the runway is dirt and it's not uncommon to have animals, foot, or vehiclular traffic cross the runway while airplanes are landing. (More on THAT later!)

Landing at Puerto Lempira. 

Photo credit to: John Ford

The airport terminal at Puerto Lempira.

Photo Credit: John Ford

Arrival in Puerto Lempira (PLP)
We were met at the terminal by two men from the IHS Team. Their role was one of logistics. They carried fuel for the airplane in their pick-up truck and they transported patients from the plane to the hospital and back. Wes needed to fly to another airstrip to pick up four more patients so he sent me into town with the IHS guys and the Rus Rus patient, promising to come back and find me once he returned to PLP! So...there I went into PLP hoping Wes would come back and that he would be able to find me! It wasn't long before the IHS guys dropped me off at the hospital with our patient. Of course as the IHS guys drove off they said they'd come back to find me.

So there I was...dropped off by my pilot, left behind by the IHS guys, standing in the dirt street (all the streets in PLP are dirt) outside the hospital compound with a patient in need of surgery who speaks Miskito, in a town that speaks Spanish, with me speaking English.

I'd say that your average American would think the hospital looked more like a run-down, low-budget motel than anywhere medical practice, much less surgery, would ever take place.

Karen The Patient Advocate
Our patient had no idea what to do next. He was from the jungle and this was the Big City. I didn't know what to do next. This was Honduras and I was from the US. But he was a patient. I was a nurse. We were at a hospital. There's something natural about that regardless of where a nurse is in the world.

We were able to get directed outside the building to what we learned was Registration (an open window across the way) and eventually completed that first step of the process. Then we were sent back inside to where we'd started and they weighed him and took his blood pressure.

From there a nurse led us around various body fluids on the floor, past all of the bed sheets hanging on rods beside the beds, and down a somewhat scary hallway into what I took to be a pre-op room. I could tell there was confusion in the hospital staff as to why our patient was in their hospital and that they weren't exactly sure just what they were supposed to do with him. At that point I stepped into the discussion and was able to get them to understand: "I-H-S". Then they smiled and nodded and located one of the IHS surgeons who came to meet us. The surgeon was very nice and spoke English. At that point, seeing he was in good care I said goodbye to our patient and he left with the surgeon. Satisfied everything was finally as it should be, I went back outside so I'd be easier to find (should Wes or the IHS truck crew ever come back looking for me.)

I was only out there a few moments when our patient returned to me with several papers in his hand. He showed them to me like I should know what they were. After a few moments, I figured they were orders for lab work. That meant we were headed outside on another adventure through the hospital compound--this time looking for the lab. The hospital is a campus of several buildings with exterior doors having department or office titles over them. I remembered enough Spanish to decipher most of the titles and led our patient to the lab. He waited while I scouted it out, worked out the procedure, and got him inside where he needed to be. He was brave during the blood draw. I joked with him (English to Miskito, American to Honduran) to help lessen his nervousness. He was a good sport and seemed to be in good hands in the lab, so we parted there and that was the last I saw him.

Doesn't That Sound Like A Cessna 206?
When I heard a Cessna 206 fly over I figured it was Wes and returned to where the IHS guys had dropped me off. Shortly after that Wes and the IHS guys arrived with the 4 new patients needing surgery.

Off To The Market
Wes and Denise buy their groceries here in PLP. Wes took me on a short tour. We visited the Catholic Church where the IHS surgical team was being hosted, walked to the wharf to see fuel drums being unloaded (this is where Wes gets his fuel for the airplane and generators), and picked up the groceries that Denise needed. Shopping in PLP was a bit of a different experience for me, but you know, if I knew where I was going, I believe I could be comfortable shopping on my own there.

 

Workers "herd" fuel drums to the beach.

All In A Day's Work
As we hiked back to the airplane, Wes shared that on his return flight to PLP, he'd just touched down on the runway when he was forced to avoid a pick-up truck that suddenly darted across the runway in front of him and then had to avoid a bicyclist crossing the runway before safely bringing the 206 to a halt. Thankfully, our take-off didn't contain any of the drama of the previous landing!

One of the many families living at Rus Rus while waiting for treatment.

More Patients Needing Air Transportation
We arrived back at Rus Rus, had lunch, and then Wes needed to fly three patients up to the hospital at Ahaus. One of the patients had a broken jaw. Another was suffering from severe abdominal pain and had been carried to Rus Rus on a makeshift litter by eight men. It had taken them two hours of hard walking to carry him to Rus Rus. Wes returned to the cockpit to do the flying and I returned to our hospital to sort and file patient records.

Thanks for your continued prayers for me, our other MAG missionaries (Wes, Denise, Carlos), and the IHS team serving here in Rus Rus!

• To help MAG's efforts in Rus Rus by giving a donation, please click HERE.

• To learn more about Missionary Air Group, please click HERE.

The Joy Of A Pastor's Heart

(This blog is by Carlos, Missionary Air Group's Director of Pastoral Ministries.)

The Burden
While translating for last year's IHS Team clinic in Rus Rus, I was burdened for the individuals and families having to stay overnight awaiting treatment the next day. Over the past year, I'd prayed about holding evening services for them during this year's clinic and had purchased hundreds of copies of the Gospel of John to give away in the event we were able to hold such services. There's very little to do while sitting around and sleeping in various hospital buildings during the long dark nights.

Carlos

Tuesday Evening: Planting Seeds
Tuesday evening, Benigo, a lay pastor in the village, and I met with guitar and literature in hand and went from building to building inviting people to come, worship, and listen to the message.

We sang and I preached from John, Chapter 3 on the need to be born again. I shared my own story of being born again and what that looked like in my life. Then I walked them through the passage explaining as I went. Everyone was very attentive and we had a wonderful time together.

Thursday Evening: Reaping A Harvest
Thursday Evening we again invited those staying over to gather with us. At first, only a few came. We started singing and preaching. More people joined us. Soon the crowd grew to about fifty people. Then two of the visitors shared in the message and we were preaching back and forth in Spanish and Miskito. The people were more engaged than on Tuesday and when we invited the listeners to surrender their lives to Jesus, nearly twenty people responded and were born again! One of those responding was Eduardo.

Eduardo's Story: Delivering Help
Eduardo had been part of last year's clinic. He had been shot and robbed and brought to our hospital in very bad shape. The IHS medical team stabilized his condition as best they could and made him as comfortable as they could, but no one knew whether or not he'd make it through the night. I prayed for him and with him that night and at first light, Wes flew him to to Puerto Lempira where he was treated and underwent two surgeries enabling him to live.

Eduardo's Story: Delivering Hope
I'd prayed for him often over the past year wondering what had become of him and then, there he was in the crowd Tuesday evening. It was so good to see him. He returned Thursday evening, responded to the Gospel message, and prayed to receive Christ. (Last year he was a patient close to death. This year he's a Brother in Christ sharing eternal life.) What a joy it was to pray with him and the others!

How we rejoice today knowing that God's love and grace was poured out by his Spirit to touch so many of these poor, precious souls. We hope to preach on as we continue the medical clinic. The moon was almost full last night as we gathered together in its soft glow. That was all we had for light, plus our small flashlights, but it felt as if God himself was shining down upon us.

Thank you for your prayers.

• To help our efforts in Rus Rus by giving a gift, please click HERE

• To learn more about Missionary Air Group, please click HERE

Karen's Rus Rus Report #7: Laundry, A Baby, And A Godfather

(Note from Keith: As I post this, Karen's in the air with Westley flying a patient to the IHS surgical team in Puerto Lempira.)

Tears, Thankfulness, and Laundry
This morning (Wednesday) I knew I needed to take a day away from all of the crowds and allow myself to deal with the emotions that have accumulated.

The tears are flowing today and, in Keith's absence, Denise has been my shoulder to cry on and understand. I am so thankful to be treated like family here by Wes and Denise. They are blessing my socks off taking such good care of me. So, today I am trying to stay at the house and help Denise while I work through my emotions, catch my breath, and have some quieter time between the team's coming and going from the house. When I'm struggling emotionally, I like to do laundry or clean house. It centers me--I know how to do it, I don't have to think hard about it, I can talk with God while I work, I can process mentally while I work, and in the end I have accomplished something I can see and appreciate. So, after I cried on Denise's shoulder, I swept the house for her and helped her hang out laundry.


The men on the team brought their dirty laundry to the house when they came for supper last night so Denise could run it through the washer today. Now that sounds simple enough, but things aren't that simple down here. Here's the Rus Rus process: Wes ran the generator--which generated the electricity--which allowed him to run the pump--which then filled the water storage tank--which later allowed Denise to run the washer, wash the veggies for supper, fill the large water bottles (so the water can be filtered insuring we all have good water to drink), and for us all to take showers.


You don't just twist the faucet for gushing water down here. Nothing is simple. Most of us have no idea the work and sacrifice it takes for our missionaries to live here! Wes and Denise do have a water heater but they can't store enough energy to run it or the refrigerator with any consistency. You can forget ever using a microwave down here. People think since that since Wes and Denise "have electricity" they can use any electrical device we can, but that isn't true. "Having electricity" in Rus Rus...is nothing like "having electricity" in the United States. The words may be the same, the concept may even be similar, but the realities couldn't be more different.

Carlos, Infant Mortality, And A Godfather

Carlos (MAG's Director of Pastoral Ministries) is so well-loved by the villagers here! He has such a welcoming and warm heart for these people and his genuine love and compassion quickly win their trust and respect. 

During the IHS clinic he serves as interpreter for the patients who are able to speak Spanish. Remember that while the native language down here is Miskito, many people do know and understand Spanish. It's not uncommon for one of the indigenous pastors, who knows Spanish, to assist Carlos in a multi-step translation process. The patient speaks to the pastor in Miskito. The pastor translates to Spanish for Carlos. Carlos translates to English for the doctor. The doctor speaks to Carlos in English. Carlos speaks to the pastor in Spanish. The pastor speaks to the patient in Miskito. IMAGINE IF EVERY ONE OF YOUR DOCTOR VISITS WENT LIKE THIS!

Carlos

Yesterday, Carlos was interpreting for a mother who brought her 2 month old daughter to the clinic for care. The baby was two months old but still had no name. Perhaps you're surprised that a two month old wouldn't yet have a name. But you need to understand, before MAG reopened the hospital, the infant mortality rate in Rus Rus was 60%. Because of that, even though the hospital's been open since 2010, people sometimes still do not name an infant until they are relatively sure it will live.

During the course of Carlos ministering to this mother, the mother decided the daughter was going to live and named her "Carla" in honor of Carlos! Carlos was delighted and I know he'll keep in contact and visit her when he is in Rus Rus as he has now been named her Godfather! 

Thank you for making this possible through your prayers for this clinic!

(Note from Keith: tomorrow we'll feature a blog by Carlos sharing about his non-medical work at the clinic.)

Karen's Rus Rus Report #6: Remote Medical Reality

Bone Tired on Day 2: How Many Teeth Can One Dentist Pull?
We were all bone tired at the end of the second day of the clinic. I was talking with the dentist who has been pulling teeth nonstop for two days and his feet and back were hurting as badly as mine. His right hand is red and nearly blistered from grasping tools and yanking from morning to evening. He finally had to stop or else he wouldn't have been any good for today. It is his first experience down here too, and I am relating well with his own struggle to take it all in. It's a struggle for me as well. He and his brother are doing a great job and they both speak Spanish so they are able to communicate with many of the people here in Rus Rus.

Working With Patients Again!
I plugged-in with the medical team today and was truly doing some nursing again for the first time in 10 years. We had a woman come in that we thought may be having a heart attack. I helped with blood pressures, compiled notes, assisted the doctor as she assessed her, and so forth. It was nice to get my hands on a patient again but rather intimidating as well. In the end, the woman was able to rest and eventually return home.

Teamwork On The Ground And In The Air
Remember the man on the stretcher (broken leg) that Wes flew out Tuesday? George Goff, who flies for Alas de Socorro, our partner ministry in Ahaus, flew the man back today. You can see him walking with crutches, his lower right leg in cast, surrounded by family and friends in the picture below. George's airplane is in the background. That's another airplane that was restored for service by MMS Aviation.

 A patient returns to Rus Rus after being flow out the day before with a broken leg.

Twenty People Lost In The Jungle
We knew that 20 people had left a distant village on Sunday to come to the Rus Rus Hospital but only one of them arrived by 1:00AM Wednesday. The rest were lost somewhere in the jungle. So once the sun came up, they sent someone out (on a motorcycle I think) to seriously search for them and they finally did find them and lead them back to Rus Rus for medical care.

A Soldier Treated After An Accident Escorting Truck Loads of People to Rus Rus
Several truck loads of people came from a village near the river which boarders Nicaragua. This is a village with drug mafia and they war against another village in the region so they came with many soldiers as their protective escort. Unfortunately it was one of the soldiers who needed to be seen first when they arrived. It seems they wrecked and rolled their vehicle and he seriously injured his thigh. For you medical folks he has compartment syndrome and a possible fracture. For you "non-medical" folks, his injury is serious enough that if he didn't receive timely treatment, he'd lose the use of his main thigh muscle through a painful and debilitating degenerative process.

Working To Schedule Surgery And Another Emergency Flight
We had a young man arrive at the clinic on Day 1 with complicated, infected drainage from a past surgery that needed to be opened and repaired. Calls were made to the IHS surgical team in Puerta Limpira but they said they couldn't take him until today (Thursday). Calls are still being made to try and get him on the surgery schedule. There is no guarantee this is going to happen. If Wes does get the go ahead I will try and fly with him for this trip so I can see the IHS surgery team's location as well as see the town where Wes and Denise get many of their basic supplies for home.

Prayers, Prayers, Prayers

Well, guess that's all for today. Hoping I'll get to fly with Wes later. Thanks for everyone who is praying for me. Please continue. It's an exciting but emotionally difficult trip. I'm fighting a migraine, my sinuses are unhappy with the changing weather, and some allergies are kicking in so please pray they would clear up and I would sleep well.

Continue to pray for the team here and especially for Wes and Denise as they get pulled in so many directions working to meet the aviation, medical, and hospitality demands. It is exhausting but rewarding to see the folks Wes and Denise live with and care for, receive the medical care they so desperately need while experiencing the love and compassion of Christ for maybe the very first time.

Karen's Rus Rus Report #5: People Just Kept Coming

It's been crazy busy here. I don't know when I've been so tired and hot but felt so alive. The clinic overflowed all day long. Many are from other villages and stay overnight in the buildings near the hospital. Many are sleeping on concrete floors. A few have mattresses. 

Wes prepares to depart on an emergency flight.

The fellow on the litter (in the picture above) had a broken leg and was flown by Wes to Puerta Limpera, but when they landed there...the X-ray machine was broken so Wes then had to fly the man to Ahaus where the X-ray machine was working! There is another case that needed flown out but the surgeons cannot take him until Thursday. Our airplane and Wes are so critical to the work going on out here! 

I was helping all over the place but was able to spend some time helping the local nurse get charts started for paperwork that was back-logged before we came. Keeping records on each patient is a totally new thing for the clinic and will be a good improvement.

Here I am helping organize patient records.

 People just kept coming. We finally just had to tell them we couldn't see any more and that they would have to wait until tomorrow. Wow. What a day, but we treated more than 100 people! I cannot possibly tell you anything that could make you understand the intensity and unbelievable quality of this experience. 

IHS medical staff working with a young patient.

We saw one little girl who was 4 years old. She was hardly able to walk. She no longer played with the other kids. It was the moment of breaking for me. I held it together but nearly had to leave in tears when I realized that--even with all of our assembled medical experience and knowledge--we could not help her or figure out why she was having such problems nor would she have access to any specialist who might be able to help. It's heart breaking.

Thank you for your prayers.

Karen's Rus Rus Report #4: The IHS Team Arrives

Air Work And Ground Work

Wes left early this morning in the plane. He had to finish up one trip that he couldn't do yesterday because the folks providing the fuel had a malfunction and he had to wait for them to fix their fuel pump. He was exhausted yesterday after flying all day in very rough weather. He went to bed early and awoke refreshed and ready to go this morning. There's an amazing amount of groundwork (and air work!) that goes on in order to make a medical clinic happen in such a remote location. Wes will make five round-trip flights today! It's a blessing to be here to help Wes and Denise. We also have Rachel, their daughter with us as well as Gabriella and Samuel who are two missionary teens staying with Wes & Denise. They've been a great help as we hike to the guest house and apartments with supplies.

I had to weave my way between cows and horses on the runway as I walked to the guest house.

Criticism or Christ's Compassion?

Part of the challenge is that very little can be done ahead of time at the guest quarters because things would disappear. Wes put light bulbs in the rooms a couple of days ago and today many of them were gone. That's not a knock against the villagers, it's just that people here have so little that it is a great temptation to put such things out there and expect them not take them. Wes said that the light blankets we put on the beds are like leaving $100 bills lying around. Think about that for a minute! Would you be tempted to pick up a $100 bill that was just lying there? It's far too easy for us to become critical instead of compassionate!

I have to take a break here. Wes just radioed in and will be landing with the IHS team leader and first supplies in 7 minutes.

Unloading our Cessna 206

Making New Friends

OK, I'm back! I met the airplane and helped unload it. I also met John, the IHS team leader and chatted with him while waiting for Wes to fly in with the next load of team members. The flight may be delayed as rain has moved in. While I was chatting with John on the new porch of the hospital one of the little girls I met yesterday came up and snuggled up beside me.

Here I am with my new friend!

People seem to be happy to see me around now when I walk. I think they have gotten to know me a bit and they will say hello and smile. I got to see a 5 day-old in the hospital while I was there. Soooo fun to see my favorite age patient! It was so hard not to have the words to say to talk with the mom and other little ones who were along. I at least was able to ask how old the baby was and watch Janeth care for him. Janeth is a younger nurse who is the sister of Geraldina and is learning more and more from Geraldina's vast experience.

Karen (left) sorts "meds" with a member of the IHS team inside the hospital.

Just heard the radio that Wes is almost here with the next airplane load of people and supplies. I've got to run up to meet them and help! There are shelves to fill in the pharmacy, medicines to organize and prepare for distribution, and the dental clinic still needs to be set up!

Here's our dental clinic in Hospital Rus Rus!

Thanks for your prayers for me, our MAG missionaries, and the members of the International Health Services medical/dental team! Our ten day clinic starts tomorrow!

Karen's Rus Rus Report #3: Church, Challenges, and Cold Water

Church Is Pet and Child Friendly

We just returned from church and dodged the rain on our walk up and back. The rain showers made a nice breeze which cooled what often is a very hot time in church! Carlos preached. I caught some of what was said here and there. Dogs and children come and go at all times during the service so it takes patience to preach with so much activity and noise!

 Inside the church at Rus Rus

I actually spoke just a bit with the local pastor after the service. He asked me if he could help at the clinic and asked if I would let Wes know that he wanted to help. He was speaking in Spanish and I was actually able to grasp what he said and even spoke a little bit of Spanish back to him!!!! Way cool! The pastor is a great asset to have at the medical clinics because he speaks fluent Miskito and Spanish and will be able to translate for those who are unable to speak Spanish. We have the two teens with us who can translate Spanish to English, and Rachel and Carlos but it's hard to get folks who can translate the Miskito to Spanish so we are glad to have him come and help.

Three young men hang-out after church

I was able to take photos of some who wanted them after church and they were so happy and had such fun asking for pictures and seeing their pictures after they were taken. Carlos gets prints and brings them with him on his next trip and they look forward to that. It's a great way to make friends and build relationships.

One of the village women pounds rice in preparation for a meal.

Wes Has The Keys

Wes is still flying supplies for other IHS teams and we are grilling hamburgers for lunch. We ran into a snag with getting the guest house ready. Wes has all the keys with him in the airplane!!! If he happens to be flying close by we'll radio him to see if he can drop them to us from the plane.

Bobcat Challenges

Wes worked most of the day yesterday trying to get the new seal on the Bobcat to no avail. He tried everything to get it to retract once it was installed but it just wouldn't work. He's going to coordinate with the next team coming down to bring another one thinking this one might be defective. Bummer! He needs the Bobcat to lift and move a dental chair that's been donated to the hospital. We were thankful that Wes was able to make a short-term repair to the Bobcat which at least allowed him to mow the airstrip.

Mowing the airstrip with the Bobcat

Hot Water? Who Needs Hot Water...

I learned the technique for washing dishes here today so I can be of more help! It's very much like your style of doing dishes! They just have a container (sort of like a margarine tub) with soap you rub onto the sponge or scrubbie. The soap is special because it works on grease in cold water which is a great need since we have don't have any hot water! 

Did I mention that I got my first cold shower yesterday??? Yikes! It's one stream of water that comes out of the shower faucet which is good because I didn't really want to get all the way in--yet it was strong enough I could wash my hair. It's hot enough here that if you bathe in the heat of the day it's very welcoming to have the cold water but it's a bit shocking if the weather is cool!

I think lunch is about ready, so I'm going to have to sign-off for now.

Thanks to everyone following this blog, keeping track of our updates on Facebook, and praying for the team and the upcoming clinic here in Rus Rus!

Karen's Rus Rus Report #2: Taking It All In

 Carlos, me, Westley, and "19-Zulu" on the ground in San Pedro Sula. 

19-Zulu is the Cessna 206 that MMS Aviation recently restored for us.

Temperature Differences (February 16)

I know it's cold back there in Ohio (19 degrees) but it's rather hot here in Honduras! I have no idea what the temperature actually is here, but it's hot enough that you just want to lay in a hammock and sweat.

Right now, there is a fire directly across from the house here. The people in this area burn off the vegetation on a regular basis. No one knows why. It's just always been done that way. I look across and wonder how in the world they don't burn down their wooden houses at the same time! It makes the air quality very bad all over the village but they are used to it.

Denise just cooked us a wonderful meal. We have our large meal at lunch time.

Hospital Tour

Wes took me on a tour of the Rus Rus hospital and grounds. MAG has made many improvements that are evident.  Yet there's so much work yet to be done! It is amazing what Geraldina (the hospital's indigenous nurse) does all on her own here in Rus Rus' little hospital. And Wes has done an amazing job of organizing and gathering supplies they can use. Come Monday, when the IHS team starts getting flown in by Wes, it will be very busy around here!

Wes, Denise, and Carlos expect many people to come to the clinic from villages some distance away. There is one building by the hospital that is empty and they'll put mattresses on the floor for those who come and need to stay. There will be families traveling together and they'll need to build fires and cook. There is one little, open building that is used for cooking. Families have to care for their own family members when they need to stay at the hospital for any reason. The hospital has one room set up for overnight care.

Village Visit

Carlos (MAG's Director of Pastoral Ministries) took me to visit many of the villagers living closest to the hospital and airstrip this morning. Andrew Tonn, the photographer who'd recently visited Rus Rus taking photos of all the villagers, gave Carlos permission to make prints and we delivered them to the folks in the photos. 

 Carlos (seated) shares photos with a family on their front porch.

 

The locals have come to know and trust Carlos and they welcomed him (and me) to their porches to visit a bit. There were many smiles as everyone looked at and received their photos. I understood little of the actual conversations though I picked up on a few words and sometimes caught the gist of what was being talked about. Oh how I wish I could speak the language!

Delivering Help and Hope

Prior to Westley and Denise bringing the airplane to Rus Rus and MAG's reopening the hospital in 2010, the villagers had been promised many things over the previous decades by many people only to be disappointed and deserted. Consequently, it has taken some time for Wes and Denise, and now Carlos, to earn their trust and acceptance. But those three have done a great job consistently demonstrating the love, care, and compassion of Christ to these people and the people are responding.

Bobcat Repairs And A 4-Wheeler That Starts!  

Oh yeah! I took a picture of Carlos helping Wes repair the "Bobcat" using some of the parts I brought along. Wes and Denise are also ecstatic to have the 4 wheeler starting again instead of having to kick-start it every time! 

Carlos (left) helps Wes (right) make repairs to the Bobcat.

 It's so worth carrying in all the "parts" over in your suitcase when you see our missionaries regain the use of things they need so badly and have to do without--until someone can come down and bring what is so desperately needed. Technically, it would be possible for them to have a postal box in the town they fly to for groceries and such but the mail system is unreliable, things are often "inspected" by postal workers and may never reappear, and let's face it...it's just too expensive to fly several hours into town and back for the mail at $250 per hour of flight!

Morning Starts With The Chickens, The Monkey, And Checking For Scorpions

Morning comes much earlier here than in Ohio. The light of dawn starts around 5:30ish as do the clucking chickens in the yard and Jack the monkey on the porch! Jack is getting a bit too feisty in his adolescence to roam free on their screened in porch all day, but he does like to reach out of his cage, hold on to my fingers, and talk up a storm! So funny!

I did remember to dump out my shoes (to remove any transient scorpions) before putting them on this morning. Now that's something we don't have to do back in Coshocton!

Thanks so much for your prayers. Lord willing, I'll file another report soon.

Karen's Rus Rus Report #1: The Flight to Rus Rus

We just arrived in Rus Rus and parked the plane (Wes did of course!).

It’s very hot and humid as expected. All the flights went well. Some rough ride as I came into San Pedro Sula but no problem. They went thru my luggage here in Honduras but didn’t seem to want to bother to open the bubble wrap that held the radio panel! The guys looked at it for a while and finally looked at me and said, “Just plastic?” I said yes and that was that. I walked out to the food court and found Wes, Rachel and Carlos at a table waiting and working on paper work for flying out to Rus Rus. On the Atlanta-San Pedro flight I sat beside a doctor and his daughter who were both first timers with IHS. Very nice.

We all headed thru what seemed a million check points as we went to the 206 for the flight to Rus Rus. It was windy for the take off and then we went thru quite a bit of rain and clouds...a lot like flying thru a glass of milk! Then we came out on the other side of it to more beautiful green mountains and valleys as far as the eye can see. We soon saw the Rio Coco (River) on our right which is the border of Nicaragua. We saw several illegal drug runways that are used along the way. We saw a couple of little villages along the river that war with each other over drugs. They also give trouble to anyone who tries to give any help to either village.

 MAG's Cessna 206 lands on the grass airstrip at Rus Rus.

(video courtesy of Dwight Jarboe)

I can’t possibly share everything I’m taking in being here in Rus Rus for the first time! The house is rough cinder block inside and out. Denise and Rachel are sweet and friendly and ready to share whatever they have and show me the ropes. We are going to help Denise set the rooms up and make the beds for the IHS medical team in the guest house and apartments. The dining area here is full of sheets and so forth that we will take over to the guest house maybe tomorrow. Ebony, their Black Lab is so friendly and it was fun to be greeted by her and have a dog to pet. I just met Jack, their Capuchin monkey, too. Jack climbed on my shoulder and let me pet him. He wasn’t happy when Wes took him away!

Jack

Karen's Honduran Trip Begins

Our day began early with the alarm set for 1:45 AM. I won't say "1:45 in the morning" because there is no "morning" at 1:45. And actually, getting up at 1:45 AM may better be referred to as getting a late start...as I didn't sleep even though we went to bed at 8:30. Karen slept. I just laid there, tried to relax, and listened to her sleep for three hours before getting up to read until 1:45.

Port Columbus International Airport, Columbus, OH

Regardless, we made it out of the house, into the car, and began our hour and twenty minute drive to Port Columbus International Airport around 2:30 arriving at the Delta ticket counter at 4:00. Unfortunately for us and the rest of the Atlanta-bound and bagged crowd...Delta doesn't wake up until 4:32. United Airlines and US Air get up earlier than Delta.

Once Delta got out of bed, loaded the baggage tapes in each of the kiosks, and turned the magic keys bringing each of the kiosks up to full speed...baggage strips were spitting out all down the line like pasta in a noodle factory. Karen's bag was tagged in no time and she whipped through security like a professional traveler (even with the aircraft audio panel in her back pack).

Before I knew it she was on the other side of the TSA security enclosure, giving me a thumbs up, blowing me a kiss, and hiking to her departure gate. And just like that...my beautiful bride, my Honey Bunch, my Sweet Baboo...began her two week adventure into the La Moskitia region of Honduras,  to observe and assist with International Health Services' medical/dental clinic at MAG's jungle hospital.

Rus Rus' location is pinpointed by the red "A" just above the Nicaraguan border in Eastern Honduras. (Thanks Google Maps!)

Please pray for Karen as she learns the life and culture of the village, ministers to the people, and re-enters the medical profession through hands-on indoctrination into the realities of "third world medicine".

And, if you think about it, you might say a prayer for me and the dogs...fending for ourselves...alone...in the Midwestern winter...working for MAG and waiting for God to sell our house (preparing as best we can for God's Green Light To MOVE to a warmer place!).

Final Packing for Rus Rus

As I sit here by the warmth of our fireplace on this cold day it is hard to imagine that I will be in hot and humid weather the day after tomorrow!

Tucker and I out for a walk in the cold weather

 Tucker joins me by the fireplace

I can hardly believe "D-Day" is finally here: Departure Day! I loaded up the suitcase today and stood on the scales to find both of us are within the weight limits. Yeah! I'm taking scrubs to work in and other clothes for when I'm not in the clinic but it's still not all that much. What I'm finding funny is the things that keep getting added to my luggage that I didn't plan on.

It started out with two big bags (4 pounds) of baking nuts and added two more bags (5 pounds) of craisins for Denise....I love to bake and I can relate to not being able to get nuts and craisins!!! Then I got two data cards...very small. Kind of like the data cards in your camera. No big deal. Then I got an electronic audio panel. Now that's not so big (though much bigger than data cards!) but it's quite fragile so it has to be hand-carried and wrapped in a fair amount of bubble wrap and will almost certainly be inspected at security. Now I don't much care one way or the other about those parts except that Wes needs them and they are for the airplane I'll be flying in.....I want Wes and the airplane to have all they need. :o) Then yesterday I received a bag full of tractor parts....I guess I'll find out what tractor when I get there. Today I received an overnight package with generator parts to add to my collection of carry-alongs. I'm trying hard to keep in mind what all the different things are so when security or customs asks I'll have some intelligent answer that will hopefully appease them!

"Parts"

Welcome to traveling for missions! Many who have done so before recognize this type of story. You pack minimally for personal needs and pack heavy for what is needed by those who serve in such remote places. It's a blessing to be able to carry precious cargo to those who live where many of us can not even imagine living so those in the field can answer the call to serve beyond the end of the road for the glory of God.

I do not know how much access to communication I will have in Rus Rus so I expect this will be the last blog you'll have from me until I return. I will communicate with Keith as I'm able and perhaps  he can blog while I'm gone.

Thank you for your continued prayers for this trip and for me. Keith and I and two other MMS friends will leave for the airport in Columbus at 2:30AM Friday morning.  I look forward to sharing this trip with you as soon as communication allows.

A Prayer Request from Rus Rus, Honduras

As Karen packs her bags to leave for Honduras (I'll take her to Columbus in the wee hours this Friday morning) our missionaries down in Rus Rus (Westley and Denise Wiles)  have a prayer request:

"We can't live without prayer! We would ask that you join with us in praying for breakthrough. Since we've come home, we have come up against many things that are not working like they are supposed to. We have a big medical/dental group coming in...and we need to resolve several issues. Thank you for praying for victory! We will NOT let the devil win any place here."

Please join us in praying for Westley and Denise! And for the medical/dental team they mention as it's the team Karen's part of!

Westley is the pilot/mechanic who will fly all the team members into and out of Rus Rus. He's also the hospital administrator. Denise is in charge of EVERYTHING having to do with hospitality and caring for the team members.

Thanks for your prayers!

One Week 'Til Rus Rus!

Today is Friday February 8th. That means one week until I hop the plane for Rus Rus Honduras. I'm getting very excited and I can't believe it's only one week away now! The guest bed at our house is covered with the things I have gathered for the trip. Next week I'll work on getting all those things into a suitcase of 50lbs or less and a back pack. I'll also hand carry a box with some airplane parts for our missionary plane in Rus Rus. They are rather fragile parts so they are bubble wrapped and boxed for the trip rather than packed in luggage. Hopefully the security and customs folks will know the difference between airplane parts and bomb parts! Those "in the know" tell me it won't be an issue so I trust their experience. After all, I've seen airplane engines arrive at MMS taken apart to their smallest pieces and packed in carry on luggage! Ha! Why should I question????

Gathering things to pack

Suddenly my trip to Rus Rus seemed very close when last Sunday it was time to take my first dose of Chloroquine. Malaria meds start 2 weeks before you leave so you know if you have any side effects before you go. None for me Yeah! I've named it "Chlorquine Sunday" to help me remember that if it's the day I'm going to church then it's the day to take Chloroquine. I wonder what church in the jungle will be like? I'm anxious to find out!

It's been fun getting copies of emails that are going around from the medical team that is heading to Rus Rus while I'm there. I guess it would really be more accurate to say I am going while THEY are there! Anyway, everyone sounds very friendly. Some have been to Rus Rus before on medical trips. Some are literally world travelers others like myself have traveled little. A couple were missionary kids. All have a desire to help those in need. Some know Spanish others not. BTW, knowing Spanish may be of some help along the way but the local population in La Moskitia (the larger area around Rus Rus) have their own Moskito language (I know you are thinking it....the language should have a high pitched, annoying, humming sound in your ear, right? Ha!). Many know at least some Spanish as a second language but others don't. At times we will have interpretation in the clinic going from the patient's language of Moskito to translator to Spanish to translator to English to medical worker and then back again!

Some have asked for my itinerary so I'll share that here. I leave Columbus, OH at 6AM Friday, February 15th. Arrive in Atlanta, GA at 7:38AM. Leave Atlanta at 9:45am and arrive in San Pedro Sula about 12:18pm. There I will meet Wes, our Rus Rus-based missionary pilot/mechanic; his daughter, Rachel; and Carlos, MAG's Director of Pastoral Ministries. We may stay over night before heading to the jungle as Wes has to shop for groceries. Once all that's done, we'll climb into the Cessna 206 and make the flight to Rus Rus where Wes' wife, Denise, will be waiting for us.

This is MAG's Cessna 206 we'll be flying in ("19 Zulu")

I don't know for sure what day Wes will fly me out of Rus Rus, but my fight home from San Pedro Sula, Honduras is on March 1st leaving at 1:33pm via Delta Air. I don't get back to Columbus until 11:38pm.

Thank you for praying for me as I prepare and go! God is answering and I am excited to go where He is leading! Pray for Keith as well. Maybe he'll sell the house while I'm gone and we'll be ready to find our home in NC!

Prayer:
-For good health
-For flights to be on time and go smoothly so all connections can be made
-For wisdom and grace for every situation that arises
-That my luggage will arrive with me
-That in every situation I would be a good testimony to our Father