Thursday, May 21, 2015

Now let's talk about Boo


I know many of my friends have sent their children off on short term mission trips - some of you have even sent them here to us - but this week, for the first time, we've sent one of our own children off for a short term trip! Boo is interested in possibly pursuing a career in medical missions, so as a sort of mission trip/internship, she's working for two weeks in a missionary medical clinic farther out in the mountains. She traveled alone, a few hours by bus, and is staying with a family of Mennonite missionaries. 

Boo has lived in Honduras since she was 4 years old (she's now 18), so there isn't much about this trip that takes her outside of her regular comfort zone . . .in fact, when she returns to the US to live in the fall, I expect that will be a much harder for her! Still, this is a time when she's learning and experiencing what it would be like to live and work in a different type of ministry, and she's thinking and making plans for the future.

Most people, in preparation for a mission trip, write support letters, and, in addition to raising the money for their trip costs, they also collect a group of prayer supporters. The cost for Boo's trip was pretty negligible, but it would be great to have some extra people praying for her! She'll be away until next weekend, around the 30th of May.

Thanks for praying for Boo (her real name is Bethany, just so you know), as she starts stepping out into adulthood during this trip and over the next few months and years.

The photos below show Boo in some of the many roles she has played in our ministry work:


Boo as medical assistant


Boo as photographer


Boo as dental assistant

Boo creating gifts for pastors and their families

Boo assisting with teams - however she's needed

Boo as . . . as . . . as an adventurous example for visiting teams :-)

Saturday, May 2, 2015

Have dental tools, Will travel



In the rural villages of Honduras, many people have little or no knowledge of how to maintain their teeth. Even with this knowledge, so often families do not have the financial means to purchase tooth brushes and tooth paste. Elementary school children with mouths full of broken, rotten teeth are extremely common here.

Free dental clinics, held in rural villages, can be a huge blessing. Cavities are filled before the tooth is destroyed. Teeth that are rotten beyond saving, and are causing pain and the risk of serious infection, can be extracted. Professional cleanings can be done. Tooth brushes and tooth paste are distributed, and information on maintaining better oral health is disseminated.


This week, we hosted a team of dentists, along with dental students from Pitt University in Pennsylvania. Dr. Annette Merlino leads a dental team like this every year. Here are a few photos from the past week: