Wednesday, day 4! 

The first day at the new clinic in Politilly. The team started the day early with breakfast at 6:30am but then had to wait till about 7:25am to leave - the roads next to the hotel are closed to traffic for 25 minutes in the morning while school is letting in. During a quick stop at the pharmacy for additional meds that we were low on, a few of us got out of the bus to stretch our legs before heading to the new clinic about 30 minutes away on the eastern part of the island. As we arrived, people were waiting outside for us, applauding as we entered the building.
Everyone got situated into their specific areas of this small clinic. Rooms had to be shared by 2-3 providers plus one or two interpreter. We frequently bumped into each other and the patients just trying to move inside the rooms and hallways. In the "store", where we give away flip flops, clothing, bibles and more, we had new supplies that had been saved for these last two days. All items were unpacked and set out on a couple of tables to allow patients to know what all we had to offer. It was refreshing to see adults, children, and whole families families so grateful to be seen and heard.
Being in a new space was overwhelming and chaotic at first, the hallway was without A/C, very crowded and loud with  patients waiting in the heat and one of our local interpreters using a megaphone to overcome the noise. Some of our apple watches warned us of a dangerously loud environment.... Several large fans were set up which helped move the air and as soon as we figured out a system, everything ran  very smoothly.  Although there was impatience and some confusion on who needed to be seen next,  we noticed that as soon as they stepped in the specialist room or the store it was calm. They were greeted by name, touched on the arm, and asked to share about aches, pains, needs or feelings. Everyone knew that they were cared for and left smiling, asking us to come back and and many gave us hugs.
We want to give a special shout out to our non-medical volunteers. It is hard to know what your purpose will be when you join a medical team and are not a provider of any kind. But our people, Jerry, Joe, Lorren, Leslie, Sawyer, Chris and Mario all stepped up to help anywhere they were asked to go. Leslie created order out of the chaos at intake and kept the waiting masses calm and happy, Joe and Sawyer manned the store with precision, Jerry was everywhere as our "MacGyver" or patient flow coordinator, Lorren was our super statistics workaholic, Mario translated wherever needed (often for two providers at the same time) and Chris was a machine in the pharmacy. The medical team can't function well without this amazing support and we are so thankful to all of them.
The clinic day came to an end around 3. The pharmacy was still going for about another 30 minutes as everyone packed their bags and helped clean up a bit. We where able to leave our supplies in the rooms overnight to be ready for us the next morning, our last day. It was so fun being in a new space and seeing new people, especially when it isn’t super hot! We couldn't wait for the last day, hopefully the best and smoothest. We prayed for Carol and her family and asked that for tomorrow we be sent the people that need us the most.
In the evening Dr Paul Gale gave us a tour of the temporary hospital that has been set up in a local church. They have temporary wards divided by curtains but still no true emergency room, radiology, sterilization or operating rooms. We got to see the area that is being prepared to be temporary emergency and operating facilities until the new hospital can be completed. It was eyeopening to comprehend the limitations they work under day after day and we promised to help wherever we can. 

On our second day of clinic at Savannah Bight the men truly shined. Father David shared the story about the Good Samaritan during our morning reflection and challenged the team to share examples of mercy. Several of our male leaders, including Jerry and Mark, felt a calling to connect with young men after hearing several stories about their afflictions and its adverse impact on their families in the Guanaja community.

One gentleman confessed that his substance abuse led to financial hardships for his wife and two young children. Expressing remorse and desire to change, Father David was able to recommend a Celebrate Recovery program that he learned about from another gentleman seen in our clinic the day prior. While this young Honduran male was relieved to learn about this opportunity, he admitted he was apprehensive to attend alone.

Touched by this story, Father David and Mark made special arrangements to attend Celebrate Recovery with their new friend.

We learned that all men need one thing - someone with whom they are safe enough to be vulnerable.

With men like Rob, Chris, Mark, Jerry, Miguel, Father David and David III. we were able to provide a safe haven to many. These amazing male leaders were able to show enough empathy, compassion and support for this and many other patients to feel comfortable enough expressing their needs and insecurities. With their encouragement, this one man is now willing to take the first step forward in healing and recovery.

Sometimes it only takes one act of kindness. One small gesture. One person to change a life. Our men did ALL of this . As a result, not only did they change his life, but the life of his family as well.

Let’s continue to show mercy, grace and kindness to all we meet. We never know what battles others are facing, but it is always great to know that we are never alone!
#moremercy #menonamission #neveralone #bekind #vulnerablemenrock