Honduras 2008---Take #1 (Our Team)

March 5-14, 2008: Medical Missions Trip to Honduras, Central America
There was five people who left Detroit, MI on a blustery winter day as the city was being pounded with 8 inches of snow. We had a brief stop in Houston, TX, and then flew into the airport at San Pedro Sula, Honduras where we stepped out into 95 degree weather and glorious sunshine. The trip was organized by Jean and Joan Quirin and set up through a fund that they help oversee (The Frankenmuth International Aid Fund); much of the monies in this fund go to help Dr. Larry & Lori Whiting in their full-time mission work in Honduras, as well as allocating funds to various people and church groups as needs are made known. We worked closely with two native Hondurans, Paz (an abbreviated name) and Rebekah. The above picture shows all the women in our group; it was taken in the mountains by La Esperanza (NWestern Honduras).
We are (From Lt to Right): Joan Q, Rebekah, Lori W., Paz, and Me.

Meet Bill Fale. He is an attorney practicing Family Law in the town of Cheboygan, Wisconsin. One of the other team members, Dr. Jeff Corrigan, invited Bill to come along on this trip. It was the first time he had ever done anything like this, and he was a little intrepidatious, but excited to be able to help. He worked in our "portable pharmacy" with Lori and Joan, as well as help out in whatever way he was able to. Bill loved to talk, and he had many incredible stories; I thoroughly enjoyed his company and his big heart for service. Here we are in Seguatepeque, standing behind Paz's car and waiting to roll out to rural Honduras for a few days. I have to add that those khaki pants were the best! They've weathered a few backpacking trips and lots of bike rides, and doggone it, they did great in Honduras. When they wear out, the wardrobe won't ever be quite the same.....

Corrigan also hails from Cheboygan, Wisconsin. This was his second trip to Honduras, having gone in Oct. of 2007. He speaks fluent Spanish, and so he did a great job interacting with the patients who came to see us. I worked through an interpreter (that being Paz), but often needed Jeff's help to get my point across or to try to understand what was being communicated to me (Paz's English is sometimes a little bit shaky). The Hondurans always got a big kick out of seeing him because Jeff is quite tall: 6ft4inches. As you probably guessed, the Hondurans,on average,tend to be a of a slightly shorter stature than that. Yep, he stood out in a crowd.....literally.
Dr. Larry and Lori Whiting. They have been serving the Lord in Honduras for about 4 yrs now. They previously ministered in Costa Rica. Larry had a family practice in Frankenmuth, which he sold when they went into full time missions work about 10 yrs ago. I enjoyed my work with them both, and appreciated the opportunity to see first-hand a little snippet of what life as a missionary entails.

Paz Cordona (not pictured here) is a little Mother Theresa in the town of Seguatepeque. It's hard to capture with words just what all she does in that corner of the world. Her home is a revolving door, as many people with various needs see her at all times of the day. Before the government built roads to some of the more rural villages we went to (Palagua, San Antonio del Norte), she would travel to them on donkey and render her dental skills to the people as well as try to teach them such basic things as how to make a table or chair to furnish their homes (as opposed to sitting on a dirt floor). She has been very instrumental in helping churches be erected in remote areas, and in finding/training/overseeing pastors to minister at these churches. She's helping pay for a nephew to get through dental school. She is an effective communicator of the Gospel message, and always opened our clinics up with the proclamation of Good News.... and everyone listened intently. She is one who lives her life in a way that the World would not understand, and who is looking for her treasure to be found on the other side of this life; it's a treasure that does not "fade, spoil, or perish...."