We were blessed to have Lee University and iHeart Church medical students and professionals join us in June. We also had the privilege of hosting our great friend Chunky Miller and his family. The Lee University team was with us for two weeks. During their first week, the Lee students assisted us with patient consult in the hospital and helped us to prepare for the iHeart Church team. For many of the Lee students, this was their first international mission trip. It was really incredible to witness the adaptability of each student to the mission field, and we were very blessed by their servitude.
The following week, we welcomed the iHeart Church Medical team and the Miller family. We were grateful to have our campus filled with volunteers. We spent Sunday morning attending church together, and later that evening, we eagerly prepared medicine and totes for one of our favorite ministry activities: medical brigades!
Monday was spent in the hospital serving patients from surrounding villages. Our campus was filled with volunteers from kid’s ministry to translators to medical providers. It’s always a blessing to get the opportunity to share what we do on a weekly basis with visitors.
On Tuesday, we woke early, packed our lunch, and jumped on the bus headed toward the village Toncontin. Once we arrived at Toncontin, Dr. Martin parked the bus and we were met by locals to guide our hike to our first medical brigade in El Paraiso. We had a great time on the hike listening to music, chatting amongst one another, stopping to take in the views, and capturing photos with friends.
After an extensive hike, we arrived at the village of El Paraiso and set up for brigade. The Lord was faithful to allow us to see and treat many patients from the village as well as surrounding villages. We loved getting to meet our patients where they were and provide care for them. A wonderful time was had fellowshipping with the villagers of El Paraiso.
The rest of the week’s activities included another day in the hospital and another medical brigade to Los Pirineos. We all worked hard to ensure that all patients that we saw were met with the best care, but we didn’t miss out on opportunities to have fun. After patient consults and medical brigades, we spent the evenings playing volleyball, ping pong, and catch phrase.
By the close of Thursday evening, everyone was ready to wind down and relax, but that didn’t stop us from our traditional Jungle Hospital Lip-sync Showdown. The competition was fierce with performances from all types of musical genres, but our nurse Tabby stole the show with a baton twirling performance that left the judges in awe!
We spent our Friday in La Ceiba zip-lining through the canopy and snorkeling in the crystal blue waters of Cayos Cochinos. Friday evening, each person had the opportunity to share the highlights of their experience here at the Jungle Hospital. We loved hearing about all the amazing ways God showed up within each of the team members throughout the week!
