2023 Team

2023 Team
The 2023 Team

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Santa Lucia







2/March/2016
1545 Hours
Santa Lucia, Honduras
Hello to all.  Sorry for the delay in sending any message through the Gehlen Mission Honduras blog.  But, today I have another report.
On Monday, leap year date…I wonder how many people understand the concept of a “leap Year”.  Maybe many, but others….  Julio and I traveled to Cerro de Plata in Tegucigalpa, Honduras (Tegus) to meet up with Marta Sosa, Ondina, Olga and others.  Purpose:  to check out the 2 generators, talk about the Chlorine Producing Units (CPU); begin the discussion about the Suresight Screening Unit, and then do some training on each.
First, we have 2 generators which will be needed in Nueva Capital ( NC).  One which we have used before and another which is new.  I wanted to be sure we could make them work.  The older one was difficult to start, but after repairing and cleaning the fuel line system it worked fine.  I let it run for about 15 minutes.  I will have Carlos do some work on the carburetor once in NC.  He is better at that than I (Dick could do this if he was here).  The new generator we had to set-up, add new oil, gas etc. and then on the 2nd pull it was running.  Again, I let it run for about 15 minutes.  I had no place to test a “load” on the systems, but they will do fine.  I also have enough quality cords to do the work.  Now we just need to get all the batteries for the tools charged before use.
We then had some training on the CPU units.  We plan on using at least 1 of them in NC.  With Dick’s help from LeMars I have figured out these units.  Trial and error.  Later on this. 
Next we introduced Marta and others to the Suresight Vision Screening Unit, along with the 3 dimensional units Mission Honduras Lemars (MHL) sent along.  We have more work to do on this before we use them on the kids in the school in NC.  I continue to talk with Dick on this.  We will figure this out!
Traffic in Tegus is crazy.  There are rules, but not many people follow them.  This includes me, or otherwise I may not get anywhere. 
Early yesterday, March 1, 2016, Julio and I left from our location in Santa Lucia to travel to la Montana de la Flor at 0500 hours in the morning.  Light rain or more of a mist driving down the mountain to Tegus.  I choose this route because the roads are better than going more North from Santa Lucia.  Julio and I had a safe ride out of the city, through the big market (Mayorea) on blvd del Norte.  No problem.  At this hour not so much traffic.  We have done this for years.  When staying in Esquias, we would leave at 0300 hours to cross the mountains to MDLF.
We were carrying an estimated $10,000 worth of medicine (left over from our medical/dental team last year and many will expire this year so…need to use) to donate to the 1 small clinic in San Juan MDLF and another in Acote, San Francisco at the base of the mountain to MDLF. Both clinics serve the Tolupan .  The clinic in Acote also serves others other than the Tolupan.  The problem with the people in MDLF goes back many years which clinic they use.  I won’t get into this now…but you can image the issues between chiefs and (W…m..n)  Still goes on today.
  Julio had talked with the Doctor in San Juan a few days ago telling him I was coming. MHL loaned him a portable ultrasound unit after our medical/dental team in 2012.  He has learned much about this unit and ultrasounds, especially on Obstetric patients.  He has discovered many problems with those pregnant patients and has referred many to Tegus (often Julio takes them with our Toyota vehicle and others by other car, ambulance and etc.)  The unit is failing.  I wanted to talk with him, take photos and a video of its use and its problem.  Sadly after 5 hours of driving on very bad roads there, he was not there.  He was called to Tegus for emergency training at Hospital Esquela University (HEU).  The 2 nurses were called to Orica for other training.  Result:  the clinic in San Juan will be closed for 1 week.  Sad!  We did talk with him later in the day and he apologized.  I would leave the medicine at the little clinic in Acote.
I had a sad welcome in LaCeiba, MDLF.  Many sick kids.  Not enough $$ to help each that asked for it.  I did help a few kids with vitamins for the young, liquid Acetaminophen for temperatures and etc. Many people asked for cough medicine and so much more.   I will send along a couple of photos from yesterday in MDLF.  I am really troubled about little Wendy Melissa Gamez (mother = Rasalina) about 14 months old.  She continues (let me use an old EMS term called JDLR, or just dosen’t look right which we use often in our radio reporting at the Emgergency Room (ER).I had a truck full of medicine with me, but I am not a doctor, and therefore, will only give medicine that I know they understand.  I really felt bad because I knew I had medicine in the bags that could have helped.  But…They all think I can help with every medical or food issue.  Sadly I cannot.
Little Wendy does scare me a bit because I’m not sure we will get her the help and RX she needs in time.  Sadly, we need the people that can help with this case in NC with the team.  I did give $$ for her and other kids (to Belinda our friend) so they could get food today during the trading day held today (Wednesday and again on Saturday)
I left the mountain sad.  Sadly this is typical.  We have limited resources to throw at these problems, but MHL continues to try.  And we will continue to do this.
Julio and I then went to Acote to meet with a nurse called Maria (my mother and sister’s name) She works in the small Centro de Salud in Acote.  She is really dedicated to help the Tolupan at no cost (which she will continue doing).  She received more medicine in the bags and boxes MHL donated to her, than she has on the shelves of the clinic.  She was very thankful.  I want all from Gehlen Mission Honduras (GMH) to understand that a few of the nebulizers they brought last year are working in the clinic as well as 2 ambulances that take the people (especially kids) to Tegus.  MHL has also donated many medicines to use in these nebulizers plus the nebulizer kits.  These clinics will use the same nebulizer kit for many months, yesterday they got more than a year’s supply.  Thanks again the team from GMH from last year.
I spent the night with Julio and his family in Quebracho, about 10 minutes or so from Acote.  I know them all.  Here we again used the CPU to make chlorine for the drinking water.  We made it work and did well.  Still a little more use to get the technique down and we will be set.  I was the first to drink the water that we added chlorine to.  I did that through the night and then this morning.  No problem.  It works!!  We then added the chlorine we made yesterday to 20 more gallons of water for the house of Julio.  We will refine the process.
Good day, good trip but sad.  Many people have no work.  No rain!  Little maiz and frejoles.
 I will send some pictures of the last couple of days. 
This time next week I will have the team here in Tegus.  They will be challenged!
So until another day, and when we begin to move items to NC enough from Santa Lucia I remain..
Mr.Francis

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