Today's prayer from CMMB that I pray for each and everyone of you!

Lord, you call our children to make a journey of faith. Keep them faithful to Your Word; hold them safely in the palm of Your hand. Teach them to choose life and to choose what is right, and just and true. Help them to share with others the life You promise, in service of the poor. Open their minds and hearts to the truth of the Scriptures. Nourish them with the bread and cup of the Eucharist. Lead our young pilgrims along the way, Lord, and make safe their journey to You and the life You promise us. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen

Patience is a Virtue

If it hadn't sunk in one of the hundreds of times my mom has said it to me, I have definitely been faced with it here!  Patience is virtue that I seem to use on a daily basis.  Having a different set of volunteers every month, if not almost every week, sure has kept me on my toes with how things are run around the clinic.  Almost weekly I am orientated someone new to the ways of the clinic and I will be the first to tell you it hasn't always been easy.  Volunteers come in all shapes, sizes, colors, etc...  Some are residents, some med students, some college students, and others licensed professionals.  Everyone comes with a different skill set and from a different background.  Some learn quickly and some it takes a lit while for them to catch on.  Practicing medicine in a third world clinic where you rely on donations and where not all patients can afford to buy medications at the pharmacy can be very difficult.  However, in order to best serve these people, you have to use what you have at the time.  So, usually just as people are starting to really get the hang of things, it is their turn to go home and others' turns to come.  Here we go- teaching the same things all over again!  While at times it did get quite repetative, it has been great working with so many different people.  During the times that people took longer to adapt to the ways of the clinic I would just think to myself, 'be patient with them, they are new...it takes time; it's a different way of practicing then they are used to'.  Or, every once and a while, the thought would pass through my mind 'if you're just patient, they will be done in x amount of days'.  Luckily it was usually the prior one that passed through my mind and things all worked out with a little patience. 

The most enduring thing that I had to have patience with?  Obtaining the license for the upstairs.  Coming down here I was expecting to work in the clinic for 2-3 months before the upstairs would be open and then I would get to split my time between the clinic and the inpatient pediatrics and birthing center.  Well, that didn't quite happen.  Month after month the licensing date kept getting pushed back due to one thing or another.  We needed certain supplies, there always seemed to be a paper that we didn't have that we "needed", the ministry of health would cancel appts, etc.  It has been a very frustrating year in respect to getting to see the upstairs opened.  However, patience (and much persistance) has once again finally paid off and we received our license today!!!  So now, it REALLY is just a matter of time before we open the upstairs to our first patients.  Hopefully by the middle of September staffing will all be in place and we will be opened.  Unfortunately, I probably won't get to see the first patients, so I guess I will be returning for sure some day.

There are so many other aspects of my life as well, that I have learned that with time, patience, and trust in God, everything will all fall into place.  As much as I hate the saying "patience is a virtue", it is true.  God doesn't let things happen before He feels it is time.  If we are patient, faithful, and trust in His ways, He will guide us toward our answers and the paths that we are to follow.  So, next time you want something like right now, and you don't get it, there is probably a reason.  Be patient and it will come about the way it is meant to be.

Love to all!
Laura

It's the Final Countdown

1 month, 34 days, 826 hrs, or some grand amount of minutes.  However you want to look at it, my time volunteering at Clinica Esperanza in Honduras is quickly coming to an end.  Many people that I run into or talk to commonly ask me, "Are you ready to go home?"  Of course, the only logical answer would be "YES!  I am very ready to get home and see my family and friends again."  With goodbyes, there are of course things that will be missed, but in taking the days as they come and with looking to what lies ahead, I have yet to really consider all that I will miss about here. 

This morning while snorkeling, in addition to taking in the beauty of the underwater world, I was thinking about what lies ahead for me this fall. And then, a little bit ago, I was looking at pictures of some of my younger siblings. Over the past 5 years, I haven't constantly been home as I have been off at college and now in Honduras. Unfortunately, my siblings have not stopped growing! Instead they are all soo grown up and I feel like I have missed out on really getting to spend time with them. Throughout this year, as I have gotten to share my family with all the people I have met, I have realized that there is soo much that I don't know about some of them. This fall as I spend time at home I am going to really cherish every minute that I have to spend with them and really getting to know them.

The other day a couple of us were getting ready to go to the grocery store.  There is one grocery store (Eldon's) that is just like walking into an American supermarket as it has all the brands and the selection you would find there.  It's not very often that I go to this one because we have a market a lot closer.  However, a new Eldon's was just opened up in front of the closer grocery store so we were pretty excited.  One of the Hondurans at the clinic just laughed at us, but let me tell you, going to the grocery store is often pretty exciting for us!  Going to the store at home is usually a lot more convenient as you often pass by it on the way home.  Here, not so much--it can be a whole process to arrange a trip to the grocery store.  The convenience of being able to run to the store whenever I want/need to will be wonderful!

Another thing that I am soo excited about?!  The changing seasons.  That's right, I am actually looking forward to the winter and the snow and being able to wear sweats and a sweatshirt!  While I like the heat and the beach and the ocean, I definitely cannot live without the 4 seasons- I love the change all too much!  Living here where throughout the year the tempurature ranges from 70-100+, it has felt like the longest summer ever!  Come to think of it, maybe that's why this year has seemed soo much longer than any other year!  Along with seasons, come holiday and family traditions.  I was just talking with someone tonight about how one thing she is going to miss this year is picking apples.  It's the little things like this that aren't here and that we are accustomed to doing that you start to miss after a while.  Partaking in the traditions once again will be nice.

Other things I look forward to are seeing old friends, home cooked meals with a varied diet (more than rice, beans, chicken, and pasta- although it is pretty good), a large glass of cold milk, a room to mess up without a housekeeper cleaning it, living without pets (aside from fish), flushing toilet paper, fast internet, consistent electricity, bonfires, saving money instead of spending money, sharing this wonderful experience with others, being able to pick up the phone to call someone whenever I want, not always knowing everyone I see (although that can be just as hard at home since everyone seems to know us!), and I'm sure the list could go on. 

But as I finish out my time here, my focus remains on the tasks at hand.  Like I started out saying, I have 1 month, 34 days, 826 hrs, or some grand amount of minutes left on this island.  However, it is that much time that I have left to finish the work that God has put in place for me to do.  He's not done with me here yet, otherwise I would be headed home tomorrow.  So until then, I continue on moving forward, making strides, and serving people through God.

Peace and Love!
Laura