Bienvenidos 2012

2012 has been underfoot for a month now, and the engines at the Jungle Hospital have been warming up, and now we are ready to GO! We have had some great meetings over the past few weeks, as Dr. Martin and Wendy have set balls rolling and plates spinning. We have our job responsibilities for the new year, and there is a buzzing undercurrent of excitement as we get ready to receive the first medical team of the year, on Feb 25th.

There are lots of projects underway right now, one of the biggest being the construction of the Volunteer Housing building, that Dr. Martin has affectionately dubbed the G-Flats, and the footers are being dug for the operating room/recovery ward. These two big projects along with the daily maintenance/upkeep of the buildings have kept Mark pretty busy. If there is one thing I absolutely love about my husband, is that he is not afraid of work. There isn't a lazy bone in his body. I am so grateful to God for blessing me with a man who challenges me to press on and push forward, and at the same time protects me from burnout.

Those of you who know me, know that I love to work. haha..no seriously, I really love it. I almost love it too much, if you catch my drift. I am grateful for leadership who delicately show me when to make the long drive and when to take my time putting on the green. My list of job responsibilities has gotten smaller as our support team grows bigger, and I am glad for the new level of focus I will be able to give to the things in my care.

We have some new-ish additions to the team this year. Brandi Compton served with us for 6 months starting in Feb of 2011, and has committed for another year of jungle living. And I for one am SUPER excited about it. She is a great nurse and a fun loving, hard working friend. We also have the Lalonde family. These guys don't seem like a new addition to the family, because we have been praying for them to join our team for a long time - and now they are in action! Kevin is a physical therapist - and all of the missionaries are signing up to be his patients, lol. Jerri is a nurse with tons of experience working at Woman's Hospital in Baton Rouge. They come packing 2 boys - Daniel (6) and Josh (3) - who have met their playtime match in "Uncle Mark." haha

I think we all finally feel like we are finding our places in the Body of Christ, and are coming together to work in unity toward expanding the Kingdom here in our area. The out-patient side of the hospital hasn't run this smoothly, ever - I think. With 2 nurses working alongside Dr. Martin, I sit back in awe and gratefulness that our patients are in such caring hands. Kevin has been working, not only with Physical Therapy but also with wound care, and I am astonished at how God is using him to bring healing to some of the nastiest wounds I have seen. Our inventory, and medical records management systems are really taking off, and we are looking forward to the day when we have our custom designed software, courtesy of James Gardner, running seamlessly behind the scenes.

2012 is looking better by the minute. As each day passes, I am more and more grateful that we have been redeemed to this life. As Mark and I grow together in our marriage and walk with Christ, we are honored to be in Honduras as God unfolds His plans. Thank you all so very much for your investments in us. We pray that your time, talents and treasure will not be wasted here, but instead that they will grow into mighty oaks that give rest and shade to the weary. We love you all!