This report is for Tuesday, February 20, 2024, the fourth day of the mission and the first day of the clinic. The word for today is tend, and the related scripture comes from John 21:16, which says, “ He said to him again a second time, ‘Simon, son of [a]Jonah, do you love Me?’ He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I [b]love You.’ He said to him, ‘Tend My sheep.’ This week’s mission, I believe, is all about tending God’s sheep. When Jesus said to “Tend my sheep,’” I believe what Jesus meant by that is to take care of others like He would do if He were here. Tending sheep is not all about making sure they are fed; it is about their protection and well-being in general. Most importantly, for the kind of “sheep” we are called to tend, it is about offering the gospel (good news) to every possible “sheep.” Offering spiritual and physical nourishment fulfills both the Great Commandment (Matthew 25:40) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). We hope and pray that what we do and have done this week will accomplish this. However, being human, our efforts are never perfect, but we pray for God’s guidance, support, and insight to do the best of which we are capable. I would like to point out that this is not a one-way street. We missioners always reap as much as we contribute to these indigent Hondurans. Through “tending God’s sheep, we grow spiritually, see new realities in the scripture we read, and develop long lasting friendships. I do not have to “strain” or try hard to come on this mission trip; I look forward to coming and enjoy every minute of the time we are in Honduras. I also know this is also true for everyone who came this year, and it is the reason many of our team will come back to Honduras again. There is a feeling of wholeness and serenity created by what we are doing that just cannot be accomplished in any other way. Sure, it’s nice to go to the beach for a week but if I had to choose one over the other, I would choose to do a mission. It has been amazing to watch this inexperienced team adapt to the challenges of the trip and rise above the difficulties. Every person who came on this mission trip is a critical component of the effort; we would be hindered immensely if even one were missing. This was never more evident than on this, the first day of the clinic. Many things were missing or suboptimal, but no one panicked, and no one got snippy or irritable; they simply worked together, and problem solved until things were as they should be. Our team motto is “be flexible,” and, frankly, this mission could not be done without the flexibility shown by the team members. By the end of the first clinic day, patients were flowing smoothly, and a lot was accomplished. We met to make plans to improve those things that needed further improvement and believe the efficiency of our efforts will improve steadily as the week goes by. The pharmacy struggled to keep up with demand, but new ideas will be implemented tomorrow to improve efficiency in the pharmacy. We have several medical and dental professionals at each of our sites and are doing a lot of optometric work with the help of a Honduran optometrist and our missioners who trained before coming. We are using a new system for eye patients which has enabled us to serve a lot more folks and provide more glasses than in the past. We have a new trip treasurer (Tim), who is also working with the eye patients, and he is doing a fantastic job. In the images today, you will see the clinic running at Fuerzas Unidas with patients, church volunteers, translators, and missioners. The weather here is wonderful and so far, we are all healthy. We have a lot to be thankful for and greatly appreciate your prayers and support. Blessings and moňyana! Roger
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THE FRANKFORT HONDURAS MEDICAL-DENTAL MISSION
A WEB SITE AND BLOG ABOUT OUR MISSION GROUP AND ITS MISSIONS TO HONDURAS