Winging It

Monday, June 27, 2016

Winging It

                I am on my way home after another ten days in Honduras.  I have new friends whom two weeks ago I had never met and we have connected well.  I have been to remote parts of Honduras in the LaMoskitia area of the Gracias a Dios Department.  I have engaged with people of a culture and a world far different from the one I live in.  I have watched my teammates interact with these people with a fervor borne of a true and sincere desire to have a positive impact upon their lives.  I have watched other Hondurans interact with people of their country in a desire to improve their lives by bringing them the gift of clean water.  Personally I have engaged with people of a culture far different from what I know and I find a strong desire to return at a date yet to be determined.

                I have experienced and admired the sincerity of my Honduran teammates in their devotion to the God we both serve and I find it inspiring.  Their faith is strong and solemn and joyful. 

                I have experienced dreams and opportunities which challenge me to move on with my life.  I think I am still reeling from Muggy’s leaving some 16 months ago.  Tomorrow would have been our 41^st wedding anniversary, but I will not celebrate as she’s not physically with me, but I will remember.  At some level within me I am letting go and moving on.

                I have talked with sages in my life during this trip about the future.  I have met a man who has impacted my life more in a short period of time than anyone I have ever met.  I look at him at times and listen to him always and I think I am seeing the personification of Jesus.  He is warm and genuine and loving.  He encourages, he helps, he mentors, he teaches both in words and deeds.

I am encouraged to hear that my new friends think I can lead a team to Honduras sometime in the future; I think I will.  I have talked with them of more efforts at reaching out to the people of Honduras to bring them a better quality of life.  We spoke of dependency mentality.  The Hondurans sometimes expect us to support them, to continue to supply them with the things they need.  We debate whether this is good.  When I think of the extravagance of my world compared to theirs I believe that this is what I am called to do and I will be obedient to what God is asking me to do.

Ours was a very ecumenical group.  We encouraged the diversity and we learned from each other; it was an amazing opportunity. The proverbial bottom line for all of us was to help our fellow men and women and I sincerely believe we did!

I am humbled once again by the opportunities I am given to participate in these adventures.  I thank God for the new friends I have, both from my team and in Honduras.  I will be back!

Downtime

It’s Saturday morning, June 25, 2016.  I’m sitting at Helen’s Resort in LaCeiba, Atlantida, Honduras looking out over the Carribbean as the sun paves a golden and silver pathway across the water to the horizon. 

                The team traveled yesterday from Raista and it is an arduous journey.  We were packed and ready for the day by 6:00 am and listened to a short, but powerful devotion from Dr. Ben.  Breakfast eaten and good-by’s said, we boarded the canoes.  I find myself experiencing anew aspects of these trips and wondering which one is my favorite.  The boat ride from Raista to Palacios is, beyond a shadow of a doubt, one of my absolute favorites!

                It is a time of reflection, a time to think, a time to consider.  We have expended our energies over the past few days engaging with people of a culture drastically different from what we know back home.  This team has connected with the people of LaMoskitia powerfully.  If you have been reading this blog since April, you know that I was with a medical team here a couple of months back. 

                The medical team was strong and impacted the lives of over 900 people from the LaMoskitia region, but the connections were not the same.  The team I am with now has connected deeply with these people, in a powerful and deeply meaningful way.  Their lives have been changed; our lives have been changed.  I have watched the members of this team give of themselves out of love for the fellow man and out of a desire to serve God.  I am humbled to be a part of this!!  Part of my heart was left behind in Raista and the hope is that I will soon return.

                I traveled yesterday with the Honduran members of the team; three members from the Water With Blessings and one young man from a youth development organization.  The language of the day was Spanish and I basked in the exposure of listening to the language.  It brings to mind the other language learning experiences I have had in my life.  Exposure.  One needs to spend lots and lots of time listening to the language, learning how to discriminate words.  My Hondurans friends and I had an enjoyable, albeit very long day together.

                I’ve noticed that I recall my dreams almost nightly while in Honduras.  This is very unique for me as I seldom remember my dreams.  I spoke with my Dream Master last night and he suggested that it is because our lives are simplified here.  We do not have the clutter of our day to day lives of back home and therefore, our minds are freed to explore the wanderings of our sleep.  I like it. 

                I feel a very powerful bond with the members of this team.  Many (most) of them knew each other previously, but they have opened their arms and welcomed me into the group warmly.  I will miss them all.

                I was doing a happy dance last night.  For the first four days I was here I was consumed with pressure about completing work for my Public Health studies.  I had to prepare and perform a video presentation on toxoplasmosis (a parasite cat feces contains).  On Tuesday evening, I made my presentation to Doctors Ben and Tom and Team Leader Michael on the shores of Ibans Lagoon.  That was the easy part.  Michael video’d it for me and for the next 12 hours I endeavored to upload the files to Dropbox.  Lesson learned:  Use YouTube for these types of efforts.  YouTube alogorithms must be vastly better than Dropbox for video upload.  If you need more info on this, please contact me at hkenson@cox.net  Anyway, I got my grades last evening and I received all A’s!!  Ken is a HAPPY camper.

                The team will rest and relax today, and I’m sure we will recollect and ponder and consider how our lives have been changed.  I stand in awe of the God of the universe and the opportunities He has for us!!

Back Home?

I am back in Raista and it seems I just left!  Well, I was just here six weeks ago.  It did feel kind of like coming home….or at least to a very familiar place

We left LaCeiba on Sunday morning and drove to Cusuna.  Cusuna is a Garifuna village and being there is like stepping into a National Geographic article.  We met with the local pastor and some of the community agents.  We broke into groups and discussion ensued for lessons learned on water quality, HIV, and communication techniques.

I was blessed to make a connection with Mary and Kandy and several children.  We communicated as best we could through sign language and laughter.  My tablet was an item of huge interest in taking pictures and videos.  We headed for the local pulperia (mini converience store) for a soda. 

It was an  amazing experience as I was with about a dozen Garifuna folks, walking through their village to the store, buying sodas.  Across a short distance, several village members sat in hammocks and chairs enjoying the evening and talk.  Of course I couldn’t understand their conversations, but the rapport and experience was thrilling.  A downpour ensued and we all huddled together under the metal awning in front of the store.  It was one of those rare moments in my life that I seek, to be with another culture, making friends, making memories.  The next day, before we departed, Kandy came to our compound and brought me a beautiful orange crab shell and another beautiful sea shell.  I was speechless and wished that I had something I could give her.

We drove for about three hours to Palacios where the road ends.  Here we boarded the long canoes for the two hour ride to Raista.  The river journey is one of my favorite parts of my visits to Honduras.

Seeing Raista made me feel like I was coming home in a way.  We unloaded the canoes, settled into our rooms and rested.  Later, some of us walked the short distance to the ocean and enjoyed the surf.  It’s incredible to see the miles of beach with no one on it!!  Some found it a little disconcerting that the bottom is literally covered with live sand dollars.  I mean, there are thousands, perhaps millions of them.

I think the three and a half days we have been in Honduras was beginning to take its toll on us physically as naps seemed to be in order for several of us.

A good portion of the evening involved final preparation of the lessons plans for the workshop to begin today, Tuesday.

This morning one of our Honduran team members shared a powerful devotion to begin our day.  It is amazing to stand with Honduran believers, not being able to understand a lot of what is being said, but definitely sensing the power of God and the presence of the Holy Spirit.  Let me take a moment here to thank all those who are praying for us on this trip!!!

We are now at the first session of the seminar.  We have broken into three groups and learning is underway.  It is truly a blessing to be here!!!

Return Engagement

A Return Engagement

     It is June 17,2016 and I am on Delta flight 575 from Atlanta to San Pedro Sula,  Honduras. I am traveling with another Alabama Honduras Medical Education Network (AHMEN) team.  For this trip we are focused on education for up to 50 Community Agents from the LaMoskitia region of eastern Honduras.  We will conduct a three day seminar for the agents on topics such as water quality, first aid, long range planning and more.  The hope is that the agents will share the information with residents in their home villages.  We will also present water filter demonstrations and distribution using the Sawyer filter system.

     We will travel by truck and canoe to the remote village of Raista, one of the villages we conducted medical clinics in during the April 2016 trip. Along the way we will add additional members to our team of 12. 

     It has been a very quick six weeks since I left Honduras and it's quite exciting to be back so soon.  In these past six weeks I've been very busy with attention to projects at home and school.

     I am in the next to last semester of my master's program in public health.  One of the courses this summer is Environmental Microbiology with an emphasis on water quality, purification and testing.  Quite a coincidence huh?!

     I honestly never expected to find the wealth of public health aspects to a trip to Honduras, but God has opened a door for me here.  I was invited to participate in this trip and initially balked due to the costs involved.  However, I soon realized that if God was opening a door for me, why should I be concerned about the cost?  He will make a way.

     I am in team leader training on this trip as I envision a time when I will lead a team to Honduras; perhaps comprised of students from the Fort Valley State University Master's in Public Health program.  This is an amazing opportunity for public health professionals and students to experience unique challenges.

     As part of my program, I am accomplishing a field experience project which will examine the origins of AHMEN, the current efforts underway and the in's and out's of participating in an outreach like this. I hope it will serve as a roadmap for others to have these amazing experiences I am blessed to be enjoying.

     We will land shortly and then conduct business at the airport of money exchange, phone service and vehicle rental before setting out for Las Hamacas in La Ceiba for the night.

Returning to Civilization

Awake

        One becomes aware of waking, perhaps alerted by the distant crowing of roosters, the raucous sound of myriad birds in the surrounding jungle, the distant roaring of the ocean, or a gecko greeting the start of a new day.  The acrid smell of fires burning permeates the air.  Dampness is ubiquitous, the pillow wet from sweat, a clamminess upon the skin.  It's morning in Honduras.

       These were my thoughts the last morning I awoke in Raista....at least for this trip. Saturday was our travel day back to civilization.  Our bags were packed and near the dock by 6am, breakfast eaten and adios said we were into the canoes and on our way.

       There was a quiet solitude as we headed for Palacios.  Everyone seemed caught up in thoughts about what's been done and what we've experienced.

       Upwards of 700 patients treated medically, perhaps another 200 for dental work.  Minor surgeries performed, bones set, lives saved and changed, and meds dispensed. Potentially 900 lives provided with clean water and now plans for more training and education.

       I am in awe of how 20 individuals, many of whom have never met each other, can come together for two weeks in pretty extreme conditions, heat, humidity and on the go for long days and there has yet to be a single, significant tense moment.  Kudos to each and everyone on this team!!

     Today the team will play a bit.  The plan is to enjoy a day of zip lining, hot springs and massage.  I am certain it will be thoroughly enjoyed by all.

       So, here I sit, on the shores of the Caribbean, listening to the waves crashing and being blessed to be alive, to be here, to be used of God in this manner.  

       Blessings one and all!!!

AHMEN is in Honduras

Just east of La Ceiba Honduras this morning, April 21, 2016 near the town of Sambo's Creek.  Last week I stood on the Atlantic beach in Daytona; this morning I stood on the beach of the Atlantic in Honduras!

I met up with several members of the team at the airport yesterday. The team is largely medical personnel, the majority of whom are doctors and nurses.  I've been privy to some very interesting conversations already.

We arrived in San Pedro Sula about 1130 local time.  Honduras operates on Central Standard Time.  We chilled at the airport for a few hours, exchanging money and renting vehicles. We have five Nissan 4-wheel drive, diesel trucks to transport the team and all the gear to our destinations.  I was asked to be a driver to which I was happy to do.  The conversation about driving in Honduras was humorous. "Full contact" driving was one reference.  I told them I like driving in Brooklyn and Manhattan and I was hired!!

I cannot say that I ever anticipated just how applicable this missions trip will be to my Masters in Public Health (MPH) program at Fort Valley State University.  It's as if everything that I've been studying for the past year and a half is being shown to me real world with this trip..

Last evening, over burgers in a Burger King in La Ceiba, I listened to two doctors discussing what to tell patients about the Zika virus and how to treat them if they do, in fact, test positive for Zika.

This morning I listened to discussion about sustaining medical efforts which are put in place by one organization or another.  People tend to revert to the ways they have always done life.

How does one sustain an effort in a community such as those we will be visiting.  This team previously gave a water filter to a hotel in a small village.  When they came back and asked where it was, the response was "Oh, it's protected over here for when the gringos come back." Or the woman who was set up to sell glasses, but all her friends come in and want them for free and pretty soon, she has nothing left. 

In consideration of where I am at in my Public Health studies, I am being directly exposed to the challenges of community public health.  The discussions include words on surveys, databases, point source water quality, coliform levels in water supplies, test kits, FDA limitations, cultural differences between patients and medical personnel trained in different countries.  This is an amazing field experience and I am anxious to learn all I can.  

This team is going to a part of Honduras which seldom sees trained medical personnel. The ultimate destination is the village of Las Marias, about 6-8 hours by canoe up the Rio Platano into the rain forest. This is an extremely ambitious undertaking and takes an incredible amount of preparation, to include grocery shopping here in La Ceiba as the villages we are visiting do not have adequate food supplies to feed a group of 20.   

 

Alabama Honduras Medical Education Network (AHMEN)

AHMEN is the Alabama Honduras Medical Educational Network.  We are a faith-based nonprofit organization working for the benefit of the people of Honduras.  Although faith based, we are not affiliated with any particular religion or denomination.  AHMEN has been active in Honduras for about 17 years and has fielded a very large number of teams to many different areas of the country.  AHMEN now concentrates efforts on the North coast of Honduras, eastward from the city of La Ceiba.  These are areas not usually attended by the many other mission groups venturing to HN annually.

This will be our teams’ seventh annual medical mission trip to locations in La Moskitia.  La Moskitia is a term used to describe this area which has been the historical home of the indigenous Miskito Indians.  The easternmost Department (State) of Gracias a Dios is far from any population center of HN.  Consequently, it is far from any of the meager support of the Honduran government.  We decided to bring medical clinics to La Moskitia because we wanted to serve in an area that was just too remote for 99% of missionaries to work in.  In all honesty, we were all looking for a little excitement and adventure also!  This area has now become this team’s focus.

There are several distinct groups of people living in La Moskitia.  Our patients include mostly Miskito and Pech Indians as well as Garifuna and Ladinos.  Almost everyone speaks Spanish in La Moskitia, although youngsters and old people may only speak in their indigenous languages.  We can almost always get by with Spanish although sometimes it does require more than one layer of translation. 

The La Moskitia mission is longer than any other AHMEN trip.  The travel times and distances are greater than most.  Once we arrive in HN, it takes almost over a full day of travel in pickup trucks to get to the end of any possible vehicular travel.  You will get a good view of this beautiful country, its mountains and forests, Caribbean seashore, cities and small towns.  At that point we board large powered canoes for a two-hour river trip to our base of operations, and first clinic site, in the Miskito village of Raista.  Our next clinic village is Las Marias, located about eight hours up the Río Plátano through the rainforest and jungle.  This area is part of the Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO protected area and the largest expanse of tropical rainforest outside the Amazon.

We see hundreds of patients at our clinics.  Because of the skill levels of our medical staff, and the materials we bring, we believe are able to really make a real difference in the health of our patients.   We do far more than just hand out Tylenol and vitamins.   We bring good medical care to the jungle. 

Our team membership varies yearly, but there is a core of “life-ers” that come every year.  We have doctors, nurses, PAs, lab techs, dentists, pastors, med students, social workers, translators even a CPA on occasion.  We also have had people with absolutely no medical experience.  Everyone has an important job with our team.  Last year our team was composed of volunteers from eight different US States and four different countries.  Several team members are retired.  Our ages have ranged from the late teens to the mid 70’s.  I would say that better than 50% of our team is over 55 years old.  

The tuition or team fee is based on projected total expenses for the trip.  Once you arrive in HN the Team fee pays for all transportation (4WD truck rentals, boats, boat drivers and guides), lodging, meals, and the large amount of medicines and supplies we use during our clinics.  Leftover medication is donated to a free hospital serving the people in the small Garifuna village of Ciriboya.  Traditionally we do invite local Honduran and Cuban healthcare workers to join us.  They provide their time and skills and we provide their food and lodging.  None is paid for their services.  There is no profit for anyone, and we all equally share all the expense.    

We project the cost of this mission trip to be $1350, not including your travel to HN.  Everyone pays their own way.   We have no available monies set aside for scholarships.  We can assist you with successful methods to acquire your fees and expenses.  Many team members have been struggling students, retirees and others who have received generous donations from their churches, family and friends, even through crowd funding and local civic groups.  There have been cases in the past where team members have assisted another team member financially.  We are still almost five months away from the trip.  There is plenty of time to decide to join us.  Expenses are, of course, tax deductible as AHMEN is an IRS registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization.  

This is an exciting endeavor with a chance to continue to make differences in the lives of neglected and disadvantaged people.  At the same time you will experience cultures and environments which are sadly beginning to undergo the inevitable changes we are seeing in our world. 

Here’s a YouTube link to a slideshow of photos taken on the last one or two trips into the jungle.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSnXehyWTBw 

 Here is the La Moskitia team page on the AHMEN website.