Honduras MedMissions

Melissa and I just returned from our Spring Break trip to Honduras with MedMissions. The trip was really amazing and altogether different from what we expected. Before we go any further, though - we must introduce you to Dr. Brent Hambrick. He is the founder of MedMissions and has worked in Honduras for the past 8 years. God has been using him to facilitate the evangelistic visions of both the Honduran medical students and the dental students. His heart is to enable the Hondurans to fulfill the vision God has placed in their hearts in such a way that his work will perpetuate itself long after God takes him elsewhere. In addition to all of this, he and his wife have been such an amazing breath of Godly encouragement in our lives as we negotiate the waters of medical school preparing for our calling overseas. It is amazing, on top of all this, to note that Dr. Hambrick has 10 children. Yes, ten.

We were a part of an enormous team on this trip, close to 100 people! This includes 25 doctors and medical students from UC-Davis, 30 nursing students from KU in Kansas, many Honduran medical students, Honduran dentistry students, a handful of Honduran doctors and 2 Oklahoman-Africans. We were split into two school buses each day as we headed out to two medical clinic sites. On this trip, there are two vast areas of blessing for Melissa and I (one planned for and the other totally unexpected):

1 - Sit and listen
The first blessing from this trip was the opportunity to sit at the feet of a number of great physicians who love God and ask them about medicine. We spoke to the various doctors on the trip about the differences in their specialties and escpecially what it was like to operate in those specialties in a foreign country. We plied Dr. Hambrick with questions almost non-stop for the entire ten days and are excited about what we have gleaned. Medicine is not simple to learn (I already knew this), but neither is it easy to coordinate overseas. Dr. Hambrick has a wealth of experience and wisdom from his eight years overseas and he openly shared with us.
For the first time, I feel like Melissa and I have a solid groundwork of information from which to begin prayerfully seeking direction in our calling. We have asked for God to build dreams in our hearts for our future. Dreams are uncomfortable and frightening things to have, sometimes - but without them we can hope to accomplish nothing. Though I still don't know exactly what direction God is leading us - I am encouraged and confident in this: God is in control of our calling and we will he prepared and caught up in His adventure for us. Everyone always asks us what specialty I am going to enter, so I should make sure everyone is up to date on the latest concerning that question. The top three choices (only three really) are:

1. Family Practice - very versatile,
   
1. A short 3 year residency
   
2. Emergency Medicine - ability to handle life-threatening trauma
1. A short 3 year residency
2. Amazingly easy to re-enter the American medical scene at any point in the future
   
3. Surgery - "hard" skills (cannot be learned from text book),
   
1. A strenuous 5-6 year residency,
   
2. Excellent for family life (not away from home often)
   

2 - It's weird to have a twin
The unexpected blessing came in the form of another medical, "future-missionary" couple. David and Krichele Jeffcoach are a young couple who were married this summer, just before David began his first year of medical school. They are living in CA and counting the days until they can answer the calling on their lives and go overseas. They are not sure exactly where the Lord is sending them, but are willing to go anywhere. David is currently considering specializing in family practice, emergency medicine, or surgery. Sound familiar? It is rather uncanny the number of similarities exist between us and the Jeffcoaches. They also have a blog on blogger to keep all their friends and family up to date, but Krichele isn't ready to unveil it to the world so we won't link to it, yet.
The most remarkable thing, however is how refreshing and encouraging it was to my heart and Melissa's, to spend time with like-hearts. Medical school is an arduous process that taxes all resources - time, energy, marriage, friendship, rest, etc. In the midst of it all, though, God loves us so much that he bestowed on us an unlooked-for gift in this quirky friendship. So many times God has proven himself faithful to not only provide for us, but to surprise us with sudden breathes of fresh air. As we obey and submit to the call God has on our lives, he delights to reward us with lavish tokens of His love.

"If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love..." John 15:10

The beautiful Honduran scenery ( a welcome change from Oklahoma winterland)

OMM on a Honduran lady


Melissa being medical!!

More OMM

David and I seeing patients (medicine is serious work)

Melissa and Krichele (and Robin) outside the women's health clinic

The Watsons and the Jeffcoaches - future medical missionaries

An absolutely gorgeous waterfall (we went into a cave behind it!)

We got a scooter!!

Well hello faithful and massive fan base!

Melissa and I have enormously portentious news which will not surprise you at all (after reading the title). No, we are not pregnant (that is in God's hands, and He has been known to be a little unpredictable - but this update involves no babies). Melissa and I, after debating/praying/pondering/waiting/wondering/waiting, have purchased a fantastic scooter. We are now deliciously European (or so we like to think). In order to avoid becoming too European and to preserve our deep ties to Africa, we have decided to name our scooter, "Mzungu." It is Swahili for "white person." Rather apropo I think.

First let me regale you with the numerical and logical (Joelian) support for this frivolous purchase. They are in a numbered list, of course, for all logical things can be enumerated:

1. A 2005 Genuine Stella scooter gets approx. 90 mpg
2. Insurance for a scooter runs less than $100 per year (yes, year)
3. Tulsa is the ideal city for scooters with it's paucity of highways and abundance of smaller roads.
4. We plan to garage one of our cars for the better part of the next 9 months to save gas, wear-and-tear, and possibly insurance.
   

Second, let us bask in the warm glow of the delight of a scooter (a decidedly Melissian flavor). Ponder that scarves are made to flap behind scooter-drivers... Melissa has scarves, they make her happy. I think my wife looks like she belongs on a scooter. Melissa loves sunshine... in fact I think she draws her remarkable powers from it's rays. Scooters offer unrivaled sun access. And finally, le piece de resistance - two people can fit on a scooter.

Between the logic and beauty, I hope you can see why it was imperative that Melissa and I secure a scooter. We plan to be safe, to have fun, to save money, and to wear scarves.