The purpose of this post is twofold.

The first is to vent a little.

I feel like I got handed my jock strap today.  That’s football lingo for, “I got my butt kicked.”  I was frustrated with some of my knowledge deficits today.  I was frustrated with language barriers, and not having wisdom regarding social situations.  And I was frustrated by limited resources:  patients who couldn’t afford certain tests or treatments, or not even having the tests or treatments available that would be best. 

I had 2 patients today that I literally did not know where to start, and one where I didn’t know where to stop.  And the reality is that all 3 will likely end with premature deaths.  But a common theme, I hope, for this blog is that there are things in this life much more important than living or dying;  As William Wallace in the movie Braveheart said, “Every man dies.   Not every man really lives…”

Patients come here because they have heard they can get the best care.  Just the other day as I was approaching the Hospital I could see that the waiting room was just bursting with patients. It was as busy as I think I’ve ever seen it. I’m pretty sure I saw some men trying to lower a paraplegic dude from the roof…  After a hectic morning seeing the patients, I apologized to one fellow for the long wait, and explained that there were just so many patients here today.  He responded, ‘well yes doctor, it’s because the patients know that you all serve Jesus and that they will get good care.”  –Totally made my day, and reminded me that my job is to deliver good care;  to show compassion;  To demonstrate love and grace in the name of Jesus.  And oftentimes the best care possible doesn’t end in a cure.

The other part of this venting is: Baseball.  It’s baseball season, and I love baseball.  I have been getting emails from Selah Little league for a couple months now.  First, they wanted coaches.  Then, it was tryouts.  Then practices.  Now games.  And I see Facebook posts of kids in crisp, clean baseball jerseys, gray pants, and black grease painted under eager eyes, swinging at fastballs and chasing down pop flys.  And my heart longs to participate with Will and Owen.  It was a reminder that to be here in Honduras is to have a daily dose of FOMO: Fear of Missing Out.  My boys and I are missing out on Little League Season, one of our favorite things.  And our young mens group, Christian Service Brigade.  Juliet is missing out on Ballet and Daddy/Daughter dances.  We all are missing family get togethers, barbecues at my parents’ pools, our annual fishing trip to Park Lake, camping with Heidi’s family, sunny evenings at BaleBreaker and Coffee at Starbucks with friends after church…  This is a really wonderful place to serve, surrounded by amazing people and loving fellowship. But it doesn’t have our family, and our friends from home that we miss dearly.

But here’s the thing.  We know we are doing what we are supposed to be doing.  We are where we should be right now.  We see our children thriving, and we are experiencing a peace that transcends understanding.  Heidi pointed out that this must be the Holy Spirit directing us, since this is the most uncomfortable we have ever been in our lives.  And we know that fear is not from God.  So we realize now that we need to be here longer.   What began as a short term trip (4 months), we now feel called to stay for another year or more.

I have taken a circuitous path to get to my second purpose of this blog, which is to officially declare that we are committing to another year beyond this November and are starting a process of fundraising and prayer support.

That was sneaky, huh?  Because now I am going to ask the humbling question….

Would you consider supporting us prayerfully and financially?  We are looking to find teammates to partner with us in this labor of love.  If we can find 35-70 people to commit to a monthly donation of $50-$100, we will be able to sustain our ministry.  We are looking for a commitment that would start now and go through November of 2017.  At that time, we will reassess our situation prayerfully, and communicate our intentions.  But we are only looking for a commitment through November 2017.

In return for your donation, we will really really like you.  I’m pretty sure it’s a free ticket into Heaven.  wait…  what?  ok, Heidi says that is actually inaccurate.  Apparently that’s not how the whole ‘faith, grace, salvation thing’ works.  See here.  Also, we promise to friend you on Facebook and Instagram.  And when we come back to visit the States in September, we will take you out to coffee (and pay for it with the money you donated to us.)  Did I mention that it’s tax deductible?  So you have that going for you, which is nice…

Here is how you can do it:

Click on this link***    and go from there.

Or, you can go old school, and mail it:

Christian Health Service Corps
PO Box 132
Fruitvale, TX 75127
and include our name and partner #0144 on the memo line of the check

Our hope is for ongoing monthly commitments, but we certainly appreciate one time donations as well.

 

If you want confirmation that everything has gone through, you can email us and we will provide that reassurance:  rmoults@gmail.com    Otherwise, it may be a couple weeks before we are aware of the donation.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!  Now, come down here for a week or two and lend your Time and Talents, to go along with your Treasure. There’s always a ditch to dig, and a kid to love on…

Meet our team:

 

 

 

Meet some of our colleagues:

Here they are!

The Stocktons —their blog

The Hotz’s—their blog

Judy Blumhoefer—Her blog

Jordan Boom—Her blog

Alissa Kearney Gomez—Her blog

The Fields— their blog

We’ll leave you with an instructional video on how to deal with unwanted pests in Honduras: