Marcy is a registered nurse who has been on all of the medical mission trips and several other trips as well. She loves children, and if one is available for her to hold--she will hold and love on it. She is a compassionate person who cares for those who need help.

In 2006 the La Palma leadership team made the decision to establish a Christian school in La Palma to "grow a generation of self-supporting Christians who would be part of self-supporting congregations wherever they went". The El Salvador government encouraged this effort and with a big leap of faith the La Palma Christian School began in February 2007 with about 60 children in grades pre-kindergarten through 4th grade. The goal was to teach them the basic, required subjects plus give them computer and business skills and lots of Bible training. In 2008 5th grade was added and 6th grade has now been added. We would like to add a grade each year so students do not have to leave the Christian school environment. Each added grade requires another teacher and more space.

Each year the church has grown larger and the original auditorium is no longer big enough! In late 2008 the government came up with new space requirements for schools, and we were already running out of classrooms. Also, we had started a preacher school in a small rented building and the class size had quicky outgrown it. These situations caused us to begin searching for a larger facility for the church, the Christian school, and the preacher school. We searched and prayed and considered options available.

We were required by the government to submit a plan for expansion by the end of March and actually be in a larger, more adequate facility by the end of June or close the La Palma Christian School. Even though it meant significant increases in the cost of operation to make the move, closing the school was never considered to be an option. At the beginning of February, we did not know what the options were; we just knew that God would provide something if He wanted the work to continue and we believed that He did.

Come back tomorrow for the continuation of this story!
God bless you,
Ralph

This is "The Gofer". He claims to have no skill, but he can do anything and gets a lot done. Anytime there is work, he is there. By the way, he also likes kids! This was his second trip, and he not only enjoys it but helps the team stay upbeat.

From the yesterday posting, a Texas Aggie with a masters in ruminant nutrition guessed the butterfat content of the cow at 1 or 2%, certainly less than 4%.

I reported quite a while back that Dea would not be able to go on the February trip because she needed surgery to remove a tumor. The surgery was delayed until this past Tuesday and she was able to go! Here she is shown working. The surgery was very successful; the tumor was removed OK and it was NOT cancer. She is getting released to go home from the hospital today.

Two days ago you saw the long line waiting to get into the medical clinic. This cow and her calf did not bother with the line; they just wandered in! Those of you who are dairy farmers or familiar with dairy farming might guess how much butterfat she gives in a day/month/year!

At one point on the trip up the mountain, the bus was unable to make the climb loaded. The team got out and walked up the steepest part, then reloaded and continued the journey to Granadillos.

The team has started to rest up after arriving home and we will start showing some photos from the recent trip. This shows the line to enter the medical clinic one day. These people seldom see a medical person, so the opportunity for free medical care including medicines is too good to pass up. They wait patiently for hours sometimes. Note the bus in the background. It hauled the team up the mountain each morning and back down in the evening.

The Tulsa flight has landed and the team will be traveling by van to their homes. 9:15 pm

Lisa's plane has also landed in Charlotte, NC.

It looks like everyone is either home at Houston or on their planes to their home airport. The Tulsa flight has taxied out toward the runway for the trip.

They had fun at the McDonald's counter at Houston and enjoyed some real 'American' food.

The team has arrived in Houston OK!

The plane carrying the team departed San Salvador at 1:11 pm, just 5 minutes late. They estimate arriving in Houston 5 minutes early.

The team has arrived and checked in at the airport. The plane that will bring them back is about 10 minutes late, so they may arrive back in Houston a bit late. They are excited.
Noon.

The team is boarding the bus to go 'down the hill' to the airport at 7:30 am. They are all healthy and happy.

When I say 'down the hill', I may need to explain it. La Palma is at 3500 feet above sea level and the airport is about 70 miles away at very near sea level. Much of the trip is obviously downhill.

When I refer to the clinic as being 'up on the mountain', I am referring to villages at above 6100 feet above sea level and only 12-15 miles away horizontally. It is a steep climb to get up there, and sometimes the vehicles cannot pull the load so it requires some of the group to walk. The view from 'up on the mountain' is terrific, awesome, and breathtaking. When the air is clear (usually) you can see well into Honduras and over into Guatemala.

At the airport they will board Continental Flight 827, which leaves San Salvador about 1:10 and arrives in Houston shortly after 4 pm. From there the group will split with some going to St Louis, Charlotte, KC, Tulsa, and maybe more. Some of them will be home when they arrive in Houston.

Pray for safety for the team today and for the people they left behind to be strong in the Lord.

The team is having it's final discussion tonight with observations, devo, and singing and prayer. Tomorrow they 'head down the hill' to the airport. I will try to follow their progress here as much as possible.

They were successful in many ways. The clinic treated hundreds who would not have received medical help otherwise. Those also were given an opportunity for Bible study and teaching.

Negotiations were successful in obtaining a larger facility for the school and church. Under a deadline from the Education Ministry to either close or move to a larger, more adequate building, God provided an alternative that allows growth. There will be additional costs, but there are many benefits to the new facility. These will be discussed in the near future.

For now, praise God that He took care of the team and allowed them to show Jesus in their lives and actions. Pray for a safe trip tomorrow. God bless you, Ralph

The medical team reported their statistics for the week. Each patient receives at least some vitamins and parasite treatment, so the prescription number may seem high.

Sunday - 109 patients and 355 prescriptions
Monday- 200 patients and 798 prescriptions
Tuesday - 302 patients and 1212 prescriptions
Wednesday - 198 patients and 1075 prescriptions (late start in a new location)
Thursday - 278 patients and 1419 prescriptions

Total 1087 patients and 4858 prescriptions

That is quite high considering there is only one doctor from the US on the team. The nurses carry a huge part of the load, and the translators and others work extremely hard to make it happen. Just imagine counting and sorting and labeling that many pills!

They are healthy, happy, and tired. A few have caught colds but keep going. Today is packup and put away day. Then some visiting and sightseeing. Tomorrow they return home--another very long day!

The team has finished their medical work and are coming down off the mountain right now. Tomorrow they will pack for the trip home and do some sightseeing and home visiting. A few of them will go to Honduras to treat some church members there who are ill.

Continue to pray for their safety and security.

The medical team is happy and singing on the bus as they travel up the mountain to Granadillos for another day of helping people. The facility there is undergoing some remodeling so they will be working out of a Catholic church and tents. They look forward to another great day.

The team had a very productive day with around 300 patients seen.

They are tired and well but happy. Tomorrow they go 'up on the mountain' to Granadillos for another day.

Please pray that they will have safety and success.
Tuesday 6:36 pm

The team has returned to the hotel after a good day's work. They had a goal of 150 patients and treated over 200. They are enjoying pizza and satisfied with their day. This was reported by Doc Harris at 6:15 pm.

Here is the team as they prepared to go to worship yesterday morning. Today they are conducting a medical clinic in the small town of San Jose, about 10 miles south of La Palma.
They are all busy and healthy.

The team saw 105 patients this afternoon and look forward to tomorrow!

Watch for team photo in the morning.

The team settled in last night and began preparing for a medical clinic today. This afternoon they opened the clinic to church members and tomorow will go to San Jose for another one.

They are well and healthy but tired from the trip.

There were more delays at the airport because of the medicines, but the new team has arrived at the hotel in La Palma.
6:15 pm Sat

The flight has arrived in San Salvador and taxied to the gate--late.

They now begin the process of going through immigration and customs, then boarding a bus and going up the hill to La Palma.
1pm Sat

The flight to San Salvador departed Houston about 37 minutes late. They estimate arrival in San Salvador about 25 minutes late --12:32.

The entire second wave arrived in Houston OK and are waiting to depart for San Salvador. 9:30 am Sat.

The team worked hard again today--preparing for the medical work next week and negotiating for the new school facility. Tonight they will enjoy pupusas at Reina's house. Those who have been there know what a treat that is!

Several new team members travel to La Palma tomorrow. They will meet in Houston from several locations around the country. They all are anxious to help.

I will try to bring travel updates during the day as they progress toward La Palma.

The education ministry gave us until the end of June to locate to a larger school facility, and until March to inform them of a plan for the move. They required more rooms and larger rooms than the present building have. The team has explored all available options. The present Montana hotel has been our choice for some time, but the owner just will not be reasonable in price--saying he would take no less than 1/2 million dollars for it with a $150,000 appraisal. Other available facilities are too small. Building all new from ground up is too expensive and has security and transportation issues.

Jose recently found a former dental clinic for lease, and it has quite a bit of space. What it lacked was an auditorium and some classroom space. The owner has offered to build those to our specifications. The team is now negotiating the details for us to take over this facility and have the new construction finished by June 1. It will require about $600 per month in additional rent compared to what we have now, but we really did need the additional rooms and a larger auditorium.

The present plan is to sign a long-term lease which will include space for the school, the church, and the preacher school plus some dormitory and storage space.

Some additional furniture and appliances will be needed. These include tables, school desks, 2 gas ranges, a refrigerator, marker boards, and other miscellaneous items. We plan to ship these to La Palma in mid-May, so if you have items to donate, please let us know. They will ship from SW MO. We especially need more school desks--both large and small, and cash to cover the additional rent. Please be generous in contributing to this great mission work.

Some of the team spent today in Ocotepeque, Honduras with Jorge and Gloria and the sponsored children there. More details of the days' activities will come later.

God bless you, Ralph

This is the first week team of missionaries.

The team has been looking at a possible school/church facility that has lots of potential. Several details have to be worked out, but they feel excited about it.
They met with Dr Ramirez this morning to finalize plans for next week.

The team had a very busy day getting ready for the coming week and looking at options for a larger school and church facility.

They are well and busy.

The team will be busy today. We probably will not get an update until around 9 tonight.

The photo shows Jim Avalos from Houston preaching this morning during worship at the hotel. Jim is on his second trip to La Palma and is a great teacher, preacher, translator, and helper.

They report that it was about 50 degrees last night, so those going on the next wave need to consider a medium weight jacket and sweater --dress in layers because it warms up during the daytime.

They are busy. Some of the team went to El Tule for preaching this afternoon.
God bless you.

Today the team will worship with the local church and prepare for the week ahead. There is much to do in addition to renewing fiendships.

The team arrived early in La Palma and has settled in. They have reunited with friends. Will have photos tomorrow.
God bless you, Ralph

The plane has landed in San Salvador - 12:22pm

The first wave of February missionaries is enroute to La Palma today. They met in Houston and will arrive in San Salvador about noon. There are five in this team to prepare for the medical mission which starts on the 15th.

Pray for their success and safety.

Be flexible!

One of the things we frequently hear on our trips to La Palma is that we need to "be flexible". This applies to nearly every aspect of our trip. Sometimes we have to wait longer than we want to for a meeting, sometimes plans change with a moment's notice, sometimes we have to change hotel rooms due to plumbing issues, sometimes we have to get up earlier than we want. The words "be flexible" are frequently quoted to us, especially by Ralph. So, when we saw this sign at the Continental gate in Houston in September, Marcy and I knew we had to have a picture of it. I thought this might be a good reminder for those who are leaving for La Palma in the upcoming days so they can start thinking about it now. Even though Ralph won't be on this trip, I feel certain that you'll hear "be flexible" somewhere along the way. :)

-Lori

My Sister's Hands

This picture is one that we took after a worship service in La Palma. Doug was able to get high enough to get a view of all of our hands clasped together. This is one of my favorite pictures from La Palma, mostly because it has the hands of some of the most precious women I've ever met. But the reason I wanted this picture taken was because of a song I learned at a ladies' retreat just over a year ago. Read the words to the song below:

My sister's hands are fair and white; my sister's hands are dark

My sister's hands are touched with age, or by the years unmarked

And often when I pray for strength to live as He commands

The Father sends me sustenance in my sister's hands

My sister's hands are lined and worn with burdens of their own

And yet I know that should I mourn, I need not weep alone

For often as I seek His grace to lighten life's demands

The Father sends me solace borne in my sister's hands

My sister's hands: compassion's tools that teach my own their art

Witnesses of charity within the human heart

Bearers of the Savior's love and mercy unto man

I have felt the Master's touch in my sister's hands

I think any of you who have been on trips to La Palma will agree that this song reminds you of one or more of the sisters there.

Dios le bendiga,

Lori

P.S. If you'd like to listen to an MP3 version of the song, you can go to: http://www.defordmusic.com/mysistershands.htm .

So sweet

When our group is in La Palma, the local people often want to give us gifts. They do not have much money, but they want to find a way to tell us "thank you" for coming and for helping them. In September, the night before we left, little Cristina came bringing this flower to me. She held it up and told me thank you and hugged me. She is such a sweet little girl and lives in extreme poverty but her eyes sparkle when we visit her. She had picked this flower up in the gutter outside the church building where an abundance of them had fallen. Her sweet gesture and desire to say thank you was worth more than anything she could have purchased as a gift.

Isn't she precious?