On Sunday, September 16, we arrived in Tocoa, Honduras. We were greeted by a lot of hugs from the kids. The “big house” is home for teenage moms and their babies, as well as 8 orphans. Open Doors Ministries is working hard to complete construction of “Los Casitas”, which will be homes on a separate property for the present orphans and other orphans.
One of the big projects for this trip was enclosing the sleeping rooms to prevent mosquitoes from coming in and biting the kids. We worked on getting the beams for a ceiling to close the gap between the roof and the walls. Malaria is a huge problem, so this is a much needed solution to keep everyone safe at night. There were also a few plumbing issues that needed repair. Fortunately, one of our team members (Randy) is a plumber. He was able to repair sinks and showers.
We were able to give each of the kids new pajamas. They were so excited! Of course, they all slept in the new pajamas the first night. The kids did not have school on Monday because of the Honduras Independence Day holiday. So, DeAnna and Linda went to the beach with the kids. This was a HUGE treat for the kids. The team purchased three new bicycles for the kids, which they rode for hours.
The “big house” has a room that will be used as a delivery room for the teen moms, as well as for other medical services. We cleaned and organized supplies in this room so it will be ready for use. In fact, on our last day, Dr. Reusser examined a patient in the room. The doctor also saw patients for three days at the local hospital. He had some patients that walked seven hours and waited outside the hospital three days to see him!
The team participated in the feeding station in Tocoa. We fed more than 50 kids the first day and 70 the second day. In most cases, this is the only meal these kids get. The Comptons worked with a nutritionist to identify what kind of food to feed the children so they receive the nutrients that they need. We put some funds toward the purchase of a new building to better serve the kids' meals each day of the week. The new location has running water and much more space.
