As Church of the Palms celebrates its fiftieth anniversary in 2007, the eye and dental clinic in Honduras celebrates its tenth anniversary.

On February 17, 1997, the clinic opened its doors to share God's love with the “poorest of the poor” by administering eye care to those who could not afford to go to a private clinic for treatment. Fifteen patients were seen that day and we were overjoyed. Now, ten years later, over eighty thousand patients have been examined in the eye clinic and over ten thousand ophthalmic surgeries performed.

These numbers do not include the dental patients examined and dental procedures done. I will have those figures after our annual clinic board meeting in February. The clinic will have a Celebration Dinner commemorating its anniversary, which will be attended by the staff and board members. We will give thanks to God for His provision and blessings during these ten years and ask for His continued guidance in the days ahead.

From its inception, Church of the Palms has been a part of this ministry. My husband, Doug and I were commissioned “Mission Associates” with PCUSA at Church of the Palms before we left for Honduras to open the clinic. The clinic has been part of the mission budget of Church of the Palms since 1997 and the clinic has also been the recipient of contributions from the Church of the Palms Foundation.

There are many other ways members of Church of the Palms have supported the clinic and its outreach ministries. Let me take this time to thank Presbyterian Women, Children's Ministry, Youth Ministry, Timetithers and so many other individuals who have given their time and talent to the work being done in Honduras.

In the Upper Room Daily Devotional Guide I read recently, the writer wrote how blessed he was to be able to serve the poor. He said, “I have come to realize it's not as important that they see Christ in us as it is that we see Christ in them. They are God's children and our brothers and sisters. We are blessed to be able to serve them as Jesus did when he walked the earth.”

Jesus said, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God”.

Luke 6:20
I thank God that He has given us the opportunity to serve Him by serving our brothers and sisters in Honduras.

Dios les bendiga!

Maxine Perry

SUMMER 2006

El Progreso is quite the “vacation spot” for many ophthalmologists this summer. The eye clinic’s volunteer doctors’ program is at its peak. E-mails from both Dr. Diego Mejia, the Medical Director, and Sr. Melvin Tejada, the Executive Director, report a very busy summer schedule for the clinic.
Starting in May and through the end of August, the schedule is full. You might ask, where do these volunteer doctors come from? How did they find out about our clinic? Some doctors learned about it from former visiting doctors. Others have seen the clinic’s web page, www.projecthonduras.com/CCSM. Some visited the clinic’s information poster that I host every year at the annual Academy of Ophthalmology meeting, attended by thousands of ophthalmologists from around the world.
Why is it important to have volunteer ophthalmologists come? The basic answer is that we are able to examine and treat more patients when there are more doctors. Also, these doctors bring with them knowledge to share with our doctors and staff. Many times they bring medical supplies as donations.
They also encourage our staff who work so hard year round.
What benefits do these volunteers or any volunteers receive by coming to Honduras? If you have ever been on a mission trip or volunteered in any capacity, you know the answer to this question. The blessings that one receives when serving our Lord far outnumber any difficulties or sacrifice one might incur.
Here are a few photos of some of CCSHH’s summer guests. A couple of ophthalmologists are fellows in training, studying cornea. Another group of doctors came from an organization called SEE (Surgical Eye Expeditions). This organization has accepted our clinic as one of their permanent sites to send volunteers. We are delighted to be able to partner with them.
Do you have to be an ophthalmologist or dentist to volunteer at the clinic? Anyone who is willing to serve is welcome at CCSHH. Those who have come in the past, whether to volunteer at the clinic, at the public hospital, lead a vacation Bible School, or hold babies at the Nutrition Center will tell you that it is an experience you will never forget! CCSHH is thankful to all the volunteers who have come in the past and are grateful to God for all those who have yet to come.
Dios les bendiga!

Maxine

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MAY 2006

Click here to see the Honduras Mission Trip Video
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Click the camera to see photos of this trip!

“BLESSED ARE THE FLEXIBLE”

When my husband Doug and I left to begin our journey of foreign missions in Honduras over nine years ago, a “seasoned” missionary informed us that there was an unwritten beatitude that we needed to learn as we embarked on our new adventure. It is “Blessed are the flexible.”

For six weeks our team of 12 met together to pray, plan and prepare for an adult mission trip to Honduras February 7-14. At our final meeting, I shared this beatitude that had been given to Doug and me. The COP team heeded the message and indeed we were blessed!

We were going to Honduras prepared to teach 200 children, ages five through twelve, each day for four days. We would teach the younger children in the morning and older children in the afternoon. We had materials and supplies gathered for this number and we were prepared!

We had planned for warm weather, but a cold front arrived a few days before we did. We were met with rain, humidity, mud and more mud. A pickup truck filled with children covered by a plastic tarp traveled from a village in the mountains. Many walked from their homes nearby. Everyone was wet, but their spirits were bright and their faces were eager with anticipation.

That first day we were blessed with 189 children with whom we shared God's message. At the end of the day, we were tired and dirty, but rejoicing that the first day had gone so well. That evening we were informed by Daniel Castro, our Honduran host, that there would be another one hundred children coming from the mountains the next day in addition to the children we already had enrolled. We were reminded of the parable of the talents. God saw what we had done with the 189 children and He was going to bless us with more. Our team came together to pray and ask God for direction and strength for the next day. The new group coming would only be with us one day. That meant the entire VBS message that we had planned for four days would need to be given to this group of children in one day. They needed to hear about God's love, Jesus, God's ultimate gift to us, and eternal life, and we needed to share this message in a concise version. That day we needed to run two separate yet simultaneous vacation Bible schools.

As 300 children poured in the second day, we found that our materials for 200 children were enough for all. We were experiencing Christ's miracle of the loaves and the fishes. God was providing for our needs in His miraculous way. He was teaching us to trust Him while He was using us to teach the children about His love.

We were assisted all week by a group of volunteers from local churches, both Catholic and evangelistic (there is no “Protestant” church in Latin America ). The helpers were from the same poor community and they had very little materially, but they were there to help and eager to make our experience a positive one. What a spirit of unity was felt all week as denominational and cultural barriers were broken. We were brothers and sisters in Christ - Hondurans, Americans, Catholics, and Evangelicals working together to honor God.

Stretched beyond our human abilities, our team proved to be flexible, coming to the aid of other team members when they were needed in different areas. We were truly growing together as the “body of Christ,” united for one purpose and that was to share the love of God with these children who were so desirous to learn about God and His love and plan for them.

Side by Side in Mission

While the COP mission team was leading the VBS, within the same school campus an ophthalmic medical team from Michigan was leading an “eye project.” Their team of 20 examined over 600 poor patients from the same rural community, dispensing eye medications and glasses. Thirty of those needed surgery and were referred to our eye clinic in El Progreso for treatment the next week.

What a blessing it was for both teams to see spiritual and physical healing taking place. This type of ministry on the mission field is referred to as “integrated health”… meeting both the spiritual and physical needs of the people. One of the young adults on the medical team was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write a poem that captures this integration from God's perspective. This was the first time he had written a poem, but God was touching his heart in a very special way. I have included it in this newsletter.

Our team had the opportunity to share devotions and mealtimes with the medical team from Michigan which added another rich dimension to our mission experience. The first evening as all 32 of us sat around the dinner table together, our Honduran host asked each person to share their expectations for the trip. Everyone shared why they had come and there were as many different expectations as there were people in the room. I remember that I asked for “changed lives.” I wanted God to change the lives of those who had come to serve and also to change the lives of those whom we were serving. God is always faithful to those who believe and put their trust in Him. Many children accepted Christ as their Lord and others rededicated their lives as they saw these little ones profess their new faith.

As the clinic begins its tenth year of operation, we find that we are outgrowing our space and in order to continue growing we will need more space. We don't know what God's plans are for the clinic and its outreach programs and ministry, but we do know that with God all things are possible, so we look to the future with hope and a promise as stated in Jeremiah 29:11: “…For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

In His peace and grace,

Maxine Perry

BLIND

Which eyes are more blind?
The eyes which cannot behold the sun and the stars,
Or those which cannot behold your glory?
The eyes that cannot see all the beauty of creation,
Or those that cannot see that you have created it?
Which eyes are more blind?
The eyes that will never look upon a father's face
Or those that will not look upon you, the Father?
The eyes which cannot see a loved one,
Or those which cannot see how much you love us?
Which eyes are more blind?
The eyes which cannot see to read,
Or those which cannot see that you are the WORD THAT
Became flesh and dwelt among us?
The eyes that cannot see fresh bread, hot from the oven,
Or those that cannot see that man does not live by bread alone - But by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord?
Which eyes are more blind?
The eyes that do not see to find the way,
Or those that do not see that you are the way, the truth and the life?
The eyes which will never see the beauty of many pearls,
Or those which will not see that you are the pearl of the greatest price?

A.B. Seal

Helping the Blind to See

As the medical team from Michigan and the mission team from Sarasota headed home on Tuesday, February 14, Dr. David Cooke, the ophthalmologist who was leading the eye team, headed to the clinic to conduct surgeries on some of the patients who were referred from the prior week. Here is a portion of what he wrote to us:

“The 8-year-old blind girl with microcorneas and roaming eyes (nystagmus) and her 17-year-old brother were both done.  She had only one eye that could be saved.  The other was too far gone to be worked on.  I just saw the 17-year-old back this morning (Saturday AM).  We did his second eye yesterday.  He still only had finger counting vision at 2 meters, but he had essentially hand-motion vision preoperatively.  His sister could only see light preoperatively.  They are both ecstatic.  They each said, ‘I'm very happy for the surgery.  I am content because today I can see (first time).'

“We did 88 surgeries on 82 patients this week: 1 pterygium, 6 glaucoma surgeries and 81 cataracts.

“Having fun, working hard--May God get the glory.”

2005 CLINIC STATISTICS

Total eye patients examined: 15,785
Surgeries performed: 1,034 (does not include laser and other procedures)
Total dental patients treated in clinic: 3,773
Total children treated in healthy living program: 3,654