A dislocated ankle, a baby shower, and a ministry of healing and hope

Last Wednesday night, Nate Clark dislocated his ankle and broke his fibula while playing basketball with the islanders of Helene. He hit a wet spot on the outdoor basketball court on the Point. Immediately, his left foot was no longer pointing north and south but east and west. It was nasty to look at. The staff at the Clinic was informed and they sprung into action. I got to watch the Alternative Missions staff do what they do best, take care of medical emergencies. Two staff members came with the stretcher, another ran to get the boat driver, a fourth got money to pay for expenses in Roatan, a fifth member called Roatan to make arrangements, the last got passports and medical releases. Everyone had a function to perform. Within a few minutes, Nate was in the Clinic and the nurses were splinting his leg. Medications were administered. Within forty minutes, we were in a boat heading down island for Roatan. Greg our driver, steered through the reef in the dark of night. Nate was a champ and never spoke a word of complaint even though he was in obvious pain. The seas were calm even though a squall was trying to catch up with us. Marty meet us at the dock in Roatan. All went well, God was with us. We had a long drive to the hospital. Plenty of time to talk. I asked, " how did islanders take care of medical emergencies before the Clinic was established?"

Joe Morris (the coolest missionary in black) replied that a number of islanders died and the infant mortality rate was high. The mothers of newborns were afraid to nurture or even name their infants until they had reached the age of two fearing their child would die young and break their hearts. Fear had filled the parents hearts. Generations of islanders had been raised without deep emotional bonding to their parents. Death was a regular occurrence.

Recently, the new practice of having a baby shower, has taken hold on the island. During our two week mission trip, the females on our team were invited to an island baby shower. This is a new event on Helene. The mothers are now starting to have hope that their pregnancies will lead to a normal birth and their children will live a long, healthy lives. Certainly a reason to celebrate. Hope has replaced death and fear.

Our two weeks service mission in the Bay Islands has ended. But the memories of serving God and the islanders remains in our hearts. Once again, I am deeply touched with affection and admiration for the staff of Alternative Missions in Helene. The staff of Team Helene are all God filled individuals faithfully carry out a ministry of healing, teaching, and offering the message of hope. We love you guys!

Posted by Scott, back in Portland, Oregon 7/19/06