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Click here to jump to the daily blog entries from the trip!
Jefferson College of Health Sciences Faculty, Staff and Students Undertake a Medical Mission to Honduras
Linda Rickabaugh, Associate Professor in the JCHS Nursing Program, and Michelle Hartman, Assistant Professor in Nursing, are leading a team on a Medical Mission to Honduras from
May 15-23, 2010.
In addition to Linda and Michelle, the team is composed of a mix of JCHS students, faculty and staff, as well as employees from Carilion Clinic. Team members are: Karen Maffucci, Heather Jones, Marc Rickabaugh, Linda Rickabaugh, Dean Rickabaugh, Lisa Allison-Jones, Bruce Jones, Michelle Hartman, Monty Gross, Jennifer McPherson, Paula Prince, Sofia Martinez, Susannah Simpson, Kaylee McMahan and Sharon Stange.
The group will spend the week organizing and implementing medical clinics and see 1,500 to 2,000 people in mountain villages for general healthcare, eye care, parasite treatment and health education and referral.
The team left Roanoke on Saturday, May 15.
See below for daily blog entries and photos from the Mission trip!
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May 15, 2010
Team 5 travel day started with a 1 a.m. phone call to let us that the flight from Richmond for part of our team was cancelled and to be rescheduled on May 19. A travel representative from Fellowship travel worked our first miracle of the trip and those members arrived to hours before their original arrival time. The remainder of our team boarded their plane in Greensboro despite an exploding duffle. We are grateful to a wonderful TSA agent who repacked the contents of the duffel in a cardboard box! We all arrived safely in SPS, made it through customs pretty easily with all our luggage, duffles and box and were glad to be greeted by Elmer and Melvin.
Our team includes seven team veteran FOBF team members and eight newbies. Our team is also unique in that five of our members are students at Jefferson College of Health Sciences in Roanoke, Virginia. This is the first trip out of the States for two of the students, but they have already adapted well!
After a delicious meal which included fresh pineapple and mango, we met on the busport for a devotional and everyone introduced themselves and shared their personal inspiration for being here. Michelle led devotion with scripture from Corinthians which set the tone of the week by reaffirming our purposes for coming are from our deep love and special, God-given gifts that we are eager to share with the Honduran people. Linda also encouraged us to expand our circle of comfort while we are here, because it will only enrich our lives as we serve others.
The night ended with a magnificent light and sound show from the heavens above Pena Blanca. It rained so hard we could not hear ourselves talk and rain even came in through the closed windows.
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May 16, 2010
 We began and ended the day in the same way—inventory and bagging medications. In between we had the fortunate opportunity to go to the church next door and met fellow missionaries and local families. We had a delicious lunch at Las Glorias and took amazing photographs of Lake Yojoa. Kaylee and Paula expanded their circles today by walking across the suspended bridge. Linda and Dean lead the group in a touching devotions which included blessing of our hands. We also visited the beautiful waterfalls at Pullaphanzak.
 Upon returning to Barnabas House, we continued to inventory and organizing the medicines and other supplies. The team finished the day by discussing the first day in clinic, expressing concerns and feelings. We are all excited and ready to go! We miss and love you all, thankful for your support, prayers, and love.
Upon returning to Barnabas House, we continued to inventory and organizing the medicines and other supplies. The team finished the day by discussing the first day in clinic, expressing concerns and feelings. We are all excited and ready to go! We miss and love you all, thankful for your support, prayers, and love.
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May 17, 2010
It Takes a Village
 Today was an amazing day! We went to the Village of La Pilon in Santa Barbara—our first day! The road provided many challenges but none that could not be conquered with a full team and village effort. There had been much rain overnight and the road was very muddy. The bus got stuck very near to the village and there were many unsuccessful attempts to remove it from the mud until Melvin called most of the people from the village to assist us! This story is told much better in pictures which we will add to the journal! With a shovel and a lot of manpower the bus was dislodged from the mud-this was probably one of our biggest miracles of the day!
 The day began with Marc, our team pastor, offering a welcome of hope to the people and blessing and anointing of many of the children. Marc also served as "pied piper" today—playing guitar and soccer, blowing bubbles, and giving away small colored plastic crosses. Everyone learned their new positions in the medical clinic, deworming station and eye clinic. A family in the village kindly allowed us to use their home as the eye station- where 30 persons were seen, 138 in the SIC clinic with two referrals. and 97 in deworming. Kaylee was surprised when a family recognized her in the clinic today. One of the children had been recovering from surgery at .jpg) the Barnabas House when we were here in October 2008 and remembered her. As we left, Paula gave her team cross away today as well to a young girl named Emily.
A storm was brewing nearby and we were advised to leave before the rain began. On the road home we saw Melvin in a new role—that of cowboy, trying to round up a small colt that got in front of the bus and was too small to jump the fences with his family. Everyone enjoyed stopping at La Naturesa on the way back for ice cream.
After dinner, Monty gave a heart-felt devotion about grace, mercy and the majesty of God and invited team members to symbolically give up a burden they have been carrying and identify and quality they would like to strengthen in themselves. The night ended with another magnificent Honduras rainstorm in which Sophia, Heather, Jennifer, Susannah, and Kaylee went out to play!
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May 18-19, 2010
The team departed the Barnabas complex bright and early Tuesday morning with our luggage headed for La Paz. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast buffet at Bongo's.
Clinic at A Pacheco on Tuesday ran more smoothly as the team perfected our roles. We had over 400 patient encounters, many which have touched our lives forever. The community was very welcoming and enthusiastic. We were grateful for a delicious lunch which was prepared by one of the village leaders, Fatima. Many children request personal prayers for good health and an opportunity to grow up. The children were also excited about singing and playing games.
 Michelle gave her cross to a mother whose critically ill infant was treated in the clinic for respiratory distress. When she returned for a re-check, the baby had not improved. We made provisions for her to go to the hospital, but she decided not to go until the following day. We are uncertain about the outcome for this child. This encounter sparked much group discussion about our feelings of inadequacy, frustration and sadness. However, the team shared other stories about the positive impact of our trip to this community.
We then checked into a beautiful resort nestled in a mango grove, complete with ginormous beetles and loud geckos. We celebrate the arrival of two new team members from UVA, named Hannah and Tommy, and the anniversary of two couples on our team.
 Wednesday began with an alfresco breakfast and we loaded up for Las Limas. This village was at an altitude of 6,700 feet and the view was breathtaking. Coffee plants scaled the mountainside from all directions. Once again, we were very busy with deworming, treating the sick and injured and were able to make five referrals for cardiac, neurologic and gastrointestinal abnormalities. Dean, medico de los ojos, dispensed many glass to community members, including 17 pair of prescription glasses. Kaylee, Susannah and Sofia have honed their assessment skills while working in the sick and injured clinic. Jennifer is a proficient pharmacy tech, especially in Honduras. Heather enjoyed her day in deworming and was able to interact with many children and practice her Spanish.
Tonight, several team members visited La Paz and enjoyed strolling around the town square and eating ice cream.
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May 20, 2010
 Let the Children Come
Our third village in La Paz was Matasamo. We were warmly greeted by the school children in uniform and people of the village. Immediately after our arrival the children sang many songs beautifully for us and ended with the national anthem of Honduras.
We had many patient encounters today, 696 total and a number of referrals. We were very busy in all areas. There was one young woman who had previously had a cleft palate repair and needed a revision. She was frightened and Hannah gave her cross to her and then Marc and Melvin prayed with her. One boy with Down’s Syndrome was found to have a heart murmur and he also received glasses in the eye clinic so that he was able to see. He will receive a cross from  Tommy. Karen received the flexibility award today—as she worked in pharmacy and then was pulled to create an additional clinic station, utilizing many different translators.
Heather painted the fingernails of many muchachas today and gave her cross to a special girl who painted HER nails. Jennifer gave her cross to a young man who was unable to hear or speak and his mother said that her husband had recently died.
On our return, Elmer took a shortcut through Lejamani, suggested by Melvin. It was raining hard from a thunderstorm and some streets were flooded. After eating a great meal at Bongos, we returned through heavy rain and  arrived safely at the barnabas house to no electricity! Fortunately it was quickly restored—as many were anxious to shower.
Kaylee and Heather shared a devotion based on a favorite scripture—Phillipians 4:11. I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. This seemed to be good words to remember during the challenging moments.
Although several played cribbage, after receiving mail, most of the team members settled in anticipating a good night’s sleep.
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May 21, 2010
San Jose de Las Cuartas
 On our last day, we headed past Lago de Yajoa and WAY up into the beautiful Honduran mountains again to the village of San Jose de las Cuartas. Elmer told us it was the first time for FOBF in this village and they did not expect a large crowd. However, that was not the case!
A woman of the village prayed for our team members including pastor Marc as soon as we arrived. Her name was Juana and she was the recipient of Susannah`s cross. We had a total of 533 patient encounters—262 in SIC clinic, 72 in eye clinic and 199 in deworming. We also had 4 referrals today. Our total encounters for the week was over 2,400. Although we are proud to have served so many, we received so much more than we gave.
The sacred moments have been too numerous to count or relate. Our team has been richly blessed by the connections we have had with each other as a team and will all those lives we have touched this week. We said goodbye to Melvin today who returned to San Pedro Sula.
Paula shared a favorite poem by Billy Collins entitled As If to Demonstrate an Eclipse, with us at devotion time, which all agreed was very pertinent to our experiences.
Special moments of the week were shared by team members. The JCHS students all shared how their lives have been changed during the past week. We will never forget the opportunity and privilege of serving the wonderful people of Honduras this week. Thank you for all the prayers and support during our time here.
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May 22, 2010
 We reluctantly said our goodbyes and left the Barnabas House about 9 a.m. after singing the "Canta Aleluyah" together on the porch. Hannah came with us to San Pedro Sula, while Tommy, who was not feeling well, stayed behind to rest.
We made three stops on our way back to SPS. First we visited Elmer's home and family—so everyone could become acquainted with his family—wife Rosa Bella and children, Karen & Emerson. We met Emerson's pet baby chicks and Emerson shared his developing preaching gift by sharing the story of Jacob's ladder from his children's Bible and leading us in the Lord's prayer in ENGLISH. Karen told us of her desire to become a cardiologist.  We were happy to stop to vist with Rafael Barahona, who had translated for our team the last time. We stopped in the grocery store in Pena Blanca for last minute food items.
After lunch at Pizza Hut in Pena Blanca, the team enjoyed the afternoon in the artisan's market and Casa del Sol. Everyone was able to find a treasure or two for those back home.
After checking in at the Metrotel and a short rest or swim in the pool, we shared holy Communion as a team in the garden gazebo behind the hotel. Pastor Marc's scripture was 1 John 4: 7-12 about the agape love that God wants us to share with others as exemplified by all team members this week. A relaxing dinner at Larsen's was enjoyed by all. Bags were packed for the last time and readied for an early departure. It has been an amazing week. Muchas gracias for all the love, support and prayers this week.
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