A beautiful Honduran family

Last weekend we waited in anticipation for Sunday afternoon. We had plans to visit a Honduran family Ryan, Denny, and Donna had been working with a little. Aleyda, Ostello, daughter Clarissa (6), son Christopher (2), and a new little baby boy or girl we were hoping had arrived, live in the colonia called Nueve Capital. Describing the living conditions of most Hondurans or even showing pictures does no justice. Physically seeing and smelling is the only way to get a true feel for it. More on that later though.

As we were driving through the colonia and approached the home pictured I thought to myself, "I sure hope that one isn't their house," knowing that there would be five of them living there. The home wasn't that different than the homes around, it just seemed a little smaller and a little more in need. Just as that thought crossed my mind, we stopped! "This is it," Ryan said to me!

We came to know of Aleyda four weeks ago now. Each week WGO works with the host churches to choose a family or two in need of a concrete floor in their home. The concrete crew and Denny (the brigade coordinator) had a very eligible family from the church chosen, but something led them to the home picutured here as well.

The day I learned of Aleyda was the day she received her new concrete floor (Christopher shows it off below). It was the end of the brigade in this area and the team, including Ryan, were on their way back to the mission house. Donna and I were working in the pharmacy while she told me about Aleyda and her family. Aleyda had brought so much joy to the concrete crew with her positive, giving, and thankful spirit. Donna said that Aleyda was due to have a C-section the following day in the city because her baby was breech and they were unsure the due date, but figured it was time. This seemed so unfortunate for Aleyda on her third pregnancy after having two normal vaginal births and hearing the way C-sections are done in the poor hospitals (the old-fashioned verticle incision and no postsurgical pain medication). I thought to myself, "Ryan has to try help her." I told Donna that Denny should bring Ryan by the house to try Webster's Manuver (a chiropractic technique used to turn breech babies). Denny and Ryan did stop and the baby turned right away!! Aleyda was so thankful.

Ryan came home and shared the good news with us. I really had a strong urge to meet this family who had already been an inspiration to so many, so that Friday we drove around Nueve Capital looking for Aleyda's home with no luck. The following Wednesday, much to Aleyda's surprise Ryan, Michelle (an amazing interpreter), Denny, and Donna came over lunch to check in and see how the family was doing. The family was so happy to see them again as they had not thought the missionaries would come back. Aleyda had not yet had the baby and was anxious to as most pregnant women are in those last weeks. Ryan examined her and told her it could be up to another week or two.

When this Sunday arrived we were very excited to see the new baby we had hoped had arrived. And I was really anticipating meeting this family we had learned so much about. Their home is about 9ftx9ft with a tin roof (with holes) and thin wood walls (with holes). There are two cots along adjacent walls. One cot acts as Aleyda, Christopher, and baby's bed while the other belongs to Ostello. Clarissa has a small makeshift bed at the head of Aleyda's bed. The family cooks on a two burner camping stove with a gas can the size of a coke bottle. There is no sink. Most Hondurans have what is called a Pila to wash dishes and clothes in. This family doesn't have one and walks up the hill to do those things. They collect water in a pool outside of the house and once in awhile a water truck comes around and fills up the oil drum inside the door. This is the water used for cooking and drinking. When we arrived there was an 1 1/2 inches of water in the drum. The home has no bathroom or outhouse for that matter. I'm guessing that is what the back of the house is for.

Aleyda, Clarissa, and Christopher were so excited to see us and we were happy to hear that Aleyda gave birth to a healthy 7lb baby boy on June 18th. When we found this out we were so thankful that the Lord had lead us into Aleyda's life as the little baby boy (he's not named yet) would have been up to 3 weeks early putting him at more risk for problems and giving Aleyda the added risks and pain of a C-section.

Aleyda is such a strong and happy person. Her ability to be so cheerful and reliant on God not knowing when or if needs will be provided for are so inspirational to us. Clarissa has the same fun spirit and a little bit of a goofy side to her. They are such a joy. I love to watch Reed and Ella playing and learning from these situations as well. Reed and Ella brought a ball, construction paper, colored pencils, and shoes for Christopher and Clarissa and it was just like Christmas to them. Reed has been finding things that we should bring them since. It's hard though as they don't really have room for much. We plan to continue to check in with this wonderful family and help them when we can with their needs.

I cannot tell you how blessed I feel that the Lord presented us with this call to Honduras and gave us the strength and determination to answer that call. We have already been able to see and do so much for so many with God leading us all the way. We have learned to trust and lean on the Lord in ways we didn't know how to as this mission has not come without its struggles. And, hopefully we've been able to relate our experiences in ways that will be great for your spiritual growth as well. God is present here in this mission. You can see him on the brigades and in the faces of the needy all around. Please pray for the strength of this mission and all involved, for Hondurans new to the Christian faith, for the teams coming down to help, for Ryan's physical health and stamina, for good nutrition and food for Hondurans in need, for new life, and for this happy family in Nueve Capital.

How long have you had hiccups?

Hola mi amigos. I know that I just sent out an email, but I had a very exciting and blessed week on the evangelism brigades and I would like to share one story.

On Tuesday of this last week we were at a very nice church, by Honduran standards, and a few hundred people had already came through for medical/chiropractic/dental and evangelism during our day. Donna, a missionary RN here, came to me asking if there was anything I could do for a patient that has hiccups. He has had them for 8 years! I said that if his nervous system is irritated by a subluxation in his spine, and if that is his cause then I may be able to help.

The patient came over to me, refusing multivitamins or medications that most patients receive; he was solely concerned with his hiccups! He told me that they have made his life miserable and he again confirmed that he has had them for 8 years without cessation.

I evaluated his cervical spine and he had a subluxation at C2 and C6 and he had a subluxation at his 10th thoracic vertebrae. I adjusted him and told him that I would like to see him after he returns from evangelism. When he returned he told my translator that for 30 minutes his hiccups had stopped! They had now returned, as I could visually see. I adjusted him again at the same vertebral segments and told him that I would like to see him on Wednesday at our next brigade site. (This is not a normal WGO procedure but I decided to make an exception, with approval from the brigade coordinator as well.)

When he came to the new church on Wednesday he was still hiccupping! But… he said that he had a better night of sleep than he has had in years and the hiccupping had stopped during the night. I adjusted him again and told him to return on Thursday.

He returned again on Thursday… this time no hiccups! He had a big smile on his face and he was without hiccups and had been this way since the previous day soon after my last treatment! For him this was the first time in 8 years that he had gone without hiccups constantly irritating his life. I adjusted him again and asked to see him again next week. He has had constant nerve irritation and inflammation at his spinal joints for 8 years and I know and can feel that his body needs more care.

He told me that he has prayed for God to take away his hiccups and that he believes that God sent me here to Honduras for him! It was a very emotional moment for me feeling that I was God’s instrument to answer a prayer made to Him. I know that in my last email I expressed that I felt that we are where God wants us at this time, but this week He sure spoke that to us with a greater volume!

I have attached a picture of myself with this gentleman. As many Honduran men are, he looks stoic in this picture, but if you look closely behind his mustache he has a smile under there! It was exciting to see this change in his life and many WGO staff and missionaries to joy in seeing this physical change. I look forward to seeing him this week along with the 300 other Hondurans that I will have the privileged of caring for!

Please pray that the hundreds of people that receive care this week at the WGO brigade will not only get their short term health needs met, but their long term spiritual needs met! Please pray that many will find their way to Christ.

God bless you and the coming week!

Love,
Ryan, Jamie, Reed, Ella, and baby(Maya???)

A Couple of Cuties

Reed, Ella, and I (Jamie) were enjoying a nice day outside planting our new plants and playing while daddy was off at brigades.


Reed and Ella think their new (used) car is cool!

Trix are for kids....& vegging out to cartoons in Espanol!!

Fun on the Trampoline at Pastor Darren's house.

Buenos dias de Honduras!

I hope that all is going well with everybody and that you are enjoying the summer. We have had a couple of intense weeks and we are really starting to feel peace here in Honduras.

First of all I would like to thank you for your prayers and support for little Isiah. I went and visited him the following 3 days after I sent the letter and he continued to look better every day. By Wednesday he was walking around looking much healthier. Currently he is doing well and appears to be without sickness.

I have now had the privilege of being on 3 weeks of medical/evangelism brigades. The experience of working on the bodies of hundreds of Hondurans has been extremely reinforcing to us on why we are here in Honduras.

The first week of brigades was May 26th-May 30th. It was a true blessing to have the president of the Christian Chiropractors Association, Dr. Charles Hollensed, join the team. We worked together to see over 400 patients with many physiological health problems! To read how a brigade works please check out our blog at http://schroederfamilymission.blogspot.com/ . We hope to regularly write on this blog and encourage you to share with us on that site as well.

The patients that I have seen have many physical pains and challenges. So many have daily headaches, mid-back pain, shoulder pain, and very damaged lower backs. I have seen many wrist and elbow injuries as wells and knee and hip pain. The overwhelming commonality between patients is that they do very physical work which is very damaging to their bodies, and they have no knowledge how to take care physical problems themselves and no access to professional physical care.

I treat every patient that comes to my station for care and they have ranged from 4 months to 91 years old. Last week I saw between 65-90 patients per day and I truly felt blessed to have the opportunity to deliver chiropractic care for the first time to these patients. Many felt immediate relief from their pain and were extremely grateful. After they visit my station they then go to the evangelism station. I believe that physically touching and caring for my patients better prepares their soul for the evangelism station.

Last week Jamie was able to work at the site on Thursday while another missionary, Donna, watched Reed and Ella for the day. I think that Reed and Ella really enjoyed a break from their parents J. In the morning Jamie functioned as a nurse practitioner seeing about 30 patients with many different conditions. In the afternoon Jamie worked at an evangelism station in which she shared the Gospel with about 25 souls! She was very nervous going into this station because it is not something most of us are used to doing, even though we are called by our Lord to bring others to Him. Jamie worked with a translator to communicate with the Hondurans that came to her. She talked with them about their history and asked if the have Jesus Christ in the heart. She would then ask if she could share with them about Christ and their salvation. She had an amazing afternoon where 8 people prayed for the first time to accept Jesus Christ into their lives!

After the day was over Jamie felt humbled to have been present for those conversions. She new that it was not by her knowledge of the Gospel or her merit that brought these people to Christ but rather the Holy Spirit moving in people. I get emotional about the fact that if they truly accepted Christ, Jamie will see all 8 of them again some day! Also, some of the other people she saw that day may also let the seed grow that was planted in them!

The first week of brigades saw 98 first time conversions to Christ, the second week 88, and last week 118!

Prior to our departure many of our correspondence letters had the verse from Matthew 9: 37-78
…“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
This verse has truly been shown to be true to us because the harvest sure is great!

I get excited that someday YOU will see hundreds of Hondurans in heaven that may have never heard the Gospel if you did not make this commitment to bringing Christ to Honduras through sending us. So I suggest you start learning Spanish now!

We praise the Lord and thank you for your commitment to Honduras and our family here. We feel that this is where the Lord wants us now and we feel blessed to be serving here. Please keep this ministry in your prayers and please pray for the hearts and souls of your brothers and sister in Honduras.

How a medical/evangelism brigade works!

A team from the U.S. is formed by a church or other Christian organization that has between 15-35 team members. These team members are anywhere from 17-80 years old. They come from all different career backgrounds. The team is there to make the brigade work. Also, a team member can join up with a team that is not from his/her area. If somebody wishes to serve here, WGO will try and find a team that works for you! Some teams include medical doctors, optometrist, dentists and nurses. Others teams, like the team from May 26th-30th, carry no medical personnel. Once a team is formed from the states World Gospel Outreach will pair with a Christian church in a poor area of the city. We will arrive on Monday morning, usually with hundreds of Hondurans waiting in line, and set up our stations in the church sanctuary. Our stations include:

* 3-5 medical stations(we always have one Honduran doctor, Hector, and if no other
M.D.s are on the team W.G.O will try to hire an additional 2 Honduran doctors)

* 2-3 dental stations staffed with 1-3 Hondurans dentists as well as any dental personnel
with the team.

* 1-2 chiropractic stations staffed with yours truly and if so blessed a chiropractor from
the states, Dr. Charles Hollensed joined the team for the first week.

* 0-1 Optical stations; this station is only present if an optometrist or ophthalmologist
has come with the team. This station is a true blessing as many that come are not able to even read a bible. Our first week did not have an optical station and our second did. It was a true blessing to see people receive the blessing of vision!

* 1 pharmacy station where medications and nutritional supplements are dispersed.

* 1 children’s station where the children are shared Gospel stories and music. Also,
nearly half are treated for lice.

* 5-8 evangelism stations where every person that came to the brigade sits down with a North American missionary and a translator. This station is the purpose of all the above stations! While I love to provide the humanitarian/physical care that is desperately needed, if a person finds Christ they have eternal healing! At this station the missionary will sit and talk with the other person and try to get to know who they are, they will share the Gospel of Christ and his/her personal testimony of faith. If the person is a Christian they will be encouraged in there faith, if they are not they will be asked about their salvation. They will not be condemned or sentenced into damnation. They will be told about the love of Christ, His dying for our sins on the cross and the promise of eternal salvation though our faith in Him. They may be asked about what they had to do to receive they care they just received, the medications or nutrition in their hands, or the glasses they hold so close. All they had to do was to come. They will be told that Christ will take all of our burdens, our imperfections, our sins and that he will carry that debt for us. What we have to do is accept Him into our lives. This station is the reason for which we came to Honduras to serve!

Once we get our stations set-up patients start to come through. They are given the choice of choosing to go a medical station, dental or a optical station(if present). So far, all patients that choose to are able to come to the chiropractic station! From those stations they will go to the pharmacy to receive a multivitamin and medication if prescribed. From there they will go to either the children’s station or evangelism station. It is usually a very busy day in which over 400 patients are often seen by all the disciplines.

First pics from Tegucigalpa

After many requests from everyone I have finally gotten some pictures together!!!

Our Home
We felt very fortunate when we saw our house. It was more comfortable than we imagined. After seeing the conditions of the poor in the community we realized that we are truly blessed.

The very PINK living room!

El Bano

The view from the mission house is spectacular, especially in the evening and after the rain. We're located at about 4500 feet above sea level in the mountain.

Reed being disappointed that he has no more mustard in his bowl. He ate five spoonfuls while I was making BBQ's. I think he's trying to show off to Grandpa Danny. What a goofball!

Our first night out on the town alone!! Ryan drove for the first time...Scary!!! The Lord made sure we made it there and back safely even though it rained on the way home. We went for ice cream at a new food court and got groceries at Paiz. Ella is enjoying one of all the WGO missionaries' favorite treats, a Granita (Grandma Kim would love the Cafe flavor).

Reed and Ella really enjoy watching the Honduran boys making cement block right outside our front door. The blocks will be used for the new mission house WGO is building. These guys could've come to work for Grandpa Jerome. The building they're in front of is called the "Small Cabin." A missionary couple will be coming Tuesday to stay there for 3 months. Yipee, we'll have neighbors!!

Reed and Ella playing with their best buds, Lydia and Isabell. The kids have really enjoyed playing with them and their other siblings Sara and Gabe. Their dad, Luis, is one of the brigade coordinaters and mom, Cathy, is a spiritual counselor at the English speaking school. They'll be going back to the states for the summer, so Reed and Ella will really miss playing with them.

More pics and a letter from Ryan to come!