mission adventure in Honduras 2017

We experienced another great trip to Loma de Luz Hospital in Balfate, Colón, Honduras. Our friends, Jayme and Sandy, and their 4 kids came with us this year. They live in North Carolina and we are good friends from our Washington DC days. Jayme owns a business that sells car parts and worked on some cars while he was in Honduras. Sandy is an elementary school teacher and she led some VBS activities with Raquel in five of the villages with the Riley family, who are long term missionaries in Honduras. We ended up bringing the maximum 8 large suitcases of supplies again despite trying to bring less this year. We had requests for crutches and sunglasses before leaving and ended up bringing 32 collapsible crutches and 104 sunglasses along with some computer cords, a baby monitor, a GI endoscope bulb, a QBC (blood) machine and some school books and supplies (and more!). The first week was awesome with all 10 of us there to help out. We left on the ferry on Saturday, July 8^th, and no one got sick. We got two weeks’ worth of groceries and then some Little Caesar’s pizza for the ride home. Ben (helpful teenage missionary) was our escort for groceries. Dave (technology missionary & more) took our baggage, but his truck broke down so he had to get a rental vehicle to drive home. There are often transportation adventures in Honduras.

While we were at Loma de Luz, a team from another church moved the playground we bought from donations in a previous year. The playground needed to be moved to make room for some new missionary housing up the hill, above the hospital. Now the kids of families at the clinic and hospital can play on the equipment located in front of the clinic instead of closer to the missionary houses. Below is the refurbished and relocated playground in process.

There are examples all around at Loma de Luz showing the generosity of others. Everything there has been built from the donations of caring people in the USA. Our generous friends and family (you on this email) have helped pay for many items at Loma de Luz, including soccer field fencing, wheelchairs, crutches, refrigerators, couches, digital x-ray, scanner, and many patients who couldn’t pay for their discounted medical care, along with many more items. This year we matched your donations and were able to donate $4330 toward getting another classroom ready at the El Camino Bilingual School (picture below) started by Loma de Luz. The school will now have 2 kindergarten classrooms and classes through 5^th grade. They are in need of more teachers and teachers’ aides, so pass the word along if you know of a teacher wanting to have the experience of a lifetime serving and teaching in the countryside of Honduras (no Spanish needed). Thank you so much for your generosity and care for people in Honduras and your support of us on these mission adventures.

You can read more below about the details of our 2 weeks in Honduras.

Our friend, Jayme, worked on over 10 cars and is really quite skilled at all things vehicle related. He got two cars and a little three wheel truck going when all three were not working upon arrival and he improved many other cars. He brought down some shocks for missionary Dave's car as well. Sandy, Raquel, and the kids went with the Rileys and did VBS every weekday the first week we were there. They had 50-70 kids and many parents there each day as they taught them about Lazarus and played a lot of games. They went to the towns of Balfate, San Luis, Lucinda, Maradiaga, and Margarita and spread Jesus’ love to over 350 kids that week. They did bubbles, face painting, and a relay game where you wrap up a kid like Lazarus with toilet paper. The kids had fun breaking out of the paper. 

In the hospital the first week, Bryan saw people with diabetes, prostate problems, chest pains, colds, asthma, stomach pains, allergies, and thyroid issues. Dr. Peter, an amazing emergency doctor who serves down there, helped Bryan cut out a lipoma (growth). Bryan admitted a lady to the hospital with a necrotic (dead) right foot from diabetes for a below knee amputation. He also admitted another lady for an amputation of what they think is an osteosarcoma (cancerous tumor). She is only 24 years old. Below is the x-ray. She will need to get chemotherapy in the capital city, Tegucigalpa, so we continue to pray for her.

Bryan saw another young man that had a bone fracture two years ago and it got infected. He has a pathological fracture now and can't walk. Dr. Jeff, the surgeon who started this hospital, is going to try to fix it so he can walk again.

We met David, who is the director of security from Samaritan's Purse, while he was visiting Loma de Luz. While we were warming up to play ultimate frisbee he partially tore his Achilles' tendon that was weak because he had used some ciprofloxacin for a recent GI bug he got in Haiti. Bryan immobilized and iced it, and used two of the crutches we brought down and a boot for immobilization. Dr. Peter and Dr. Isaac did some ultrasounds with me the next day. Here is a picture showing some of the fluid and inflammation around his Achilles' tendon.

We were sad to say goodbye to our friends from North Carolina after a week of serving and creating a lifetime of memories together. We had such a great experience together and are looking for more people to serve with us in the future. Please talk to us if you are interested in joining us or going there on your own.

Over the weekend we went to the Bejucal waterfall which is our favorite. Bryan and Dr. Ryan crawled up the left side through the jungle to get to the top of the waterfall area. After that Jaden, Clay and Bryan did Jiu Jitsu for a second time with Dr. Peter and a bunch of Honduran boys. The new QBC machine Christine (lab manager) had us bring down is working. We took time to find the storage locations & deliver the many medicines, braces, arm slings, gauze, ortho glass, adult diapers, and eye glasses (among other things) that we brought with us. We even brought down a thermometer, BP cuff, and an oxygen regulator that got put to use. We had some amazing donations from a group called Matter in the Minneapolis area. 

During our second week in Honduras, Raquel used her computer talents to work on the Loma de Luz website: http://www.crstone.org/ named for their American non-profit, The Cornerstone Foundation. She also helped implement a process to scan in documents in the clinic check-in area and have the workers put the electronic documents into the EMR (electronic medical record) or computerized patient charts.

Here are a few of Bryan’s notes from his second week in clinic (read on for more details).

“On Monday in clinic I saw a family with their father who had dementia and had not been verbal for the past 6 months and had stopped eating food. We determined he could still drink and I found him some Nestle shakes he could drink. I even called and talked to his sister in the USA and we talked about what to do if he stops eating. The family said he is a Christian and he would be going to heaven as we talked about the future. I prayed with him and his family and I look forward to seeing him with his new mind and body some day in heaven.

On Tuesday I taught a bunch of the doctors how to use the new auto sensing VPAP machine and set up the other machine we brought down to be in BiPAP mode. Both of these machines will help patients that need help breathing. It is going to be really useful to have the automated one in the ED (more commonly known as the ER) to help their COPD and heart failure patients. The auto adjusting machines are much easier to use and better tolerated by the patients because they automatically adjust the settings. We also got a large oxygen regulator to Dave Fields and I wrote up some of the issues with their EMR and workflows for Dave and Dr. Isaac.

On Wednesday I saw a few patients with blood pressure issues, back pain, diabetes and thyroid issues as well as a patient with 6 months of diarrhea with positive C. Diff, parasites, and colitis (many intestinal problems) that had not responded to treatments. We got him some new medicines and lined up a more detailed treatment plan.

On Thursday it was a slow clinic day but I saw a patient with a stable thyroid nodule that I ultrasounded myself. I was also able to let a mom know she was pregnant and celebrate with her.  On Thursday night Dr. Peter had his Jiu Jitsu ministry so I helped cover his call and saw three patients in the ED. One had panic attacks with palpitations. Another one had biliary colic and was 4 months pregnant. The third one had an STD and/or pyelonephritis.

On Friday morning I helped in clinic while Raquel taught employees how to scan papers into the EMR. Dr. Peter helped me do an ultrasound for a woman that has a new DVT and I started her on Coumadin. 

It was another amazing trip full of grateful patients and amazing missionary doctors and nurses. It is a blessing to be part of God's work in Honduras.”

We returned from Honduras challenged to live a life more in service to Jesus. We try to give what we can while we are there but always return receiving more than expected. The American missionaries and Hondurans give us great joy to be a part of their lives. Their lives are harder but simpler, and more focused on living intentionally while bringing Jesus’ light and love everywhere.

Thank you for praying, giving, and caring about us.

Raquel, Bryan, Jaden & Clay Jarabek

Supported and blessed

I've never felt so supported by friends and family! We are on our way to Honduras and feel as though we have a large band of supporters behind us. We have friends who offered to get us to and from the airport, others who donated items for the 5k fundraiser race, teammates who gave us soccer equipment, and still others who helped us sort and gather medical supplies. And on top of that we have friends and family who donated money to be used in Honduras and are praying for us throughout this trip. Our church also prayed for us last Sunday. We are really feeling loved and supported.

We can't thank everyone enough for going along with us on this trip. You are truly a part of all we are doing in Honduras. We are so excited to serve others and use our gifts in Honduras.

If you want to give money to a great cause, you can still donate here: 

https://www.samaritanspurse.org/medical/wmm-doctors/

(enter Jarabek in the text box to find us)

We will be putting the money into a fund to help patients who can't afford their medical expenses and possibly using the money for other great causes in Honduras at Hospital Loma de Luz. 

http://www.crstone.org/

We will update you about this in a couple weeks. You can still donate any time. We are in Honduras 6/30/16 to 7/19/16. 

Thank you for praying, giving and going with us on this journey. 

Honduras recap

We had another great trip serving in Honduras. We are just happy to use our skills and talents to help others. Bryan served in the clinic at Loma de Luz 3 days a week and also did overnight call for any emergencies that came in while he was trying to sleep. I had the opportunity to help out the IT missionary, Dave Fields, with a few projects, some of which I am still completing. I spent most of my time updating the charge sheet that is used for every clinic visit. I met with lots of different people at the clinic to get their changes and input. I completed a few revisions of the Costas de Clinica form with some help from Bryan too. By the time we left, they had an updated version that will be ready to use soon.

My highlights from the trip are sharing meals with friends/missionaries, serving at the dump in the city and watching my boys make friends with kids in Honduras. We forgot to take any pictures of our meals and the people that we shared the table. I will try to do better at this next time. Those are truly the memories I cherish. Helping with Lisa Bradley's ministry at the dump in the nearest large city, La Ceiba, is always a favorite activity of mine. We walked around and checked in with a variety of families in need of help. Then we served a meal to the kids including bread, beans, rice and milk. There is a feeding program that provides a meal twice a week to the kids who live near the dump. Even though it is only twice a week, it is decreasing the malnutrition seen there. I loved watching the boys play with missionary kids and Honduran kids. We got a few pictures of the boys playing and I hope that their new friends will still be remembered the next time we travel to Honduras.

I love that Jaden and Clay wanted to share about Honduras with their classes at school. They each took in a DVD of pictures and video clips, showed a few toys they bought in Honduras and shared some Honduran candy. This was a great opportunity for them to talk about what they do in Honduras and why we go there. Jaden started to get this a little more just recently. He came home and explained to me what dad did in Honduras and how he showed love by playing with the foster kids. I loved his explanation of this. I really hope and pray that he wants to help others because of our example as parents.

Here is a link to our pictures. Enjoy!

A few of my favorite memories...
Here the boys are playing Skip-bo with Matthew (visiting medical student) and Tammy. They played many games together during our 2 weeks. We also shared a few meals around this table.

Below is a picture near the entrance to the dump. Lots of garbage around and the houses are made mostly of found materials.

Here the boys are playing soccer with 3 of the foster boys. I love the goal made with wooden posts and often the Hondurans play barefoot. Two of my nephews (3 and 5 years old) donated some of their money for us to buy 2 soccer balls that we left with the foster kids.

Home from Honduras

We are home but getting home injured my attitude. Yesterday morning I had a bad attitude and a negative perspective that lasted all day. I'd like to think it was justified but really it wasn't. We left our hotel at 4:45am to arrive 2 hours before our flight, so I was tired which was a bad start. On the up side we were ready to be going home. We had a great time serving and helping in Honduras but were spent and ready to get back to our routine of life.

At the airport in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, I requested bag tags and had to wait. I wasn't sure the attendant heard my request or cared about it but I knew it was important because they have tagged our bags wrong on past flights. After taking her time she got me tags for me to fill out. Then she was ready to check our bags but there weren't tags on them yet so we were already at risk of someone taking them before they were ready. I had the first one tagged and the luggage handler grabbed the bag. I gave the workers a frustrated look because it wasn't tagged with the airline bar code yet. I told Bryan to not let them take the bags until they were tagged. He helped. After the bar code tags were all printed, the same female attendant went to tag our bags and grabbed the wrong bag behind her. I let out a frustrated sigh and rolled my eyes. I corrected her and was thankful that we chose to stand there and watch. Our bags would have been tagged wrong again. She didn't even care that she almost tagged the wrong bag. It seems as though they don't care if they lose anyone's luggage. They need better customer service in Honduras and respect for people's stuff.

I know I overreacted but my day was already headed in the wrong direction. Our ticket had the wrong gate number on it so we waited in the wrong boarding line to get on our plane. Thankfully our plane was still boarding but it is so frustrating to not have any signs telling you which gate is going where. Then while waiting nicely in line we were rudely told to wait in a straight line "like this!" which we were already doing. I wanted to respond with, "Americans know how to wait in lines," implying Hondurans are the ones that need to work that. I am glad I bit my tongue but the thought was already released in my head. I needed to start letting stuff go but instead of doing that, I just felt like I was ready to be back in the U.S. even more.

My attitude was poor and I didn't change it. I can make excuses of being tired, exhausted, spent from working hard for 2 weeks but in the end I am a messed up person who makes bad choices. People may think highly of the work our family does in Honduras but we are no better than anyone else. We still screw up and are rude to people and say things we regret. I know deeply that I need God's forgiveness. He is the only one that can refresh and renew me. I thank Him often for his grace and his many many chances at trying to live a life that is full of love.

I am so happy to be home, more than I can ever remember in the past. I needed the comforts of home today. My boys needed the comfort of routine. I needed rest and sleep and a break from a few projects.

Our work in Honduras was worth the extra effort but it truly was extra effort at times. We love investing in people there. We enjoy helping out the missionaries and making new friendships with Hondurans. We gave of our time and efforts and used our talents. We will do it again and again. We will go back next year. But right now I am appreciating life in my home in Bloomington.

Honduran friends

Today we finally made it to the beach for the first time and we leave Honduras in 2 days. I am not sure we will make it to the beach again before we leave which is sad. Our time is going by so fast and there is always more we want to enjoy here.

My two boys wanted some friends to come with us, particularly one boy, Louise. He lives at the Sanctuary House Children's Center near the hospital. The McKenzie family are the Scottish missionaries that are the founders and directors of the Children's Center and have some of the biggest hearts around. They are truly inspirational people. We ended up having 3 boys come with us to the beach. Angel, Ever and Louise were able to join us in walking through the sand, jumping waves, fighting over floaties, swinging on vines and lots of laughter. After we had enough sun and suspected a sunburn coming (and it did later), we began heading back and decided to invite the boys over to our place for some playing. We stopped by the house to get permission and ended up with a new threesome of boys, Manuel, Ever and Louise. I knew that Bryan was on-call for the hospital and I needed to get some food ready for our potluck dinner soon at the Thursday night Fellowship with all the missionaries. I was hoping that Bryan didn't get called in and that the 5 boys could play nicely together with little interaction from me if Bryan had to leave. I was a little concerned about taking on this endeavor of 5 boys for the afternoon but hoped that it would work out for the best. All 5 of the boys were happy to extend their time together.

Bryan did not get called in for any emergencies and the 5 boys turned into 6 + 3 grown boys. I think all the boys had fun. There were lots of snacks and jugo (juice) consumed and there was lots of running. I checked in on them once in awhile as I was preparing food and saw them playing soccer, bean bag toss, tag and some other running game with teams. They all had a blast together. Each of them helped me carry food over to the chapel. This was a new experience for at least 2 of them to get to be part of the Missionary Fellowship on Thursday night. I knew that the McKenzie family was planning to meet us there and they would take the boys home that night. Everything couldn't have went smoother. The 5+ boys even sat through singing, a short sermon and prayer time. I was very proud of them despite my 2 boys asking "How much longer?" about 100 times.

I love that Jaden and Clay always seem to make friends when we come to Honduras. In the past, the friends were usually missionary kids, but this time the friends they will remember will be Honduran. I love that they found a connection with some boys that have very different lives than we live in Minnesota.

daily life in Honduras

Here is our life in pictures and a little description of the common things in our lives over the last few days at Loma de Luz, near Balfate, Colon, Honduras.

Lots of time for the boys to sit and play in the hammocks. This is their favorite activity. A close second is Uno or Skip-bo card games.

 There has been lots of time for soccer with other kids.

 Much time is spent in our little apartment. Here is our family bedroom with the much requested fan. The temperatures this time have been much more mild in the mid 70's and 80's.

Here is our kitchen and dining room and main living space. You can see our small Honduran fridge. Our food in bags and containers on the counter to protect from bugs, mice and gecko poop.

 The essential bathroom in our apartment. Crosses are found here in unusual places but why not put one in the shower. It is a good place to think about the cross. More time than is wanted is spent on the toilet right now. The ever present garbage can by the toilet, required for disposal of all toilet paper. Reminds me how much I appreciate our sewer system in the U.S.

  Bryan took this amazing picture of a toucan right beside our apartment. There is lots of wildlife nearby. We have seen a few toucans this trip but have only gotten to hear the monkeys from a distance so far.

 This is one of the general living spaces which comes in very handy for some active boys. Today the soccer ball was taken away after breaking a ceiling fan and will not be returning to this room.

 We have been doing lots of walking...to the Children's Center, to the Bilingual School and even once to the pool. We have avoided the beaches nearby so far but will make a trip there soon. The beaches here get busy during Semana Santa or Holy Week before Easter. This week will be calmer at the beach and I am sure we will visit a few times.

back in Honduras

We arrived in Honduras 2 days later than our original plans but were happy to make finally make it here! We   were picked up by a van taxi driver to take us to the hospital and were pleasantly surprised by his large van and all of the space we had despite our 16 pieces of luggage. We drove through some heavy downpours. There were many flooded houses along the roadway and lots of water on the road. We weren't sure if we were going to make it to the hospital. Our driver lived in the city and at the last minute decided he didn't want to drive us all the way. We thought we might have to stay in a hotel in the nearby city (1.5 hours away from the hospital) when our host missionary, Dr. Abby, was able to work out a ride for us with another missionary family. The rain had lessened by this point and there are now bridges over all the rivers that we used to have to drive through to get to the hospital. It was quite an uneventful drive with enjoyable conversation.

Since arriving last night, Bryan got to work in the clinic today. I took a walk with the boys and visited the Children's Home and reconnected with some missionary friends. We made our first dinner meal tonight and shared it with new friends.

I am happy to be in Honduras. But I am also challenged by lots of little things...the bugs, dirt, lack of lighting, bleaching fruits and veggies, itching skin (from mosquito bites) but the majority of me is enjoying our life here. The boys are happy and playing and fighting. Just living into their normal routine with each other. I love seeing them enjoy being here. They were so excited when we arrived to the staff housing building (our hotel) that they ran inside and immediately checked out all of the common spaces. I got to enjoy their happy laughter and excitement in exploration of our new home for the next 12 days while we unpacked our bags.

Donation Blessing

I want to say a huge THANK YOU to many friends and family that donated to our Honduras trip. We are so encouraged by you and that you are choosing to put your money toward something that we care deeply about. Bryan and I have been talking and praying about what we should do with all of the donation money. In the past we have used it to cover our expenses for airfare, housing and food and used some of it to bless the missionaries and hospital with requested items. This time around we really want the money to go to Loma de Luz (the place where we serve) and meet a larger request for them. We are not sure what that larger item(s) will be yet. One idea is to purchase a refrigerator for staff housing and temporary guest housing. Here is the short list of requested items that are in consideration for purchasing while we are in Honduras.
     - medium sized chest freezer for storing chicken & goat meat raised at the farm, 15-20 cu. ft.
     - 2 dorm size fridges
     - 5 new or newer refrigerators
     - 2 new or newer stoves/ovens

If you are interested in donating to a great cause and supporting the work we do alongside many other missionaries, you can go here to donate to us through World Medical Mission/Samaritan's Purse. You need to enter "Jarabek" in the text box labeled Find Dr/Medical Professional. We will be notified of your donation and add it to the group purchase. Thank you so much for your support!

If you want to see more of Loma de Luz, here are 3 of the best videos:
Loma de Luz with the founder, created by Samaritan's Purse
Children's Center
Loma de Luz Hospital with a few of the missionaries

Minneapolis layover to Honduras

We should be on our way in an airplane to Honduras right now, but instead we are having a "layover" in our house. We got somewhere between 4 and 6 hours of sleep last night to leave our house at 3am this morning. We headed to the airport for a 5:15am flight to Houston and then were to catch our connecting flight to San Pedro Sula, Honduras. All the details were set. We had a ride from the airport to Hospital Loma de Luz and our groceries were being purchased today. All of that changed at around 3:50am when we were at the computer kiosk to check-in to our flight. A United airlines agent helped scan our passports and a warning came up when Clay's passport was scanned in the computer. Travel not permitted for Clay Jarabek. Ugh! Enter sinking feeling in gut. What did we do? What did we miss?

The agent kindly explained that Clay's passport was about to expire...in 87 days and he can not travel to Honduras unless he has 90 days until his passport expires. My first reaction was that Bryan and Jaden should just go and Clay and I can get this fixed and meet them there to save us some money. Then Bryan responded that we will all go together. It is safer that way. Clay burst into tears. He thought we may leave him. I comforted him. Bryan got a little upset but was still relatively calm for the average person. He talked and investigated and talked some more. Was there any way to fix this or get around this? No. We would have to get his passport extended or get a new passport for him and rebook our tickets.

We worked with 2 kind-hearted, gracious ticket agents at United airlines. They were calm when Bryan did not want to be calm. They understood what we were going to do in Honduras and that we were carrying a lot medical supplies with us. One agent kept referring to Bryan as "doctor." The other agent willingly rebooked our tickets and did not charge us change fees or the additional cost of the new flight times! We believe God is always with us and sometimes He works things out to make our lives easier.

Today we will be watching more college basketball and trying to enjoy our somewhat relaxing day. The boys are enjoying some additional computer time today. Clay will be getting new passport photos today too. So our new plans include a trip to to the passport office in Minneapolis on Monday morning. Too bad they are closed on Sundays but at least this does not require a trip to Chicago any more. Then we are off to Houston on Monday afternoon. We will stay in a hotel near the airport and then will be on our way to Honduras on Tuesday morning, March 26th. Everything for us in Honduras will start 2 days later than planned but we are still going and I'm sure it will still be an unforgettable trip.

My arms have gotten quite the workout in the last 8 hours. I hauled all of our bags inside the airport (with some help from 2 amazing boys) while Bryan parked our car. Then we moved them back out to our car as we left the airport. Here is our total luggage count...not a record but still quite a load: 1 large suitcase with items for our family and missionaries, 7 large luggage bags (6 with medical supplies and 1 with toys for the foster kids at the Children's Center), 4 carry-on suitcases (with our clothes) and 4 backpacks (with education and entertainment). All of that got loaded back into our Mazda 5. And, yes, Bryan has all the seats moved as far forward as possible. Still amazing that we all fit in there with our luggage. This picture is missing the backpacks on our laps.

supplies for Honduras

Here is a little more information about our upcoming trip to Honduras and how you can help us fill our suitcases.

This picture was taken of our family on our last trip to Honduras in May 2011. This is one of the many interesting ways that we get from place to place in Honduras.

We are returning to Honduras in a few short weeks! Our family of 4 will be serving there in a variety of ways. Dr. Bryan (as he is called there) will be serving in the clinic and hospital. I will be helping with some projects on their computers with the IT missionary. The boys and I are planning to help in the eye clinic and be at the Children's Center (group home for foster care) as much as possible.

We are filling as many suitcases as possible with donated medical supplies and other requested items to take with us on our trip. If you would like to help us fill our bags, we would be happy to take donations of any of the items listed below. Please try to get the items to us by March 20th so we can get everything packed. If you would rather have us purchase the requested items with your monetary donation, we would be happy to do that too. You can donate to us through Samaritan's Purse if you would like a tax deductible receipt or give the money directly to us. Here is the donation website:http://www.samaritanspurse.org/medical/wmm-doctors/ and you will need to scroll down and enter Jarabek in the little search box and an old picture of our family will show up.

Thank you for wanting to partner with us in this adventure as we continue to use the gifts and skills God has given us. We would love it if you would remember us in prayer while we are in Honduras. We leave Sunday, March 24th and return Sunday, April 7th for our two week mission trip with our two boys: Jaden (8) and Clay (6).

If you are ever interested in going to Honduras with us, please let us know. There are a multitude of things you could do there to help. There truly is something for everyone and your skills will be put to use. You can read more about where we go in Honduras at http://www.crstone.org/

Thank you,

Raquel (& Bryan) Jarabek

Requested Items:
- White washcloths
- Claritin/Loratadine (4 bottles wanted) – 10mg, 365 tablets for $12.99 at Costco (best price)
- Allegra/Fexofenadine (2 bottles) – 180 mg, 120 tablets for $30.99 at Costco (best price)
- Bandaids – kids or adult
- Antibiotic ointment or bacitracin
- Children’s Tylenol/Acetaminophen
- Children’s Advil/Ibuprofen
- Children’s Benedryl/Diphenhydramine HCl
- Children's cough medicines
- Swimsuits for 2-3 year old girls and floaties for them
- Bob Books (any sets)
- Big Books for guided reading in Kindergarten and First Grade
- Battery operated pencil sharpener
- Washable paint and paint cups
- Stickers
- White card stock paper
- Washable stamp pads
- Small towels for everyday cleaning of the school
- Rubber balls for recess playtime- New or gently used knee or ankle braces
- New or gently used prescription glasses
- New or gently used reading glasses (1.75 is needed most)
- Children’s or Adult sunglasses
- Travel size toothpaste
- Zinc oxide ointment (Balmex or similar)
- Cetaphil lotion and cream (or generic), Lubriderm, etc
- Adult: Benadryl/Diphenhydramine/Calamine (topical liquid preferred)
- Adult: Combo of antihistamine/decongestant
- Adult: Combo of antihistamine/decongestant/dextromethorphan
- Adult: Cough medicines like Dextromethorphan or Guafenisin (preferably not combined)
- Foam hand sanitizer
- Hot water bottles
- Adult scissors, all types
- Physical Therapy equipment: 1, 2, & 3 lb weights, floor mats, pulleys, resistance bands, wedges for elevating extremities

Honduras, here we come, again!

We leave for Honduras in 5 short weeks! After taking a year off from our travel there while doing foster care, we are excited to be going there to help again. Bryan will be using his doctor skills in the clinic and hospital at Loma de Luz and I will be using any skills I can to take care of our two boys and help in any way possible. I will probably help in the eye clinic, on the computer, with a feeding program and hangout with kids at the Children's Center (for foster care). The boys will tag along and help whenever they are able.

This is our fourth trip to Honduras and we are so gratified that we can serve God and others in this way. We are leaving on March 24th and will return April 7th after a two week adventure in the countryside. There are many challenges that come with living in Honduras and I look forward to sharing those with anyone who will read or listen. We love that we have friends and family who care about us and what we are doing. Thank you for your care and concern.

Each time we have traveled to Honduras, we have given friends and family the opportunity to join us on our adventure. Some family members have joined us in serving in Honduras, while many others have supported us with prayer and finances. We are again giving you the opportunity to partner with us in the work that we do in Honduras. Please let us know if you are interested in traveling with us on a future trip. As for this trip, we would greatly appreciate your prayers for safety, usefulness, flexibility and pointing people to God, who is the reason that we do this. If you would like to give to us financially, we thank you so much for caring to invest in us. You can do that by going to Samaritan's Purse and typing Jarabek in the text box. You will see Bryan's name pop up and an old picture of our family taken before our first trip to Honduras in 2008. Our boys are much older now, Jaden is 8 and Clay is 6. We really do consider you a partner in our trip and our work in Honduras if you are reading this. We appreciate your prayers and financial gifts. They help us serve others.

100% of your financial donations will get passed on to our family for our trip. That money will be used for a variety of things but here is some idea of what you are helping make happen. We will be taking 6 large bags/suitcases with us that are full of medical supplies. We get most of the items donated but there are always some very useful things that we like to purchase to help the clinic/hospital. Your money will allow us to purchase those medical items. We will also be taking 1 large bag/suitcase with toys and clothing for children at the foster care center. Your contribution will allow us to purchase some of those items needed for the care of those children. We also have baggage fees in order to take all of these donations with us. Half of our bags will be free but we plan to have to pay about $160 for checked baggage. Your donation may also go to purchase supplies for a feeding program for impoverished children who live at the city dump.

Thank you so much for your donations. We will definitely put you money to good use. Know that you are a partner in all that we do in Honduras whether you are praying or giving or reading. Thank you. I look forward to writing more about our preparations and our trip.

Bryan's Honduras story

Bryan wrote a nice letter with a great story about a patient that he treated in Honduras. It is a little lengthy but the story is worth it. Thank you to everyone for your prayers and donations that helped us with our time in Honduras! Here is the letter.

Dear Family and Friends,

It was another amazing trip to hospital Loma de Luz in Balfate, Honduras. This was my family’s third time going to help at the hospital on the northern coast of Honduras. This year we were able to take Raquel's parents, Oscar and Judy Vilhauer, with us as well. Thank you to all the friends, family and organizations that helped make this trip so successful. Pictures, stories and even a video tour that I made can be found on the websites above.

Let me tell you about our adventures! In preparation to go down to Loma de Luz we asked for friends and family to support us with items to take to the hospital and to pray for us while we were in Honduras. The items and money donated were greatly appreciated by the missionaries and staff of the hospital and will help in their work greatly. We also received many bags full of requested medical supplies and a ventilator machine from the Lutheran medical organization called Global Health Ministries. An organization named Crosslink International from Virginia also provided over $5000 in medications to take down to the hospital. We organized our trip through World Medical Mission, that supports us through logistics and prayer. All of these organizations are truly God inspired and make it so much easier to support medical missions around the world. Thank you for all your support.

Our family loaded up all of the donated supplies in 12 large suitcases to check at the airport, 5 large backpacks, and 6 carry-ons with our clothes for the two and a half weeks in Honduras. We got up at 3:30 AM on May 12th, 2011 to get to the airport and check-in our bags. We had to reorganize some of the bags to get under the 52 pound limit and off we went. We arrived in San Pedro Sula, Honduras that afternoon and Dr. Renee Kusler picked us up from the airport and took us on a little vacation to beautiful Roatan for a few nights. Then it was off to buy groceries and head to the hospital.

For the next two weeks we all helped out in many ways in the many ministries at Loma de Luz. Raquel helped classify and sort glasses at the eye glass clinic, unpacked and distributed the many medical supplies we brought, counted medications in the pharmacy, helped a missionary kid with PowerPoint, updated links on the new website www.crstone.org, and played with the many missionary kids and Honduran kids with the help of my sons, Jaden and Clay. Raquel's mom Judy helped sew some missionary banners, photo boards, pants, and 60 bandanas for the upcoming Missionary Kids Camp starting the week after we left. She also helped discuss plans for the upcoming pre-school building and was a great help with the cooking, cleaning and child care! Raquel's dad Oscar was very busy helping with many construction projects including installing 2 air conditioners, changing some windows, changing some window handles, installing a sink in the guard shack, fixing some gutters, expanding some doors, shaving down some doors, installing clocks, installing hooks, fixing toilets, installing a new shower head, fixing the light in our room at staff housing and many more projects.

As for me I saw patients in clinic, saw patients in the emergency room, admitted patients to the hospital, sewed up the lip of a 4 year old boy, sewed up a thumb of a girl helping to build the new chicken house on the farm, counseled and prayed with a patient who was dying from an incurable lung disease, admitted a patient with a heart attack and heart failure, admitted two patients with severe diabetic foot ulcers that will need amputations, admitted a 17 year old boy with a large inguinal abscess with over 10 milliliters of puss drained, and taught the nurses and doctors how to use the new ventilator that we brought down.

There was one patient that really made an impact on me, we will call her Maria. Maria was a 62 year old lady who came in requiring oxygen with a tank that had just run out and she was having significant trouble breathing. In Honduras it takes a very long time to get to the real story. She starts out by telling me her back hurts and she can't breathe. We get Maria on some oxygen and she is feeling better. I always start by asking the patient when they were last feeling well and then to tell me the story of what led to them being here. In the US I usually get a pretty accurate story with this question, but Maria just said she can't breathe and her whole body hurts. I ask her and her family more about her story and with every question I find out another piece of the story but never in order and never do I get more information than I ask. I ask how long this has been going on. She says 3 days and then clarifies it is more like 2 months. I ask if she has seen a doctor for this. She says she was referred here by a doctor in Jutiapa, one of the larger towns up the road. I ask if she knew what was wrong with her or had any records. She and her family said no. By this time I get the labs and an x-ray back that I ordered when she came in. Her x-ray shows severe bilateral interstitial lung disease with scarring of most of her lungs and her blood work looks fairly normal. I tell them she has scarring in her lungs which could be caused by many things. Her son, will call him Tomas, then tells me that a doctor in Tegucigalpa said the same thing. Tegucigalpa is the capital of Honduras with a large government run hospital. Now after I have spent about 40 minutes with the patient I finally find a link to an actual story. Over the next 40 minutes I eventually get the number for the physician in Tegucigalpa, talk to the physician on the phone, find out Maria was in the hospital in Tegucigalpa for 8 weeks in February and March, and find out she had TB about 2 years ago that was treated for 6 months with negative tests since then. I find out she had numerous CT scans, bronchoscopies (where they put a camera into the lungs) and bronchial biopsies (where they get tissue from the lungs). They did not find any bacteria, fungus, cancer or TB. Even though they didin't find any of these things they tried many treatments including antibiotics, antifungals, and high dose steroids for months with no improvement. She was eventually diagnosed with Pulmonary fibrosis and pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure in the lungs) and sent home on oxygen and told there was nothing else they could do. The family heard about the medical mission hospital Loma de Luz and we were their last hope to find someone who could treat this disease. Unfortunately there is no effective treatment for Pulmonary Fibrosis anywhere in the world. I did however take the time to sit down with the family and explain the disease that was destroying her lungs and explain that no doctor could cure her disease, but I told them that God is the great healer and is in control which gave them some home and reassurance. We talked about Jesus, heaven, the dying process and salvation. She said she was a Christian and going to heaven when God calls her home. We prayed for God to heal her and I gave her some morphine pills to have at home because they couldn't afford oxygen and she was getting worse. I told them these could help make her comfortable so she didn't feel short of breath when the oxygen ran out. The patient and family expressed their gratitude for taking the time to explain things to them and pray with them and then we hugged and it was time to see the next patient. It is amazing how God uses the staff at Loma de Luz to bring people closer to Him, even when we can't fix their physical problems. I am so blessed to be part of this ministry and can't wait to help again next year!

Thank you to everyone that supported us,

Bryan, Raquel, Jaden and Clay Jarabek

why we go

I enjoy going to Honduras and love my time there. It seems bittersweet to come back to our home in Minnesota. I like our life in the US too but it seems at this point that life in one country is not that much better than life in the other country, just very different. There are a few reasons why we have chosen to live in the US instead of Honduras or another country. Those include:
1.) We want to raise our kids in the US because it is safer, easier and they will get a better education not done by me as their teacher.
2.) We can live our lives on mission right where we are; we don't have to go to another country to do that.
3.) Raising our kids with extended family in their lives is important to us.
4.) There are more possibilities to use my education in a work setting in the US than in Honduras.

Every time we leave the country for any reason, I ask myself "Why am I going?". Sometimes it is just to travel and explore new areas, see how other people live and see the beautiful sights around the world. When we go on a mission trip, there are different reasons for going. I have come up with four reasons that Bryan and I have decided to take our family to Honduras every year. They are:
1.) We go to fulfill the great commission from the Bible: to share Jesus' story with others and help others become disciples of Jesus. (sometimes this happens in the smallest of ways)
2.) We go to love others just as Jesus commanded: "Love your neighbor as yourself." We serve and help and do whatever we can.
3.) We go to be apart of something bigger than ourselves. We get to share in all of the work that is going on for Jesus at Loma de Luz. It is inspiring to hear about all of the missionaries' plans and what they are up to. They are all doing amazing things! We get to hear about it and participate in their work in small ways.
4.) We like adventure. Life in Honduras is adventurous and we crave that sometimes.

In addition to that, it is fun to take people we know with us so they can experience what we have in Honduras. When you find something great, you can't help but share it. We are already looking forward to our next trip to Honduras.

worthwhile trip

My parents and I have continued working on our projects at Loma de Luz. We are wrapping up lots of things tomorrow (Friday). I have some work in the eye clinic to finish up. My mom has some sewing projects to complete. And my dad has an air conditioner to finish installing. Bryan has clinic work again and probably something to finish up there too. It has been so great to have my parents with us. I have loved it! And I am not anxious to get away from them. I love them even more. It has been so great to serve others alongside them and grow in our faith and compassion together.

We continue to have fun and sweat a lot. The heat and humidity are extreme but in my memory, it is not worse than the other times we have been here. It might really be hotter and more humid even though it doesn't feel like it. This time I have rashes all over, most likely from the heat and extra sores on my feet that are not healing. Both of the boys have rashes/infections and are taking antibiotics too. I think we have had fewer issues with diarrhea so I will take the rashes over that.

We had a great time at Missionary Fellowship tonight where all of the missionaries and some Hondurans gather together to eat, sing and pray. I always enjoy this. There were more people there tonight than I have ever seen. It was a quite a party!

It is so exciting to be apart of everything going on here! God is alive here and we got to hear about so much of what He is doing through people's lives. I always love hearing about what ministries and outreaches people are involved in here. It is inspiring and I love sharing in the vision that people have for the future here. I can't wait to hear more about training health workers, helping boys from the dump, future community sewing classes, new missionaries arriving, expanding the farm, rescuing kids from terrible situations, healing physical wounds and seeing lives changed because of an encounter with Jesus. I am so thankful I get to experience some of this during our time here. I look forward to hearing more when we return again hopefully next year!

city dump

Today we got to go help serve food to hungry kids that live near the city dump in La Ceiba. This is one of the poorest areas around. The kids are malnourished and have poor to very little parenting. These kids need a lot of help. They need medical care for their wounds. They need food for their hungry stomachs. And they need to hear about the saving and redeeming gospel of Jesus Christ. We got to help with all of this. The sad and hard lives of these kids break your hearts. I want to change their world and am trying to help in the smallest of ways.

A bowl of pasta, some bread and some milk for each kid.
A Bible story.
Some bandaids, anti-biotic ointment and a bar of soap.
Some pictures and hugs.

Hopefully these kids feel cared for and loved. They are by Lisa and her rotating crew. God loves them so much more than we could ever love them.

gracious missionaries

There are so many loving, kind-hearted, gracious missionaries here. My family and I have been so blessed by them. We have had several thought-provoking conversations. And they have made us several meals that we have gotten to share with them. This is one of my favorite things about traveling to Loma de Luz. We get to share our lives with people here and we get to experience their lives too. These missionaries give so much of themselves to others and give even more by inviting us into their lives. I am so grateful for their time, conversation, food and all of the effort they go to in order for us to be here to serve others. We hope that we are helping people here but they also do so much for us. It is such a blessing to us.

feeling helpful

My mom and I have gotten several projects now. We have both helped in the eye clinic. I have more work I can do there for a couple days next week. I got a couple projects from Dave, the IT missionary, to help him with the website. I also have some forms to create and some medicines to organize. That should keep me busy next week. It is a good kind of busy. Just the kind you want to be when you are trying to help others.

My mom has several sewing projects. I think she is enjoying them. Some of her work is mending and hemming missionary clothing. She is sewing some banners for teaching Hondurans to be missionaries to other parts of the world, particularly the Middle East. She also is making a couple of fabric covered boards to display pictures for two missionary kids here.

My dad has done a ton of work with construction and repairs to missionary houses. He finished some shelving in the eye clinic. He has repaired doors, windows, outlets, toilet paper holders and anything else he finds broken. He has more projects lined up for next week too.

Bryan has been in clinic the past 5 days. He has seen quite a few patients and admitted at least 3 people to the hospital. He took call overnight on Thursday and will again all day and night on Sunday. He has to go into the hospital any time someone comes in with an emergency. I have only heard about a few of his patients. One lady had bad COPD (lung damage similar to smoking) because of cooking over an open fire for many years. Another man had the worst infection on his shin I have ever seen.

We are having a great time here helping out. It is great to know we still have another week here.

identity issues

Being in Honduras for the third time is feeling more and more comfortable. It is definitely easier to survive here than our first trip. I know where stuff is. I know how I can get around. I know what needs to get done most days. Life is manageable. So why do I feel like I have identity issues?

I have filled my time, my mom's time and the boys' time with things. Good things. Things that keep us from sitting around wondering what to do and if it was worth it to come here. We have been to the beach. Done some laundry. Walked over to the hospital and toured around a little. Ordered fresh tortillas. Made dinner meals of spaghetti, tacos and enchiladas. In the mean time, my mom and I were setting up projects to do. I forget that it always takes a little time to do this. So I have been questioning why am I here and how can I be helpful. Am I ok with being here for Bryan to help out and me to just live life and take care of the boys? I have a hard time only having identity in my spouse and kids. It is really hard for me. I don't do well when I am not sure what I am good at doing.

So today I started feeling helpful. Mom and I both have a few projects to do and it feels good. She made a cake for a birthday girl. She has a few sewing projects with more coming in. We got to work in the eye clinic today with the boys helping too. I have more work in the eye clinic to do. I am also helping out the IT missionary. Being helpful feels good and it is rewarding. Bring on the projects.

back at Loma de Luz

I am so happy to be back at Hospital Loma de Luz in Balfate, Honduras. This is our third time here and it feels even more comfortable this time. Bryan and I and my parents are excited to get started helping people Monday morning. Lots of plans in the works but first on the agenda is unloading all of the supplies and gifts we brought with us.

Thanks again to everyone who added to the donation pile! Everyone here appreciates all of it.

We have all of our groceries bought and some meals planned. Bryan is on the schedule to see patients tomorrow.

It was fun hearing about what the boys remember of this place. They brought up right away where they remember seeing monkeys in the trees and pointed out the spot. Clay keeps saying, "I remember this place."

The boys are loving hammocks everywhere we go. They found the one in staff housing (our home for the next two weeks) and one of them said, "Now I remember where this is."

So great to share this experience with the boys. I am surprised already at how much they remember from February 2010. I hope the memories keep building and the idea of helping others keeps growing in them.

Roatan

If you ever have the chance to visit Roatan, Honduras, do it! It is paradise here. Blue skys, sandy beaches, clear water, coconut trees galore and mango trees too. Great snorkeling and scuba diving. Some of the best in the world.

We have had a wonderful time here for the last day and a half. We will be leaving Sunday afternoon to head back to the mainland. All 7 of us (Bryan, Raquel, Jaden, Clay, mom Judy, dad Oscar and Dr. Renee) have spent a lot of time in the water. We used up a lot of sunscreen and bug spray and it paid off. We have consumed a lot of food but the fresh orange juice and lemonade have been my favorite. There was also a lot of ice cream consumed.

This is a nice break before heading in to work/volunteer at Hospital Loma de Luz. My family is excited to get out there and help.