El Cacao

Posted on March 10, 2015March 22, 2015 by Paul Jaroslawski

Hola Gamma Zeta,

Today we went to our first village, El Cacao, which is located 33 miles (54 km) north of La Esperanza. We woke up at 6AM to load the bus and then headed to Rhonda’s mission for breakfast. After breakfast we got on the bus and arrived in El Cacao around 8 after driving on the all-dirt-road for a little over an hour. I began setting up with the dental clinic, where Dr. Mike Dent and Dr. Bob Wright were the dentists. Setting up required sterilizing the tables, chairs, other equipment the dentists use. I assisted the dentists for about two hours. I mostly brought in new patients, sat them, placed a drape and bib on them, and cleaned the drape when they were finished. Joe and I switched after two hours and I started working at the pharmacy. In the beginning, I just made sure the nurses placed the correct medication for each script before handing it over to the families. After getting the hang of it, I was able to fill the prescriptions myself. We ate lunch at noon and afterwards Joe and I were able to play soccer with the children. It was truly a great experience, especially seeing all the smiles from the children being able to kick around the soccer ball with us. Following soccer, Joe and I went back to the pharmacy for a couple more hours. Before cleaning up for the day, Linda (Seth’s wife) brought us to one of the homes in the village. Although the family was very poor they welcomed us and we were able to talk to them in spanglish for a few minutes. Following our talk, we packed the bus and headed back to La Esperanza. It was a great first day and we both learned a lot about how the volunteering days look like. Tomorrow we will be better prepared to help the Honduran people in Buenas Aires (not the capital of Argentina).

Buenos Noches,
Paul

Joe and I overlooking the view at the school in El Cacao.

Entrance to the school in El Cacao

Joe and I with the children of El Cacao

Day 10 honduras

Posted on March 9, 2015March 24, 2015 by Alpha Tau Omega - Gamma Zeta Chapter

by Dr. Seth Berl ’78

Day 10 honduras…. today, monday, was the first clinic day for team 2. Sunday we sort medication and divide it into 4 days so we have medication for each clinic we visit. because we have so much medication and only 12 team members, this took about 4 hours. there is something about a mission trip in that no one complains about long hours, hard work or getting up early…. i might be the exception to the getting up early thing but that is another story. after the medication was sorted, many of us rested and others explored the town. today we went to a town called cacao. it is about 50 minutes outside of la esperanza. the bus ride was slow and the roads were terrible… so what’s new. the scenery was breathtaking according to linda. we were riding in the truck and i was much more worried about keeping us on the road and out of the ditch than looking at the scenery but to keep the peace, i agreed with every word she said. when we arrive in cacao, only 4 patients were there. normally there is a line of a hundred or more patients. not to worry as by the end of the day, dr david adcock and i had seen about 300 patients. the dental clinic was rocking with about 40 patients seen by dr michael dent of sylvester and dr bob wright an oral surgeon living in sarasota, fl. last week we had 4 doctors but this week only 2. also we had 3 dentists last week and this week only 2. too bad we do not have less patients. anne wright, bob’s wife, ran the sterilization for the dentists and bob’s granddaughter, devon wright, helped translate and pull teeth. devon is a pre-med student at emmanuel college in Boston, mass. elaine baker from dublin, ga is running triage this week along with some of the honduran workers. the pharmacy was never behind today as my wife linda and our missionary host rhonda sweeney pulled medication and jennie roberts from dublin and another group of honduran workers wrote out the medication instructions. we have 2 new team members from the university of illinois. my fraternity, alpha tau omega from university of illinois, sponsored 2 students to come on the trip. Paul jaroslawski is a psychology major who is in his senior year. he just wanted to come and help people. Joseph pearson is an economics major and also a senior. this is not there spring break and are missing class to come help. paul is 6 feet 7 inches tall. talk about standing out here in honduras. they were great today as they got use to working in the pharmacy, dental clinic and playing with the children. basically we had a great first day and are looking forward to clinic is buenos aries tomorrow. thank you for all your prayers and support. we could not pull this off without our church family at heritage. seth i would post pics but i am technology challenged.

Day 1

Posted on March 9, 2015March 22, 2015 by Paul Jaroslawski

Joe and I landed yesterday at 1 PM in San Pedro Sula. After waiting about an hour to get through customs, we finally walked to see Seth waiting for us. We met up with our whole group and packed the bus. Our bus took approximately 5 hours to get to La Esperanza, a small village in the mountains. Along the way, we made two stops for snacks. I was surprised to find out that most places actually accept US dollars as a form of payment. After finally arriving at Hotel Mina, which by the way is very nice and spacious, we unloaded all of our belongings and medication. Afterwards, we proceeded to Rhonda’s mission. Rhonda and her husband T.R. greeted us and provided us with dinner. Around 8PM we made our way back to the hotel and shortly after I went to sleep.

Today we started our day at 10AM by eating breakfast at Rhonda’s mission. Our whole group, besides Joe and I, are from Georgia. Therefore, we ate a large plate of grits along with our eggs. Following breakfast, we began unloading and sorting all the medication we will need. This week we will visit 4 villages, our only off day will be Wednesday. After sorting the medication for 5 hours, we were done for the day. Joe and I, along with Devon (the only other student in our group) went to La Hacienda for some authentic Honduran food. We also walked around the center of the town, which was really nice. Then at about 5:45 we made our way to Rhonda’s mission for a second dinner, which also consisted of authentic Honduran food. Of course,these meals include the Latin American staples of rice and beans, but on top of that they also include goat cheese and fried plantains, which I both really enjoy. Following dinner, Seth talked about tomorrow. We are waking up at 6 to load the bus with medication and then grabbing breakfast at Rhonda’s before setting off to Cacao, a remote village about an hour away. I am really looking forward to helping these people.

Till tomorrow,
Paul

We stopped here for some mini bananas.

This is our view outside of our hotel.

Authentic Honduran food. Rice, beans, guacamole, fried plantains, and goat cheese. It was delicious.

Honduras day 6

Posted on March 7, 2015March 24, 2015 by Alpha Tau Omega - Gamma Zeta Chapter

by Dr. Seth Berl ’78

Honduras day 6: This was a special day. We went to a new village “up in the mountains.” aren’t they all!! We had never been to this village. It was one of the most beautiful mountain drives you can imagine. Reminded us of the mountains of Colorado. We stopped many times to take pics but you can never capture the beauty in a picture. We had a great clinic. Everyone is so comfortable with there positions and work so well together. Just a few stories. we saw almost 400 patients yesterday and almost 300 today in medical clinic. we actually saw some very unusual cases. the pre-med students from UF, devon, casey and alex, have gotten a great experience. they were fortunate to be sitting with one of the great teachers in DW Adcock. believe me, they will not get this good of instruction in medical school, PA school or residency. they observed many procedures and saw things that are uncommon such as a person with 2 thumbs and a 6 year old with a severe heart problem who would have already had surgery if in the US. Mia Armstrong, a pediatrician from Albany, GA, also patiently explained childhood illnesses. She is great with the students and kids. The dental clinic was rolling today. they pulled 170 teeth today. that is a years worth for some dentists. hannah pulled many teeth this week and is excited about getting to dental school. When i say we allow those helping us to be hands on i mean it. even one of our translators pulled teeth today. the ladies in pharmacy worked hard but got a few breaks to play with the children. One of our highlights was Alex reading bible stories to the kids. even Alex will agree that her spanish needs improvement but you would of never of known it by the way the kids were around her. also kim tomlinson spent a good amount of time with the kids the last 2 days. when kim gets excited her voice tends to go from high pitched to higher and squeaky. kim would count the jump ropes the kids were doing and her voice would go higher and higher until they missed and she would scream “awesome.” by the end, whenever a child would miss the jump rope the honduran children would all yell “awesome.”
the last night is full of fun stories, thank you’s and tears. God is still in the business of changing hearts. there might of been more laughs and more tears this time than ever before. those of you who have been on this this trip understand what i am talking about. just look as the picture of DW Adcock below. we expect this to go viral. there are 2 things about honduras that DW has never been able to understand or accomplish. first he has never made it a week without having to go “fishing” in the toilet. for those of you that do not know, the honduras septic system can not tolerate toilet paper. this means that no matter what, you can not flush your toilet paper down the toilet. if you do, your toilet will back up and overflow. not a pretty sight. that means if you forget and drop the paper in the toilet, you have to “fish” it out. DW has always had to go fishing. this time, so far, he is perfect. Not one fishing trip. which brings us to his other problem. there are roosters everywhere. they start crowing at dark; they really get going at about 1 am; and they go from door to door serenading around 3 am. they drive DW crazy. DW has a little hearing problem and can not hear normal conversation on most days but he is acutely aware of the roosters. I thought he should “join em rather than fight em.” please refer to the pic below to understand the present I gave DW.
well week 1 is over. we did a lot of good but another week to go. I pray God will continue to bless this mission. seth

Introduction

Posted on March 7, 2015March 22, 2015 by Paul Jaroslawski

10411054_10205999318679509_4899668594827339201_n

Hello Gamma Zeta,

My name is Paul Jaroslawski and I am a Senior in Psychology. I volunteered for the Honduras Medical Mission Trip because helping those who are less fortunate than I am has always been a desire of mine. I believe trips like these teach priceless lessons about life that could help me to grow and become a better person. Also, having the opportunity to volunteer my services alongside my brother and others will undoubtedly create lasting, fond memories that I will enjoy for the rest of my life.

In approximately 12 hours, my plane departs Miami for San Pedro Sula. I am not sure what to expect, especially since we are landing in the murder capital of the world. Honduras is also the poorest country in Central America. Although, these reasons may deter individuals from volunteering their time in Honduras, it motivates me. The Honduran people need our help more than ever. I am looking forward to helping these people, while they help me to grow and become a better person. I hope you enjoy my daily blog.

L&R,

Paul

“For it is in healing… that we are healed”

Posted on March 6, 2015March 24, 2015 by Alpha Tau Omega - Gamma Zeta Chapter

Sully, Seth, Linda and the Gator girls

by Dr. Tom Sullivan ’78

Well, another year has come to an end for our Honduran mission. Tomorrow some return home, but a few stay for week #2… And more come to help them…People from different parts of the USA join with people from Honduras and form an inseparable bond as we deliver medical and dental care. Each year I am humbled and amazed….. And changed… I see God’s gifts through the actions of each of the people in these photos….
And I am reminded of a simple truth:
For it is in healing… that we are healed.

Dental Team 2015 Week 1

Divine Inspiration

Posted on March 5, 2015March 24, 2015 by Alpha Tau Omega - Gamma Zeta Chapter

Rhonda Sweeney

by Dr. Tom Sullivan ’78

Meet Rhonda Sweeney, R.N. , our host missionary with her husband T.R. …. What would make a person leave the comfort of a great job, a home in the USA and their family to live in LaEsperanza, Honduras hosting mission groups?…. Well it’s got to be Divine Inspiration…. They have dedicated their life to God and helping these impoverished people for 16 years now !!!!

Walk for miles and wait in line…

Medical missions, Bible Schools, Construction of Homes and Schools… T.R. (Rhonda’s husband)… runs an addiction center for alcoholics and addicts at the top of the mountain in LaEsperanza?.. You name it, they do it….

I am truly in awe of their devotion… And humbled to be a small part of this team…

Today we drove up ( I mean WAY up ) to the village of Chupuchay… The views were both nerve racking (on the bus)and breathtaking…this must be the surgical pedodontic capital of the world !!! Most of our patients were little ones with bombed out primary teeth…. The college Gator Girls got to extract a few teeth and suture a few sockets !! and the doctors saw over 300 people !!

Just another day in paradise…. Just like the last two years, this week has gone by way too fast… Last clinic tomorrow …. Always bittersweet … Sleep well …

Keep showing us the light

Day 4 Honduras

Posted on March 4, 2015March 24, 2015 by Alpha Tau Omega - Gamma Zeta Chapter

by Dr. Seth Berl ’78

Day 4 Honduras. today is our day off so why is the team so exhausted. let’s say when you combine teenagers with unlimited enthusiasm and energy with a bunch of 50 – 60 year olds, we wear each other out. many of the team members and translators hit the road early and often today shopping for 3 hours before lunch. honestly, how can anyone find shopping fun but they all come back to the hotel with their purchases reliving how exciting it all was. then we had a fabulous Honduran lunch at our good friend Xiomara’s. upon our return from lunch the college girls decided they were not done shopping yet….. i know i only had boys and La Esperanza is only about 2 streets long and 4 streets wide and can be walked in about 30 minutes…. but i digressed… anyway many on the team put in another 3 hours shopping. i spent most of the day at a clinic with our good friend Margot Sanchez as she had to have a surgical procedure. despite 8 hours in the clinic, undergoing iv anesthesia, receiving a new feeding tube by the gastroenterologist and receiving medication, her bill was $100 even. sometimes i am amazed how cheap medical care is in third world countries and sometimes you get what you pay for.
had a great dinner tonight at “the hacienda restaurant .” very good authentic Honduran food except for Brianna, one of our university of florida students, who ordered chicken fingers and french fries. you can take a gator out of Gainesville but ……
our medical and dental clinics are running like well oiled machines. Bob wright, oral surgeon, tom sullivan, out of chicago and best man at my wedding too many years ago to mention, general dentist, and mike sardzinski, endodontist out of venice, fl have declared war on dental roots…as sully puts it. no restorative work goes on here. it is numb them up and pull them out. Jasie Howard, a UF pre med student, is the sterilizer and dental assistant for this week. she has done an amazing job. incredible focus and energy. Dr. DW Adcock, orthopedic surgeon, has worked with Gabriela Gaudier, UF student in pre med. Gabriela has worked as DW’s translator. they have made a great team. DW continues to inject joints with immediate pain relief. Gabriela will take over joint injecting tomorrow…. what pre med student gets to do that?? gabriela can not possibly understand the teaching she is getting now is better than any medical student and most first year residents. David adcock, OB-GYN is here for the 4th time and Tim Daniel, invasive vascular radiologist, is here for the second time. Both have learned the fast pace of honduran medicine. Tim’s son Jarrett is here this week after Tim brought his daughter last year. what a great experience for teenagers to see how others have to live day to day. linda berl, rhonda sweeney, honduran missionary and many others from different areas of the team have kept the pharmacy flowing. Brianna Hachey is a pre pharmacy student from UF. Brianna was so nervous the first day but now she owns the pharmacy. she calls out meds and knows where they are and how to fill out the paperwork. brianna also has worked in the dental clinic during down times in the pharmacy and shows a great desire to help others. it is amazing the difference in our pharmacy from 10 years ago to now. Robin wilson, midwife, is working triage this week. she is the first point of contact and despite being taller than every honduran we have seen, makes them feel valued and important. wesena jordan is our eye glass person. you can not imagine the way these hondurans react to a pair of $1.00 reading glasses from dollar general. many have not been able to read for years only to have there world open up again with their sight. tomorrow i am going to have some other team members post about their experiences. if some of this does not make sense, it is 9 pm and well past my bedtime. everyone should experience what goes on when your only goal is to bless others.

The faces of God’s people in this beautiful country

Posted on March 4, 2015March 24, 2015 by Alpha Tau Omega - Gamma Zeta Chapter

by Dr. Tom Sullivan ’78

The faces of God’s people in this beautiful country will forever be etched in my memory to remind me that we are born to serve Him…. Great day of rest today, back at it tomorrow ….

Today was one of the most difficult and tiring… but most rewarding

Posted on March 3, 2015March 24, 2015 by Alpha Tau Omega - Gamma Zeta Chapter

by Dr. Tom Sullivan ’78

Day # 2 of Treatment… gotta say today was one of the most difficult and tiring… but at the same time most rewarding days I’ve ever spent here… Long climb into the mountain reveals the most beautiful views of Honduras … To the remote village in Santa Domingo… I’ll try to get some pictures from the others on the team and share them later…

Today’s patients were great !! … But their teeth were stubborn and difficult… My thoughts for today center on the Honduran team members who act as our interpreters and “assistants”, and the college students who spend their spring break here with us instead of on a beach with their friends…

First, meet Samuel and Mario from Honduras… Nice selfies !!! These guys are vitally important to our work… They communicate instructions, treatment and help triage their people with incredible passion and compassion ! And they try to teach me how to speak their language … Good luck with that !!!

And the “Gator Girls” have been able and willing to jump into becoming awesome assistants….. Whether it’s retracting a cheek, clearing a bleeding socket, cutting a suture, drying a tear or just holding a hand, we are a better team because of their work!
More team members to follow in next posts…!!

Tomorrow we take a break and reorganize for the last two days… Keep us on the prayer list…