Our Final Day

Today was our final day in Belize before returning home tomorrow. Here's a summary of the assistance we were able to provide during our five days in Corozal and Orange Walk:

53 people from (and friends of) Horizons Community Church traveled and served in some capacity.
Over 200 people were treated and screened for surgery on Friday.
Over 50 surgeries were performed.
More than 750 people were seen and/or treated in 4 local villages (Chunox, Progresso, Copper Bank and Louisville).
Over 100 homes were screened and many homes repaired.
4 homes were finished for 4 families.

We'll have final counts later this week. Check back over the next few days for a few additional stories, new pictures and a final video.

Thanks to everyone who read the blog and followed the stories taking place in Belize. We read and enjoyed your comments each evening after dinner. And your prayers were greatly appreciated. There is tremendous poverty and need in this country. Yet the people here are very humble and happy. I'm still surprised and inspired that just a few dozen people can help so many in just five days.

If you're interested in learning more about Horizons missions or would like to participate in some way next year, please contact John Kirby at jkirby@horizoncc.com.

Home Life in Remote Villages

I wanted to share a sense of what home life is like for most of the villages we've visited. Most homes are only about 15ft by 18ft and are divided into 3 rooms by drapes or thin paneling. Typically, one room is a living area and two small rooms are just big enough for a bed (which many share) and a little walking area. The floor is typically either dirt or concrete.

Most of the homes have stick walls -- small trees and branches standing vertically -- and have cracks/openings all around. Some homes have concrete walls (a luxury). Windows are usually just louvered wooden slats made of local mahogany. Roofs are made of tin/metal or thatch. Some have doors and some just door openings.

Kitchens are commonly a few feet away from the home to minimize the risk of home fires and to keep smoke out of the house. They have only 3 walls. Food is cooked in pots above burning wood on a small wooden or concrete table. The wood smolders for most of the day.

Some homes have running water spigots for drinking and filling wash buckets. Out-houses are standard. A few homes have electricity for basic needs like a radio or small refrigerator. Clothes are hand washed and hung to dry on clothes lines outside the home.

River Hills Christian Church blog link

River Hills will be working in the same northern area of Belize. They will be serving here next week. You can find their blog at...
http://www.belizemission-journal.blogspot.com/

Another Home in San Victor

Here's one of the other four houses we built in San Victor. The roof was installed yesterday. An interior wall and doors will be finished today and tomorrow.

Houses Dedicated to Families

This afternoon in the town of San Victor where the Construction Team has been laboring for the past four days, the entire mission team converged to dedicate the four new houses to families. To celebrate, we had a Coca-Cola party for the families and local community.

Everyday, each team goes in different directions and has different missions. This was the one time where we could all be together to celebrate not only what the Construction Team has accomplished, but also our experience in Belize.

The families are very gracious and appreciative of their new homes. One family had 9 people living in a stick home/bedroom about 15 by 20 feet. They'll now be able to spread out a bit and have a more sturdy, secure home.

As you can see in the picture, the houses we build have a poured, concrete foundation and block walls. Roofs are tin. And windows and doors are usually local mahogany.

Each house costs $6,000BZ (or $3,000US) to build (mostly materials and some paid labor to pour the foundation and lay the block).

Special thanks to the Jr/Sr High (aka Crew and Crash) kids at our church for raising $4500US to help build the homes. This couldn't have been done without all of your help in raising funds.

Village Medical Provides Needed Medication

The pharmacy group (Joe and Dennis from Terrace Park and Susie from Nashville) has provided numerous medications to villagers for various ailments. Here are some of the more common problems we're finding:

• Diabetes (especially in women; there seems to be a genetic disposition; diets are also very high in carbs)
• Hypertension
• Upper respiratory
• Ear infections (one young girl hasn't been able to hear for a year simply due to the amount of wax build-up)

Good Morning! - Day 5

We're about to head out for the day. The Village Medical and Screen Teams will be in the town of Louisville which is about 30 minutes south of Corozal. Today is also very special for the team because the 4 homes will be dedicated to the new home owners. Check back tonight for a full report on the Construction Team's work.


Last night, the Surgical Team returned around 9pm. Even though they only had one full operating room, they were able to complete their original schedule of 9 surgeries plus 3 additional -- in 12 hours! Surgeries included tonsillectomies, nasal reconstructions for breathing, septums and a lumpectomy.

Summary of Day 4 (Monday)

Summary of today (Monday):

The Village Medical Team saw about 150 patients in Copper Bank.
The Screen Team installed screens in 15 homes in Copper Bank. They also repaired a number of tables and chairs for the elementary school.
The Construction team installed interior partition walls in the third house. They also installed exteriors doors in the second and third houses. While awaiting materials, they spent a good bit of time playing with the children in the San Victor community.

The Surgical Team has not returned yet from the hospital. I'll update this post when we get a final report of their day.

And an update on the number of patients seen yesterday by the Village Medical Team while in Progresso. They didn't return last night until about 8pm last night. They saw over 250 patients. One 2-month old girl who was very non-responsive was rushed to the hospital in Orange Walk and later transported to the hospital in Belize City. Her breathing was very faint and her heart rate very low. We hope to get an update on her in the next day or two.

Children with Unknown Neurological Disorder

During our mission last year, we were asked to visit a home in the Chunox village. In this home, a mother and father were raising four children from the ages of about 3 to 12. Three of the four children were showing signs of some type of neurological disorder. The signs appeared around the ages of 2-3 years old. We visited with the children and collected DNA samples to take back to Cincinnati for testing. Unfortunately, the testing couldn't identify the disorder. It appears to be very rare.

We visited with this family again on Saturday. Clarissa, the oldest girl, is very severe and has not eaten in about five days. She is completely motionless. The son, Roney, is now immobile but can still speak a few words. The second daughter is also immobile and is now blind. Rafael Cob (one of our primary local contacts and a local pastor) took us through the family's home (see video).

To complicate their life further, they are being pushed out of the home they rent and will have no place to live. We're working with Rafael to try and raise money to find or build them a simple home.

Good afternoon! - Day 4

Today, the Village Medical and Screen Teams are in a village called Copper Bank. The Construction team is continuing their work in San Victor. And the Surgical Team is back at the hospital in Orange Walk.

We had a minor setback at the hospital this morning. Our Surgical Team uses three operating rooms each day to perform free surgeries for the poor. Unfortunately, some local medical staff kept us from using one of the operating rooms. A great deal of work goes into reviewing surgery candidates in advance, meeting with them once we arrive and planning an O.R. schedule that maximizes our time while here. The medical need is so great so everyone works very hard to try to perform as many surgeries as possible.

This has created many challenges mostly on the waiting patients--many of which have been sitting and waiting for days. If we can't perform the needed surgery while here, it may mean they don't receive the procedure and treatment they need.

Also, the father of one of our surgeons had a stroke a few days ago. She is returning home this afternoon to be with her family in Nebraska. Please pray for her father and for the hospital situation to get worked out. While it may not get worked out while we're here, it needs to be resolved so future visits can provide needed medical help for the poor.

Summary of Day 3

Summary of today (Sunday):
The Surgical Team performed 16 surgeries including plastic surgery on 2 young girls who were severely burned from a propane tank explosion.
The Village Medical Team saw over 200 patients in Progresso.
The Screen Team screened over 10 homes and fixed play equipment at the community center in Progresso.
The Construction team installed windows in 1 of the 4 homes being constructed and prepared doors for installation.

Surgery on Boy with Cleft Palette

If you followed our trip last year, you may remember about a four month-old boy named Jason who was born with a cleft palette. Dr. Mangat performed surgery on him last year. We had a chance to see Jason again this year. Here are two pictures of Jason last year (before and after surgery) and a picture of him from this morning.

Friday and Saturday in Belize

Here are a few images from Days 1 and 2 (Friday and Saturday).

Good Morning! - Day 3

It's Sunday morning in Belize. By the way, we're in the central time zone only an hour behind east coast time. It will be another warm and sunny day here.

Today, I'll spend the morning in the O.R. at the hospital and the afternoon with the Village Medical Team in a village called Progresso. Tonight I'll share a closer look at the Surgical Team's work and the hospital in Orange Walk.


It's just before 7am and we're about to depart for the day.