Where to start? What a phenomenal week in Siguatepeque! Situated in the mountains of central Honduras, this community is beautiful, but in desperate need of medical care!

If you walk down the narrow road that leads to the homes in the valley, you'll meet the friendly people of Siguatepeque. People who will greet you in Spanish with a smile on their face, while squinting against the bright sun that reflects off the beautiful complexion of their skin. They will attempt to sell you baleadas or perhaps horchata. Looking around, you'll be able to see the beautiful countryside and God's immaculate creation. There are tiny homes everywhere with brightly colored laundry drying in the breeze. Children are running around playing and elderly grandparents are chatting quickly in the streets. That is what you can see with your eyes. And it's part of what makes Siguatepeque one of our favorite places to go!

What you can't see with a quick glance is the pain of that woman who has been flipping tortillas over a hot fire and now has carpal tunnel syndrome that keeps her awake at night. You won't necessarily see the pain in the man who has neuropathy from years of medical needs left untreated. If you look very closely, you can see the malnourishment of a child but at quick glance you can't see that malnourishment is from anemia and parasitic infection. You likely won't see the anxiety of that preteen who is concerned about a fungal skin infection and how it makes her look to her peers. To see those things, you would have to have face to face conversations with these precious people.

This past week, those conversations happened. There was talk on the streets about a medical team in town, and people lined up long before we arrived each morning. One by one, we heard their stories. We heard about their pain. We tested their vision and fitted them with glasses. We also pointed them to Jesus and explained that He truly is the Great Physician. We can’t meet every need. But we can tell them about the One Who can! And we took the time to make sure that each person knows they are cared for by our team and loved deeply by their Creator.

In total, our team treated 965 patients: 631 medical and 334 optical. We are SO grateful for The Upward Twist and the part that your organization had in helping us reach the people of Siguatepeque. We are thankful for the opportunity that God gave us and are looking forward to future trips!

Thank you so much!
Rachel James, Nurse Practitioner
HBC Haslet Medical Missions
A ministry of Heritage Baptist Church