When members of Valley View Baptist Church visited San Vicente recently, the entire congregation was involved.
Pastor Mike Hall said 23 members of the church traveled to Honduras, along with 23 missions workers from other area churches. But other members of Valley View — located in Tuscaloosa Baptist Association — were also involved in preparation for the trip.
“They helped through funding, packing supplies and donating eyeglasses and clothes,” Hall said. “Our senior adult ladies made 300 dolls for the children and prayed and encouraged team members.”
Honduras is one of the poorest countries in the world, and the region is about 97 percent Catholic. As a result of the missions trip, the Hondurans were eager to begin Baptist church services.
The team saw 2,470 patients during the three-and-a-half day medical clinics. The team was divided into different groups in addition to the dental and medical units.
Charles Foster led a children’s ministry team that held worship services during the day. The team also distributed eyeglasses and clothing.
The missions trip was the fifth for surgical doctor George Nunn.
“We performed minor surgery, and the more serious medical problems were directed to larger cities,” Nunn said. “It is emotionally and physically draining, but it is worth all the effort when you see souls saved.”
Stephen Helm, a doctor who participated in the trip, said parasites were the biggest problem in patients because of the conditions of the area’s drinking water.
Pharmacist Chuck Beams said the day began with more than 200 people waiting in line to see the doctors. “They are just trying to survive,” Beams said. “I feel a sense of urgency to go back.”
The team’s commitment to the people of the area was illustrated by their response to a 33-year-old man dying of stomach cancer. Hall and team member Elwin Crawford were summoned to the one-room primitive home where the man lived with five family members.
Crawford said he evaluated the man’s condition and prayed with family members.
“There was nothing we could do for the man physically except make him more comfortable with medication,” said Chris Holloway, one of two paramedics called upon to give an IV. “We also prayed with the family through the translator and let them know that we cared. They acknowledged that he was a Christian.”
When Hall told team members the man had died, they responded by collecting an offering to pay for his burial.
“There was more donated than was needed for his burial, and $100 was given to the family to help through the transition of losing a husband and father. The family members were so impressed that they wanted to be part of a church that showed that kind of love,” said Hall.
Sharing another story, members related the difficulty in treating a teenage girl who was bleeding around her gums. Missions workers traveled along the rugged countryside in the rain to bring the girl back to the clinic the second night of the trip after electricity had failed. In the most primitive of conditions, the team held flashlights while an oral surgeon stitched the incision.
While medical work was a major part of the trip, team members said they were especially touched by the response of those with whom they witnessed — especially the children.
“I am the mother of a mentally retarded child and there were two sisters in the orphanage who were mentally handicapped,” said Denise Smith. “I fell in love with the girls, and I am going to ask my Sunday School class to help support them financially.”
Smith works for the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program, as does team member Christy Rainey.
“The children were so loving, and it was a blessing to put a Bible in the hands of a child who was so hungry to know about God’s love,” Rainey said. “The children would tell me they wanted to know this Jesus who made us care so much about them. As we were leaving, one of the girls came to say goodbye.
“She pulled her necklace off and gave it to me,” Rainey continued. “The girl said ‘remember me, remember me,’ and we both embraced and wept together.”
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