Storming the Gates of Heaven

Today is day eight and our last full day in Honduras. My toes hurt and I am tired. Scott is coughing, sneezing, and congested. BUT our hearts are so full!

Where do I start? We visited so many patients in the hospital today. The prayer team lead, our orthopedic surgeon's wife, worked with our physical therapist and interpreter, leaving Scott and me to visit on the patient wards and communicate to the best of our ability. Scott did not think that was possible, but he hadn't seen me interact with Spanish-speaking patients as a nurse. 

At the bedside, I read a patient's name posted on the wall, paying close attention to annunciating each syllable: Er-win, Jo-se, San-tos, Will-i-lliam, etc. They smiled and nodded in agreement with my pronunciation or corrected my pronunciation. Then, in Spanish, I introduced myself, stating I am a nurse and Scott is my husband. 

I cannot speak Spanish well enough to ask the details of how the orthopedic injury occurred, but with their permission, I looked at their injuries and asked simple questions. In Spanish, I told them I am so sorry. Then I folded my hands as in prayer and pointed up, asking if we could pray for them. They responded with a vigorous nod up and down. We laid hands on them to pray.

One young man followed my prayer with his own prayerful request. He stormed the gates of heaven with his prayer. He prayed and prayed and prayed. He was amazing. The only word we understood was "Señor," which is "Lord". We stood in agreement with him. 

Matthew 18:19-20 NLT [19] “I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. [20] For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”

Do you see the traction and
empty medication vials holding 
the traction in place?

Another young man spoke fluent English. He shared with us that he worked in a Call Center with English-speaking customers before a car accident crushed his right foot. As he continued with his story, he confessed that before his accident, he struggled to follow Jesus and readily followed the crowd. He was going nowhere fast. His accident was a wake-up call. We prayed with him, knowing that the God who formed Jose redeemed him and called him by name.

Isaiah 43:19 NLT [19] For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.

Here are a few more pictures from our day in the hospital: 

This is the 15-year-old that 
prayed with Scott and believed

Christmas 🎄 and Guns

Diane, a physical therapist 
from Maryland, treating one of 
our knee replacement patients 

Do you see the external fixator 
covered with mosquito netting?

As I rest and compose this blog in our room before dinner, I reflect on the success of our week.  Daily, we served out of our comfort zone. We struggled with normal wear and tear on our aging bodies and running on 6-7 hours (mostly 6) of sleep.  The key component of our success began with my five or ten minutes on the terrace. 

After breakfast, I took a bottle of essential oil--a blend of lavender, lemon, and Frankincense--and poured a single drop in my hands. I cupped my hands and took a deep breath. One time. Two times. Three times . . . and I walked and prayed. I looked out from the fourth-floor terrace at the beauty of the city and prayed for her people. I prayed for our team. I prayed for my family. I prayed for you. I felt the anointing of the Holy Spirit. ¡Estaba listo! I was ready. 









Comments

  1. Anonymous05 December, 2025 19:37

    ♥️🙏🏼Love this !! God is sooo good!
    Miss you, dear one 🫶🏼

    ReplyDelete

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