From the HCHB President
June, 2008
Greetings friends!
It has been a while since we updated you on the upcoming activities for HCHB ministry teams. Originally, we had planned to take a ministry team to Belize this spring. However, due to scheduling conflicts, that trip had to be canceled. We are still interested in taking teams to work alongside the local churches.
We are planning two medical teams for Belize this fall and winter. The first team, in October, will have an internist who will focus on either high blood pressure or diabetes. Cheryl’s cousin, a nurse practitioner with a local cardiology group, will focus on patients who pose high risk factors for heart disease. She will develop treatment plans to reduce these risk factors, since Belize has very limited cardiac evaluation and treatment facilities. We will be starting studies and treatment plans for these illnesses, the same as we are doing with asthmatic patients. The second team, in December, will be the 4th trip for the orthopedic and urological surgeons. They are planning a special trip which will include taking their entire families along to get a first-hand Belizean experience. Cheryl is particularly excited about this trip, since one benefit of the small-team experience is the ability to include non-medical family members on these trips if they desire to go. We are still looking for nurses, OR technicians, and other medical personnel to assist either of these teams.
Last minute information:
We are also including an update on the happenings in Belize. Some of you may have heard that Tropical Storm Arthur came ashore in Belize last week. The storm caused flooding throughout the country. Flooding of this sort has not been seen in Belize before. The rivers were rising slowly at 10pm the night of the storm, but at two in the morning, the rivers in the southern part of the country rose over 13 feet in a few hours. Homes were washed away and some people were drowned. Families lost everything in the flood waters. The south was cut off from the main parts of the country as three bridges washed away, making passage impossible. As we read the news on the web and talked with contacts in Belize, our hearts broke for these families. Thankfully, the floods have receded, but now the re-building must begin. One bridge has been repaired, so Dangriga (our home town) now has access to the rest of the country. However, the bridge further south will need to be crossed with a ferry for a while, since constructing a new bridge will be a real challenge. We are not yet organizing any flood relief projects, but we would be willing to organize a construction team if needed. Please contact us for details regarding these trips. We also request your prayers for the hurting flood victims in Belize and the country’s regrouping after this disaster.
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