Saturday the cleft lip/palate team completed the four surgeries planned despite an equipment problem in the afternoon which delayed things for a couple of hours; something to do with a suction device which was taken care of. The little ones on the schedule were Christopher Janeth Benitez Arevalo, 13 months; Alexander Javier Amaya, 10 mo., Jose Pedro Cruz Flores, 11 mo., and Levin Antonio Enamorado Sorto, 2 years.

We witnessed a very tender moment this morning between two of the mothers, both with youngsters here for surgery.  The younger mom had just seen her child carried into the OR and began sobbing.  The other mom, not much older, sat the young one down and took a seat beside her. In a low voice she began to console the weeping mom. Along with soft words of encouragement the lady put her arm around the shoulder of the other and held her. At first it appeared that nothing was helping, but eventually the crying stopped except for a few tears. The comforting continued and by days end the young mother appeared to be okay.
 
   

The older lady's child will not go into surgery until tomorrow but I suspect that she may have had some kind of similar experience because she knew exactly what the "younger" mother was going through; she knew how to help ease the pain of her new friend.  We are comforted to be a comfort to another.

Today we were visited by Onelia Lawrence, a nurse who worked with our teams back in the "early days" in the late 90's. As most of the early teams were up made of dedicated people new to mission work, any true mission veteran was an asset we cherished.  Onelia was just that.  A native Honduran she had lost her family years earlier and had been serving for quite some time when we first met.  We were often in contact before a team came down to Honduras and Onelia would meet us at the airport when we arrived.   As someone who has had the privilege of knowing Onelia, and the experience of working with her, I see her as the Mother Theresa of the Western Hemisphere, a true Angle of Mercy. The Friends of Barnabas lost track of her when she relocated some years ago. Today, out of the blue we reconnected with a wonderful gift.

The four youngsters scheduled for surgery today were treated and went to post-operative care. Sunday they are to be transported to the Barnabas House to complete their recovery period.  The bus that takes them will return with the group scheduled for surgery on Monday.

Each morning begins with tour wee little ones waiting in Pre-Op with their mothers. We join with you in giving thanks to God for the success we have had in helping little children start on the road to better health and a brighter future.  We are all in this together.

Peace, Love, Joy and God's Blessings,

Papa Joe Covolo with the Friends of Barnabas Cleft Lip/Palate Team in Honduras