Car Accidents, Trains Cutting Off Legs, Polio, Old Age, Strokes, Etc.

I just arrived in Choluteca after a long day! After leaving Tegucigalpa this morning early, (read the previous blog) I went to San Lorenzo, loaded the truck and then on to Goascoran. I left Goascoran and raced to San Lorenzo again for another wheelchair giveaway. There was no time to eat breakfast or lunch and I am famished! I have nursed several bottles of water today and I ingested an orange hastily, which a patient’s family member donated to my hungry cause. I vaguely remember someone handing me some homemade french-fries, I guess I ate them, I don’t remember.

Anyway, this afternoon was even wilder than this morning! I was supposed to arrive in San Lorenzo at sometime before 2:00 pm but it just didn’t happen. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get out of Goascoran and to San Lorenzo in time. Each patient wanted to hug me and tell me thanks for their new “CARRITOS”. They started calling them that because they have brakes and tires!

When I arrived in San Lorenzo, the patients were waiting for their new wheelchairs and it looked like there was carnival going on at SHADDI FARMICIA. Everyone was with their respective family member and they were sitting on the sidewalk drinking cokes and eating “CHURROS” (chips).

The owner of SHADDI PHARMACY is also a pastor and he and his wife are both doctors. They are friends and agreed to have the wheelchair giveaway at their pharmacy on the PAN AMERICAN HIGHWAY. You couldn’t ask for better publicity. They filled the parking lot with wheelchairs and the people began arriving as did the press! Three television channels arrived and filmed the giveaway.

I think the best thing to do is show lots of photos and then share the end of the story. Scroll down, look at the photos and at the end I will share some more.

This lady was a squinter and a smiler. She loved being out of the house and able to see and talk to others.

Cindy was brought to us by her pastor. She attends Principe de Paz Church. (Prince of Peace) Cindy in the pink shirt informed me that she had been praying for a wheelchair. Well, God answered her prayers. Thank you Free Wheelchair Mission!

This young man is blind and cannot walk. He repeated over and over saying, “I am going to church to say thank you God for my new wheelchair.”
This man kept raising his hand and saying, “Hallelujah!” Every time I looked at him, he raised his arms and shouted, “Hallelujah!”

This young lady has a goal! She wants to finish the next two years of university where she can be a teacher. She asked me for a scholarship, which unfortunately I can't give to her, but I am never the less thrilled that she has a goal!

This woman lost her leg in an accident.

He lost his leg to diabetes.

This lady was so sweet, she always touched me when I walked by her.

Several women came in their nightgowns or their houserobes, but no one seemed to mind!



Several other ladies arrived in their Sunday best clothes!

This young man didn't stop smiling from the time he arrived! He smiled and smiled and smiled.

This man couldn't smile but his grandson sure is happy!

These patients were all smiles.

This lady arrived late and we stayed until well after dark putting together her new wheelchair. She was number 36. That's correct! We gave away 36 wheelchairs this afternoon!

This little old man was so cute that I took several photos of him. I love the hat and the homemade wooden cane.



This young man came with a friend and waited patiently until the end. He knew the other people were desperate and he knew we would take care of him.

Many patients had to be lifted into the chairs and are absolutely like wet dishrag limp. This lady was one of those. She had no movement at all in her legs.

Her back was shaped like an "S".

This lady had a bad hair day, but she was thrilled with her new wheelchair.

This young man received his new wheels and then left in style all smiles!



I met this woman begging at a local steak place in Choluteca several months ago and told her I would give her a wheelchair. She didn't believe me, but I called the owner of El Torito ("little bull") and asked him to bring her to San Lorenzo to pick up her chair.

Pastor Reynaldo to the left of the man in the green shirt and tan pants helped unload the container tirelessly the night the truck finally arrived with the wheelchairs. This man came from the "old folks home". He and three other friends were blessed with wheelchairs today.

This lady talked endlessly.

I am not sure that this lady ever broke a smile the entire afternoon. I thought about turning her upside down to take a picture.

Several children needed wheelchairs. Some even slept through the ceremony.

Several people arrived in leg casts. This woman was one of them, her neighbors brought her to receive her wheelchair.

This young man was in a motorcycle accident and both of his heels were crushed. His doctors have said at least a year before he can put any weight on his feet, I think it will be less, he is already talking about giving the wheelchair away when he finishes with it. With that attitude, healing will come quickly. He arrived in the car of the manager of the Christian television station, who offered us free advertising any time we need it.

There have been so many blessings today, I am overwhelmed. I only wish my parents and the rest of my family were here to join in the fun. Sarah and Jessica would both have loved this day!

Dr. Joel Garcia was so tired that he finally took a seat in one of the wheelchairs for a few minutes of rest.

Some soldiers from the 11th Brigade showed up and helped put together a wheelchair.

I tried to teach them how to put the wheelchair together, but they learned better from the men. I wonder why?

Jose Benavides clowning around with one of the patients. He had promised this man a wheelchair many months ago and was happy to finally be able to give it to him.

Group photos!

A Friend Is Having A Baby! And I Am Making Chocolate Covered Marshmallows!

My friend Melissa is having a baby! We have been talking about treats for baby showers and I was compelled to make something for her.

I purchased a bag of marshmallows around Christmas time. Marshmallows are hard to find in Honduras and when you can find them they are usually melted together or smashed from transport or careless handling. That really doesn’t matter if you are making a yam casserole, but for other things it is nice to have them round and pretty. Besides all that they are $3.00 or $4.00 per bag here in Tegucigalpa. I was going to make Marshmallow Fudge but never got it done, so I wanted to use the marshmallows before they went bad.

Marshmallow Pop Ingredients

A bag of large marshmallows, preferably not smashed but in nice round condition
A bag of Chocolate Chips or a pound of Chocolate
A little bit of vegetable oil
A package of lollipop sticks
Wax paper
A package of Sprinkles any color
Cello bags
Curling Ribbon
Decorations *Small Wreaths for Christmas *Baby Binkies for a baby shower *Wedding Rings or Doves for a bridal shower *Birthday Candles for a birthday

Place Marshmallows flat side down on a hard clean surface and push lollipop sticks into the marshmallow as centered and a straight as possible.

Place all “stuck” marshmallows with sticks into the freezer for 10 minutes.

Heat chocolate to melt. I use my Wilton Chocolate Warmer that my friend Dede Reed from Aurora, Illinois bought for me. If you don’t have a chocolate warmer, BUY ONE or use a Baño Maria, which I don’t know how to say in English. It is where you place water in a double boiler and heat the chocolate in the top part. NEVER EVER LET THE WATER SPLATTERS GET INTO THE CHOCOLATE! And if your chocolate gets too think, thin with a little vegetable oil, NOT WITH WATER!

When the chocolate is melted, take the marshmallows out of the freezer and dip them one at a time. Make sure to cover the entire marshmallow, but don’t let them sit in the chocolate or they will melt too. I shake the excess chocolate off the pops by lightly tapping on the side of the pan.

Then while the chocolate is still wet, I sprinkle the sprinkles (non-pareils) lightly around the rounded sides of the marshmallows and finally I dip the flat side of the marshmallow in the sprinkles. By dipping the top, this insures that when I place the marshmallow on the wax paper it doesn’t form puddle of chocolate and the top is completely covered so it looks nice when bagged.

I place all of the pops on wax paper then I place them in the freezer for 5 minutes. This is enough time to set the chocolate, but not enough time to freeze them. Set your timer, frozen chocolate is not pretty!

Place the pops in individual Cello bags. Tie with curling ribbon.

Add any cute plastic design to the ribbon. I used diaper pins, baby bibs and mini plastic binkies.

Curl ribbon with your scissors.

These are fun to make with grandkids, IF you have the chocolate melting pot. I would not recommend doing this with little ones with the Baño Maria.

Eye Team Food Prep

With so much sugar stuff being baked and made the last few days, I really needed something cheesy and healthy. So I started of this morning making my shopping list for the medical team for tomorrow, Thursday and Friday. I have 4 people on the eye team Wednesday and 5 people for Thursday and Friday and I have to make food for all of them today, to take with us to the south. It is too much work to cook over a wood fire and it is too hot to do it there. The restaurants are all grease and too expensive, so my menu is planned at home and most of it is cooked and prepared here for each eye team and then taken with us. This saves lots of money and is also more healthy.

Cheese and Spinach Squares
Ingredients

3 eggs
6 tbsp. flour
1 pkg. spinach
2 cups cottage cheese
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. curry powder

Instructions

Beat in large bowl, 3 eggs and 6 tbsp. flour.Add torn up spinach, cottage cheese, grated cheese and salt. Mix well. Spread in greased 8 x 10 pan.Bake at 350 degrees for 45 min.Let stand 5 minutes, cut into squares.

Potato, Cheese, and Onion Pie
Woman's Day

Ingredients

3 cups onions 2 tbsp. butter 1 can (10 1/2 oz.) cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup water salt and pepper to taste
pinch of sage
6 medium potatoes, cooked and sliced
1/4 pound cheddar cheese sliced (I use shredded cheese)

Directions

Brown lightly onions in butter; and cook slowly until tender. Add soup and water; season with salt, pepper and sage. Arrange potatoes and half of cheese in 2-quart casserole. Pour onion mixture over ingredients in casserole and top with remaining cheese. Bake in preheated hot oven (400 degree) for 15 minutes (I leave it in for 30 minutes to get it heated through) or mixture is heated and cheese is lightly browned. Top with pastry wedges. Roll pastry 1/2 inch thick to form a round that fits top of casserole. Cut into 4 wedges and brush with beaten egg yolk or cream. Bake on cookie sheet in oven with potatoes for 15 minutes. (I prefer it without the pie pastry).