Dear Luke 9:2 Ministries Supporter,
I hope you have seen the news and videos sharing the overwhelming successes of the September 2020 and January 2021 Luke 9:2 medical/dental mission trips. Even though our US-based volunteers could not travel, the clinics still happened. Through your generosity and God’s blessings we were able to hire a team of local providers to provide medical and dental care to the communities we serve outside Tegucigalpa. Feel free to learn more about the amazing work provided by our in-country partners by checking out the stories and stats on our webpage at www.luke9-2ministries.org.
As we become optimistic about the United States vaccinating its citizens and emerging from this pandemic, the situation is more tenuous in Honduras. Masks are still in short-supply and hard to obtain. Our in-country physician, Dr. Ponce, has not been able to obtain a vaccine and does not know when that will happen. Yet, he continues to serve the poor as he has always done because he believes God is always faithful. Dr. Ponce’s two sons, who have followed in his footsteps to become doctors (and who have joined our teams on nearly every previous mission trip), are currently enrolled in medical school and are serving rotations in the local hospitals. Only one has been able to get the first shot and the other is scheduled to get his first shot (maybe?) in November of this year.
As of the time this letter was written, any traveler to Honduras is required to obtain a negative Covid test before being allowed to re-enter the US. If they test positive, they have to quarantine in Honduras for 14 days and then show a negative test. Given these restrictions, we are concerned that, even if all team members are vaccinated, someone from our team could get stranded in Honduras for a significant period of time and not be able to return with the group.
Because of this, and because of the successful work performed by our in-country partners, Luke 9:2 Ministries has decided to continue to meet the needs of the underserved people of Honduras by financing a team of local doctors to provide the care we would normally offer in September 2021 and January 2022. The good news is that there are local physicians who are willing to serve alongside Dr. Ponce and are grateful for the opportunity to share their talents. In addition, Dr. Ponce has located a company in Honduras where he can purchase the same high-quality and low-cost medications that we normally pack in Nashville and bring on the plane with the team.
Even in a pandemic, God has provided a way for us to follow our Luke 9:2 Ministries mandate to heal the sick and proclaim the kingdom of God. Although we had to halt the pastoral training at the onset of the pandemic because we could not send the instructors from the US, we have figured out a way to host our Pastoral Training sessions at a local Honduran hotel via Zoom. Our April 2021 Training session was an overwhelming success (in spite of the spotty Wi-Fi in Honduras!) and we have a whole new group of pastors eager to complete the certification process. These learners, in addition to the over-a-dozen pastors who have already worked for three years to earn their certificates, are already spread out in the villages of Honduras preaching God’s word.
So here’s what you could do to help Luke 9:2 Ministries:
- First and most important, pray for our efforts as we set up the September 2021 and January 2022 trips with local providers.
- Pray that enough local providers will be available to staff these trips.
- Pray that we are able to purchase in-country all the drugs our in-country team will need.
- Pray for the continued personal health of Dr. Ponce and the Ponce family so that they remain strong as they try to address the overwhelming needs they face.
- Pray for the country of Honduras to be able to obtain vaccines for their population so they can move forward as a nation.
- Give what you can to finance these additional and ongoing efforts (you can donate online at www.luke9-2ministries.org).
We thank you for your faithful support in the past. We are grateful for your continued support moving forward. And we celebrate the work that God is accomplishing through your efforts, prayers and generosity. We could not do it without you!
God bless,
Beth Ann Yakes, MD
Chairman, Luke 9:2 Ministries
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