How Covid has affected ministry at EA

 2020 has been an interesting year.......

The year started out normal......teams were coming down, we were installing filters and latrines, we were building chicken coops for a new initiative in our community, students were coming for tutoring.....life was normal.....then Covid......

The country shut down mid-March. The borders were closed as well. US citizens were encouraged to leave but we felt we should stay. No one knew what to expect, but we knew God had us there for a purpose. All ministry except the clinic was halted. The clinic remained open, but for several weeks, patient count was very low as people were scared to leave their homes, and there was no public transportation. After several weeks, patients somehow found a way to get to us and the numbers picked up some. We knew it was vital to stay open because even though we couldn't treat Covid patients, we had lots of patients who needed monthly medication for their illnesses, and we had people who needed to be treated for non-Covid issues. We moved the waiting area out and the staff was head to toe in PPE, but the doors remained open. Patient numbers are now up to pre-Covid levels.

By April people in our communities were going hungry as all work had been shut down. We realized that while "normal" ministry had halted, there was still much that could be done. We quickly rallied and began a feeding program for those at most risk in our communities. Through the help of local pastors and leaders, 130 families were identified as needing help, and we began distributing food bags, weighing approximately 16-18 pounds, each week. The bags included rice, beans, corn flour, shortening, oatmeal, sugar, a bar of soap, and various other items depending on the week. In all we distributed more than 42, 500 pounds of food between April and September. Every Tuesday the staff met to pack bags, and each Wednesday we went out to deliver them. People were so grateful, and it was great to have the one on one contact with families each week.

Our scholarship students were struggling immensely with distance learning. Our students don't have computers or internet at home. Some don't even have phones. We began printing off pages and delivering them to students homes and tutoring over the phone, and with WhatsApp, as best we could. By August, we were allowed to reopen the Learning Center to small groups of students using the proper preventative precautions. It has been a life saver for the students, as it has allowed them to catch up with their work and complete the requirement to finish the school year. Our tutors have been amazing at helping the students not only with their work, but also as counselors helping them to deal with the extremely hard times that Covid brought on their families. What a blessing they have been and continue to be. 

In July we made the difficult decision to come back to the states temporarily. The medical situation had gotten so bad in Honduras that there was nowhere to go for treatment should we catch the virus. The hospitals were full, and there were no ICU beds available. The medical system isn't great in Honduras to begin with....add a pandemic to it and it became overwhelmed pretty quickly. We've been blessed with places to stay since we got to the states. Denise has been able to do 95% of her work from the states, so that has been a big help to EA. The clinic is anxious for Amir to get back but has been using a temporary doctor to fill in while he is gone. We are eager to get back home as soon as we can. It looks like the situation is getting better in Honduras so we are hoping to go back soon.