Following His Lead: Hospital Bautista de Guiamaca

We received a phone call on a Tuesday night, numerous more on Wednesday, found a deal on airline tickets, purchased them on Wednesday night, and were in the air on our way to Honduras Friday morning. Living life is experiencing change. What an adventure the Lord gives us in our lives!

So began our recent trip to investigate, again, Hospital Bautista de Guiamaca, Honduras, or Baptist Hospital of Guiamaca. The first time we went to see it in 2007 it was to talk with the director, Sandy Cheves, and see his facility and to ask him how he had built his hospital: what things were they doing with team ministry, associated ministry, the surgeries they perform, etc. We toured three hospitals during that trip. If you heard us speak last summer, you may recall that we mentioned a hospital with an emphasis on surgery where there was a chapel in the facility, and other associated ministries, such as a food program, and even a reforestation ministry. This is the same hospital.

The call we received last Tuesday was about our coming to Honduras to visit Hospital Bautista, but this time with new eyes, eyes that would possibly be overseeing the management and direction of the hospital. Sandy Cheves has suffered some health problems in the last year and wants BMDMI to take over the running of the hospital and ministry. His and (his wife) JoAnn’s desire is to see that the ministry they began will continue on.

One thing is certain in that at this point, neither board has approved this change. Some members of the boards of both ministries will meet in Honduras in August, and the board of BMDMI will have their regularly scheduled meeting in September. If all goes as planned, the official date of transfer of ministry will be January 1, 2010.

As Tully has said, it is as if we are running a marathon. With this opportunity, we would be starting the marathon at mile 8 or 10 instead of at the very beginning.

Please pray for all involved, that we have wisdom and discernment as we move towards the merging of this hospital ministry under the leadership of BMDMI.

The front of Hospital Bautista

From the front of the hospital, looking towards the road--this building, on the hospital grounds, is going to be a church for the group who currently meet in the hospital chapel.