This post was written by Rick Lania

Last night I spoke with Emily and got to hear about some of the things she has been doing in Flores since arriving in Honduras almost a week ago. She has a bunch of new cases that she has began working on, including a 26 year old in need of a neurosurgeon. Noel, Wesly, Daniella, and Astrid all have exams this coming week so she has been helping them study.

As with all trips to Honduras unexpected events come up and there is a need react to them. This weeks event was a mentally disabled man walking down the middle of a highway. Ana feared not only for this man’s safety but the on coming traffic’s safety who might need to swerve out of the way to avoid him. A few people from Flores were able to secure this man and take him to a mental hospital. However, when they arrived at the hospital they learned there was a fee to admit him. Not having the resources to get help is a common issue for Hondurans but the people that took him there knew Emily would cover the expenses.

Being able to adapt is a major lesson I’ve learned during my trips to Honduras. As much as you want to set schedules and have a plan, that is not always possible. Unexpected events come out of no where, offices and stores will randomly be closed, people will be on strike, there are lots of power outages, and 100 other things you can’t plan for. You can plan for an end goal that you want to achieve but you have to be ready and willing to change the path to get there.