home again...

Hello everyone!

Thank you so much for the prayers and support, Daniel and I (Brianna) have arrived home safely!

The trip was incredibly fruitful for me personally, as far as the acquisition of information and experiencing life in Bolivia. The atmosphere and energy of Quillacollo/Cochabamba are very encouraging. Along with all this, I was able to learn a great deal about exciting things like non-profit qualifications, articles of incorporation, and endless lists of legal paperwork. Yay!

We have made a little headway with the location of possible properties for Xelda Ministries, but much work is yet to be done. It seems that for each decision made, there are 12 more waiting for us! But the Lord is faithful, and He will guide us to the place that He has in mind, we are sure of it.

Along with the encouraging advances for Xelda Ministries, I am pleased to report that Angel Eyes is up and running. We only need a few minor adjustments to video quality and things of that nature. The Bolivian doctors are already using Angel Eyes, but a network needs to be set up here in the States in order to begin collaboration. We are currently building this network, so if you are interested in being involved by taking a shift on the network, or by other means, please contact Daniel at daniel@hospitalsofhope.org.

Thanks again for your prayers and encouragement.

Blessings!

-Brianna

Update from Bolivia

Back in February, I wrote about Xelda Ministries, a friendship ministry that we're starting in Cochabamba, Bolivia. We've been truly blessed to have Brianna Brown join us on this project, and she's down in Bolivia with Mike and Daniel right now, working to get that project off the ground. Here is an update from Brianna:

After a little trepidation, an extra night in Miami, and a few scary airplane incidents, we have made it safely to the hospital here in Bolivia. Mike, Daniel, and I arrived a little more than a week ago, and since then have been working furiously on our various projects.

Daniel’s project, Angel Eyes, is is nearing completion daily, with the space lab data already transmitting clearly, and the video feed on the way shortly. This is a great and distinguishing opportunity for the hospital, as most hospitals in the United States don’t even have access to this technology. Angel Eyes enables the diagnosis of patients here in Bolivia, by doctors in the States, who can see their physical condition through the video feed, and monitor their vital stats in real time. This is a truly wonderful gift that God has given us to use. Pray that it is as helpful as it has the potential to be.

Mike has been doing as Mike usually does, fixing everything possible and teaching at every opportunity. Also, the two of us (Mike and Brianna) have been doing quite a bit of work with the newest project, an evangelistic adventure called Xelda Ministries. Due to a gift given by Mike’s late grandmother, a new ministry opportunity bearing her name and passion for evangelistic outreach is already beginning to take shape. The primary idea is to open a coffee shop in the plaza area of Quillacollo, aimed toward youth and young adults. This café will be used to minister to the people of Cochabamba, and it will create ministry opportunities for the growth and development of the Bolivian Christians in our community. In the future, we hope to expand this ministry to the other parts of the world where HOH has a presence.

There have been so many opportunities to sow into the lives of the people around us. Two volunteers from Virginia were here with us the first week, and we have two more from another place arriving on Thursday of this week. God is doing amazing things in the lives of those around us that we serve, and in our own lives as well. Please pray that the blessings continue and that the heart of Christ is glorified in our work. Thanks so much!

-Brianna

Container to Bolivia

Yesterday, Daniel and I loaded up a shipping container to send down to our hospital in Bolivia. The container holds important equipment for our hospital, such as an x-ray machine, a c-arm (also known as an x-ray image intensifier), a ct scanner (for parts to fix our current one), and a 400 kilowatt back-up generator, in case of power outages. It also contains equipment for local emergency responders, such as fire hoses and spine boards. We couldn't have gotten the container loaded without the generosity of the Berry Company, which donated time and equipment to help load the generator, which weighs close to 10,000 pounds.

Since the last container we shipped to Bolivia was stuck in customs for over a year, we will be working with USAID on this shipment to ensure quicker delivery of the items. Please pray for safe and quick transport and delivery of this container.

Hospitals of Hope founder wins national humanitarian award

Wesley Medical Center announced on Tuesday that Michael Wawrzewski, a Physician Assistant at Wesley and the founder and CEO of Hospitals of Hope, has been awarded the 2009 Frist Humanitarian Award. The Frist Humanitarian Award is the highest honor bestowed by HCA, Wesley Medical Center’s parent company, on its employees and volunteers.

The award is named for Dr. Thomas Frist, Sr., one of the founders of HCA, and recognizes outstanding dedication to humanitarian work and service to the community. Every year, winners are chosen in three categories-- physicians, other employees, and volunteers. A local awards ceremony was held Tuesday at Wesley’s Cessna Conference Center; the national awards ceremony will be held in Nashville on Monday, April 20 at 2 p.m. CST.

You can read more about Mike's award at examiner.com or in the Wichita Eagle. Please join us in congratulating Mike for this outstanding honor; he has truly earned it.

Volunteer day Thursday, March 19

We will be having another volunteer day this coming Thursday, March 19, since this next week is spring break. We'll plan on working in the warehouse from 9 am to 5 pm, so we'd welcome you all to join us. On our last volunteer day, in January, we accomplished far more than we thought we would be able to do, which has been really helpful in preparing the containers we're sending out to Africa, South America, and the Middle East.

If you think you'll be coming, email me at leta@hospitalsofhope.org or call us at (316) 262-0964, so that we can plan projects for you all to work on.

Thanks for coming to the Banquet of Hope

Thanks to all of you who came out to support Hospitals of Hope at the Banquet of Hope this past Friday. Alexis Bilindabagabo, bishop of the diocese of Gahini in Rwanda, spoke about God's faithfulness in the midst of overwhelming circumstances and our need to act on faith, drawing on his experiences as a survivor of the Rwandan genocide and as founder of the largest NGO in Rwanda.

Hospitals of Hope can testify with Bishop Bilindabagabo about God's faithfulness, as he continues to bless our work. We had over 225 people in attendance at the banquet, and giving increased from last year's banquet, despite the recession. We have been facing increased requests for aid in the past year, and we appreciate your willingness to step out in faith to support our work.

We also want to thank all of those who helped to make the banquet happen. We had many volunteers who came into the office in the weeks leading up to the banquet, giving generously of their time to ensure good press coverage of the banquet, to assemble centerpieces, and to request donations for our first-ever silent auction. Many area businesses donated items to sell at the silent auction-- items such as books, tickets to concerts and sporting events, and dinner at local restaurants.

Central Christian Church hosted the event again this year, and Doug Barker, the Singles and Involvement Pastor at Central, served as emcee. The Wichita Eagle and Way-FM both did stories about the banquet.

The banquet was a big success, and we truly appreciate all of you who made that happen. Our ministry depends on the support of people like you, and you've helped us get our year off to a great start.

Equipment for Bolivia needed

We will be shipping out a container for Bolivia in the next couple of weeks, and we're still in need of a few items for the hospital. Specifically, we need a sewing machine in good, working condition for the staff in Bolivia to use to make and repair sheets. We have been swamped with patients in the last couple of months, and a sewing machine would really help our staff to be able to keep up.

Secondly, we need either an industrial-sized washing machine or 3 large capacity washing machines. These will also help our staff to keep up with the large number of patients.

If you have a sewing machine or washing machines that you would be willing to donate for the hospital in Bolivia, email Leta at leta@hospitalsofhope.org or call 316.262.0964.