El Salvador and the Sunday monsoon

It has been a very busy 24 hours here in Santa Lucia! After our field clinic yesterday, Noah enjoyed his first ride on a Honduran thoroughbred (otherwise known as a burro). Inheriting his Kentucky mom's love of horses, Noah smiled happily on his majestic steed and showed absolutely no fear of falling off.

While Noah and Jeff napped this morning, I made two trips to nearby Magdalena. I ran there the first time, accompanied by Amigo the slightly mangy dog. I joined the rest of the brigade on my second trip, where we bartered for mangoes and machetes at the weekly market.

After the market, Noah jumped in his car seat again for a bumpy ride to El Salvador. Yes, we drove a mere 30 minutes over absurdly rocky roads to a beautiful river dividing Honduras and El Salvador. We played in the water and enjoyed sandwiches along the shore. Noah can now add "illegal border crossing" to his list of trip accomplishments.

After returning home this afternoon, Noah changed into his collared shirt and headed off to church with us. After a few songs, the service was interrupted by a torrential downpour, culminating in a flood of brown water surging through the sanctuary. The sermon was all about overcoming obstacles. Without missing a beat, the congregants gathered up the chairs and swept the river out the front door. Noah's shoes didn't even get wet.