| The team had carried all medicines and equipment with them when they left LeMars and it was estimated that we used about $20,000 worth. |
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Planning for the first adult trip began shortly after the student trip of 2001 returned. A group of adults from LeMars had expressed great interest in also going to Honduras for mission work. The trip eventually became medical along with construction when Des Langel, Gehlen graduate, asked to go and then recruited 3 of her doctor friends. The 2002 January team which left LeMars, January 3rd , was composed of Omar Aleman - translator (senior at Gehlen at the time), Sarah Arens - general medical (junior at the University of Iowa from Remsen), Jean Francois Avierinos - cardiologist (from Marsailles, France), Des Langel - doctor (from University of Minnesota Medical School), Scott Langel - construction (from LeMars), Carol Reynolds - doctor (from Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota), Mary Arens - general medical (teacher Remsen St. Marys High), Marie Christine Aubry - doctor (from Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota), Marty Bohnenkamp - doctor (in last year of medical school University of Iowa at the time), Paul Langel - construction (from LeMars), Tom Loutsch - construction (from LeMars), Tom Ryan - pharmacist (from LeMars and owns Family Pharmacy), Josh Thoms - translator (from University of Iowa at the time), Todd Sitzmann - construction (from LeMars), Al Vonnahme - construction (from LeMars), and Francis Seivert - team leader (from Elkton, S.D.) While in Honduras the construction team worked mainly on the church of San Rafael in El Guante. They installed a new tile floor using 2,200 tile made right in El Guante, sifted 7 tons of sand by hand, mixed sand with 2,310 pounds of cement mix, and used 400 gallons of water. While there, the team also installed new wiring and lights in the church and repainted the entire interior. The medical team spent their days traveling to 6 different villages within the district of Francisco Morazon. The doctors saw 1298 patients (40% children). Many walked hours to get to clinic. Tom Ryan filled over 3,000 prescriptions. Each doctor had their own interpretor. Besides Omar Aleman and Josh Thoms acting as translators for the doctors, we were given the able assistance of 2 Peace Corps volunteers who did the same. The team had carried all medicines and equipment with them when they left LeMars and it was estimated that we used about $20,000 worth. The team returned Saturday, January 12th, mission complete.  Click above to browse the January 2002 Trip Photo Album... |
Gehlen Catholic School Phone: 712-546-4181 or 712-540-3062
709 Plymouth St. NE Fax: 712-546-9384
Le Mars, IA 51031 E-mail: rseivert2@yahoo.com or cbickford@gehlencatholic.org