Time to Head Back to Chichi

The parents were happy to see Wednesday arrive!  They are ready to return to the much cooler land of Chichicastenango. 

The vans arrived in the early afternoon.  The parents received their discharge instructions, loaded their things in the van, we had one last prayer and they were on their way!

Juan and his parents.  

Estefany and her mom.

Manuel and his parents busting out the door!

Brandon was sleeping and I did not want to wake him.

It was a great week and we are thankful for all of the patients. Everyone did well and there were no problems.  We finished the week with 84 surgeries.

I will see all of the babies and parents on Monday, the 17th.  Lisa will see Katrina on that Thursday.  I will give you an update and new photos at that time.

Tuesday in Montellano

Another group of patients had surgery today..........it was time for our babies to begin to heal.

Brandon and his mom had a good day. He had some swelling but that is normal and will eventually decrease.

Estefany also had a good day. Her mother has not put her pink clothes back on since she still has her IV in.

Juan's dad spent a lot of time with Juan today. They are very happy with the surgery.

Now, Manuel is a different story.......he was irritable and cried most of the day.  His parents struggled with him and I avoided contact to not make things worse. Finally, in the late afternoon, he was tired enough to sleep a little.

Katrina had her hand surgery today and will probably leave tomorrow with the babies!

Monday.....full day of Surgery

A full day of surgery started early. 

The lights in the patient ward usually comes on about 4am in preparation for the day.  The patients shower, put on a gown, have an IV started and then wait for their turn.  The babies have their IVs placed once they are in the surgical room.

This is Manuel and his mom as they wait their turn.  They were the first cast of the morning so they went in about 8am.

I sat with Manuel's mom while Manuel was in surgery.  I let her know what what happening and what to expect when Manuel's surgery was completed.

As soon as he came out, he was placed in her arms.  He was fussy but she knew to expect that.  After about 2 hours, he returned to his bed.  Thank you, Kory for supporting Manuel's surgery!

Juan was super hungry this morning and his mom fed him later than she should have.  Because of this, they had to skip his scheduled surgery and let another baby go before him.

It was traumatic and Juan cried even harder as the morning progressed.

This is Juan with his parents when his surgery was completed.  Danny, we appreciate you sponsoring Juan's surgery!  Thank you!

This is Brandon before his surgery. He was moved up on the list when Juan was bumped.

Brandon came out of surgery doing well.  He did not cry a lot and then was taken to his bed.  Many thanks to Jeanie for supporting Brandon's surgery!

The last baby of our group was Estefany and Donna supported her surgery.  Thank you, Donna!This was the first time all week that I saw Estefany without a pink outfit on! Her mom always has her dressed cute.

It was a long day but everyone did well.  Katrina will have her hand surgery in the morning.

Now it is time for everyone to try to get a good night's rest.  Tomorrow is another day and a very full schedule!

Sunday......................it was a waiting game!

We started out with morning worship with the Montellano church across the street. I was so happy when all of the babies and families appeared!

I meant to show you this photo last night and forgot.  This is Kenia, who has had two lips surgeries.  for some reason, after each surgery, she developed a severe infection.  We were thankful that in February, her stitches did not come out.  She has healed very well and hope to have her palate repaired in February of 2016.

This is Katrina waiting to hear when her hand surgery is scheduled.  If we can get her done early in the week, she may be able to catch a ride with the babies as they return to Chichi.

No surgeries for lips or palates were scheduled for today.  Everyone did what they could, to pass the time and stay out of the heat.  Manuel and his mom, play games on the floor by his bed.

Juan spent most of his day taking naps.

Brandon played with some toys as he stayed in bed.

Estefany and her mom just wanted to get on with the show!  It is very hot here and there was just a short mist of rain last night.  We are hoping to get some more today.

All of the babies will have surgery tomorrow!

Finally off to Montellano!!

It is time for another trip to Montellano!  The babies and families are ready for the afternoon of travel.

This is Jose Saquic and his parents.  He is a patient in the milk program at ASELSI and they provided transportation for two of the families.  This is Carol, the nurse at ASELSI.  She and Juan are having a serious conversation.

This is Manuel and his parents.  He had his lip repaired last year in Guatemala.  This week, we will have his palate repaired.

When we arrived at the coast, we caught up with Lindsey and two more families. These families live near Panajachel and transportation is provided by Solomon's Porch.

This is Brandon and his parents.

This is Estefany with her mom and dad.

This family rode with me to Montellano.  This is Karina with her baby and husband.  She is a patient of Lisa and will have surgery on her hand.  Her husband, Juan Carlos, will watch the little girl when Karina has her surgery. Juan was laughing and joking all of the way to Montellano but for the photo, I got the Guatemalan look :) We stopped for a quick ice cream on the road that everyone enjoyed :)

We will start the consults tonight and see how the surgeries are positioned for the week. Please remember these patients in your thoughts and prayers.

School Activity in Sepela

We all met at the hotel this morning for a quick breakfast and then headed in different directions.  Lisa and Sara had clinics, Kemmel and a group  delivered water filters to ABC families and some of us are visited the school in Sepela.

When we arrived, the students brought their desks and chairs to a patio in the middle of the school.  The director welcomed everyone..............then, she asked the students to stand to pray.  She would say a few words and all of the students repeated with total respect.  It is just one of those moments that you just think, "Wow!"

Cesar started the day and the children were attentive. Others participated with leading a few songs and preparing for the skits.

The children had a few minutes to color before things got going.  Someone commented on how much time and patience they put into their work. It is true. Even the 6th graders enjoyed the activity.

This was a skit about how words and what we say does affect others.  The boy in the middle wants to quit going to school because the other students tease him.  He can not buy the shoes that the other children wear and he has to work to help buy food for his family. He is not good in sports and is just tired with dealing with it. The teacher talks to the other student about his actions toward this boy.

This skit was about decisions.  Each grade of students were able to make a selection between two bags. One was very pretty and had colored paper around it.  The other was a simple, brown bag with no decoration. Most of the students selected the pretty bag but when it was opened, it only had trash in it.  The simple, brown bag had bags of peanuts for them to eat. We need to be careful about the decisions we make.  Just because the outside of something is pretty, the inside may not be equally as nice.

Then it was time for a break.  People played ball, ate ice cream and different snacks.............

Time for a quick photo. 

Education on dental care.

Time to put stickers on the outside of the bag..........

and more activities in the afternoon.

When we finished withe the school, we drove back to the hotel.  We had a quick lunch of sandwiches and spent the rest of the afternoon just hanging out.

One group went to play soccer and another group walked around Chichi.

We went to the Mayan Ceremonial Area below the cemetery.  These people were burning different things and having a small ceremony.

The Mayan Culture still fascinates me.

We finished with a walk through the cemetery, a quick trip to Sarita's for ice cream, a walk through the Catholic Church, something to drink at Casa San Juan and then finished at the hotel.

It was a great day and I think that everyone enjoyed it.

Eastside Church of Christ Visits!

The Eastside Church of Christ, from Colorado Springs is here again for another full week.  They are the sponsoring congregation for Lisa and Kemmel.  How exciting it is for them to visit and be part of the work. They are a great encouragement to us and we are looking forward to having them with us.

I met the group and we enjoyed a quick lunch together.  Then we headed up to the meeting room to prepare for the week.  As you can see, it was a beautiful day!

The group will be visiting schools and doing skits.  They will also be delivering water filters to different communities.

Here, the group gets a quick briefing from Lisa and Donna.  Several young people, who use to be part of the ABC and scholarship programs are helping this week.

Deciding on how things will be done........it can be quite a challenge.

This first skit is about hygiene.  This young boy is called to lunch by his mother.  Before he eats, he uses the bathroom and does not wash his hands.  There is a huge fly that travels around the house, spreading the germs from the bathroom to food in the kitchen.

Three days later, the boy does not feel well and dies.......right there.....he dies.  Dramatic, but maybe it will make a strong impression.

This is the second skit.

This one is about the boy who called wolf too many times.

This is another one about the affect that sun and heavy rain have on flowers.  It makes the point of, we need to think of how we treat people.  It teaches the children to be careful of things that they say.  A lesson for not only for those in the classes, but also adults.

It will be a great week and I will keep you posted on the events.