Mandatory Fire Ed for Hospital

The other day, we completed another step in becoming a level one hospital.  Fired Education and Safety is common in The States but it is the first time that I have seen it done here.  In this setting, we actually were able to put out fires, that in my opinion, were not safely created............but I am no expert and we had a good time!!

We started with class.

The guy seemed to be knowledgeable. 

Then it was time to go outside to play.

So Rigo was the first up..........look at that perfect body form and stance! I gave him a  #10!!

Then dental had a few chances and I was very impressed with their coolness. They just walked up to the fire and sprayed away.  This is Valentine. He is the only male in the dental area so he is probably use to putting out fires.........just kidding!!  Cool and calm!

Then Naby, with the same composure.............had everything under control.

Darling started the nursing section off and she started out with composure...........

But after that, it was pretty funny.  Javier was up and as you can see, Darling and Marta were cheering him on. 

It was Kevin's turn.  He  ran in and was ready to save the day!

When it was time for more fire........Oscar saturated the smoking barrel and the teacher tosses in a match! Poof!!

The teacher announced that our fire extinguishers were empty, there was a fire and we needed to react quickly!  Javier, with his long legs, takes off running for the extinguisher in the maintenance area.  Kevin dashes for the extinguisher in the dining hall............the applauding and screaming keeps the guys motivated in their race.......as Kevin returns first! Darling directing him as he passes her.

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Yes, it was a good class and it gave every person a chance for hands on.  I think it was a good practice and yet I pray, that we never have to do it for real.

Clinic Lift at Ezell

If we were a plastic surgeon's office, you would think we are having a facelift.  Health Talents International is closing in on fifty years, so it is time.  We are in the process of a clinic-lift.

The last construction has been completed.

It was slow to get started.

But eventually, it started taking shape.

Piece by piece.

 Some serious landscape moving was needed to link it into the water treatment plant.

This rock was lifted so the drainage pipes could be connected.

Final product!!

 Many of the tall coconut trees have been cut down.

 

 

The trees have been replace by a smaller version.

 

 

The earthquake that we had several months ago, damaged the top two apartments. It was decided to remove to heavy roof and replace it with something of lesser weight. Lorenzo and his son working.

 

Yes, piece by piece.

 Where is the clean up crew??

Of course watching these guys get close to the edge made me a little nervous. I am not into trauma.

There are three huge projects but we are making it.  The progress will eventually get us to have a license for a level one hospital.  When this has been achieved, we will begin having surgical clinics again.  It is a dream that we are all looking forward to.

Meet another Shery!

Today, we had clinic in Chicacao, which is near Montellano. It is a fairly new clinic and continues to do well.  We try to have two providers here on Tuesday, as sometimes there are close to fifty patients.  Many of these are diabetics so there is a lot of teaching involved.

Josue gets to the clinic around 0630 and sets up for us.  I arrived at 0700 with Dra. Marta and Elmer.  Many of you will remember Josue, from working in the dormitory area for many years.  Elmer is one of the evangelists and he also has been with HTI for many years.

We set up clinic, prayed and then began seeing patients.  

The first patient was a man in his late 30's and he had a huge neck mass. I do not think that I have ever seen one this large before.  I sent him for an ultrasound and some labwork.  Hopefully, he will return to see us next week.

Around noon, I received a call saying Evelyn was going to be bringing her baby.  If you have been reading the blog, Evelyn and her husband Javier were baptized just a few weeks ago in Montellano.

So, in comes Evelyn with her baby and she tells me she is 15 days old..........her mother quickly states that she is only 12 days old.......so the saga begins. Ages here, in Guatemala, are only an idea of a length of time. It is something that is not really emphasized. 

So, I look at this darling baby..........she is just a doll!!

Then I look at the form to see what has been going on, and her name is Shery! Evelyn handed me Shery, while she and her mom just grinned.  It was a surprise for me and I hope that she will be happy with that name.  Guess I may just have to stick around for a few more years and watch her grow up!

So, on Sundays in the future, there will be two of us in Montellano!

Another Day of Thanksgiving and Celebration

 A few weeks ago, I shared the photos and the story of the baptisms of Jennifer, Javier and Evelyn.

Today was another day to rejoice and be thankful.  Lorenzo, is one of our construction guys that has been working on projects.  I was not aware that he is Evelyn's father.

I drove Evelyn to her home one day and waved to Lorenzo as we left the clinic.  She mentioned that her dad had said that I was back working at the clinic.  I had no idea that there was a family relation.

So a few days later, I was out talking to Lorenzo as he was working on the Biohazard buidling.  For those of you who have never been to Montellano, I am warning you, it is HOT and that is saying  it mildly.  So, from time-to-time, I take the guys some containers of ice, when they are working.

We were talking about his family and we started talking about the church and his daughter being baptized. He said he was thinking about it too and was going to start to attend the Montellano congregation. He and his family were there the following Sundays and then he wanted to be baptized.

Kevin is talking to Lorenzo and is listening to his confession.  Lorenzo acknowledged that Christ came to the earth, lived a perfect life, died for our sins, was crucified and raised three days later.   Baptism gives us the access to the blood of Christ, that continues to cleanse us and save us.

Kevin, baptized Lorenzo.  He is the husband of our dentist, Manuela. Holding the microphone, is one of our physicians, Dr. Nehemias.

And then the angels rejoice!!

When we were finished, we returned inside to finish the worship service.  The week could not start any better than this!

A Day of Thanksgiving for Health Talents

 It is common in Guatemala to have several "Thanksgivings" a year.  These are something that I look forward to, since Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday.

Here, Thanksgivings are called Accion de Gracias.  It can be a day to celebrate a birthday, the construction of a room or building, the birth of a baby or a celebration of a person's life.

Today, Marco talked about his early start with Health Talents and how things have changed over the, almost fifty years. Yes, there has been a lot of changes and Health Talents continues to be blessed, even as we struggle for the hospital license.

One change this week was with Marco and his attire. On Sunday, he preached in a full suit and tie.

 

As many know, it is HOT here in Montellano, so by Friday, Marco had changed his attire.

 

 Marco is a very good teacher and the class was interesting.

 

Kemmel shared with us the numbers of patients that we have been able to serve, even without the surgical teams.  Clinics are continuing to go well and there have been baptisms in different areas.

Before lunch, a group photo of all the Health Talents Employees was taken.

It was the end of a busy week but a very good week...................and we are thankful!!

Men's Seminar with Marco

Marco and the men's seminar has gone well this week.  As I would enter to speak with the cooks, you could tell they were enjoying the study.  There were times during the week that they broke up into small groups and worked on projects. 

One photo of Marco, his wife Aida and some of the other participants.

 

There were 48 scheduled for the class but not all were able to attend.

 

 It was a good group with a lot of participation.

 

Thursday, a certificate was presented to those who attended.  I wish I had photos of everyone but will  share those that I have.  Many people who have been down to Guatemala will recognize these guys.

Rigoberto, is someone well known.  He use to clean the surgical areas but now he works primarily in the hotel area.

 

This is Cesar, he works in the Chichicastenango area with the ABC Program.

 

 

This is Luis and he works in the ABC Program in the coastal area.  Many know Evelyn, his wife, who works in dental. 

 

Manuel works in the highlands and attends Paxot II. If you have spent any time in Chichi, you probably have visited the Paxot II Church of Christ.

 

 

This is Kevin and he preaches at the Montellano Church of Christ.  His wife is Manuela, one of our dentists.

 

You may never have met Brother Poncio but many of you know his daughter, Rosario.  For many, many years, Rosario was the nursing leader here in Clinica Ezell.

 

Tomorrow, we will have a "Thanksgiving Day" to celebrate with the whole Health Talents team.  While so much has been accomplished, we realize there is so much more work to do.  God has blessed HTI to this point and everything that has been done, is for his glory.

Looking Forward to Another Full Week

Usually in Saturdays, there is not much action going on here at the clinic......but today was an exception.  

We had a large storm last night and we went on emergency power for a few minutes.  Also some of the lights that work through the night shorted out, so there were a couple of guys from maintenance working.

 I went to find someone and I found them here. Do you have an idea of who this is, hiding up in the bodega window?

Today Marco Diaz and his wife Aida will arrive and they will be with us for a week. Marco will be doing a men's seminar for four days.  On Saturday, we will have a "Thanksgiving Day," in which we will celebrate with those from the Chichi area and the capital.