Run Down of May Surgical Team

As we are preparing for the June teams, I want to give an update on the events of the May trip.

It was a hard working team and they provided a great service.  They completed 72 surgeries and there were no complications......thank you, Lord!

There was also a team in Chichicastenango, so the Dunhams and the nurses were not able to join us.  I missed having them with us.  They are a great addition during a surgical team.  During the week, Lisa helps see patients in consults and Kemmel is always around, which is an additional bonus.

Dr. Walter provided information on Sunday afternoon and Alejandra translated for him. We had a lot of new people on the team.......and that is always nice!

 

After lunch, we had an orientation with the nursing staff, caregivers and translators.

 

As mentioned, during the week, 72 surgeries were done.  We also had two dentists spend their days in the dental area.  We also had a dermatologists and we kept him busy with patient consults during the week.

 

When Friday arrived, it was time to head to Antigua to rest for the day.

 

 One more photo of the dorm that is being constructed. In the middle of the photo, you can see that someone specifically designed a cross and covered it in different plastic.
 

 

When the team left for Antigua, I headed to Chichicastenango with the translators.  I had one night in Chichi and I found my happy place there.  I had dinner with Lisa and Kemmel.....we talked about our week of events and just enjoyed time catching up.  On Monday, I will head to the states and spend a couple of weeks with my parents.

 

The perfect night in Chichi!

 

 

 

Universal Precations and Dormitory Update

By looking at the lack of entries, I struggle keeping the blog up to date.  It is not due to lack of activities or events......but there is so much that I want to share with you.

Before the last surgical trip in, Darling provided a class on Universal Precautions. I really want to increase education and this is one area that is very important.

The class was well attended.  We had our HTI staff, the HTI staff from Chichicastenango, nurses and others that work during our surgical jornadas and also those that help in the laboratory. There was a lot of participation.

Many of you know Greysly, one of the nurses here.

 

Luis David or David Luis also participated.

 

 

I was very pleased with the way that Darling presented the material.

 

Next month, we will have two days of education on CPR.  

 

The construction of the new dormitory is going well.  More work is being done on the interior.

 

We will put it to good use!

More on the May surgical clinic to follow.

 

Happy Birthday, Karla!

Happy Birthday, Karla!  This afternoon, dental celebrated with lunch and we enjoyed one of the new gazebos. This is the one closest to the soccer field. Birthdays are big here and it was fun celebrating.

 

For those who have been down and have worked in dental, you know they are a fun group.  Every morning, they have a devotional time with the patients and pray with them. Every Wednesday, they have lunch together.  Luis is the only full-time male, so I enjoy teasing him about his job and how difficult it is to work with all of these ladies!

 

Karla is from Guatemala City and works with us during the week.  On Friday afternoon, she travels to the capital and returns on Sunday evening or very early on Monday morning. The travel is rough but she has been doing it for a few years now.  We pray that she will continue to do it for many more.  She is a great asset to the dental team.

 

 

What Has Moved In???

If you have been reading the blog, you are aware that there are no dull moments here in HOT Montellano.  Yes, it remains HOT. We have hit 92 degrees a few times, before the afternoon rains start.

 

We had a new visitor arrive yesterday. He arrived in the afternoon.

 

 

Getting him in proper placement required some landscaping rearrangements but they can be replaced at a later time.

 

So what is our friend for??  What do you think??

More news to come!

 

Dental Getting a Face Lift!

As I have mentioned in other posts......alot is happening here in HOT Montellano.  No one knows that more than the guys working outside with the ongoing projects.

Our Prayer/ Meditation Gazebos are completed.  The dormitory continues to get taller each day.

The dental area has been getting a new roof. You can see how nice the new one looks, compared to what they have removed.  It is HOT up there and then in the afternoon when the rains start, it sure gets slippery!

They are making progress every day.  Adding the final coats of paint.

We are looking very good around here.  Maintenance and repairs are costly but necessary to remain functioning. We want patients, volunteers and employees to be happy with their environment and to have what they need to do the best job possible.

Things Continue to Move Fast

When I returned from Antigua a lot of things were happening! The hospital area changes daily with several projects going on.

Then bamboo prayer/ meditation gazebos have been finished and the staff are starting to enjoy them.  The guys did a very nice job on them and I will ask that we put some fruit up in the trees to attract the birds. They will be very nice places for people to enjoy.

 

The dormitory is coming along well and several feet have been added to it. The rains have started but there is still a lot of work to be done. This is from the dental side.

 

This is from the front near the parking lot.

 After the team left, Elena and Zoila were able to start their job of the laundry.

 It is a difficult job of three solid days, but a need to prepare for the next team.

We pray that everyone returned to the states without any problems and that everyone will consider coming again!

The 4th Jornada Down!

Can not believe that we just completed the 4th surgical trip of the year. What a week it was! It was a great combination of people who have been coming down for many years and then we had the added bonus of making new friends! Everyone has an open invitation to return......it was just an incredible week. There were some highs and lows but we made it through.

One special visitor arrived during dinner on Saturday evening.  Everyone was chatting away and all of a sudden, I heard screaming and everyone was diving for the floor. One person was trying to catch it by their hands and knocked it down.  I scooped it up with a surgical towel and tossed it outside. This photo is of his friend, that showed up a few nights later.

Dental had three visitors during the week Bonnie, Dondis and George. George is the first gentleman on the left and he translated.  Dondis is the third person and she is a dental student.  Bonnie is the lady to the far right and she is a dental hygienist. I will tell you a little more about Bonnie later.

 

It was good to have Dr. Grogan back with us after a few years. Lisa, Kemmel and Dr. Grogan catching up. 

 

 

I have told people how early the cooks start in the morning and it is true. They usually get up around 4am and get the corn ground for the tortillas. I can not take credit for this photo but it shows the cooks returning after they have gone to grind the corn.

 

 

The ORs were cranked up by 0800 every morning.  We ran two general rooms and one GYN Room.

 

 

Tuesday was the day of the eclipse. Again, I can not take credit for this photo but someone grabbed it and I stole it!

 

I have decided that I am going to try to take more photos. I use to and now other things prevent me from getting it done.......but I will try to do better.

 

There were some people on this trip that were very encouraging. Maxie is on the left and Brenda is on the right.  They walked with patients every day, sat and chatted with them and also prayed. I am sure that these ladies will be returning.

 

After a full week it was time to head to Antigua.  It took a little longer for us to get the group together, so it gave Dr. Santi a little time to goof around. He decided to create a breeze with the tree branch. It is the first breeze that has ever been, in HOT Montellano.

 

 Finally........

 

That was a Montellano wrap!  Did I tell you what a great week it was?? Everyone worked hard and it came together.

Now, I had mentioned Bonnie......well, she had the opportunity to meet her ABC Child in Antigua.  It was a special couple of hours. We enjoyed the time together and I hope that they will be able to do the same next year!

OK, we are looking for your future trip forms.......you will be so thankful that you submitted one.  Just visit.......www.healthtalents.org and the process is simple.  The trips for 2024 and 2025 are posted!