Happy Birthday, Mike!

Happy Birthday, Mike!!

Today is my brothers birthday. This photo was taken at Christmas when I was home. I think he ate his cake a little early..................

I hope you have a great day!

Happy Birthday, Lisa

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LISA!!

I hope you have a great day!

PS.................notice it is NOT a chocolate cake :):):)

Concluding my time in Paxot

After clinic, I went to get my family to take them to Chichi for ice cream. This will be my last night in Paxot and I wanted to make it special.

Everyone jumped into the back seat of the truck while Angela wanted to sit up front. Wow...........was everyone excited!! The kids sang all the way to Chichi and Gaspar sat with his arm around Martina! They looked as if they were on a date!

We parked the truck and walked to Sarita's, the ice cream store. I could tell that they were not use to ordering ice cream. Everyone wanted strawberry or vanilla. I ordered for everyone, adding chocolate covering with nuts. The parents sat on the bench and did not even look at the selection. It was fun but also kind of sad that they seemed out of place.

It was great........we just sat there and chatted. People would come in the store and we would talk to them. I introduced you to Christofer a few ways ago that needs surgery. He and his family were there and a few others that we know.

When we were finished, I asked them if they wanted another one......................."Yes!!" was the response but this time, they wanted just a small cup of strawberry.

We walked to the park and sat for about an hour........just relaxing, talking to people that passed by and enjoying the time.

When we returned to Paxot, there was a HUGE gathering in town! The street was lined with people and the community building was full! There was going to be a town meeting since no one had water again :( Gaspar and Martina had us walk a different way home since they did not want us to walk through the crowd.

When we reached the house, Gaspar said he better go to the meeting. He needed to know what was going on and find out when they would have water again. He took a flashlight because sometimes the meetings last 3 hours.

I laid down on the patio just to rest. I asked Martina to sit with me. She is always working so hard and I was surprised when she did. We sat with the children and talked for about 15 minutes and then we decided we better go and get water. They asked, "Are you sure you want to go??" I was up and ready!!

We packed up the bottles that they use to carry water and off we went. We stopped and picked up some of her family since they needed water too. We hiked through the woods and.......down, down, down to the spring.

The spring has a tube that fills this area so it is easy to dip the water out.

We were the only ones there to begin with..................

Then we heard others coming for water........................

Angela and I before we headed up, up and up...................

Another cultural experience and I loved it! They decided I needed to use a su't to carry my gallons of water back. It was much easier than I thought it would be and Alejandro enjoys using my camera :) To the right of the photo, you can see the small white tube that brings in the spring water.

We climbed up, up and back up!

When we got back to the house, everyone wanted more photos.



Jenny and her baby.

Laying on the patio earlier felt good so I returned to it. The kids laid there with me and they sky was very clear. I started counting the stars and they were not sure what I was doing........wow. When I explained it to them, they also started counting.

Gaspar returned to the house about 8:30. He said that they men who were suppose to lead the town meeting never showed up!! The people who are to lead the community meetings or who are in charge of different things, always get to carry a special baton that designates them the leader. The people were very angry! The meeting was rescheduled for Saturday night.

We went into the kitchen and they had gifts for me. They told me that they enjoyed having me stay with them and asked me to return next year. Gaspar gave me some apples off their trees and said they were the first ones of the year. The children gave me a small glass and a bowl and Martina gave me a table covering. They thanked me for the day.................but they have given me more than I could ever give them.

Can you match my other diagnosis???

This morning I drove back to Paxot for clinic. I stopped in town to pick up Martina and Maury. I did not know that they wanted to give four other ladies a ride for about 30 minutes. The ladies were going to visit another member of the church, which I think is great. Sometimes, I just don't know how we are going to fit everyone in the truck but I really do not have an option. They just laugh, talk faster in K'iche' and continue to crawl in.

When we reached Gaspar, he looked inside and chuckled. He said, "I guess I will ride outside." He jumped on top of the medicine with the book he was reading and held on!

We had 12 medical patients and 8 dental patients.

Two of the patients had already been to different clinics or had tried different medicine but did tell me until we were almost done........................that is what I call an, "Oh, by the way..................."
One lady had an eye infection and apparently has had it for quite awhile. I wrote for some antibiotic eye drops and asked her to come back on July 10th, when we will be in Paxot for another clinic. We were getting ready to pray and finish our time together and then she asked if these drops would be any better than the other drops she was suppose to be using.

OK, either I missed something during the consult or she was giving me new information. New info...............she had bought some drops at a pharmacy and she had also been so an eye doctor in January. I asked her about the drops but she did not know what they were. She had her son run to the house to get them........................as we waited she gave us more of the story.

The son returned with a full bottle of the same eye drops I had wrote for her to have. She had used them only one time but she did not like the way it made her eye feel. She has decided that she wants to have surgery instead of using the eye drops. We talked for about another 10 minutes and then she let me show her how to use them. She was not impressed since her heart is wanting surgery.

When we finished, she went to talk to Gaspar to see if there were any injections she could get. He continued to tell her how good the medicine was and encouraged her to use them. Maybe she will return in July to let us know she is better.

This young boy was the highlight of the day...........................full of energy!!

We will return to Paxot in July for a clinic with a big group. It will be an exciting day!

Clinic in Caris..................lonely clinic, lonely day

OK, you would think that after five weeks of entertaining people in your home, you would be ready for a little "normal life." This is not the feeling in Paxot after students leave. For the three years I have been part of the MET Program, the families are very sad when the students leave. The children and even the adults shed tears. The students can be assured that they are missed!

The guys and I went to Clinic Caris today and saw 24 patients and 2 patients for dental cleaning.

I want to introduce you to Juan Martin that needs surgery. He will go down to Montellano with us in August for surgery.

Juan, with his parents. Yes, his parents are very young............

Today after clinic, I came back to Chichi for the night. Tomorrow night will be my last night in Paxot II and it will be with mixed feelings.

Lisa and Kemmel are with the twelve students in Antigua. They will spend the last few days with them and get them to the airport for their Saturday flight. We pray that everyone has safe flights and travel.

Students last clinic!

Today, we headed to Xepol with the students. This was their last clinic with us. The five weeks have passed quickly and we have enjoyed having them.

Our clinic in Xepol was small with only nine patients.

After clinic, we stopped in Chichi so people could get things they wanted to take back to Paxot. Carrie wanted to make small pizzas for her family using tortillas and adding avocado, onion and cheese. I am sure her family really enjoyed it!

When I arrived home, only the children were there. We played for several hours until Gaspar, Martina and Alejandro returned from Quiche.

I took some photos and that helped us pass some time. The youngest girl has warmed up some to me but I am not her favorite person. I caught her as she was running around on the patio.

Jenny is always giving me a smile.

Angela enjoys working........there is no doubt about it. She is always washing, cooking or studying. I think she is a very good student in school. Here she is washing clothes in the pila.

She stopped long enough to have her photo taken and she wanted it with a chili plant.

After washing clothes, Angela said she was going to clean some corn. I told her that I would like to help.

She climbed up into an attic and brought down a bag of dried corn from last year that was still on the cob. We removed all of the husks. The husks that were clean, were kept in a separate bag to be used later. She then placed all of the ears of dried corn in a burlap bag and BEAT it with a wooden club! That part, I did not understand at first but when she opened the bag, wow!!! The kernels of corn had fallen off the cob! There were only a few kernels on each cob and we were able to pick those off........................amazing! The husks will be used later to cook tamalitos.

Franci carrying the baby around on her back.

When everyone returned home we had what I thought was dinner. First, Martina gave us all a pack of cookies and also gave me a banana. I shared the banana with the youngest children. Then, she gave me a bowl of white atol which is like a soup. I finished it and then talked about 30 minutes with everyone. At this point, it was almost 9pm and I was ready for bed. I thanked Martina and Gaspar and said goodnight.

They quickly told me that we had not had dinner yet. I was surprised because I was very full and did not know how I could eat more. Gaspar started quizzing me in K'iche' and I was not doing well. Hmmmmmm, tired and stuffed......how was I going to eat more?

Then a plate of steak, beans, cream and tortillas was placed in front of me with a Coke. whew.....................that is all I can say................whew..............................goodnight.

Let's go to Chutzurob!

Today, the students went with us to Chutzurob. We saw 26 patients and had safe travels.

Carrie was able to do a pregnancy test today that was positive. The lady did not seem real excited but maybe as time goes on she will become more enthusiastic. Carrie looks as if she is praying over the exam :)

Nate helping Lisa get a baby ready to be weighed.

The baby was all smiles until he saw the camera.

After clinic, we all met back in Chichi to talk about the events in July. It will be a very busy, busy month with some exciting events. We reviewed the calendar with Kemmel to make sure we will not miss anything.

I headed back to Paxot II with the students. It was good to get back with Martina, Gaspar and the children. This will be my last week with them. I feel like I stay behind more that usual but I have enjoyed it and have learned a lot.

Tomorrow, we will go to Xepol to see patients.

Drive back to Chichi

This morning I drove back to Chichi. It took about an hour longer than usual due to mudslides and detours. This is on the new 4 lane-highway as you begin to enter the mudslide zone. We had 2-4 inches of rain again the other day and that did not help the situation.

Now, the new 4 lane highway is very nice but many parts are under mud and water. Nothing was done to prevent the mud from sliding down the mountain. We are driving on half of the highway while the other half is to the far left of the cars.

hmmmmm, 2 lanes are under this...................

I am not sure when they will get it cleared up but I think it may take quite a while. We still have several more months of rain and the ground is already saturated.

Tomorrow we will have clinic in Chutzurob and I think it will be a great day!

Excitement in Antigua!

Sunday morning I worshiped with the congregation in Antigua. As I was walking back to the hotel to check out, I had this strong drive to spend one more night. I called Kemmel to make sure it was alright and it was!

I sat on the porch of my room and studied for 4 hours without getting up. The time passed quickly...................................and then there was a shaking!!! There were some people who were outside taking photos but the earthquake did not seem to bother them. I noticed that Volcano Fuego was puffing and I had not seen it earlier. So, to the left of the trees is the smoke from Fuego but you can not see the volcano. The volcano to the right is Acatenango.

Another photo a few minutes later.

The people out on the porch did not feel the earthquake. It registered 6.1 but it was a ahort one.

I will return to Chichi early in the morning............................and repack for one more week in Paxot II.

Happy Father's Day!!

Happy Father's Day, Dad!!

I will see you in a few weeks!

Mactzul III clinic

Today we headed out to Mactzul III and had a slow clinic with 7 medical patients. I think Marcos had the same number of dental patients.

I have introduced you to Nate before and here he is with Sarah and Amanda. Sarah is attending A&M University and is a pre-med student. Amanda is also a pre-med student and attending Lipscomb University.

Last night Martina and Angela brought me a skirt to wear for some photos. Gaspar was not home when I went to put it on..........but when I returned to the kitchen, there he was!! He started applauding and we took a bunch of photos. It was a fun night!

Gaspar and Martina cutting up.................

The family photo!! hmmmmmm, not sure which side of the family I favor :)

After clinic, I went home to clean, do laundry and those things that need to be done. In the morning, I will go to Antigua to renew my passport.............I am sure there will be some adventure to report :)

Busy day..............

Today we drove the students to Lemoa. The clinic that Josefina and I were suppose to have in Chuisiquel was cancelled due to the rain that we have had. Although I really wanted to go to clinic because we are there only once a month, it is better to be safe. Once we get stuck or go off the road, it is very hard to get back on track.

After the students were in Lemoa, I went home to study for the day. As I mentioned a few days ago, I will be doing a ladies class on June 6th, so Kemmel told me I could use the day to study. I put the day to good use.

In the afternoon, we all met in Xepocol for a seminar that Pat held. This is a photo that Irene and I had taken before she hopped on the bus. She and Steve have been down here for the last three years with Pat.....maybe even more. It is always good to spend time with people as they come to serve people in Guatemala but they also bring encouragement to us.

After the service in Xepocol, I returned to Paxot II.. Gaspar was there and we chatted over the fire in the kitchen. We are so thankful that there has not been any more rain. We will see what happens in the next few days.

We pray that Pat's team has a safe travel back to The States and that they find their family well.

Clinic in Zacualpa

Today we all went to Zacualpa and made the trip without any problems. Today, Marcos filmed a video that will be sent to his sponsoring congregation, Memorial Road Church of Christ, in Oklahoma. This is a photo of them shooting the video.

We saw 37 medical patients, 1 dental patient and 2 patients for dental cleaning.

We returned to Paxot II at 6pm. I had time to take a "hot bath" before dinner.

As usual the children were falling asleep as they tried to eat dinner. The parents try to keep them awake and get them to eat but it always does not work. The two youngest continue to put themselves to bed about 7p on the side of the kitchen.

It continues to rain some in the evening but we are very thankful the rain is not hard and does not last long. Some of the areas now have water and the families are very thankful for that!

Meet Christopher

This morning we all went to Lemoa for our monthly educational day. Lisa did a great job on the class with discussing diet and how to properly dispose of needles and syringes after giving injections.

We had the MET students with us and there were about 30 people in the class.

This young boy was waiting for us this morning with his mother and grandmother. Christopher had his lip repaired in Antigua when we was a few months old and wants to know if our surgeons can do a better job.

My vote is, "Yes, a better job can be done!"

Today after class, I went back to Paxott II for the rest of the week. Angela and Franci were waiting for me as we pulled up to the store. Carrie is living near me but her family was not home so she came and stayed at our house for awhile. We talked and practiced math with Angela.

When the rest of the family got home, I gave them the photos I had printed for them and they loved them! It was exciting to see them talk and laugh about them.

We enjoyed a good dinner of chicken and tortillas and then it was time for bed.

Clinic with Pat's group

This morning Gaspar, Maury and I went with the Pat Hile group. They are from the Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas. This is the drive along the way but the bus did have some problems making the trip along the muddy roads.

Then the road looked unsafe, it was felt that people needed to walk around the bend.

After the rains of Agatha, the normal rains are just too much for the already saturated land.

Just a little further...............we are always thankful for our safety in the roads.

Beginning the children's activities with prayer.

Quite a crowd had gathered. One of the schools cancelled classes for the day so the students could attend.

Using a little time to get organized.

Explaining the process of the bracelets and shirts.

Helping the children making bracelets.

This is the area where we were doing the vital signs before the patients were seen.

The pharmacy area.............. Pat and James have it under control!

Soon after the rains started, we began packing. We did not want any problems on the already muddy roads. We returned to Chichi and regrouped.

The MET students enjoyed clinic today with Josefina and Marcos and then went to Lisa and Kemmels's for lunch.

Tomorrow is a an educational day in Lemoa. Maury and I will meet in the afternoon with the ladies from the Chichi congregation. We will see what kind of Bible/ Health classes they are interested in having........................more adventures!!

The new MET group

We are at the mid point of the MET program. We now have with us the group of students who have been down at Montellano.

Today, we traveled to Xejox. It is about 2-2.5 hours from Chichi. As we were getting closer to where we have clinic, we began having troubles with the road. The truck Kemmel and Lisa were in would not make it up the hill so we had to back down. I was doing ok and then our truck decided it wanted to go in a different direction. The mud here is slick as ice and you do not have much traction. We were eventually ok but it is just another adventure to remember!!

We had clinic in a small building that we could get to. We saw 30 medical patients, 7 dental patients and Lisa was able to do a home visit with one of the church members

Here we are for lunch......Martina, Andrea, Carrie, Caleb, Juan, Kemmel, Lisa, Nate and Marcos.

This is Carrie and two of the patients from today. Carrie graduated from Auburn and is a pre-med student.

Andrea is working with Marcos. She is attending Harding University and is a physical therapy major.

Our drive home was uneventful.........Gracias a Dios.