Thanksgiving in Montellano!

Our group went to the coast for Thanksgiving.  A lot of work and preparation went into it and we are very thankful for it.  Carlos and the group at the coast made it happen.  This is the turkey as they pulled it out of the oven.  Carlos is in the background with his electric knife.......getting ready for the carving!!

Carlos slices turkey and ham, as Sandra and Maria begin to fill their plates.

After dinner, many people played soccer and other activities. I opted to work on a class that I will be doing in a few weeks.

On Friday morning, we had a meeting and talked about the plans for 2014.  We had lunch together and then reviewed the 2014 calendar.

This is the photo of the group before we left.  It includes those of us from Chichi, those at the coast and those that work in the city.

I think we all look forward to being back to work in 2014 and seeing what opportunities that we have to serve.

Another child for surgery

Almost all of us were in Lemoa today for clinic.  Lisa was doing ultrasounds, while Sara and I saw the consults.

I went to tell Sara about something about one of her patients and at the same time, she was looking for me.  She has a patient that is six years old and has an extra digit on her left hand.  I sent this photo to Dr. Dwayne and he told me that he could help her.  We are so thankful!  Hopefully, she will be with us on the February trip.

In the afternoon, we all went to the coast for a meeting.  We will enjoy a Thanksgiving meal with everyone and return tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Mom, Happy Birthday! I hope today is a special day for you.  I will see you in a few short weeks and we will celebrate! Thank you for everything.  I love you...........

Another baby prepares for surgery

Sunday when I was in Santa Cruz, I saw Anderson Joel's mom in the street. I asked her about Anderson and how he is doing.  She told me that he has not had his palate repaired yet but was confused on when to come to the clinic. I am just thankful that I saw her.

So this is Anderson and his mom.  She was tearful this afternoon. She kept telling me that she was nervous and that she did not want her son to die.  I told her that it is normal to be nervous and not to worry that she is nervous. Her husband will also go with us to Montellano.  Danny sponsored the first surgery for Anderson and he will also sponsor the palate surgery.

Anderson was not excited about being woke up to be examined. Oh well............

He is healthy and doing well.

The surgery will be early in February.  Again, please remember the children and families in your prayers. 

Follow-up in Chuchipaca

Today we had clinic in Chuchipaca. I have been looking forward to this day to follow-up with Tomas.  He is the young man that we visited a few weeks ago.  He had fallen in New York, had surgery and now is back in Guatemala.

Tomas' sister came to clinic for his medicine.  I gave her a Bible for him.  I told her to ask Tomas to read Acts 2.........what was Peter's response when the multitude asked what they needed to do to be saved.  The answer Peter gave, is the same response for today. 

Ceci's dad was with us today in clinic and he told me that they will visit Tomas and encourage him.

Manuel and I were invited to have lunch in Ceci's home.  It was so cold that I went into the kitchen to warm by the fire.  Ceci's parents are very nice and we felt welcomed.  We had chicken soup, tortillas and pineapple drink. 

Wow, another week down. The time is flying....................

Parents and Children for Surgery..............

Today, several people came to the clinic to begin the process for their child's surgery.  You may recognize a few of these children, since some of them have had their cleft lips repaired and now they will have their palate surgery.

This is Amarilis.  If you have an opportunity to see the HTI video on YouTube, you will see Amarilis.  Before her lip surgery, she had heart surgery in Guatemala City.  She was then cleared for surgery and she had her lip repaired.  In February, she will have her palate repaired. Her second surgery will be sponsored by Tom and Freda again.

This is Angeliga and she had her lip repaired last year.  Her surgery will be sponsored by Kory.

This is a new baby for us.  His name is Carlos Enrique and his surgery will be sponsored by Edna.  Carlos will have his lip repaired this trip and then in a year, he will have his palate repaired.

This is another new baby for us.  His name is Jose Luis.  His parents are not Christians nor do they believe in God.  The mother believes that her child is sick due to seeing a dog when he was only 3 days old.  If Jose gains a couple of pounds, his surgery will be sponsored by Kory.

This is Jaime and you may remember him from last year.  His mom always has such a pretty smile.  There is a possibility that Jaime's dad will also have his lip repaired.  We will see what happens.  Danny will sponsor Jaime's surgery.

This is a new baby for us.  His name is Eber Jeremias.  Nancy, will sponsor his surgery.  Betty, in the background is now helping at Solomen's Porch in Panajachel. She is our main contact with some of the babies.

This is Yony and his mom.  He had surgery last year and his surgery will be sponsored again by Terry.  I am also hoping that Yony gains a couple of pounds before February.

This is Marcos and he went to Montellano to have his lip surgery last year.  He is doing great!  Frank and Evelyn will sponsor his palate surgery. 

This is Osman and his parents.  He has done wonderful this year.  Osman's surgery will be sponsored by the Morganton Church of Christ.  

I think that Osman will win the hearts of the young ladies this year!!  What a sweet smile!!

It was a good morning seeing the children that I know and meeting some others.  

There is also a young man that will go with us.  He is 15 years old but several years ago, he fell and has a small scar on his lip.  I think that something can be done to help him feel better.

Please remember the children, their parents and the medical team in your prayers.

In the afternoon, I had a ladies class in Chichi.  Ceci translated for me and she does such a wonderful job.  There were about 20 ladies and we had good participation.  It was the class on emotional health.

Good days............

Yesterday, several of us went to Xepocol.  Lisa and Kemmel did the classes for the ABC Children and their families on Sex Education.

I had clinic with Manuel and Maria.  We had 9 patients so it was a decent clinic.  Maria helped me with the K'iche' speaking ladies. 

Today, Manuel and I went to Xepol to clinic.  There was an activity in Chuchipaca that we were planning on going to when we finished our clinic but our plans had to change.

We had 15 patients and that is a good number for Xepol.  Tomas helped me with the K'iche speakers and I helped Manuel with the labs that we needed. It reminds me of the Beatle song, with the line, "I get by with a little help from my friends."

Anyway, there was one lady that was miscarrying.  Of course, it is very difficult for her and her husband.  She was three months pregnant so we took her for an ultrasound.  The results were not good so they gave her some medicine and advised her to go to the health department in the morning. 

Tomorrow morning, I will be in Lemoa with Lisa.  Several babies should be coming for their evaluation for cleft lip and palate surgery.  I hope that all of them weigh enough for the clinic in February.

Tomorrow afternoon, we will have a ladies class in Chichi on Good Emotional Health.  I hope that several ladies attend that class.  I will let you know how it goes.......................

Chicua Clinic

This morning, Manuel picked me up and we went to Lemoa to load.  It was a quick process and then we were on the road to Chicua. 

When we arrived, one of our regular patients was waiting. She is a diabetic that never has been well controlled.  We talked about her diet and she claims to be following it.  I am beginning to think she needs insulin.  When I mentioned it, she said that she used for two months but her blood sugar never dropped.  Just not sure what to do with her.

This is Alicia and her baby, who is two months old.

The baby is very cute.  It is good to know that Alicia is doing well.

It is the weekend!!  Time to study, clean and relax a little.........................

Clinic in Panajxit

This morning Maria, Martina and I loaded the truck and headed to Panajxit.  Marcos and Tania arrived in a few minutes.  We set up clinic with Enrique and then a few patients arrived.

Marta, who is a regular patient arrived. She was the only medical patient.

Marcos had 7 patients and Enrique had 6 dental cleanings.

We had lunch at Enriques.  Louisa is a great cook and it is always good to spend some time talking to her.  She is a sweet lady.

When we returned to Quiche, Maria and I stopped to see Magda.  She was not feeling her best but it is good to know that she has not fallen again.

Maria and I hopped on a bus to Chichi and did not have any problems.

This is Nikki........he has really grown since he has been here.

Tomorrow, I will head to Chicua with Manuel.

Great clinic in Chutzurob

We had a great day in Chutuzrob. 

Last month we did not have many patients since there had been a murder in the community.  The community seemed to be much more quieter today and people were waiting for us when we arrived.

We had 17 medical patients, 13 dental patients and 3 patients for dental cleaning.

I had a couple of children with severe diarrhea.  Those that had troubles last month were doing much better and have gained some weight.

I had given one young lady some worm medicine and it will be enough to say that, she is very excited to know that she no longer has the worms inside her.

One lady has had a cough for a few weeks so she brought me a specimen.........she had carried it from her home in a jello cup........thank you!!

We had one new diabetic today and I was sad for her since she had no idea.  I thought she might have a urinary tract infection, which she did but she also was spilling a ton of sugar in her urine. We did diet teaching and started her on medicine.

When we finished with the patients, Sebastian asked if we would visit Gloria in her home.  He had called me a couple of weeks ago to tell me that Gloria had delivered her baby and that she is doing well.  I told him that I would be glad to visit her in her home.

This is Sebastian's new grand-daughter, Maria Alisia.  She is sweet.  I sat next to Gloria's bed and then they put her in my arms. I could hardly find her in the bundle of blankets but she is precious.

This is Gloria and Maria Alisia.

Mother and baby are doing well........she delivered in the house without any problems.

Tomorrow, we will travel to Chicua and I hope we have another busy day!!

Sunday in Chichi

This morning we waited for a couple of ABC Children to arrive for breakfast and to spend a few minutes with their sponsor.  You may remember Victor from the other day in Mactzul III.  He came to breakfast with his mom, dad and little sister.  Victor was hungry!!  Linda had ordered him some hot chocolate to drink.  When they brought the bread basket, he filled his little hands.

Here, he enjoys a piece of bread and hot chocolate.

Victor's mom brought Linda and Gary some ears of corn.  I am going to dry some of the kernels for Linda so she can take them home and keep them in a special container that she has.

When we finished breakfast, we went outside to take a few photos.  Here, Linda and Gary are with Victor.

Here are the parents of Victor.

We had one other child come and visit but I did not get photos of that family

We had our worship after breakfast and before everyone hit the streets to do some shopping.

Noe, our physical therapy student came to talk with Robert and that was a good visit.  Noe is the top student in his section of classes.  He helps other students study and I am sure that it helps him keep friends.  He is the son of Gaspar, our evangelist. 

Everyone had a great time in the market and then headed to Guatemala City.  We pray that they have safe travels and look forward to their visit next year!

Clinic in Chuchipaca and home visit

As I had mentioned yesterday, Lisa and Kemmel took a group to Chuchuca today.  They will return to Chichi tomorrow.

Our group today, went to Chuchipaca.  This is Ceci's dad and Tomas welcoming everyone to the clinic.

As always, we started with prayer.  Many people know that this is my favorite part of the clinic and it gets us off to a good start. You will recognize Andrew on the far right.

This is Linda and Mary and they worked in the pharmacy area, taking vital signs.  They were a big help and kept things moving right along.

This is the dental area.  Robert is working with a patient as Gary and Danny assist.

Julie translates for Gary during the consults.  Hershel prays with patients at the end of the consult.

Ceci sits with a little girl, while her mom has a consult.

Right before lunch, Ceci asked me if we could do a home visit.  "Yes, that would be great!" was my response.  Susan, Kathy and I went to visit Tomas in his home.

Tomas had been working in New York and fell from a second story.  He had surgery done to his neck and he has been back in Guatemala for 20 days.  He spent 3 months in rehab and continues to suffer from a lot of upper extremity weakness.  He is lucky that he is able to walk.

We talked to Tomas for quite a while.  He is single and lives with his mother and sister. None of the family have any connections with a church.  I asked him if he could read and he said he can.   He asked for a Bible and I told him that I would bring him one if he promised to read a little of it each day.  I told him that his relationship with God would grow if he wanted it to.  You just can't sit and read the Bible in one day and understand all of it.  It is something that grows and develops.

I am looking forward to returning to Chuchipaca and visiting with him again. I love doing home visits and am thankful that Susan and Kathy were also able to participate

We stopped at Ceci's house and picked up our lunch.  It was beef, rice and tamalitos...........life does not get any better than today!!

We finished with 20 medical patients and 24 dental patients.

ABC Clinics in Mactzul III and Pacaja Xesic

This morning, we all met in the parking lot of the hotel and went in a few different directions.

This is Julie and her mom and dad.  This is the first time they have been down to help with clinics and it was nice to meet them.  I know how special it was for me when my parents visited and I am sure that Julie feels the same while her parents are with her.

We headed to Mactzul III in the morning.........I had Susan, Katie and Cesar with me.

When we arrived, there were ABC children beginning to gather.  We set up clinic, prayed with everyone and then started.

We slipped over to where they were preparing our lunch.  Susan wanted to help cook so she grabbed a pot.

We had the best fried chicken, crunchy french fries and really good chili.  No wonder we all love the Guatemalan food!

This is Marleny, one of my ABC Children.  She told me today that she like the name Candelaria better so I will try to call her that now.  When I told Susan and Katie this, they were surprised because she introduced herself as Marleny.  Oh well.........

This is Victor, he is an ABC Child and his sponsors are Gary and Linda.  They are here in Guatemala so I took this photo to share with them.  Victor is really growing!!

 We saw about 13 children in Mactzul III and they are all doing well.  No one had lost weight and everyone seemed very content.  

After lunch, we traveled to Pacaja Xesic.  This community has just started participating the ABC Program.  

This is Katie with one of the children before we started clinic.  We then prayed with the parents and children. 

This little boy had a lot of personality.  He had a shirt on about Buzz Light Year.......of course I have no idea what it is about so Katie and Susan had to fill me in.  I admit, I am just out of touch!

When we finished clinic, we headed out to Lemoa to pick up a few things and then we headed to Chichi.

Tomorrow will be an exciting day.  Several people will head up to Chuchuca with Lisa and Kemmel.  They will spend the night and do two ABC Clinics.  We pray that they will have safe travels without any problem.  The rest of us will have clinic in Chuchipaca.

Thank you for your prayers!

Clinic in Mactzul II

We met in the parking area of Santo Tomas and then headed in four different directions.  I took a group with us to Mactzul II for an ABC Clinic.  With a group of visitors here, for three days of clinic, it is a good time to take advantage and do several ABC Clinics.  We had a busy day and it was wonderful!

As always, we welcome everyone and begin with a prayer.

 Linda took the vital signs for us before we saw patients.  She did a great job and kept the flow going!

Dave wanted his blood pressure taken, so Robert jumped in there to do it.  Dave helps in the dental area and Robert is a oral surgeon.

 When we had a lunch break, Linda went out to watch the children who were flying kites.  Several children still have their kites from November 1.

Melina is doing a consult with an ABC family.  For these consults, we try to keep the family together.  The children receive points if they participate in the consult, have a parent with them and if their nails and hands are clean.  We subtract points if the criteria is not met.

This is Andrew and his ABC Child.  Andrew has been coming down for several years and it is good to have him.  We hope that Mary, his wife will be with him next year.  We also miss his aunt, Debra, who usually makes this trip.

Ceci worked in pharmacy today and did a great job.  Here she is with Robert.

After lunch, the children gathered around Robert.  Robert was here a couple of years ago and it is good to have him back.

We saw a total of 35 ABC Children, 16 dental patients, 4 dental cleanings and 5 medical patients from the community.

I saw one child who is having problems of nervousness and anxiety due to his fathers history of drinking.  The father stopped drinking a year ago but the child is still scared.  It may take a long time for a child to recover from emotional and physical abuse.  Cesar and I spent a long time with this family and I pray that this child will heal and forgive.

Tomorrow, another adventure and more clinics!

Pan American Lectureship

This weekend, Lisa, Kemmel and I traveled to Guatemala City to participate a few days in the Pan American Lectureships. It it an exciting time for the lectureships because this marks the 50th year.

Sunday morning, there were about 4,000 worshiping together in a rented building.  It was nice seeing people from different areas. There were 5 baptisms and then they fed all of us after the service.

This is Jim, speaking before the lectureships began. 

Several gentleman were selected for a discussion pane.  Here, they are discussing if there is ever a time that missionaries need to pull out of a country and let the people from that country take the leading role.

It was nice to see several people that I met last year in the Dominican Republic. 

After lunch, we started our travel back to Chichi in preparation for the team that will arrive on Wednesday afternoon.  We pray that they have safe travels and we have good clinics with them later in the week.

Day of the Dead

Today is a holiday in Guatemala, Day of the Dead.  Many people are in the cemeteries, burning candles while leaving flowers and food to the spirits. It is an interesting day, with many activities.  Most of the stores are closed in Chichi and the streets are packed with people selling flowers and wreaths.

This is the main street down to the cemetery.  I walked for most of it but the street was too congested so I just turned around and walked back.  I had my rent money with me and did not want to risk losing it or someone just helping themselves to it :)

It was a good day for me to get caught up on laundry and cleaning.

In the morning, Kemmel, Lisa and I will head to Guatemala City.  The Pan American Lectureships are in  Guatemala City this year so we will participate until Monday and then be back home.

We will have a full week ahead us!  On Tuesday, we will be in Lemoa preparing for a group that arrives on Wednesday and then in the afternoon, we will have lunch with Rick.  It will be a fun-filled week!!