Chutzurob.......Many Reasons to Give Thanks!

This morning, Sandra met me at Lisa and Kemmels and we headed out to Chutzurob.  We eventually picked up Maria, Maury, Cesar and made it to clinic.  The pews were full when we arrived and that is a wonderful site to see!

We had several new patients and that is encouraging.  It is nice to have content patients who encourage their family and friends to come and see us.

In October, we had a young lady and when I examined her, I found a large mass.  I asked her to get an ultrasound and return but she never did.  When I have asked about her, I have been told that the ultrasound was normal and there was nothing wrong.

Today as we were driving to clinic, her mother was walking to clinic so she rode with us the remainder of the way. I asked about her daughter and she told me that her daughter had a 12 pound cyst removed in November by the surgeon in Chichicastenango!  She is so thankful, as we are, that her daughter is much better!

We have been following a lady, Marta, during her pregnancy...........................and today we met Angela!  She was warm and content.......

but she did not mind when I examined her.

Several diabetic patients came today. Most of them were controlled but there is still some work to be done.

Lisa and Kemmel will return today with the MET Students.  They will be with us for about five weeks.  Half will be with us, while the other half remain in Montellano. In a couple of weeks, they will change places to experience both cultures.

They will live with different families, travel with us to clinics, help see patients and learn about life here in Guatemala.  They have many adventures ahead of them!

Lisa and Kemmel have started posting photos at     www.kemmelandlisa.blogspot.com
Please check out their photos and stories.

Busy Lemoa and Remembering Agatha

We had a very busy day in Lemoa and it was good.

There is a young lady from Panajachel that has been coming to see us.  She has had a real difficult time for about 3 years with pulmonary problems.  We saw her again today and she continues to feel better.  We are hoping that she can get another bronchoscopy done and we can see some progress from the medicine.

One lady came to the clinic and she starting talking about the tropical storm, Agatha that came through in May 2010.  It was a very difficult time for her.  She and her children were able to get out of the house in time but her husband died, she lost the house and all of their animals.  Now, one of her daughters was recently hit by a car and she is not able to visit her. 

It is times as this where there is not a whole to lot say........just listen.

I remember well when Agatha came through.  I was spending most of the nights in Paxot II so we would return in the evening after clinic.  One evening, the road was closed not too far out of Chichi.  We locked the truck and walked down the road to see what was happening.  The firemen had closed the road since they were looking for two people.  The heavy rain had caused a mother and her son to go over the cliff.  They were searching them and this is all of the equipent that they had to work with.

They never did recover the bodies but a few days later two small crosses and flowers were planted at this site.  The crosses remain on the side of the road and I often think of all the people that died due to the storm. 

Tomorrow, we will head out to Chutzurob for clinic.

Clinic in Chuchipaca

It is a good thing that clinics are not a competition..........because I would loose!  We had a good number of patients today in Chuchipaca but not the record numbers that Lisa and Sara have had.

Chuchipaca has continued to do well and we are thankful for that.  Manuel, Cecy and I enjoyed clinic together and saw fourteen patients.

This young boy was our last patient of the day. I joked with him about the tatoo he had on his arm.  His mom was so serious about it, in making sure that I was aware that it was a temporary tatoo.

He was very willing to have his photo taken!  He has not mastered yet,  "The Guatemalan smile."
Look at those nice teeth!

Tomorrow I will head to Quiche for worship and then spend the day cleaning and doing laundry.  Sometimes it is nice to have a day just to relax but yet get a lot of things done.

Clinic and a New Toy!

We had a good cliinic in Mactzul I today.  I was there with Manuel, Cesar, Sandra and Maria.

One lady came and said that her mother had surgery at Buen Samaritano in Chichi and she is doing well.  One other gentleman came and he will need surgery so we will work with him. Another lady came today that we use to always see in Mactzul VI, due to poor circulation in ler legs and open sores.  Today, she looked the best I have ever seen her!  She has some scars on her legs but she has healed well.

A new phone, means a new camera.......and a new toy.

This is the first photo I took with the phone.  Sandra and Maria, working with a patient.

I needed a new photo app so when I downloaded the program, I played with Maria's photo.

Now, I need to reload all of my ringtones again............always something to do!

Tomorrow, Manuel and I will head to Chuchipaca for clinic.  That clinic has really grown so I am expecting a good crowd!

Where is My Cell Phone??

Ok, how important is your cell phone?

If you were to ask me this question last week, on a scale of 1 to 10, I would have probably said, "Three to four."  My opinion has changed.  I would now say, "Twelve."

Last Sunday, after worship I went to get my hair cut. As I got on the van to come back to Chichi, I would not find my phone.  I know that I had it when I left services because I put it in my Bible bag......and then it was gone. 

I am not one to text people all of the time nor do I always have it in my hand but I did not realize how lost I would be without it.  It's alarm wakes me every morning, the music I have loaded puts me to sleep at night, I had medical info that I access during clinics, the calculater is used several times a day, it serves as my modem for my laptop, it is my camera and besides all of that.........it is a phone.

I found one in Quiche on Monday and purchased it...... but it had a kink it in so I had to return to make an adjustment.

Now, I am up and running again.......and rebuilding my contact list :)

Adventure in Chuicaca

This morning, we all met in front of Santo Tomas and headed to Chuicaca.  

The guys are having a seminar for 2 or 3 days so it is just us girls that are doing the clinics.  I met Sandra, Cecy, Maria and Tomasa today and then we made our way down the highway.

We arrived without any problems.  We had 13 medical patients and a nearby school came for a visit.

Dental was very busy today with education.  There were about 17 students and even some parents came and participated.  Sandra and Maria are in the back, preparing for the education.

Last month when we were here, we idenified that there was a large need for classes in dental and hygiene care.  So, everything was brought today to teach the children and their parents how to properly brush their teeth, how to floss and improve dental care.

This is Cecy, Tomasa, Maria and Sandra.  Cecy and Maria want to study to nurses and Tomasa wants to study to be a dentist.  It is nice to work with people who have goals and ambition.

Before lunch, we were asked to visit a young lady that we had met last month.  When we saw her last month, her lips and fingernails were a dark blue.  She had a very loud heart murmur and had been told several years ago that she needed to go to a hospital in Guatemala City.

Today, she was unable to get out of bed.  Her parents told me that this is the first time that she has ever needed to stay in a bed a full week. They said there are times that she needs to rest for a day but this is new.  I encouraged them to reconsider going to the hospital.  They do not want to take her and there are several reasons why. We kneeled by her bed and prayed.......... so, now will see what happens.

After lunch, we had two more medical patients and then we packed up the trucks.  We had a great drive home..................and now we are ready for tomorrow!

Political Activities in Guatemala

People are preparing for another election in Guatemala.  There are more political parties than I can name but most of them are considered very unstable.  When walking through Chichi, there was a huge group of people meeting for this canidate.  They filled four blocks and totally stopped traffic.

Many gifts are given during this tme of year.  Most everyone had on a shirt on that showed how to vote. 

The activities will continue to increase until the election in September.

There is a huge government scandal going on now.  Recently several thousand people gathered in front of the capital to pressure the president and vice-president to resign from their positions.  Several arrests were made.

We have heard that there are several protests planned for later in the week.  We will see what happens.

Happy Mother's Day!!

Mom, Happy Mother's Day!!  I will see you in a few weeks.  I would tell you how many weeks before I see you,  but I know that we count differently!!  ha ha ha   Thank you for all that you have done for Mike and I...................you want me to bring you a sheep or a goat??

Clinic in Xepol

I met Enrique this morning near my house and we made our way to Xepol.

Lisa, Sarah and several others traveled today to Xejox for an IVAA/ Pap clinic.  It is a 2-2.5 hour drive so they all left early this morning.

When we arrived in Xepol, we noticed that there was a few kilometers of new water tubing that had been layed out on the side of the road.  As we approached a place where we needed to turn, the tube crossed over the road but had some metal placed over it.  Enrique hopped out of the truck to be sure we could cross over it.

There was a gentleman standing in the road.  He said it was fine to drive over and then asked if he could ride with us to the clinic.  He had been sick for a couple of weeks and wanted some medicine.  "Sure!" we said and he jumped in the truck.

We saw this patient first and he had prostrate problems.  He had been to the hospital and they had put in a catheter but then removed it.  We talked about his options and then he asked if he could return to Chichi with us.  He said he would wait until we finished clinic.

He was an interesting character!  He told me that he had heard that if a person did not marry, it was a sign that the person was crazy..........and as he said this, he tapped his head! I almost laughed!  Then he asked me for medicine to help him stop thinking so much........he said he just thinks and thinks and can't stop it.  As I said, he was just interesting!

This mother brought her baby in...............very sweet!

So, as we were packing up, our new friend hopped in a tuk-tuk so we guessed he had changed his mind about riding with us to Chichi.

On the way home, I was telling Enrique about my conversations with this gentleman.  I said, "Enrique, this guy has heard that people who do not marry are crazy, "loco!"    Enrique, who knows I am not married, said in his quite manner, "Maybe just a little, Sheri" as he held up his fingers to show me just a little..........and then he busts out laughing!!!  Then, I think I bruised his arm! It was pretty funny!

New Hospice Patient

Lisa called me the other day about a new patient with cervical cancer.  She lives in Patzite, where Sarah has clinic once a month.

Sarah picked me up this morning and we made our way out to the clinic.  Juana's family arrived as we did.  We carried everything up to the church building and started clinic.

Juana's family lives in Mactzul VI so I know them from the church there.  I planned on walking to the patient's house but when they said it would be an hour walk, Sarah suggested that we use the truck. I do not mind walking at all but I can think of a better way to spend two hours.  Thank you, Sarah!

Juana is 52 years old and has been sick for 2 years.  She spends most of her time in bed listening to the radio.  She remains comfortable with the medicine that Lisa had given her.  Her family told me that sometimes she has a lot of swelling in her legs and feet but are thankful that today there is not any.

She told me that she has been baptized but has not been able to attend anywhere for a long time due to the illness.  She and her husband, Fransisco live with several of their children and grandchildren.

I hope to be able to go back and visit again.  It is nice to know that she has family to live with and people that will help care for her.

Brandon and Sofia

I want to introduce you to Brandon. We will hopefully get to go to Montellano for surgery in August.  He needs to gain 3-4 pounds but I think he can do it.  I will keep you posted on his progress.

We also saw another lady again from Panajachel.  She has had a very difficult time for 3-4 years with respiratory problems.  Lisa, Kemmel, Sarah and I have been talking a lot about her and researching what we can do to help. 

The first time that Sarah and I saw her, she could only saw a few words at a time.  Today, there was a significant improvement in her breathing and energy level.  Lindsey, who works in Panajachel at Solomen's Porch had called me to tell me how much better she was doing and it was wonderful to see it.

Please pray for Sofia as we continue to see her and also her husband, Gregorio.  They are a very nice couple and have had a dificult time.

Thanks to Lindsey and Lloyd at Solomen's Porch for helping with transportation and other expenses.

Where Are My Friends???

I had posted photos of my new neighbors a couple of weeks ago.  There were three baby goats that were living across the street from my house.  Yes, those are the same neighbors that I THOUGHT were sheep until my dad corrected my error :)

So, about 2 weeks ago, I heard the goats being brought into our yard.  I THOUGHT that they were going to be bathed, silly me, but instead they were going to be killed!  I will spare you the gross details of the event...............but it emotionally scarred me. This is the goat that is left and I am sure he is now aware that his life on this earth is limited.

The next time that I hear the sound of the shears, I am headed on the first bus to Panajachel!