Clinic in Chuichipaca

Manuel and Teresa picked me up this morning and we had a good clinic in Chuchipaca.  We had 24 patients and there was quite a variety in illnesses.

On the way home, Teresa was given a small l box.  She told me that it had some kittens.  At first, I thought she was joking with me and then I heard the rustling inside.

And then they started poking their heads out..................there were two kittens.

At first it made me want to get one.  It made me miss Norstadt the Cat...............who died of renal failure many years ago but I returned to my senses and realized it was not a good time.  They were sweet and I am sure that Teresa will give them a good home.

Petronila

This is Petronila.  She is a young lady from Mactzul VII.......I know you are wondering, " How many Mactzules are there??"  Well, she is from the 7th.  She is interested in studying dentistry next year and hopes to study in Xela.  During this year, she wants to learn as much about Health Talents as she can to help her earn a scholarship when it is time.  She is helping in the clinics and filling in where necessary.

 We are also studying English on some Saturdays and she is a quick learner!

ABC Celebration in Mactzul I

For the last couple of weeks. each community has been planning and celebrating their end of the year successes.

I had the opportunity to attend Mactzul I with Cesar and Esteban. It is amazing how a small community can be creative with different activities.

The first activity was a young girl who was able to quote all of the books of the Bible from Genesis to Revelations.

The second activity was these two ladies having a contest to see who could drink a bottle of Coke the fastest.  The little girl cheered her mom on but the lady on the left won.

There was a total of fifteen activities.

This was the beginning of the story of Noe and the ark.  It was one of the best presentations I have seen.

Then they gave out the awards to different children who had done well in their classes.
This really drew my attention because I see how this young lady is now taller than her father.  It is due to proper nutrition and what the ABC Program offers with medical and dental care.

 We had a good day celebrating with Mactzul I

Busy Days with ABC

What a week it has been but we have been pleased with the results so far!  This week we will have served 10 communities  I am disappointed that all of my photos did not transfer well from my phone, but at least I have a few.

Every morning, we would gather in the parking lot to hear where we would be going.  Kemmel does a great job with organizing us.  Then we would pray for safe travels and that all would go well.

Debra, Melina, Aura and Julie are in the parking lot before we take off.

David, Manuel and Charlie showing us their muscles.  Manuel and Lesa were not sure if they wanted to join in or not.

When we arrived, we set up clinic and started! Lesa was great at doing the height and weight on all of the ABC Children.  This day in Chuchipaca, we saw 60 patients!

This is Esteban.  He is one of my ABC Children and it is good to see him do dental exams.  He told me that he will graduate next year and I look forward to attending that graduation.

Charlie, jumped in and did dental care for those that needed it.  Micaela assisted him through the week and Lesa offers her support.

This is Teresa's ABC Child, Everaldo.  He lives in Mactzul V and he had a great exam today.  He will graduate next year and he wants to be a chef!  Thank you Teresa, for supporting the ABC program!

We ended the night with dinner and a devotion.  Charlie led the devotion and talked about walking in the steps of Christ and serving.  He had some really good thoughts and we thank him for this.

Tomorrow, the group will leave in 3 separate  groups.  We pray that they have safe travels and hope that they will return.  They have touched hearts and lives in many ways this week.

Thank you!

Clinic in Xepol

Manuel and I set out for Xepol, hoping that it would be a dry day.  Our drive was good, even thought we hit a area with some mist, it did not last long.

Everyone is flying kites, getting ready for the November 2 celebration.

We had 12 patients and I was pleased with that number but two of them concerned me a lot.

The other day, I had pigs helping me with the clinic.  Today, I had sheep.

From time to time, they would give me the loudest "Bahhhhhhhhh," that they could come up with.

Outside the children were playing, with their kites.

They were determined.

And then finally...................................it caught some air

There was one lady that is about 26 weeks pregnant and she has not felt any improvement yet. I strongly encouraged her to come and see us Monday in clinic. I am even more concerned because her last baby in October.

Another lady has a neck mass that has been growing for nine months.  Since it did not cause her any pain, they did not see a need to visit a doctor.  I hope that this lady will go and have a biopsy.

So, that was my day.................................tomorrow, I will go to Antigua and get my passport.  It has a stamp that will last me until I fly back in December, which is not too far away! 

Planning Their 50th Wedding Celebration!

Today, I had some of the most interesting patients.  I could really tell that this couple loved each other and that is not easy to find here in Guatemala.

They are in their early 50s and they told me how young they are!  They said that they have so much living to do and so much energy!

They told me that they are thinking of their 50th wedding anniversary.  I asked them how many years they have been married and one responded, "Thirty-one" and one responded, "Thirty-six."

He told me how much he loved her but lately, they had started fighting.  He said that this was not the way he wanted to live because he loved her and then he started crying.  We talked about some things that were causing problems and then she started crying.

I asked if I could take a photo and share their story and they wanted me to.

So, they will come and see me next week and I hope that things are better for them.  It is nice to see a Guatemalan couple not afraid to show affection.

I told them that I wanted to be invited to their 50th wedding celebration  :)  

Clinic in Chutzurob

I am really behind..........so many good things have happened and I just have not been able to get it blogged.  Anyway, today, we had clinic today in Chutzurob.  It is one of my favorite clinics.  They are expanding and it is probably the quickest church that I have seen go up!

During clinic, I had these pigs helping me all day.  I could hear them and I thought they were going to come through the wall.

Dental had a good day.

My day was frustrating.  Sometimes, I think it is just my poor Spanish but when other people try to help, we remain stuck.  People go home and decide to change the amount of medicine they should take and can not tell you why.  One lady today, should have gone for an important biopsy two months ago.  I gave her two options and the papers and she did not do them :( :( :(   So, we have lost two months and now she is having more symptoms.  I can not wind the clock back.

I made a hospital visit after clinic and then went to the office to see Mauri.

Tomorrow, we will have clinic in Chuguexa and it should be a busting clinic.

Clinic Continues in Chijbal

This morning Manuel, Teresa and Maria picked me up. It seems like things are just moving so fast and people are in all directions.

Gaspar is in Montellano with Enrique for the night. Please pray for his healing. Lisa and Kemmel are in The States for a few weeks. Maury was just married and they went to Antigua for a few days. I have not had a chance to print their wedding photos but hope to get that done this weekend. Sara's husband, Mario is also in The States. So we have a lot of things going on but clinics and our services continue.

Helping us out for a few weeks are Mike and Julie Kelley.

They have been with us for a few times and it is good to have them back.

We had a good clinic today in Chijbal with seventeen patients.  They are a very hospitable congregation.  I had seen one patient and then was asked to sit and have a mid-morning snack.

The morning passed quickly and soon it was time for lunch.  Manuel prepared our plates with Maria.

Most people will be able to guess what we had but it was so good!  We had chicken and rice with a wonderful sauce.  I am sure there is a name for it but I do not know all of the names and then soft, hot tortillas!!  ahhhhh!

A wonderful day!

Group Meets Mactzul VII

Yesterday, a group arrived and will spend about four days with us.  We are always excited when new groups come and are here to share the work that we do.  It is helpful to hear what they say and to have them participate with what we do on a daily basis.

Today, several of us went to Mactzul VII.  I have been to this community before but I do not remember being at the church.  It was much larger than I thought it would be.

So, it always takes time to prepare.  This is Brother Dave as he extends the electrical cord for the dental area.  Meslisa is a new dentist on this trip and she was introduced to us through Andrea, one of our regular dentists.  Good job Dave!

This group is also getting ready.  Dustin is checking out the medications that are available.  He will be prepared!

Tomas is taking the names of the children since this is an ABC Clinic but we will also see anyone that walks in.

What an opportunity the ABC Program is.  Many children would not have the opportunity to remain in school and have dreams that students have.

Gary and Kathyln seeing a family. Gary is a physician and has been down several times.  Kathyln lives in Antigua and is here helping translate.

When the truck is unloaded, it makes for a great seating area.

We stayed busy through the day. All of the students arrived and our travel was uneventful........Gracias a Dios.
As we are out in the communities, Harriett and Jenny remained at the hotel and are interviewing young people who want to continue with their education and those who already have scholarships. This also is a very important aspect of Health Talents.
Tomorrow is another day...............and another adventure!!

Parade in Chichicastenango

I walked up to the soccer field to watch the parade and take photos.  When I arrived, it looked like the Angry Birds were taking over.  

 

The streets were packed!  It was fun to move around and try to find people that I know.

Here are my second set of parents, Tomsita and Jaime.  I have lived in their house now for almost 8 years.

Their daughter, Kira, from Xela is visiting.  I found her down the street.

 This Erika and Elana and they also live in our neighborhood.

The group of mimes saw me on the side and waved!

 I got a thumbs-up from this couple.

 This group of girls, who carried kites were very colorful.

The back of the kites were equally as colorful.  A lot of work goes into making and flying them

All of the vendors were out.  The popcorn  people, ice cream pushers, balloon blowers and people selling hats and sunglasses-----even though not many people wear them.

I had been watching this serpent weave its way through the street, back-and forth.

He wanted me to know that he saw me.

I think that this is a Guatemalan version of The Walking Dead!

This was the only horse, but it made me think of Sandra, who use to work with us.

This group actually stopped to strike a pose!

I have no idea how many blocks of parade this was.......it was huge!  This was the end of the trail so I am sure that some were not as energetic as when they first started.

It is good to see everyone enjoy the day and be excited about their independence.

Leaving Early for Chutzurob

We all met a little earlier than usually since we are getting close to the September 15th, Independence Day Celebration.  As we were leaving town, the entrance was blocked for all incoming traffic.  People were lined on the streets preparing for the parades.  They seem to start the celebration a little earlier each year.  We know to cancel our clinics on the 14th and 15th because we would be sitting alone.

Manuel, Teresa, Maria and Andrea and I headed out to Chutzurob in two trucks.  We heard that some of the roads were blocked due to some maintenance work so we took some different roads in.  As we entered, they pulled the board with the nails across the road to block us.  Oh No!!  Ten guys leaned on the truck to make it clear we would not pass.  Manuel talked to them and they were asking a pretty steep price of 200Q per truck.

I do not mind paying but it was the attitude and how it was handled.  We do not want ANY problems! So, we pulled over to the side to see if we could collect between us.  Between four of us, we had enough so we received the ticket to pass.

We had a good clinic with fifteen medical patients.  All of the diabetics were controlled so that makes Sheri content.  We did not seen anything unusual. Dental was slow with only three dental patients.

We packed the truck with a little rain but not a lot.......but because of the construction of the church building, we created more mud. It felt like ten pounds were added to each foot-------getting it off was horrible.

We laughed a little at Manuel, as his method was using the grass.

I tried the concrete.  I felt the worse for Teresa (in the pink) because she had opened toe and heel sandals on.  Maria is in the back and she is using the grass and stick method.

Oh well.........................another adventure for sure but it ended well, as they all do!

Joas Visited Us Today in Lemoa

Today, I had the opportunity to see Joas.  Many of you will remember him from the August clinic in Ezell.  What a week we had!

So, I received photos last week that still showed a hand I was very concerned over.  Last night, I asked Hector if he would be willing to bring Joas to the clinic and he was more than happy to do so.  He said that since we had stopped using the dressings, the hand was much drier and looked good.

We still have some room to improve on the left hand but it will happen.

He is moving them wonderfully!  The parents are so thankful for this blessing!

Day with Sandra

Yesterday, I had the pleasure to spend the day with Sandra, who use to be my ABC child.  She is now, quite a young lady.  She spends her Sunday mornings helping students in Quiche because there are no teachers..  During the week, she watches a little boy who would wear me out in 35 minutes!!

Sandra recently passes her entrance exams into a university and wants to study to be a nurse. She passed her exams on the first round!!  Because of this, I wanted to celebrate!  I took her to Panajchel for the day. It was very cloudy and we were not able to see the volcanoes.

We walked by a hotel, that I have stayed at several times. It is Rancho Grande. I highly recommend it!!

 We walked in and had the opportunity to play a little.

 Higher Sandra, higher!!

We had a great lunch and then ran into LIsa and Kemmel!  They were there to meet a director of a nearby clinic.

It was a fun day and it was nice to spend it with Sandra..............she is a great young lady!

Clinic in Panajxit

Today, I had the opportunity to do the clinic in Panajxit.  Usually, Enrique is here with us but he is sick so he was not able to join us.  He is in the coast, so please pray for his quick and full recovery.

I picked up Martina on the way and Tomas had Aura and Maria. Maria is a student, who is doing her project with us and then she will be completed with her studies.

So, Maria hung out with me through the day and since we only had three patients, she kept me from being bored.

The second patient had problems with her ears and could not hear.  I looked into them and well............I knew this was not going to be good.  So, I asked Tomas if he would irrigate them and he said, "OK."

Well, this this what we were gifted........

So, I hope this poor lady feels and hears better.

Clinic in Chajbal

We had a great clinic today in Chajbal.  We had 18 patients and one dental cleaning.  Not sure how many dental patients they had but they stayed busy too.

When we arrived, we had patients waiting.

 We quickly unpacked the trucks and set up shop.

Manuel, Teresa and I worked with the medical patients.  Andrea and Maria worked with the dental patients.

Something so simple and yet so strong...........I Corinthians 11:23-26......Paul is talking about the Lord's Supper or Communion.

 ²³ For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, ²⁴ and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁵ In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” ²⁶ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

I really like to think about the last verse.  It is a continuation of this practice to proclaim to the world that we believe that Christ died and that He will return for us.  Yes, it needs to be a respectful time but also a joyful time. It is His death that gives Christians hope of eternal life. Without His death and access to His blood, we have no forgiveness.