Clinic in Lemoa with Payton and Tomasa

Today we had a good clinic in Lemoa.  The travel has been horrible due to the amount of rain that we have received and the roads are suffering due to it.  Roads have collapsed and when vans, buses and trailers take alternate routes, more problems are created.  The main roads leading to Pana and Huehue have closed and then the traffic increases in Chichi.  No one is winning this round :(

Payton started out with Aura and Martina in dental.  If we are missing a dental cap in a few weeks, I will know where it went!  She is studying Nursing at UTC and will be entering her junior year when she returns to the states.  We wish her the best in her studies.

Tomasa returned to clinic today and her lab work looked good! She weighs enough and she will go to Montellano on August 4th for her lip repair.  She will be sponsored by Alice and Tomasa' mom is really appreciative of Alice.

I do not want to forget to tell you about the Pap/ IVAA clinic that we had on Friday in Mactzul VI.  We had 27 ladies attend and that is a great number! I was sad that five of those had positive IVAAs but as Lisa pointed out to me, "We are catching it in time for them to receive treatment." She is correct and I am thankful!  Every day is full of learning and pressing on!

Clinic in Lemoa

We saw quite a few patients today between medical, dental and dental cleanings. It seemed odd to not have students with us but they will arrive later today.  I saw Samantha before I left the Dunhams and  and she is hanging in there.  I want to find her some Blue Gatorade, so after clinic that will be my mission.

This morning before we prayed, Gaspar talked about the Ark of the Covenant and what it contained. He also talked about the Holy of Holies, which was a section of the tabernacle that only the high priest could enter.  What a much better covenant we are under now, since we can personally be in the presence of God without a high priest.  According to I Corinthians 6:19, our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit.  We can always be in the presence of God, if we chose so. Christ removed that barrier as he died, so that we could become holy.

We saw many patients today and Juan, really touched my heart.  A young man, 15 years old was born with a cleft-lip and palate.  He has surgery to repair both when he was 6 months old in Antigua.  It is common with children, who have had these surgeries, to have a nasal voice and difficulty with pronunciation. He is in the 5th grade and the other children make fun of him. He still has a small hole in his palate and thinks that if we repair this, that his speech will be normal.

Our physical therapist, Noe, was in Lemoa today and I called to see if he was free to come and visit with Juan and his mother.  He came over and taught some exercises to Juan to help strengthen his tongue and lips.  Twice Juan began crying because he is frustrated and wants to be seen differently by the other students.  Puberty, no matter the country or customs has it's own set of struggles but with this added speech problem, is unbearable for this young man.  Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers as we see what we can do to help him and he also has another appointment to see Noe next Thursday.

Before clinic started this morning, the cooks were at it in the kitchen.  It smelled good all morning!

When we had a chance, Andrea and I ran out to buy some more things for lunch.

It was a really good day.............and we were packed up before the rains began.

Tomorrow, we will have a Pap/ IVAA clinic in Mactzul VI for the ladies there.  Brenda and I went there a couple of months ago to see if there was interest in having the clinic.  Before we left, we had enough names to guarantee that we would return........and that is tomorrow. 

We have three other communities that have asked for the clinic.........those being Mactzul II, Mactzul IV and Chichicastenango.  Quiche is also on the radar and waiting to see what their response is.  What a great opportunity for the ladies to have clinic near their home and be able to invite their neighbors and other family members.

On the way home, I went to 5 different stores looking for Blue Gatorade but I failed.  I simply failed.  So, Samantha will have to suffer with red tonight. As I was leaving the Dunham's I saw a huge container of blue Windex and told her about it in case she is desperate through the night.  Just kidding, Samantha!!!

Wish us and our patients luck tomorrow!

Victor and Grass are Good in Xepol

The blog has been quiet for a couple of weeks. I am trying to keep my head above water and getting things done.  The MET Students are still with us and all is well..........well, kind of.  We have had a bump in the road but things are starting to smooth out.

Today, Enrique, Teresa and I went to Xepol.  It was a small clinic but what made my day was when Victor came to visit and get his medication refilled.  He is now 21 years-old and I remember the first time I met him in  2010.  He has epilepsy and was having severe seizures every day and constantly fighting with other children and his family.

We finally got his seizures under control and he also stopped fighting.  This was Victor in 2010.

This is Victor today and he has not had a seizure for two months!  He brought me plums, yellow and red and told me the yellow are for Father's Day and that the red ones are for Mother's Day.  Yes, my heart melted...................thank you, Victor!

Now, I know why you are wondering why the grass is good in Xepol.........well, as we were leaving the clinic today the 4-wheel drive was of no help.  The dirt road is just as slick as ice and the truck wanted to roll down the hill into the church building......I am sorry, there was just no traction.

So, Enrique jumped out and put rocks under the wheels to prevent me from getting closer to the church building. I told Teresa that if she was nervous to wait on the side of the road.  Her door flew open and she jumped out! At that moment, a truck with a few guys drove by and told me to put it in 4-wheel drive. I explained that it was!  So, the plan was for them just to push me a little until I could get the left front tire on the grass to get some traction-------and it worked!

It is situations like that, that reinforce the fact that I am being taken care of..........and that is when you just say, "Gracias a Dios!"

One of the students, Samantha had been feeling a little rough and later developed some lower abdominal pain.  Kemmel and Lisa went to check on her and to make a short story, she need to have her appendix removed.  Lisa, Kemmel and Bethany stayed with her in Quiche and now she is at the Dunham's resting. 

Tomasa and Micaela, who are sisters of our Manuel are going to spend the night with her.  I went over twice today to check on them and we watched a little Netflix and had dinner.  She is recovering well and getting stronger. We teased Sam about having to have three people watch over her but seriously, she has been a great patient.

Kemmel and Lisa are at Clinica Ezell swapping out the students.  The students that were with us will now do a rotation at the coast and the others will return to the highlands for their time with us.  Samantha will shortly catch up with the others at the coast.

Yes, it was a bump in the road but Lisa, Kemmel and Bethany helped Sam and she is doing great!

Clinic in Lemoa with MET Students

Yesterday, the babies came for their first exam before surgery in August.  There were several parents who did not return the phone call about their appointment so I was disappointed about this.  Oh well.......maybe they will show up in a week or two. I sure hope so.

You may remember Victor who had his surgery last year for his cleft lip.  This first photo is of Victor when he was only 3-4 months old and too young to go with us.

Today, Victor appeared, weighing enough for his palate repair.  He looks great!  He is now 14 months old.

I think he will do well again this year.

Since last year, his dad has left the family.  Sebastian from Chutzurob will accompany Victor and his mom to Montellano, as he did last year. I am so thankful for Sebastian and his help during our clinics in his community. Victor's surgery will be sponsored again by the Mt. Vernon Spanish Class.

This is Tomasa Zohemi and she is seven months old and she weighs enough for the lip surgery.  If her labs are good, she will go with us in August.

Her mom was pleased with this.

Tomasa's grandmother was also with us today.

This is Alejandro Hernendez and he is only two months old.  He will have to wait and go with the group in February 2019.

Alejandro's mom was a little disappointed but she understands.  In February, Alejandro will be stronger and do better.

This is Estefany Paola and she is one year old.  He has a small hole in her palate and her mom would like to have that repaired.

Estafany will also need to wait until February due to her weight.  She, like Alejandro will do better when they are a little bigger.

In a few weeks Victor and Tomasa will bring back lab work and hopefully they will make it to Montellano.  I am excited for them and I will keep you post on their developments.

Happy Birthday Emily! Happy Birthday to You!

Today, we helped celebrate with Ana and her family, the one year birthday of Emily.  We finished clinic in Chuchipaca and then all headed to Quiche. 

Yesterday, we drove the basket of live chickens to Quiche so they could be prepared for our lunch today.  I mentioned that I would share photos, so here we go!

This was my chicken and it was wonderful........potato, carrot, squash and tamalitos!!  I love tamalitos!

I was able to take a quick photo of Ana, Emily and some of the family before the party started.

As Ana worked to help prepare the meal, others in the family helped watch Emily.

Ana and Emily as the party started.  Emily was not sure what to think.

Ana's sister welcomed everyone for coming.  Ana's dad then led us in a prayer thanking God for the birth and life of Emily.

Ana and her niece before the cake was cut.

As we waited for the party to continue, Bethany braided Samantha's hair.  When a family member of Ana saw this, she came over and asked Bethany to braid her hair too.  "Sure!" exclaimed Bethany!

With any birthday party,  there are some games that have to be played.  Brandt had to run slowly to the the music, The Chariots of Fire, carrying flowers to Lori.

 He had to kneel as he offered them, and she had to flutter around to express her excitement!

For another game, each side had to attempt to get more people inside their rope.  Here Samantha, Bethany and Lori are encouraging others to join.

I just love this photo!  Lisa is smart, hiding between Kemmel and Brandt AND hiding behind the ribbon.  Brandt, I think is about to explode!

Ian was one of the first up and our of his chair to show support!

Samantha is selected for a game by the clown.

After all of the games are done, it is time to cut the cake.  Ana, Juan and Emily.................this is a very exciting day for them and we were honored to participate.

Happy Birthday Emily.......Happy Birthday to you!!

Ana, is our nurse and is doing a great job with clinics and patients.  Juan, speaks English and has helped us with different groups, working as a translator.