Sunday, February 24, 2019

Day in Winston with South Fork Church of Christ

Today was our luncheon after the morning worship. It is a day during the year that I look forward to. I enjoy sharing what has happened in Guatemala with the members of the congregation that have supported me for twelve years. What a blessing they are to me.

I did not get many photos.  My dad spoke about the ABC program. It is a program that my mom,dad and friends are both very supportive of.

This is my dad as he was speaking.

Noe is the young man that my parents sponsor.  He is the 4th person to the right, next to the young lady.  They have sponsored him for about eleven years. He is doing well in school and is very healthy.

It was good to see people who have visited and have worked in Guatemala with me. I look forward to a very exciting year full of activities. My mom, Sally, Jodi and Carol will visit in April.  South Fork will be down in August and that will be a great week.  Wayne, who is a friend of my family will be the chaplain in September. I think it will be a great year so please check the blog on a weekly basis.

This is only the other photo that I have from the day........mom, Jodi and me.

 I will head back to Guatemala on March 6th and prepare to see the Harding University and Rick with his family.  Then I will have a few weeks of medical clinics.

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

February Babies are Great!

I met the babies in Montellano when I arrived with the team. I was very thankful that their travel was  without any problems.

Some of the surgeons left Guatemala City early in the morning, so when we arrived, the consults were finished.  I found out that Dilon had been sick but we hoped that with a few days of medication on board, he would turn around and be ready on Tuesday.

This is Brayon and his mom, after they arrived.  She told me that they have been doing well and Brayon had not been sick. His surgery is being sponsored by Angie from Morganton, NC.

Brayon and his mom were ready for surgery. Katy is making rounds to be sure everyone is ready.

After surgery, Brayon rested well.


Nelson arrived and was playful.  His mom told me that Nelson had been doing real well.

Nelson slept as his mother waited for Katy to come and see him.

The surgery went well and was sponsored by Beverly and Wayne from Lenoir, NC.

After surgery, Nelson slept and did not have any problems.

Dilon seemed to feel better but there was still a risk that we did not need to take.  He still had a fever for portions of the day and not too much of an appetite. It was decided to wait until August to do his palate surgery. We were disappointed but no need to take a risk. Dilon looks as if he too is disappointed.

I slipped in for a quick photo before Dilon and his parents headed home.  I let Jaime know so she could tell Ava about the postponed surgery.  We will see Dilon again in August.

The babies were seen post-op in Lemoa and they are doing fine...............many thanks to the surgical team and to those who sponsored the surgeries.

Saturday, February 2, 2019

Clinic in Chuchipaca

Senor Manuel, Manuel Junior and Teresa picked me up this morning.  We had a line of patients waiting as we arrived.  We unloaded the truck, set up clinic, prayed and then we were on a roll.

Manuel Junior is studying in Xela and he told me how strong the earthquake was yesterday. He said that he and his friends were a little on the nervous side.  He had also taken some exams and I asked him how he did. He said that he thought he had done well and that they will have their results next week.

The last patient of the day was Sebastiana, who is one of our regular patients.  She is a sweet lady and is always very kind to us. I wanted to grab a photo of everyone.........

Then Senor Manuel wanted to take a photo........Teresa and Manuel got serious on us. I acted like I was going to put on lipstick and that cracked Sebastiana up!  Just another day in Guate!

Tomorrow, I will drive up to Quiche for worship and then do laundry at the clinic.  It has been 3 weeks now that we have not had enough water for laundry. I am just very thankful that I have access to the clinic and we have water there. I will soon be doing the rain-dance!

Friday, February 1, 2019

Did You Feel That??

Martina and I met everyone at Mactzul I this morning for clinic. We met up with Maunel, Tomas and Aura.  We quickly set up for clinic and prayed with the patients. 

It seemed that the majority of people had urinary problems. I hope that the antibiotics help and when they return, we find them feeling much better.

As I was preparing for more patients, I noticed that the lamina on the roof was rattling. My first thought was that it had become windy and maybe we would get some rain!  We will not get rain for awhile but it does not hurt to wish for it. Then I noticed that it was not stopping. Then the exam table moved a little and I thought, "I think it is an earthquake!" 

I went to look out the door and saw Manuel standing by the pila and looking around.  The ground was swaying side-to-side. He said, "Sheri, I think you should come outside."  I am not sure how long it continued but I would guess 45 seconds from beginning to end. As soon as it calmed, everyone was on their phone calling their families. They turned on the truck radio so we could listen to the emergency news of Guatemala.

A few minutes later, I saw that they posted it to be 6.6 in magnitude. It was a good one that sways side-to-side and that can cause some nausea.  The strongest one that I have ever felt was a 7.3 in Antigua. I really thought the house was coming down that time.

These photos were posted on the news and they were taken near Xela or Quetzaltenango.

I always think of damage to houses and roads but I had never thought about what happens in a grocery store.

Needless to say, after the earthquake, we did not have anymore patients.

Martina drove almost all the way home. She is making some progress and she has a healthy-fear as she drives. I like that.

Tomorrow, we will head to Chuchipaca..............to see some patients and just to see, what we can see.