Meet another Shery!

Today, we had clinic in Chicacao, which is near Montellano. It is a fairly new clinic and continues to do well.  We try to have two providers here on Tuesday, as sometimes there are close to fifty patients.  Many of these are diabetics so there is a lot of teaching involved.

Josue gets to the clinic around 0630 and sets up for us.  I arrived at 0700 with Dra. Marta and Elmer.  Many of you will remember Josue, from working in the dormitory area for many years.  Elmer is one of the evangelists and he also has been with HTI for many years.

We set up clinic, prayed and then began seeing patients.  

The first patient was a man in his late 30's and he had a huge neck mass. I do not think that I have ever seen one this large before.  I sent him for an ultrasound and some labwork.  Hopefully, he will return to see us next week.

Around noon, I received a call saying Evelyn was going to be bringing her baby.  If you have been reading the blog, Evelyn and her husband Javier were baptized just a few weeks ago in Montellano.

So, in comes Evelyn with her baby and she tells me she is 15 days old..........her mother quickly states that she is only 12 days old.......so the saga begins. Ages here, in Guatemala, are only an idea of a length of time. It is something that is not really emphasized. 

So, I look at this darling baby..........she is just a doll!!

Then I look at the form to see what has been going on, and her name is Shery! Evelyn handed me Shery, while she and her mom just grinned.  It was a surprise for me and I hope that she will be happy with that name.  Guess I may just have to stick around for a few more years and watch her grow up!

So, on Sundays in the future, there will be two of us in Montellano!

Another Day of Thanksgiving and Celebration

 A few weeks ago, I shared the photos and the story of the baptisms of Jennifer, Javier and Evelyn.

Today was another day to rejoice and be thankful.  Lorenzo, is one of our construction guys that has been working on projects.  I was not aware that he is Evelyn's father.

I drove Evelyn to her home one day and waved to Lorenzo as we left the clinic.  She mentioned that her dad had said that I was back working at the clinic.  I had no idea that there was a family relation.

So a few days later, I was out talking to Lorenzo as he was working on the Biohazard buidling.  For those of you who have never been to Montellano, I am warning you, it is HOT and that is saying  it mildly.  So, from time-to-time, I take the guys some containers of ice, when they are working.

We were talking about his family and we started talking about the church and his daughter being baptized. He said he was thinking about it too and was going to start to attend the Montellano congregation. He and his family were there the following Sundays and then he wanted to be baptized.

Kevin is talking to Lorenzo and is listening to his confession.  Lorenzo acknowledged that Christ came to the earth, lived a perfect life, died for our sins, was crucified and raised three days later.   Baptism gives us the access to the blood of Christ, that continues to cleanse us and save us.

Kevin, baptized Lorenzo.  He is the husband of our dentist, Manuela. Holding the microphone, is one of our physicians, Dr. Nehemias.

And then the angels rejoice!!

When we were finished, we returned inside to finish the worship service.  The week could not start any better than this!

A Day of Thanksgiving for Health Talents

 It is common in Guatemala to have several "Thanksgivings" a year.  These are something that I look forward to, since Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday.

Here, Thanksgivings are called Accion de Gracias.  It can be a day to celebrate a birthday, the construction of a room or building, the birth of a baby or a celebration of a person's life.

Today, Marco talked about his early start with Health Talents and how things have changed over the, almost fifty years. Yes, there has been a lot of changes and Health Talents continues to be blessed, even as we struggle for the hospital license.

One change this week was with Marco and his attire. On Sunday, he preached in a full suit and tie.

 

As many know, it is HOT here in Montellano, so by Friday, Marco had changed his attire.

 

 Marco is a very good teacher and the class was interesting.

 

Kemmel shared with us the numbers of patients that we have been able to serve, even without the surgical teams.  Clinics are continuing to go well and there have been baptisms in different areas.

Before lunch, a group photo of all the Health Talents Employees was taken.

It was the end of a busy week but a very good week...................and we are thankful!!

Men's Seminar with Marco

Marco and the men's seminar has gone well this week.  As I would enter to speak with the cooks, you could tell they were enjoying the study.  There were times during the week that they broke up into small groups and worked on projects. 

One photo of Marco, his wife Aida and some of the other participants.

 

There were 48 scheduled for the class but not all were able to attend.

 

 It was a good group with a lot of participation.

 

Thursday, a certificate was presented to those who attended.  I wish I had photos of everyone but will  share those that I have.  Many people who have been down to Guatemala will recognize these guys.

Rigoberto, is someone well known.  He use to clean the surgical areas but now he works primarily in the hotel area.

 

This is Cesar, he works in the Chichicastenango area with the ABC Program.

 

 

This is Luis and he works in the ABC Program in the coastal area.  Many know Evelyn, his wife, who works in dental. 

 

Manuel works in the highlands and attends Paxot II. If you have spent any time in Chichi, you probably have visited the Paxot II Church of Christ.

 

 

This is Kevin and he preaches at the Montellano Church of Christ.  His wife is Manuela, one of our dentists.

 

You may never have met Brother Poncio but many of you know his daughter, Rosario.  For many, many years, Rosario was the nursing leader here in Clinica Ezell.

 

Tomorrow, we will have a "Thanksgiving Day" to celebrate with the whole Health Talents team.  While so much has been accomplished, we realize there is so much more work to do.  God has blessed HTI to this point and everything that has been done, is for his glory.

Looking Forward to Another Full Week

Usually in Saturdays, there is not much action going on here at the clinic......but today was an exception.  

We had a large storm last night and we went on emergency power for a few minutes.  Also some of the lights that work through the night shorted out, so there were a couple of guys from maintenance working.

 I went to find someone and I found them here. Do you have an idea of who this is, hiding up in the bodega window?

Today Marco Diaz and his wife Aida will arrive and they will be with us for a week. Marco will be doing a men's seminar for four days.  On Saturday, we will have a "Thanksgiving Day," in which we will celebrate with those from the Chichi area and the capital.

 

Today, I was able to do clinic here at Ezell.  We had nineteen patients, so that is a good number.

 

The other morning when I was walking around the clinic, I had a morning visitor. He was the fattest frog that I had seen in a long time. He was roaming around the dental area.

 

Some cultures see frogs as a sign of good luck and power.  I could have used some good luck today with the patients that we saw.

 

As many know, we are in the process of getting the hospital license for Ezell.  It has been a struggle on many levels but progress  is being made. It has been a challenge of patience and perseverance.  When I was in Santiago, Atitlan a few weeks ago at another hospital, I was explaining what stage that we are in and the director just put his head down and shook it.  He said, "I know the struggles that you guys are going through."

I have only been back since October so there are others, as Lisa and Kemmel, who have been in the battle longer than I.  I am thankful that they and the board of HTI have not given up  I am sure that there have been many times when they bowed their heads and moved them in non-belief of what was currently happening.

Of the nineteen patients today, 7 needed surgery that we could easily provide here.  Two were young children with hernias.  They hurt.  They are unable to run.  It is a struggle for them to play with their friends.

Five needed eye surgery for cataracts.  Some of those were so dense, I am not sure they will be able to find a place, while surgery is still an option.  A couple of those patients will have struggles traveling two hours to another area.  One of those patients, was 78 years old and was abandoned by his family.  A younger family took him into their home so he did not have to live on the street. While they are kind enough to give him a place to sleep and provide food for him, I doubt that they will be able to pay for his surgery.

 

We may not have the license now, but we can not give up. We will continue to comply and to meet all of the requirements needed before the inspection.

 

Every day at 5:15 pm, people take a moment to pray for Health Talents and this license process.  Please join us in prayer so that eventually, I can give more hope concerning a surgery. I do not want to give a phone number of a hospital two hours away.  I want to be able to give the dates of when that type of surgery will take place here, at Hospital Ezell in Montellano, Guatemala.

 

IVAA Clinic with Faith in Practice

 Last week, we had a joint clinic with Faith in Practice.  Kemmel, Lisa and two of the nurses, Ana and Brenda also were here to participate. Also this week, we had a group from The States that Bode brought down.  It was a busy week and a lot was accomplished.

Dr. Todd worked in dental with a new translator, Angie.  They saw 37 patients during the week. The Guatemalan staff enjoyed having him.

Dr. Kris went out daily to medical mobile clinics, with different people and he saw 80 patients during the week.  He also had a new translator, Melva.

None of our regular translators were available this week but Angie and Melva worked hard and we hope to see them again.

Faith in Practice provided a training class for IVAA.  It is an exam for women that will detect cervical cancer at an early stage.  Those who completed the training, which included class material, an exam and several hours of clinic, received a certification.

During the week, the patients were screened outside before they entered.  Sections of Guatemala remain in the red zone. with increasing cases of COVID.  We continue to wear masks and take steps to prevent the spread.

The group that Bode brought down were very helping in taking vital signs and screening the patients.

 It was a busy week, with providing the IVAA exam for 488 ladies.

 

The students were ready for the week to come to an end.  The days were long and hot for both the students and the instructors. They were very excited when they received their certificate.

 

On Friday, it was time for Bode and the team to head to Antigua.  Everyone had done a lot of work and many people appreciate of their service.

Thank you, everyone!

Sheri is Back in Guate!

Greetings again from Guatemala!

It has been a long time since I have blogged and as with everyone, so much has happened.  I did not intend on leaving the blog behind, but I did. As with everyone, many changes have taken place since COVID.

I was in Guatemala in 2020, when the the first few cases of COVID were detected in the United States.  I was with a team of students from Harding University and by the end of the week, all other teams had cancelled their visit and my return flight had been cancelled, without my knowledge. I decided to return to NC and was able to get a seat on the second of the last three flights out of Guatemala.

As time passed, we were less sure of when we would be able to return with teams. It did not feel right to continue to receive pay, when there was not a lot for me to do. I decided to take a job as an agency nurse with a state psychiatric hospital.  

What a ride those six months were!  My life inside the institution......it is just something you would have to experience with me, to understand.  For example, dropping my key card, and being in a locked area with NO way of getting out!  I was in the bowels of the basement! There are no words to do it justice.  I made it because the nurses and nursing assistants had my back. The patients receive wonderful care, due to the hard work and dedication to those staff members.  I learned a lot from them and continue to think of them often. 

Now, I have returned to Guatemala and I am living in Montellano at Clinic Ezell. I have been back since October 2021 and these months have gone quickly...........I will slowly catch you up on what has been going on.

The spark that got me wanting to blog again, was the baptism of Javier and Evelyn, his wife. 

Javier is a contracted worker at Ezell and I heard about him, before I met him. I heard he was recently married, an orphan and a really hard worker.  The staff took Javier under their wings and it was great to meet him.  Rigoberto took an extra interest in Javier and has been talking about how a good husband and father should treat their family.  He has told Javier to leave the macho image behind and to instead help his wife in the house, give her some money so she can buy something for herself, help with the children and to even change diapers. For those of you that do not know a typical Guatemalan home, these suggestions are out of the box.

Javier mentioned on day that he would like a church song book. I asked him if he had a Bible and he did not.  He really did not know anything about the Bible but started attending worship with us on Sundays...........after a few months, he sent word that he wanted to talk to me and he told me that he and Evelyn wanted to be baptized on Sunday.  

That Sunday, just happened to be when Carlos and Sylvia were visiting the clinic so Carlos was asked to do the baptisms.

Carlos baptizing Evelyn.

Next, Javier.

Carlos and Sylvia with Javier and Evelyn.

 What a day of rejoicing that was!

OK, so now the blog is up and running again!  So many good things are happening here in Guatemala and I can not wait to share them with you.

My email remains the same, fscubarn@aol.com, if you have a question or want to discuss coming down on a team.