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.