Preparing for the Surgical Team

There is a lot of cleaning going on here............and I am thankful. It is one important step in maintaining a very low infection rate so I will not complain.

The patient area is torn apart.

 

All of the furniture is removed and washed before reach clinic.

Gresly, our newest nurse and Jacquelin prepare the beds but the sheets will not be placed until Friday afternoon.

 

Diego cleans all of the windows and widow treatments with a brush.

 

 

Oscar goes through the area and helps clean. This guy has really expanded his role this year. He is now translating worship on Sunday morning and then translating for Dr. Walter on Sunday afternoon. He has also been helping our new translators feel more comfortable.

 

The ORs get the same treatment.........they are stripped and cleaned.

 

Micaela works in dental also with nursing. She is studying to be a professional nurse and has about another year to go. 

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Silvia empties and cleans the storage boxes from the ORs.

 

Ada and Amadeysi cleaning and preparing one of the bodegas.

 

I heard the water running in the bathroom and wondered who was taking a shower. When knocked, it was Lorenzo cleaning and working on the shower area. Lorenzo Sr. has been working for HTI for about 20 years and now his son, Lorenzo Jr. is doing the same.

So now, you see what our days will be like until the team arrives on Saturday. We will be ready for them and prepared to serve our patients.  We pray for their safe arrival and that all will go well while they are with us.

The 2023 MET Students Have Arrived in Montellano

Last Saturday, I had the opportunity to meet the 2023 MET Students at the airport and to take them to Tecpan for the night, before arriving in Quetzaltenango.  Bode had sent me a photo but I could not have missed them........they are ready for the adventure that are in front of them!

Will, Asiah and John at the airport before arriving in Guatemala.

We met Lisa and Kemmel at Pollo Campero's before getting on the road and made our way to Tecpan.  We arrived in good time, even though the traffic had stopped twice on us.  We just navigated our way through a small community and skipped whatever had been going on.

Saddly, I must admit that I hit a dog on the road.  I remember saying, "I am sorry. That is the first time I have ever done that. I am just sorry."  I thought he/ she was stopping in the center of the highway but ti decided to go for it..........I confessed to Kemmel that evening.  I use to confess to Lisa but now I confess to both of them :)

We made it to Tecpan and then had dinner.  It was a quiet evening and then it was time to sleep.

In the morning, we had breakfast and then a time of worship.

We made it to Quetzaltenango in decent time and I waited until the students were to be taken to their families. They will stay with a family, study Spanish, enjoy activities at the school and then go to Chichicastenango for a few days.

 I will see them around the 30th and I am sure that they will have a lot of stories to share!

 

Meet Greysly, Our Newest Nurse

As many have heard, we have been looking for a physician to help us with mobile clinics.  We have been looking a long time.  I have sent out over 50 emails to people who have been down, previous MET students, and to any possible connection that I have. Kemmel, has sent out more emails than I have.  

We have had a few people come down for short stents and we appreciate that help a lot.

Clinics are now growing, due to having the hospital license, and I do not want to cut mobile clinics.

The HTI Board approved us of training Marta, who is primarily in the pharmacy now, to be trained by Dr. Lisa and to start doing some medical mobile clinics.  She has been seeing ladies during the PAP/ IVAA clinics and does very well.  Dr. Lisa will help expand her knowledge base and develop more in the clinical role.

Because of the responsibility that Marta has now, we have hired Greysly, a professional RN to help Marta. Greysly, has been working nights for us during the surgical clinics, for many years. She is an excellent nurse and I have a lot of confidence in her. She is very flexible and will learn this role quickly.

Here, Marta and Kevin reviewing pharmacy and orders that have been placed.

Welcome, Greysly. I hope that you love your new role with HTI and that you will serve with us for many years!

Expanding roles is a challenge and not a lot of people like change..........but to be effective, flexibility is essential.

I have asked Silva, Ada and Diego to start spending some time in the operating rooms. They were very open to it and I was pleased. This will increase their knowledge of the surgical instruments, where they are located and will also help with their English skills.

We are on a roll and I want to keep the momentum going.
 

More Photos From the Surgical Week

I have some other photos that I want to share with you.  The photos help bring-to-life the events that happen here and I hope to motivate some to come and serve with us.  

After the posting last night, about the translators, one translator signed up to come in July.  Thank you, Jason!  It will be good to work with you again and I know you will be a blessing to the patients. 

As I mentioned last night, there are so many people that serve in the ministry and each are so important.

Another group of people that impact patients, are the evangelists. Health Talents not only focuses on the physical aspects of the patients but also the spiritual aspects. Yes, we want people to feel good and be physically healthy, but even more important is their spiritual health.

Victor, one our evangelist, visited our patients during the afternoon of the surgical week.  He prayed and sang with patients.

 

I have mentioned Jodi before and the great help she has been.  Here, she is working the day shift and making a round with the patients.

Brenda, a nurse, has been coming down for several years. This week, she and her husband Doyle, brought one of their granddaughters. It was nice to have her with us and and she was helpful.

 

One afternoon, some our ABC Children were able to visit.  Doyle and Brenda met one of their ABC Children.  The children and parents are very appreciative of the ABC Program and what it offers.  It is always enjoyable to spend some time with the child and their family.

I have mentioned Alejandra, who is Violeta's daughter.  She is a wonderful translator and is very kind to the patients.  She will be joining us in June, with the next surgical team.

 

Before patients leave, the Guatemalan nurses review when their post-op visit will be and other important information.  The patients are given a bag, that has a Bible in it and few other things to enjoy.  Rita and her team preparing the bags for discharge.  

 

 

During the week, Guatemala celebrated Mother's Day. Unlike Mother's Day in the United States, it always is on the same date, so it varies what day of the week it falls on.  This young girl visit several patients on Mother's Day and presented some of the mothers with some gifts. What a sweet, young lady.

 

 

So that wraps this surgical week in May.  The year is flying by......we are looking forward and preparing for the team that will arrive in June.  

Have you completed your application to join a team this year?

Appreciation for Translators

I always try to praise the staff at Ezell, because I know that they work hard. There is a lot of maintenance and ground-keeping that goes on, even when we do not have groups.

Another group that we really need to survive, is the translators.  

This makes me think of the letter written to the church in Corinth. Paul discusses in chapter 12, how the body is made up of many members.  Each member has value, but can not function apart from the body. All parts are needed to be whole, to be complete and to function as its best.

We could not serve well, if we did not have translators. It is nice to have people on the team who speak Spanish. Some groups have several that are bilingual and some groups do not.  In the later case, I need to hire translators, so we can communicate effectively with our patients.

These two translators, started with us last year, when we had a couple of activities.

Angela is on the left side of the table.  She lives in Xela and her full-time job is translating.  She teaches language on-line to children in different countries.  Melva, lives in Mazatetenango with her family. I have been shopping in Mazate and ran into Melva......Guatemala is getting smaller.

We also have a group that come from Chichicastenango, a couple from Antigua and Violeta's daughter Alejandra is now helping us.  I will follow up with photos of all these essential helpers.

Thank you, ladies! We value your ability to translate!

Preparation for the May 2023 Surgical Team

We had a week of preparation before the May 2023 surgical trip.  It was a lot of hard work but we were ready for it.

Jodi, as you know spent some time with us and helped in many ways. One day, she prepared medicines.

 

Deep cleaning takes a large portion of the week.

 

Restocking and cleaning in the bodegas.

 

 

 Always more cleaning to be done.

 

Oscar gives the final approval for the patient ward.

 

 There is a never-ending pile of laundry.

 

Then there are the pre-op labs and patient education.

Darling assures that we have enough professional and auxiliary staff. 

 

Diego preps the beds in the patient area, the day before the team arrives

Eva makes sure all of the paperwork is in order.

 

Kevin and Berta, assuring the pharmacy is ready to go.

Of course we always need supplies to get the jobs done

 

And then it is finally show time!  One of our greatest opportunities is to pray with patients.  We never want to take prayer for granted.  It is not our ability that is important, it is our allowing God to work through us that touches people. Being able to pray with patients is a blessing.

 

 

The week passes quickly, but seeing these smiles get us ready to do it again in a few short weeks.

 

We pray that the team has a safe return to the states and that each member will return to serve with us again.

Marie and Sherry Visit

The history of Health Talents is rich and because of God's blessings, the ministry continues to grow. Thank you, Lord! May we always serve you, knowing that you will never fail us.

We have the opportunity to have Marie Agee with us for a few days.  The dreams of Health Talents began with Marie and she has written Mud on Your Own Boots, which documents the history of HTI through the years. Jodi is holding her book, here at Clinic Ezell............which holds much of the history and wonderful stories.

Before Marie arrived, she mentioned that she would like to do a few things. Kemmel was very kind to drive us around for the day.

We visited Chocola, where Health Talents originally served. We visited with Dr. Serio, who served for many years with Health Talents. It was special to be part of this reunion. Marie worked with Dr. Serio for many years, leading teams to Guatemala, as they provided surgical care, focusing on the Mayan population.

We then walked down the road, to visit another family that remembers Marie very well!  As you can see, they had prepared for her visit and had made "Welcome Marie!" signs.

 

As you can tell by the house, they work with bamboo and sections of their home is constructed with bamboo.  What a kind and generous family they are!

They made several gifts for Marie and also gave each of us something to remember the day.

 

What an influence that Marie has had on this community, different families in the area and the volunteers that have been coming down to Guatemala over the years.  The number is incalculable and continues to grow. 

When we left Chocola, we went to visit a physician.  His name is Dr. Zack and he has been associated with Health Talents for many years.  We visit him at his home and then he showed us his clinic area and it was very nice.

 

Health Talents has a program to help mothers with newborns with education and milk supplements.  Marie sponsors a young girl in the program and wanted to meet this child and her parents. 

 

This little girl was a princess and enjoyed playing very much, until the camera was out.  The photo below was one that he parents took before we met them in the dining hall.  What personality!

 

We also visit a chocolate farm, outside of Chicacao.  It was another adventure. Marie trying some of the cacao, fresh from the pod.

 

As we returned to town, we stopped in for some ice cream..............and of course, it was Saritas!

 

I think we all had the same......strawberry cheesecake, with chocolate syrup.  Sherry, with her portion.

Marie and Sherry's visit has passed quickly.......we accomplished a lot but do not be concerned, we left more to be done on their future trip!

I took Marie and Sherry to Antigua, where they had two more day to enjoy themselves.  I prayed for their safe travels and look forward to their next visit!