Babies are ready for August!

Several families brought their babies to Lemoa today, in hope of having surgery in August.  A few still need to gain a little weight so they will be reevaluated for February 2016. That sounds like a long wait but it will pass quickly  I know the parents are disappointed but we want to make sure the babies are strong enough for surgery. They know that they can return to the clinic, if at any time they have questions.

This is Angel and he will be going with us.  He had his lip surgery last year in Guatemala city.  Now it is time for his palate repair.  He is a patient at ASELSI, here in Chichi and his surgery will be sponsored by Kory. Angel is almost 2 years old and is a serious baby. He wants to think more about this surgery before he commits :)

This is Estafany when I met her last November.  At that point, she was not old enough but the next photo is of Estafany yesterday.

She is a mover!  It is not the best photo but I will have opportunity to take better ones.  She is now nine months old and ready to go. Her surgery will be sponsored by Donna.

This is Brandon and his surgery will be sponsored by Jeanie.  Brandon is nine months old and loves to play.

We had another baby yesterday that came with some questionable lab work. His parents will repeat the labs and see Lisa early on Thursday.  Please pray for Elias that when Lisa sees him, all will be well.

This is a patient that we have been following for several months, Sofia. To the right of  Sofia are Jeydi and Gloria.

Sofia came to see us with severe respiratory problems.  Every breath was a struggle and it was difficult to watch. She previously had a bronchoscopy done which showed a rare illness.  Her trachea had narrowed and was told that she was at a high risk for surgery. We started her on medicine and saw some improvement in the first week. After two months of treatment, she went for a repeat bronchoscopy.  Two weeks ago, I received an email saying that they had taken her to surgery and that it was a success! The surgeon told her that he had never seen anyone do so well!! We were all very happy to see her.

Jeydi, works for Solomon's Porch in Panajachel.  She traveled today with the patients.

Gloria, is Sofia's mom.  She is very excited with Sofia's situation and wanted to check out what is happening in Lemoa.

We are so thankful for the babies that will be able to have surgery, for those that sponsor the surgeries and for Sofia and her improvement.  Thanks to ASELSI and Solomon's Porch that help with transportation and financial assistance.  Please pray for the surgical team that will arrive on August 1st and the Guatemalan team that is preparing for the week.

I will keep you posted as the surgeries take place

Let the Work Begin!!

I have returned to Guatemala after a quick visit in Florida with my parents.  We had a great vacation and it was so good to share some time with them!

Today, was a little more of an adventure than what I had expected. 

I went to Quiche this morning for worship and then spent a few minutes with Aura, our dentist, before I jumped on a bus to return to Chichi.  I sat in the front seat since I knew I would not be on it for long and within a few minutes, I realized that something was not quite right but did not know exactly what it was.

There were two ayudantes, guys that collect the money but usually there is only one.   One had his back to me but he was constantly flushing his face and hands with water. There is a five gallon bucket that they keep in front of the buses to use when the bus needs water or the brakes get hot.......it is not for drinking.  When he turned around, I could see that his bottom lip was severely bleeding and he had blood all over his shirt.

As we left Quiche, I noticed how slow the driver was going.  He driving very slow, which again is very unusual.

When we approached the bridge in Sepela, the driver pulled the bus over before the bridge, blocking the road from a bus that was coming from behind.  The guy who was bleeding, quickly grabbed a machete from under the driver's seat and jumped off the bus.........the driver and the other ayudate followed him.

Many passengers jumped up and ran to the back of the bus to watch the action. I stayed in my seat and watched through the mirror. These three guys were trying to bash out the driver's window and get to the driver with the machete.

I decided that it was better to get off the bus and go to the other side of the bridge.  I did not want to be sitting there if they all returned to our bus. Several others thought the same as I did so we walked across the bridge and we continued on a van to Chichi.

I ran a few errands and then decided to walk home.  The best part of the day was running into Lisa and Kemmel!  They were headed up to Chichi for lunch.

In front of the police station were the two buses. Parts of the driver's window and the door glass were shattered. That glass is not thin so they had to really have had some adrenaline flowing! There must have been an altercation in Quiche before I got on the bus.

The police probably slapped their wrists and sent them on their way.........it is just the way things are.

I hope that tomorrow will be a little calmer.  We will have clinic in Lemoa and all of the babies will return with their lab work.  We will see how many will be good candidates for surgery in August.  I will keep you posted.

Another Baby for August!

Another baby visited us today and his name is Elias.  I think he will be ready for surgery in August.

Elias and his parents playing around. They are patients at ASELSI in Chichi and were referred to us by Carol.

If all goes well, we will have 7-8 babies in August.  It will be interesting to see how all of their lab work in July. We will have a great week at the coast and will help keep everyone busy for a week in Montellano.

Time in Antigua

This weekend, I spent some time in Antigua.  I went for a few different things and accomplished all that I had planned on.

Jane and Joe have been good friends for several years.  They have a ministry here in Guatemala called Evelyn's Baskets.  They help supply the needs of children who are born with cleft lips and palates until they are able to have surgery.  They were in Antigua for about an hour on Saturday morning and I was able to catch up with them for a cup of coffee and get more supplies.

This is Jane and Joe preparing to head to Antigua. 

We did not have time for photos in Antigua so I "stole" these from their page.

It was good seeing you guys and thanks again for the supplies!  I will keep you posted on the babies that will have surgery in August. 

Clinic in Chuicaca

We left Chichi this morning about 0730 and made our way to Chuicaca.

Mike and Julie are back with us for a few weeks.  It is exciting to take them with us to clinics and they always add some fun stories.

We had a small clinic of about 7 patients.  Manuel and Mike thinking about what medicine to use for one of our regular patients.

Since we had a little free time before lunch, we started playing with ring tones and photos for our phones.  This is Julie and she sang her own ring tone for me!  Thanks, Julie!

Then Manuel let me take a photo to identify his call.  We took about 5 before we had one that he approved of :)

We got Celsi's photo on the second shot.

Then we did a group shot with Tomasa, Julie and Sandra.  I was able to crop Tomas' and Sandra's photo from here.

About 1 pm, we were told it was time for lunch.  The afternoon rain had started and we were not able to leave the building.  When it eased up a little, Manuel backed the trucks inside enough to remain dry as we packed.

We enjoyed a lunch of chow mien.  Faustine mentioned us doing an IVAA class in July.  I told him that we would have to wait until August but I am still willing to do it.  We will see what happens.

Yes, it is almost time to visit my parents in FL.  Last year we had a great time relaxing and I think it will be the same this year.  Sally will be down for three nights and it will be good to see her too. The time will pass very quickly but we will savor every moment :)

Great Clinic in Xepol!!

Cecy, Manuel and I headed out to Xepol for clinic today.  What a great day it was!

Tomas helped us with clinic today.  It has been a few months since I have seen him so it was good to reconnect.  When we finished with patients, he asked if his family could come and he wanted me to pray for them.

Several months ago, I had the uncomfortable responsibility to tell Tomas that his daughter, Sebastiana was pregnant.  That started a whirlwind of events but things have turned out wonderful.

The promise that God made to Moses remains the same for us today.

Deuteronomy 31:6

Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you, he will never leave you nor forsake you.

Life is full of challenges and issues...........but when our relationship with God is strong, we will survive.

This is Sebastiana with Aylin Vella.  She is now four months old and growing quickly.  Sebastiana was baptized on Monday! 

Cecy loves babies and was tempted to take Aylin home with her :)

We shared our thoughts with Sebastiana and her family.  The responsibility of being a mother, teaching your children and importance of love.  Of course, Manuel translated for me and then I asked him to pray.  We are thankful for two new lifes..........physical and spiritual!

Tomas in one happy grandfather!

Babies for surgery!

This last week has just flown by!  Last Thursday we had 35 medical patients in Caris.

On Saturday, we had English Class in Chichi..  There were 12 students and the participation was excellent!

Today, we saw 6 babies for surgery in August.  One will have to wait until February for his palate surgery but hopefully, these 5 babies will head to Montellano!

Sooooooo..........here we go!!

This is Emerson and he is 11 months old.  He had his lip surgery in Guatemala City last year so now he is ready for his palate surgery.

This is Emerson and his mom. She is a sweet lady and is ready to get this second surgery done with!

This is Juan and he is 6 months old.  He will have to gain 2-3 pounds but I think that he can do it!

Juan and his parents........if we are able to do his lip surgery in August, he will be able to have his palate surgery in August of 2016.

This is Jorge!  He is almost 2 years old.

He will be in the same situation as Juan, so these families will get to spend time together for two years!

This is Angel and he is 1.5 years old.  He does have an angelic look to him :)

Here he is with his parents.  He had his lip surgery last year in Guatemala City.

This was the last baby of the day and he was just all over the room!  His name is Felipe and he is a very content baby.

He did not like to have his photo taken at all.........

All of these babies are from ASELSI, a clinic that is close to where I live.  Carol, a nurse, who works at ASELSI gave me the contact information and I called everyone last week.

I have sponsors for all of the babies.  Once I can confirm that the baby will have surgery, I will contact that person so they can know who and what family that they are helping!

The babies will return on July 13th with their lab work.  If all looks good, we will sign the papers and prepare to head to Montellano on August 1st.  Please pray that everything goes well and that the team of health care providers have safe travels!