Ezell is for Clinic, Surgery, and Physical/ Emotional Therapy!

Today, I spent the majority of my time with Kemmel, Milton, Obdulio and Cristofer reviewing the goals of the ABC Program and the responsibilities of all those involved. For those who have spent time with me, you know that I love the program because that is what the foundation is......responsibility. We do not want to develop dependency, at any level.

Milton has just started working with the program so this was a good time to review.

When we finished for the day, Lisa and I walked around the clinic a few times. We met Manuela, one of our dentist. She had brought her children back to play with Javier!

 

If you have been to Ezell, you probably have met Manuela and she is a great addition here.  Her husband, Kevin, preaches from time-to-time at the Montellano congregation.

Her son is Pablo and he is 4 years old.  Katy is her daughter and she is 1 year old.

 

Some projects are coming along......and as I mentioned the other day, do not blink or your miss something!

 

More to follow, in the days to come.

Don't Blink at Ezell!

Let me tell you, a lot is happening here at Ezell.  If you blink, it will suddenly appear different!

We lost a tree, as it was just getting too close to power lines and did not want to risk damage.

 

We have many projects going on and some of them are cute!

 

Other projects require heavier materials and these were delivered early this morning.

 

As I was leaving to go celebrate a birthday, I saw the guys working in the shade with this huge green, "thing."  My curiosity won over so I had to stop and see what it is.

 

They told me that our new friend's name was Javier!

 

 

I enjoy watching the guys work together, be creative and have fun at the same time.

The next afternoon, Javier was completed and found his home not too far from the entrance of the  dental area.

 

 Good job guys!

Second Surgery Team of 2024

We recently completed the second team of 2024 with Gyn and Plastic Surgeries. Several of the team members, I had not seen before COVID so it was a great reunion.  Also, we had several people come for their first time.  Bode led the trip, Kemmel and Lisa were with us and we sailed pretty good.  As I like to say, "We all stayed in the boat!!

As I am trying to get back to blogging, there are several things that happen in a day that we do not take take time to pause and reflect on.  Everything is so hurried. We need to find a PAUSE button in the day, even though it is not easy.  I will talk about this more later.

During the week of surgery, we performed twenty GYN surgeries and nineteen Plastic surgeries. 

One of the big surprises for me was when I saw Bryan's mom!  Bryan had surgery with us when he was less than two years old...........

   

Now, Bryan is seven years old!

Now you understand why I did not recognize Bryan.  His parents have not changed so I was glad that I saw them.  Since they live near Chichicastenango, the father spent the night across the street in the Montellano Church of Christ. I am thankful that the church has opened their doors to us and families that live very far away.

When it came time for the the team to leave for Antigua, it was the first time that we had been photo-bombed! We had finished the photo and were getting ready to pray for safe travels and this lady comes running up and yelling for us to wait and she got into position!  It was quite entertaining so everyone resumed and we got another shot!

It was a good week and we prayed for safe travels.  After a week of work and perspiration, YES, it is still very hot here in Montellano......it was time to relax for a day.

Soon it will be time to return and prep for the team coming in March.  We will provide Eye and Orth surgeries. If you have not joined a team and are interested, please contact.

Farwell to January and Almost February

I wish that I could tell you where January 2024 went. I remember the moment it started in Guatemala City and after that, it has been a whirlwind.

Many good things have happened but I have not kept you informed.

We had our first surgical clinic of 2024 and it went well.  We provided GYN and General surgery for 57 patients.

This was the team, as they prepared to head to Antigua.

In January, we also had the coordinators of the ABC Program join us for a day.  We wanted to involve them more and raise awareness of the services that the ABC Program provides.

 

The Nutritional Class met and had an activity with Marissa.

 

 

We are now helping with the issue of Dengue, as the cases increase in this area. We are helping clean in the community and also with the effort of education and prevention.

The Diabetic Club continues to meet monthly.  

 

As we prepare to enter February, I hope to get back into blogging more and keeping you informed of our activities.

November in One Breath

The month of November flew by...........it actually flew! So, I will recap some of the main activities.

We had two surgical trips in November. I briefly mentioned the first one in a previous post.  

The second surgical clinic was an eye clinic.  The ending report showed that 81 surgeries were completed. We are thankful for those and pray that the patients continue to do well as they recuperate. 

We had two nursing students help us during the surgical weeks and I want to introduce them to you.

First is Yonni.  Yonni, as a young child had plastic surgery.  After this experience, he decided that he wanted to go into healthcare and become a nurse.  He is now 18 years old, will soon graduate and has done well. We was able to visit with Dr. Philip earlier this year and it was a special reunion!

 

Victoria is also in the nursing program. She came for a dental visit, when she was 14 years old and then decided she wanted a healthcare. She is now 24 years old and will soon be a nurse.

 

We wish both of these students the best, as they graduate and begin their professional careers.

 

We also had a ladies seminar with Michelle, Wendy and Brenda

    

 

Several of our staff participated in the three day seminar, there were almost 50 in attendance and good participation.

 

A final photo of the group.

 

 

Living in the extremely warm, coastal area, we have the honor to have a lot of Dengue. We recently had some education on the illness.

 

 

Then we had an opportunity to seek out areas that mosquitos can be easily found.

 

Prevention is the is one of the keys.

 

Our monthly Diabetic Club continues to do well.  This month, we had Baldemar visit and talk about our spiritual needs.

 

The Nutritional Class also met.  Marissa, our psychologist, met with the group and presented some education and play therapy.

 

We had a 3 day seminar with Marvin, that included close to 80 young people.  Here is a group of them after worship on Sunday.

 

After the music seminar, we closed the year.  It was an exciting year......we accomplished a lot but there is always more to do

 

It will be good to return in January and start another year of service with Health Talents.s
 

 

 

 

First Surgical Team in November

As always, there can be a small snag or tumalo with an activity. We had a few when the team arrived but we just shifted gears and all ended well.

When I arrived in Montellano, I took this photo in the morning. My last 2.5 weeks were good in the states but it was nice to return to this.

Before COVID, we had a Nurse Practitioner come with a group to Chichicastenango.  It was her first time in Guatemala and she loved it. She late returned for another round of clinics in Chichi but this time, she opted to come to Montellano. Her name is Susan and she loves being a nurse.

Susan is working the day shift and before each morning started, she rounded up her group for a moment of prayer. She said she wanted everyone to stay focused on the reason that they are here and to treat each patient, as if he/ she was someone that they knew and loved. So my question is, how would this change nursing in the United States, if we were allowed to do it?

 

Just so you know, each day, the group was larger!

 

I love to share interesting stories with you and there are so many more to come!

 

October's Challenges Continue

The month of October has been full of challenges, outside of the normal ones.  Political events and activities have included road blocks, preventing people from travels, closing access to supplies and keeping people from their work and daily activities.  

Before the October team arrived, we had planned a full week of GYN and General Surgeries. We watched with caution as events happened but remained positive that we would be able to continue with the week.

When I arrived in Guatemala City, I heard that I would not have any problem getting to Antigua for a couple of nights but that was not the case. We turned around and I found a place to stay in Guatemala City, as I planned for the team to arrive on Saturday.

There were a few road blocks but not many. I have been here since 2007 and have seen unnumbered protests that start strong and by day two, they hang up their machetes and go home for lunch. 

There were positive posts from the staff too. They were preparing for our arrival.

 

I always tell people that the staff work very hard to prepare for a surgical week and it is true.

 

 

Rigoberto and others greeted the patients as they arrived and continue to do things as normal.

 

 

On Sunday afternoon, Darling and Rita talked with the nursing staff to prepare them for the week.

 

It was a diverse group of volunteers. For many, it was their first time, brought by friends or family who wanted to share a special week in Montellano.  For others, it was their first time after COVID closed us down. It was great to see Barb again, who brought two new people with her.

 

 

One of our very own had surgery...........and we just had to cheer him up!  Someone, came up with the idea to paint Oscar's toes when he was sleeping.....You should have heard him laugh.  I will not tell everyone that Bode did the evil deed! You can see for yourself! The patients in the beds close to him did not want to close their eyes!

 

 

Next time that I see Juana, Oscar's wife, I will ask her if she liked the color!

 

Even thought we have some fun, we do not want to forget that we are here to care for people, ease their pain and let them know we care. Bruce, who served as our chaplain, prayed for the patients this week.
 

Hopefully, some seeds were planted in the few days that the team was here.

 

With the growing unrest here and with roads closing to over 150, we decided it was best that the team return to the states. It was a very difficult decision but strategically thought out.

 

Our team photo was taken after dinner, instead of the usual morning photo before they head to Antigua.

 

The bus left at midnight and as they passed each blockade, I would get a few calls from people letting me know they were safe. After each call, I paused and gave thanks/ Gracias a Dios for their travels.  They made it to the airport and flights were rescheduled.

A very difficult week.......and we will see what the future holds.