Thursday, February 26, 2009

Sabbath

The Fickers and our family have all committed to taking a sabbath on Wednesdays every week. The weekends are full with clinics and we all have really felt that we need to commit to one day of rest and family time. It is a day that all of us look forward to every week.

This Wednesday both families were going on picnics. The Fickers went up the mountain along the canal (I think Rachel took some pictures so watch for them on her blog). Our family was going to go to a new place (new to us) that the Fickers told us about. The Fickers were more organized and left earlier than us. Just as we were getting ready to leave, a young family showed up at the gate. Their 3 month old baby had a cleft pallette and was one that had been seen in the clinic before. Don was trying to get the specifics when the dad started to cry because he was so worried about his son. We decided that we needed to try to help this child before we left. I went to tell the kids what was going on and Don brought them into the clinic. The baby had been to clinic last Saturday and received antibiotics but the parents felt that he was worse. He had had diahrea for several days and a fever. Don agreed that the baby probably had an ear infection but now had a pneumonia and an infection in his stomach. We grabbed some infant tylenol and a different antibiotic from the bodega. While Don was examining the baby, the father began to weep and pray. He was pooring out his desperation and fear to the Lord. Once we had all the medicines ready and labeled, we asked if we could also pray with them for the child. When you pray in a group here, you don't wait and go one at a time, everyone prays all at once. So the four of us (two in English and the other two in Quiche and Spanish) were all crying out to the Lord for this family at one time. All four of us were weeping and pleading for the Lord's mercy and grace over this little boy. We are not sure all that was wrong physically with the baby but the parents were so fearful that we knew they needed the Lord's peace more than any medicine. We told them to take the new antibiotic for three days as well as the infant tylenol for pain and the fever. If the baby didn't get better, we asked them to please return on Saturday for clinic. Although this might not fit what people would normally consider 'Sabbathish', we knew that this was part of the Lord's plan for us on this Sabbath. We had such peace about delaying our picnic for a little bit so that we could stand with these parents in prayer for their baby.

Our kids were awesome as they waited for us. Once we explained that it was a little baby, they had compassion for this family as well. As soon as we could send the family on their way, we took off for our picnic.

We were going to a place where two rivers meet. I am sure that in the rainy season, the water is very high and rough because even now in the dry season, the current was strong. We took a few pictures along the way.
Here are some people fishing in the river.

Not many places are very green right now. Everything is very dry and brown. However, if you are blessed enough to live by the river, you can actually have some green fields. We saw tomatoes, corn and other vegetables as we drove.

Once we arrived the kids found the best places for swimming. This spot is a little deep and the current is pretty strong.

Climbing on the rocks was one of the highlights.

Caleb took a picture of Bethany and I.

It is always an adventure when we go to the river. This trip we actually spotted a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Monday, February 23, 2009

Clinic Updates

Last week in San Andres, a mother came to clinic with three of her five children. The youngest one had a bad ear infection. As we talked, she became tearful and with good reason. Her husband was with another woman, he drinks too much and had sold their land, her parents had died, and her mother-in-law wasn't nice to her (I'm pretty sure that's the jist of what she was saying about her). The team that came from Guatemala city a couple of weeks ago had given bags of food for us to distribute after they left. I gave her one of these bags. The woman was adament that she would like Leslie to pray with her. I took her to the other clinic room and Leslie and I prayed for her, her child, and her circumstances. After praying, she took Leslie aside and asked her about birth control (pills vs. injection - with five kids and essentially no resources, I believe it was a responsible question). As she left, I had the sense that this is how it should work. Today, this woman was ministered to in body (medicine & food), mind (a listening ear & encouraging words), and spirit (prayer). I am again grateful to be able to serve here.

This last week in Canilla, we had two kids with what we think is Rotovirus. One poor girl had water just running out both ends. We had to refer both of them to the hospital in Quiche. We just don't have the ability to support these kids in the way that they need to be supported. It again reminds me of how much need there is here and how frustrating it is to have limited resources. The drive to Quiche is two hours, that is if you have a car - which most do not. Many times, when kids need to go to the hospital, they do not get taken. It is just too much, or people don't feel like they are able.

This last Thursday, we took another trip north up to San Pedro in Zona Reina. We took two loads up in the Cessna. When we arrived, our first task of the day was to go out on a house-call. This is a picture of us heading out.

Our patient was an old woman with a sinus infection. Here is a picture of her son and grandsons standing outside their house.

Walking back up to clinic, I took this picture. The building on the left is the Catholic church where we showed the Jesus film (in their indian language - 'Kekchi') as the people waited. The building on the right is the community building (or 'Salon') which serves as the clinic building.

Here is a picture of the clinic set up as we were getting started. Katie's prenatal/ultrasound line is on the left, medical consults on the right, the waiting area on the far wall, and the pharmacy table running down the middle.

Here is a picture of Katie and Aaron Ficker. The kids flocked to her as soon as they saw her calling out, "Kay-tee!"

Before we started clinic, a local pastor translated for Duane and Leslie and offered a word of encouragement. Also, a new believer read out of a Bible translated into their language.

Here are pictures of Craig and I examining patients. We counted out about a hundred numbers, but I am not sure how many we saw that day (and as most of them can't count, they were not anywhere close to coming in numerical order). We had everyone seen and headed out at about four in the afternoon.


Pictures cannot capture how incredible the views from the airplane. Seeing the mountains peeking through the clouds and then giving way to the valleys - it is just unbelieveable!

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Samuel's Birthday

Yes, Samuel's birthday was over a week ago! We have had several days of not even turning the computer on because it has been so busy. Sorry it has been so long since we posted.

Samuel's birthday was the day after we returned from Mexico. He told us he wanted to jump on the trampoline and check for eggs in the chicken pen with Grace (things he does almost every day!) He also (along with all his siblings) played legos in the morning.


Samuel didn't get any legos for his birthday but he did get a new Leapster game, a nerf football and some bubbles. The Fickers also gave him a cool cargo truck that they filled with plastic animals. He was very excited!

We have also added the Fickers' birthday tradition of dancing to the Beetles' birthday song to our celebration. It was an easy addition as my dad usually tries to sing "You say its your birthday na, na, na, na, na, na" to the kids on their birthday. Abi calls it the "Oh Ouch" dance or something as she jumps up and down saying, you guessed it, "Oh Ouch" while the song is playing.

Samuel asked for a chocolate cake and the girls said we had to put a five on it. It was a great party and yes, Sam did jump on the trampoline and search for eggs with Gracie.


The week since Samuel's birthday has gone very fast. When we returned from Mexico, Heidi and Isaac were here. Duane flew them to the city on Saturday and picked up our next three visitors who were staying for a week. Don had clinic on Saturday and a long one in San Andres on Sunday. Monday we started a study together called Emotional Healthy Spiritually along with our church in Omaha. Tuesday was another clinic day in Chiminisijuan. We have all committed to taking a Sabbath on Wednesday (which is something we all look forward to every week!) and Thursday was clinic in San Pedro (see Leslie's blog for an update). Yesterday we went to the Children's Home since we have not been there for almost 3 weeks (due to the clutch breaking, a trip to Mexico and clinic in the Zona Reina). And that brings us back to clinic today! Don has promised a clinic update soon but we aren't promising what day!! Have a great weekend - thanks for reading.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Our Trip to Mexico

We are in Guatemala on a 90 day tourist visa that has to be renewed so we can stay longer. The first time we renewed the visas we went to Guatemala City and paid a fee for the renewal. However, Guatemala immigration requires that you leave the country every six months so we couldn't just go the City this time. The rules also limit which countries you can even go to in order to renew your visa. Mexico is one that will work. Don had driven through Tapachula, Mexico on the way down and decided that this would be a good place to take our family for this required 3 day paseo.

Tapachula is the largest city in southern Mexico. It has a definite United States influence. There is a Sam's Club, a Home Depot, an Office Depot, a Dominoes, a Burger King and others. It was alot like travelling to Guatemala City. We stayed in a Comfort Inn with a beautiful pool and a nice restaurant.

Here are some actions shots of the kids (Samuel, Caleb, Hannah and Bethany) swimming in the pool.




On Wednesday, we traveled about 30 minutes to the beach. The kids have never been to the ocean (Caleb had but he was 2 at the time) so they were very excited about going. Samuel was a little worried about sharks but we assured him that we wouldn't go that deep into the water.

The person at the hotel sent us to Playa Linda (pretty beach). There are many hotels, restaurants and private homes along the beach. We were driving up and down wondering where to go when a man came over to our car and invited us to his establishment. He had bathrooms, two pools and covered tables close to the beach. Because we were going to eat lunch there we were able to spend the whole day. The first thing we did was head to the beach. Caleb took this picture - notice Hannah and Bethany at the water's edge on the right.

Samuel didn't really care for the waves. He spent most of his time in the sand. We found shells, sand dollars and a dead skate ray. (We didn't take a picture of it but here is a link to a similar one.)

Everyone else really enjoyed the waves.



The kids really enjoyed the pools there as well. They swam before and after lunch. Behind the pools you can see the thatched roofs over the tables (if you look really close to the left, you can see the one and only picture of me enjoying the shade). Past the thatched roofs, you can see the beach and ocean where we played.

Lunch was another adventure. Caleb and Don ordered shrimp. The rest of us shared chicken and beefsteak. We also ordered a pitcher of fresh lemonade. Of course, lunch included tortillas and black beans.

The day at the beach was very relaxing and it was absolutely beautiful. The owner's wife asked us when we were coming back. We told her that if we come back to Tapachula, Mexico, we will be sure to return.

On Thursday, we loaded up and headed back to Guatemala. The border crossings went smoothly and the kids did great. We ate lunch in Xela at a Pollo Camperos with a playland. This was one of the best decisions we made the whole trip!! As my dad would say - the younger three were able to get their "stink off"!

Today is Samuel's birthday so we will post more on that later! We are trying to catch up on laundry and get ready for clinics this weekend. Thanks for reading!

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Mexico

We are in Mexico to renew our 90 tourist visa to Guatemala. (Obviously since we are here, the clutch is fixed in the truck.) We left on Monday morning at about 5 am and drove the whole day through Guatemala to the border. We checked into our hotel in Tapachula, Mexico at around 4 pm. We were all in bed by 7 pm last night. It was a long, tiring drive.

Today we ran some errands and now the kids are swimming in the hotel pool. Tomorrow we plan on heading to the beach. The border guards were very adamant at telling us that we have to stay out of Guatemala for 3 days. We will head back to the border on Thursday morning and try to get all the way back to Canilla in one day.

We have limited internet access here. It doesn't work in our room so we have to sit in the lobby. We probably won't post again until we return to Canilla. We will try to take lots of pictures and post them as well!

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Connections

Have you ever heard "It's all about who you know."? It seems as if people who "know people" and have more connections are a step ahead. For years, the Fickers have been the people "to know" mostly because they are North Americans and the people here have this perception that we are all rich and have unlimited resources. Well that is kind of true - the United States is a very rich country and even the poorest in our country have more than most people in the highlands of Guatemala. People including pastors, parents with sick kids or even friends, come to the Fickers expecting miracles for their sick kids, loans, jobs, free stuff etc. Everyone seems to want something. Yesterday we met Guatemalans who were different. They didn't want anything, in fact, they wanted to give.

Through a series of God ordained events and meetings, the Fickers have begun a relationship with a church in Guatemala City called El Shaddai. (See the Fickers blog for more on this) The plan was for a team to come on Friday and do a worship service in the park. They wanted to use the Ficker's clinic building for their medical outreach so we spent all day Friday getting ready for them. They planned on staying at the hotel in Canilla who would also provide all their meals. Of course it didn't happen exactly the way they planned. It took them a very long time to get to Canilla from the City - like almost 12 hours. They had large vehicles and drivers who weren't used to these mountain roads. Because they were so late, the hotel manager rented half of their rooms to other people. A few who drove separately were able to get here a little sooner and did hold a short service at about 8 pm but the rest of the team did not arrive until around midnight. The Fickers opened their home and found beds for about 12 of the team so they would have a place to spend the night.

Saturday started early with Leslie preparing hot drinks and breakfast. Once everyone was fed the organizing began. The team was so well prepared and knew exactly how they wanted to run the day. They had brought 3 dentists, a pediatrician and a physical therapist. They also needed to have room for Leslie, Don and Katie. Here is a picture of the makeshift hallway and some of the people waiting.


While the medical clinic was going on, several of the team members played games with the kids who were waiting with their parents to be seen.


The day was long and many, many people were seen. The last patient came through at around 6 pm. The team wanted to pray for us before they went to the hotel for dinner. It was at this point that I realized how much this was the connection that the Fickers needed. The connection was based on a mutual relationship with the Lord. This was a working together of the body of Christ the way the Lord desires it to happen. The Fickers now have names and faces of people who are in Guatemala City. When they have to send someone to the city for the medical care that they need, they know that they can count on these individuals to help and care for the ones who are being sent. One of the best blessings of the day was to see the Guatemalans serving other Guatemalans. The Ficker's goal has always been to work themselves out of a job. If people are looking to the Fickers for all their needs they won't see the Lord or the resources available in their own country. If the Fickers and other missionaries can point people to Christ, then they can rise up and point others to Christ and His provisions. (For more pictures of the day see our February newsletter!)

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Foot Burn Follow-up

Today, the young girl with the burn on her foot returned to clinic for a recheck. Her foot looked much better this week. We continued the dressing changes for the next couple of weeks and told her mother that she didn't need to be seen again unless there is a problem. Here are pictures of the girl with her mother and a close-up of her healing burn. (unfortunately, the gentleman in San Andres did not show up in clinic this week - hopefully he is doing well)

Do We Need the Clutch??

Apparently the answer is "yes"! Last Sunday, Don was driving home from clinic in San Andres (by himself, because everyone else had decided to stay and go to church that evening). The kids and I waited and waited for him to return so we could eat supper and watch a movie together. Finally at 6:10 or so, David came over and asked what was up with my husband. Apparently Aaron had passed him on the way to San Andres at the halfway mark (an aldea called Lililla). As Aaron passed him, he could smell clutch which I guess you shouldn't smell, right?? Anyway that was at 5:20 and Lililla is only about 15 minutes away. David was about to get in a vehicle and go looking when Don came walking/jogging up. He made it a little farther than Lililla but still quite a walk away from the Fickers. Don and David took off to tow the truck home.

Yesterday, David, Don and Craig (Caleb and Samuel helped too) worked on taking the truck apart. Notice the tow rope! They are taking the truck to the airport to work on it.


I don't know what this is but I am assuming it works better on the inside of the truck!

They took off all of the broken parts and Don put them on the bus to leave at 6 am this morning for Quiche. A mechanic friend there, Martin, will get them off the bus when it arrives (at around 9 am) and try to find new parts that match! He will put the new parts on the bus in the afternoon (if all goes well) and we will have them tonight. We will need to get money to him as well (apparently car parts aren't a whole lot cheaper here than they are in the US) but we don't want to send cash on the bus for obvious reasons!

I felt this overwhelming sense of thankfulness all day yesterday. I am so thankful that we decided not to go to church Sunday night. The clutch would have gone out while we were all in the truck on the way home in the dark. I am so thankful that it didn't happen while we were on our way to or in Mexico (we have to leave Guatemala at the 6 month mark to renew our 90 day tourist visas). I am so thankful that we have a Toyota and we can get parts in this country. I am so thankful for friends who know how to fix these things and other friends who will take broken parts off the bus and put new ones back on it. I am so thankful to the Lord for protecting us and watching out for us and providing for us everyday. He is good all the time!

Sunday, February 1, 2009

God is light!


We woke up this morning to no electricity. When I opened my eyes it was so dark that it was hard to tell that my eyes were open. Samuel was crying because he couldn't see either. Don got up and lit some candles after he ran into some stuff on the way! Samuel went back to sleep after being told that the lights didn't work. I got up and started making some granola for breakfast. Since our stove runs on propane we were able to still use it without electricity. Don took this picture of me reading the recipe and stirring the ingredients by candle light. It looks much lighter than it is because of the flash on the camera.

We rely so much on electricity. We don't realize that until we don't have it. I was very thankful this morning that the weather is so mild here unlike the weather in the US where many people don't have power because of ice and snow. We pray that power will be restored soon to those in the dark and cold.

All of this reminded me of 1 John 1:5 "This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all." When it was so dark this morning, one candle made a big difference. A small amount of light will push back the darkness. More candles, added to the first one, made an even bigger difference. If we have the Lord in us, we make a difference in this world. We show the world the light of God if we live our lives for Him. It doesn't matter if we are in Guatemala or Africa or the United States, the Lord can shine His light through us.

We are in the middle of another clinic weekend. Don, Leslie, Katie, Craig and Malachi (a visitor for the weekend) are in San Andres right now. I pray that the people that they are serving are seeing the light of Christ in them. I pray that all of us shine brightly for Him today! Thanks for reading!