River Trip

Last Wednesday, we decided to take a trip to the river for our Sabbath. This post is just a few pictures from that trip.
The view on the walk down.

 

There is a sandy place where we have played volleyball with the Fickers. No volleyball this day but the sand was lots of fun for Hannah and Sam!

 

Of course, they did get in the water as well. Caleb is working on a damn or opening one up - can't tell from this picture.

 

Don and Bethany were searching for tadpoles. They did find some and we took them with us but many were dead by the time we got home.

 

It was a great way to spend our Sabbath. The rest of the week went fast. On Saturday after clinic, we went to the children's home for a few days. We did not have time to post while we were there but we did take lots of pictures. Postings to come! Thanks for reading!

Medical Clinics

I (Don) always have a hard time posting on the medical clinics. It is hard to stop and ask someone if I can take their picture when there is a long line of people that don't feel well. This last week, I respectfully tried to take a few pictures.

Adonai holds three medical clinics every week. The most physicially isolated of the clinics lies in the mountains between San Andreas and Canilla. Chiminisijuan is a very remote very poor village. This picture is of the 'road' leading to the clinic. During the dry season it is rough, during the wet season, it is often impassable. Here is a picture of a bridge over a drainage ditch.

 

Here is a picture of Armando preaching before clinic starts. The sermon is given in Quiche, the local Mayan language.

 

We often find ourselves without the proper equipment, medicine, etc. This little boy has a broken collar bone. Dr Malachi is rigging up a sling for him. Malachi Courtney is a second year Med-Peds resident. He is very smart and a lot of fun to be around. I very much enjoyed getting to work with him. While is Guatemala, he also shared his time with Dr Pope in Chichi.

 

Here is a picture of Malachi holding a little guy after he examined him. The patient population is mostly women and children, lots of prenatal exams. The patients are very poor and often uneducated. There is a mix of simple intervention to very sick, very complicated patients.

 

Our time seems to have gone very fast. I only have five more clinic days left. I always enjoy my time working with the Guatemalan people. There is so much need and there are times when I feel so inadequate, yet the people are so thankful for any help that we can give them even if all we can offer is prayer.

Pizza Day

 

We spent the day at the children's home today. I try to make pizza for the kids sometime during our time here and today was the day! We usually have lots of activities for the younger children but it is hard to bring something specifically for the older boys. Pizza is something that they really enjoy and seem to look forward to.

It is also a way for me to give the workers a little bit of a break from cooking a meal. However, I had some helpers today. They wanted to be a part of it and it was fun to have them help. These two have been at the home for a very long time and are really special to me. They are Lita on the left and Zoila on the right.

 

We made eleven pizzas. I always try to pack pepperoni as a treat. They also like to have hamburger and then a very Guatemalan pizza with "sal chichas" which are little hot dogs. Here are some pictures of the kids enjoying their pizza.

This is Tiana

 

This is Samuel

 

This is Manuel

 

This is Melissa

 

Here are Melissa, Luisito and Venuncio at their own little table. So cute!

 

We also did a couple activities with the kids but didn't seem to get any pictures. It was a fun day!

Our kids are still struggling with some coughs but it appears that everyone is on the mend! Thanks for praying.

Shalom

Most of us know that the word "Shalom" means peace and is often used as a greeting. We learned last Friday that the word has a much deeper meaning of "completeness, wholeness and restoration".

 

Don and I traveled with the Fickers (Duane, Leslie and Katie Shaw) and Dr. Malachi to the Petén last Friday. The Petén is the northernmost part of Guatemala and is known for its Mayan ruins and jungle vegetation. Duane flew us to the international airport in Flores. The view from the airplane was incredible. We only had four headsets for 6 people so I put in my earbuds and worshipped the Lord for the hour long flight. It was amazing!

We went to the Petén to meet with some missionaries who have started a hospital there. Only a small percentage of all the missionaires in Guatemala are located in this region that makes up almost half of the total area of the country. There are people groups in this region that have never seen "gringos" or heard of Jesus.

The name of the hospital is Hospital Shalom. Their mission is "completeness and restoration" of their patients physical, spiritual and emotional well-being. They are completely committed and dependent on the Lord in all that they do.

 

The hospital is located on a little over 3 acres. The compound includes the hospital, some living quarters, dining/laundry building, the chapel and other miscellaneous buildings.

 

The hospital is currently one story but they are in the process of constructing the second story. Because elevators require alot of maintenance and don't often work in the high humidity, they have installed a ramp in order to get patients to the second floor.

 

The facilities were amazing and the missionaries, Tim and Doris, were awesome people. They have such an openness and generosity about them. To learn more about what they do there, go to their website here.

Our trip was so interesting and so much fun, but the life of a missionary can't always be that exciting! Just as in the States, we spend a portion of everyday just doing the things we need to do to "live". Fixing meals, cleaning, etc. etc. On Saturday, we decided that we needed to clean our pila.

If you remember, our pila serves as our kitchen and bathroom sink as well as our "washer". It has a huge reservoir for water that is supposed to stay "clean" even though it is outside and debris is constantly being blown into it. To clean the reservoir, we had to drain the water and then get inside it to scrub it down. I say "we" but I really mean "Caleb"!

 

 

Caleb did an awesome job. We added some bleach to the water in the hopes that we won't have to clean it again before we leave! Who knew that owning and maintaining our backyard swimming pool would be useful to us in Guatemala? Seriously, Samuel did keep asking if he could "swim" in the pila!

We have a couple viruses moving through our family and the Fickers. We would really appreciate your prayers for health and total "restoration" of our bodies. Shalom!

Fun at the Home

Last Monday, we went to the children's home, Hogar de Vida. We have been visiting and serving at the Home since 2003 when Don and I made our first trip to Guatemala. We have watched many of the kids grow up and have enjoyed getting to know the new ones. It takes us about a half hour to drive there from where we are living. It is really only about 5 miles as the crow flies but we have to drive on winding, dirt mountain roads.

Our goal when we go is to try to help out as much as we can. They are currently short handed with their staff so I like to help in the kitchen and with laundry etc. We also try to bring an activity for the kids to do. If we can take over the responsibility of the kids, we can give the workers a little break.

This is Venuncio. If you have been following our trips to Guatemala, you may remember him as a baby. He was very sick when he was little so we had him with us for quite a while. We figured out that he had an issue with formula and had to buy a special kind for him. He is now 2 years old and rather chunky! It is fun to see him all healthy.

 

These little cuties are Rosa and Sebastiana (or Tiana). Tiana is finishing up her activity - a crocodile form that they weaved different colored strips of foam through. Behind the little girls is Chepa. She has a neurologic disorder and has frequent seizures which is why she is wearing a helmet. Her health has gone down hill dramatically since we have seen her last.

 

The girls and Don helped the kids with their activity while Samuel and Caleb played soccer with some of the boys. Here is Samuel with Beni.

 

Angelita has downs syndrome. She has lost weight and aged dramatically since we have seen her last. She is always very excited to see us and would make Don grape kool-aid (his favorite) every time we came. This time she did not even have the energy for this simple task. We are not sure of her age but she has thrived in this home setting. She always had specific tasks to do and she took care of Chepa. Now her and Chepa are both requiring a little more attention as their ability to care for themselves is decreasing.

 

We had a great day serving at the home. Caleb spoke more Spanish than I have ever heard him speak. It was fun to watch Bethany play with and watch over the little kids. Hannah and Samuel had fun just playing with everyone. Don loves to make up songs and silly jokes with the kids. And for some reason, washing their laundry, doing their dishes and mopping their floor is way more fun than doing my own! We plan to go back next Monday with another activity and to serve them in whatever way we can.

Samuel's Birthday

Today is our Sabbath here. We take it on Wednesdays because there is clinic on Sundays. It is so nice to have a day set aside to rest and relax. We had mango oatmeal for breakfast and then did a little family worship and prayer time. It is a good time to check in with the kids to see how they are doing and what they are thinking about being here. So far so good!

As I wrote in the previous post, Samuel had his birthday just after we arrived. Samuel turned 7 on the 13th. My dad's birthday is on the 12th and he is 60 years older than Samuel. We had a birthday party with my family the weekend before we left. Here is my dad and Samuel blowing out their candles on their birthday cherry pies!

There were also a couple 1st birthdays at the Ficker home the week we arrived so they decided to have a little party and bonfire. They were so sweet to include Samuel in the celebration. Here he is with his birthday cupcake.

And, of course, we had to have a little party on his actual birthday day! We packed the "7" candle and a few presents and had our own celebration on Sunday. He asked for beans and rice for his birthday dinner which is VERY doable here!

We haven't been just celebrating since we arrived. Don has helped with the three weekly clinics - Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday. The kids and I did some unpacking and even a little school while Don was busy. We also went to the children's home on Monday. We will post pictures of that day next.

It is funny to us how we can just jump right back in here as if we never left. The temperatures have been very springlike even a little chilly at night. We very quickly adapted to the wonderful weather!