Caring for Ninos

When we are not participating with HTI medical or surgical trips we are volunteering at the Hermano Pedro Hospital here in Antigua. The hospital serves to provide care to the poor people of Guatemala locally and throughout the country. The hospital has many medical clinics, pathology, X-ray department and a 5 bed surgical suite, recovery room and some beds for overnight stays.

Neva & I are volunteering in a part of the hospital that functions as an orphanage. There are approximately 45 children in the dormitory where we volunteer ranging from 2 years of age to 28 years old. The children have a variety of disabilities including cerebral palsy, hydrocephalus, downs, seizure disorders, and autism. Their extreme physical limitations make it necessary for all to be in wheelchairs except one who is autistic. Nearly all require total care.

We arrive in the early am to help feed breakfast and then provide oral care. Afterwards, we take them out on this veranda that is in the picture.... hold, talk and play with the children. It is so amazing to watch them respond to a touch, a smile, a little music or their name. We can't say enough about the Guatemalan staff that care for these sweet ones around the clock....they are truly wonderful!

While there is definitely a serious side to the work, by far, it is one of joy and many laughs. Melvin provided us with one of these moments a few days ago. He was not having a good start to his day. I began to feed him a rather large bowl of frijoles, bread, and egg when all of a sudden, he placed both hands in the bowel and then "threw his hands up with the food". SO Melvin did not want frijoles this morning! So, the staff gave me another bowl, this one, full of a liquid vegetable (high protein) mush to feed him. I placed a spoonful in his mouth, he spit it out with force and accuracy that I can only remember my Grandfather possessing. Dispite this behavior Melvin is a very sweet, joyful child.

In the Gospel of Matthew 18:10 it states"Be careful, do not think these children are not important. I tell you these children have angels in heaven. Those angels are always with my Father in heaven.

Four Wheeling

After spending two months in the states we are back in Guatemala and back on track with serving the Guatemala people for the glory of God. The first week we worked with the Preston Crest C of C and the Antigua Church for 2 day during their annual medical mission trip. We enjoyed working with a physician from El Salvador who is an OB-GYN

On Wednesday, we traveled to Chichi to join the medical mobile group who were from Texas, Alabama, Arkansas, and other surrounding states. We were the only RNs on the trip, so we helped the staff with vital signs, lab testing, answering questions and translating as the need presented.

A new adventure for me (Glenn),the second week in ChiChi, was the construction of bathrooms for a newly built church. There was a great group of men who flew to Guatemal for this project to work with members of the church in Mactzul III. I really enjoyed getting to know these men and working beside them in the mud and cement. I learned a lot and now can mix cement and build a wall with concrete blocks ( hope my wall stays upright). We sent the cement mixer (fondly named Fernando by some of the group) to another church that is being built at Mactzul V. It is great to see the church growing in these small villages to the extent that they are ready for their own buildings in which to worship. It was good to be back in the highlands of Guatemala working alongside the HTI team in that area.

Our next trip is the first of August when we travel to the coast (Montellano) for a week of plastics/general/ENT surgery.

Return

It has been awhile since we posted an update. In April we moved to Antigua and are now volunteering part time with HTI for the surgical team trips. This is where we started many years ago and work we continue to find meaningful and satisfying. We are blessed to be able continue with this mission work. This will allow us to spend more time at home helping Neva's parents and visiting our children, too.
This past week we were with the surgical team at Montellano. One of the Elder's from Fairview Road Church of Christ (and a dear friend), Jerry Templer, came on his first trip to Guatemala. It was an encouragement for us to be with him. As an ENT surgeon, hopefully, he will return to do surgery with HTI in the future. The team was comprised of veterans and individuals new to the HTI ministry. The teamwork was amazing, as usual, and we cared for approximately 73 patients during the week. As we experience on each trip, it was sad to tell everyone goodbye, but we anticipate seeing many of our old and new friends in the future.

God is working

The other day Neva and I went up town to get out of the house as we were starting to get a little tired of the same old four walls. This means that I can have a cup of coffee and talk to some of our Guatemala friends.

One of our friends after the usual Hola he ask how to translate a short phrase from Spanish to English. The phrase was Soneir por amor Dios te which translates Smile God loves you. We ask him if he understood and he said yes but he wanted to know more. Sounds like a bible story--yes? We talked a little more and reassured him that a member from his community would be in contact to study.

Acts 8:29 – 35
The Spirit told Philip, Go to the chariot and stay near it. Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “ Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked.
How can I, he said, “unless someone explains it to me?’’ So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
The eunuch ask Philip, "Tell me, please who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

Please pray that God will continue to work in this young man's heart and HIS word will be heard and understood

Surgery : Anyone can participate

It has been an eventful week! We woke up on Tuesday morning at 0500 with our house shaking. Yes, there was a tremblor estimated by one of the newspapers as a 5.4 then while at Clinca Caris that same day, we had a repeat performance, but this time 5.7. Most everyone exited the building as it was stronger and seemed to last way too long.

The next event started on Sunday, when Glenn discovered that he had a potential problem that might require surgery. When he woke up yesterday, the pain had increased and we decided to visit the local missionary surgeon in Chichi and get his opinion. That was about 1oa and by 3pm Glenn was in the OR having surgery. (not an emergency....but since Glenn hadn't eaten and the surgeon was available, everyone agreed it needed to be done. ) Gaspar and Manuel, two of our Health Promoters arrived and prayed with Glenn...then, Sheri came and sat with me during the surgery, which I really appreciated. The surgery went really well and he returned to his room smiling and talking to us, which put all of us at ease. It was wonderful to have a Christian surgeon (and first assistant who happens to be another missionary in town that we had previously met). Last evening, Glenn had a steady stream of visitors (Kemmel and Lisa, the family that we live with, and Maure, her mother and others.) The caring and concern that we felt made up for any of the miles between us and home. A huge thanks to everyone!


Glenn getting ready to go home this morning. He is definitely feeling better than 24 hrs earlier.

Arriving home from the hospital in a rather unconventional manner...via tuk-tuk. It works!

We learned again how good our Lord Jesus is and how we can be confident in knowing that we are in His care. No matter the circumstances, he is always faithful!

School Plus More

This past week we returned to Spanish school in Xela to improve our language skills. We got so much more than just language. We stayed with a lovely older women Elueva and her family and their home. She served us three meals a day and would sit and talk with us while we eat. Elueva and daughter are pictured.



At the school we had two teachers who also taught Quiche in the schools of Xela.



Xela is the second largest city in Guatemala and when you first see it looks like a older European city. The buildings are not as tall but, the streets are very narrow and the city has many round-a-bouts. There are many cafes to enjoy a cup of coffee and the residents like to talk about the town.

A New Chapter

We completed the week by going to a clinic that requires us to pack the supplies and medicines though a pasture past several corn fields and to a home. The clinic is one of Neva's favorite ones as the family hosting us are very friendly and kind. She really enjoys talking with the women and playing with the dogs and a cat. In the photo below the women of the home are helping us carry supplies back to the pickup.

With Neva healthy we started to pack some of our things and made final arrangements to go to Xela to attend Spanish School. Sunday we drove on the intercostal highway and it is a beautiful drive though the mountains to Xela. At the pinnacle of the mountain their is a town called Alaska. Some time soon we will stop on the way and take a picture of the road sign to proof it really exist. Actually it is very chilly even on a sunny day in Alaska, Guatemala.

We arrived in Xela and decided to celebrate dia del Corino, Valentines Day, by going to Pizza Hut and have a pizza with fresh vegatebles and cheese. I believe on showing my sweetheart a good time on this special day. While we were eating, there was a rock band outside playing for the people and many people were gather around to enjoying the music. It was great to see people in customary dress and others very modern clothing. It takes a open mind with acceptance to constant change to go from carring our supplies in the country side though corn fields to a modern city with a rock band. Please pray our speaking Spanish can evolve this rapidly.

God opens doors

This week we were supposed to be in Spanish school in Xela but, God had something else in mind. Neva had the unfortunate experience of a very acidic "lime" that was orange in color and like a tangerine. Short sorry it was not good for her mouth and the normal flora that lives there. Today she is much better after prayer, telephone consults with Dr. Lisa and PenVK.

Since we did not go to school we stayed home, studied spanish and worked on a few medical assignments to help develop the knowledge base we need. But, more important were the people that GOD put in our paths or opened the door for us to meet during this time. Jesus was leading us like we were his sheep through the door.
First there were 2 young women in our neighborhood who wanted to find out more about us. We all talked about where we lived in the states and who we work with and the mission of providing evangelistic medical care to people. They seemed genuinely interested and thanked us. Second was a meeting with Kathy Hartle, Nurse Practitioner, who works with another local mission providing care and support to the local population, typically women and children. Kathy's home town in the states is Columbia, Mo. There are 5 missionaries from Columbia, Mo in the big town of Chichi. Neva enjoyed talking with Kathy as she told her own stories of leaving home, telling the grandchildren goodbye and "melting down at the airport" after they were gone. We had some good laughs as she told these stories with a lot of gusto and just openly sharing these emotions and experiences.

Today, John Harvey, an evangelist in town (also from Columbia), returned my call and invited me to visit him at his home. He is doing better but it has been a slow recovery after recent surgery. Guess what?? He and his wife were so encouraging to me and we agreed to visit again soon.

God is great and answers our prayers, as we have felt a need to begin developing relationships with the other missionaries in the area, as well as the locals.

We thank God for these past few days to do as he says in Philippians 4:6...."be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God; which surpasses all understanding, wil guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus"
The sky was a beautiful tribute to the creation as we took this photo from the porch outside our room just before dusk.

Very Good Week

This past week was a very good week and it went past very fast. We stayed busy at the first part of the week with going to clinics and had a educational day to review medical articles. That afternoon we spent the time learning more about doing a physical assessment of the head esp. the eyes and ears.

Wednesday and Thursday we had Dr. Avillar and Nathan who work with patients who have rheumatoid and muscle problems that slow down their daily activities. Wedneday I spent the day working and translating for Nathan and learned how to teach techniques for improving muscle strength and function.

Thursday, I spend the morning with a fellow missionary, John Harvey who was recovering from surgery and needed a occasional helping hand and someone to talk with. Neva was in the clinic with Nathan and the patients. Late afternoon I went to the clinic and upon arriving I took the picture below. Who was the patient and who were the care providers? Juan, a health promoter, was demonstrating how to do some of the exercises and explaining each one in Kiche. We all had great fun laughing about this and the patients really benefited from the therapy.

Friday Neva and I took Dr. Avillar and Nathan to La Antigua prior to them returning to the states. Neva and I were grateful for the time to relax and visit with a few of our friends in Antigua. We have come to appreciate the differences between the Capital, Antigua, Clinic Ezell and Chichi not just the location but the uniqueness of the people

Visiting a New Area

Sorry we have not blogged prior to this time.
After returning from the holidays, our computer proceeded to stop connecting to the internet and shortly thereafter stop working. We just got a new computer this past weekend.

During the past two weeks we have had the opportunity to drive to the area that has been chosen for expansion by HTI sometime in the future. Kemmel, Neva and I drove to the towns of Zacualpa and Joyobaj. The areas for medical evangelism are the mountains shadowing these two towns. The area looks somewhat similar to the foot heels of the Rocky Mountains . The surrounding area seems a little more arid than Chichi and the mountains are covered with trees and small fields of corn alone with the homes of the indigenous people.

We return a week later for a medical and dental clinic at Chuchuca a town "high" in the mountains. This was the first time to have the clinic after several month due to the rainy season. We were in pickups using low gear most of the way. On the way up the mountain I mentioned that during the rainy season it would be easier to use 2 mules and a cart similar to the people of the Sudan. After arriving to the clinic I saw they had a trusted horse ready for me in case we needed it for the trip back down.During the clinic we saw approximately 45 patients. almost all were women and children with various health and home problems. The people have very similar problems as what you would find in the U.S.

Sherry and I saw one women that her motivating reason to come to clinic was she was afraid, she did have a minor medical condition but, we spent most of the time attempting to reassure her that God was watching over her and when she felt afraid to pray. We prayed with her prior to her leaving us.

Neva and Josephine evaluated a women who only weighed 56 pounds, having lost nearly 30 pounds since the last visit. The concern was that she has some type of cancer. Again this is a great opportunity for them to talk to the patients about the gift of Jesus Christ in our lives and how we will spend eternity with him in heaven.


We were overwhelmed by the great need in this community for health care services and the response by the people of the Church to the clinic. All of the patients were actually from the church of Christ, as it was only announced there. We can only imagine what the response will be when we are able to go on a more frequent basis and open the clinics to everyone nearby.