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.