Ok, I got voted to be tonight's author, so here we go. Just a warning we are playing a card game, Phase 10 as I write, and card games on this trip have been, bitter. Revenge is winning games on this trip !
Very good day today ! Back up on the mountain and saw just over 6o patients. By previous standards that is very low. Maybe it was due to it being a Saturday but less customers today. We did plenty of work today, fortunately not overwhelmed. Now this is my 3rd time up the La Union mountain and I certainly see differences, Joy who has been here twice before also agrees. Kids look healthier and happier than what we saw year 1. Back then every kid looked miserable, malnoursihed, full of scabies and other skin infections. This year many more healthy looking kids. Yes, still seeing those who look like malnourished 3rd world kids but so many seem much better. Lots of mission trips have come up this way, housing, sanitation, medical, and maybe the crops are giving more jobs, but there really is a difference. And how nice to see that !!!! Joy, who is also on trip #3 with me here agrees. So seing progress makes me feel so good ! Don't be fooled, still very 3rd world and we are seeing things that one would not imagine back home. Hungry, barefoot, tattered clothes kids living in dirt floor shacks, post trauma patients with absolutely no rehab, post mastectomy women with horrendous outcomes, ....1 person and 1 team can only do so much, but when multiple teams intervene and you return a few times you can start to see hope. I am so happy to be part of this with such great people with me and such great support from home !
update on the game, I just won the last 2 games and Jeremy is bitter. We can really use a reading of The Hungry Catepillar right now to calm things down a bit !
Hey did I ever tell you about the roads here ? well, they want to resemble roads but they really are not. YIKES. dirt roads winding up the mountain sides too narrow for 1 van or truck much less 2 approachingeach other....coffee plants and a barbed wire fence will not prevent one of them from toppling about 5000 feet down. It really gets nauseating and scary, takes over a 1/2 hour, wow...why do I keep doing this ? At least now the rest of the trip is at level surface ! I asked our driver today, "Sponge Bob", how he became such a good driver...his day job is a taxista. Thank God someone has the nerves of steel and skills to get us up and down safely ! My photos do it no justice. Scary roads but the scenery is amazing
They told us not to go out at night but this evening we took a walking tour of Gualan, escorted by the hotel's chef, "Geronimo". How cool to see Guate at night. Almost everyone knew Mr G and it made the walk around Gualan so entertaining !
Tomorrow we are off to Amatitlan, gonna be a long long drive. We'll meet up with Dr Elry and his family and spend the next 4 days working at the Holy Cross Clinic. Set in an absolutely impoverished area but alongside Lake Amatitlan, gorgeous views. Last year this area was hit hard with flooding so we'll see how things are now. Very desperate people last year and I am sure the same again. But this team is cooking and ready to deliver our best ! What a great idea to bring a pharmacist with us this year, Beth has been so amazingly efficient at running the pharmacy the last 2 days.
OK we are up and going at 6:30 AM tomorrow so I am off to sleep. Thank you for your prayers and please keep them coming, we have lots more work and lots more travel ahead of us
Ernie
It's really nice to hear that the combination of medical mission trips and construction trips have made a difference in the area. That must feel so good to know that your work is so meaningful! I was so happy to hear in Ernie's email that the young mom and baby are both doing fine! I just couldn't get them off my mind after hearing about them. At church today at FIL everyone is asking about all of you, and praying for all of you. The work you're doing is such a blessing! Enjoy your time at the clinic with Dr. Elry...it will be interesting to hear how things are going there after the devastation in that area. God bless all of you, Karen PS Up to 12 inches of snow predicted for Cedarburg tonight!
ReplyDeleteDear Jan and Dave,
ReplyDeleteThanks for following the Blog.
Jan, could you please check on the wheelchair.
He would need a standard adult size chair with legs and foot rest. Our team leaves on March 2nd so we would need it before that. It would be great if you could get one!
Heard it is snowing today at home. The weather here is sunny, warm and breezy.Wish you were hear!
Love, Joy