October village visits

October 14, 2015

Monday we drove out to San Pablo to visit a few families in crisis. 

Lucia was discharge from the hospital because here was nothing more that could be done.  She is dying, and looks to be struggling.  She is her mother's only child, and her mother lives for her.
Please remember Lucia and her mother Maria in your prayers because they are hurting.  Pray that Lucia would soon dance with Jesus and her mother would know the comfort of a personal savior. 

Next we visited a new family whose little girl Rut had a number of seizures a few weeks ago that left her nearly unresponsive.  They say that now she does not walk or talk.  After assessing her, it seems likely that she may have permanent brain damage.  Rut's brother Juan is an I can't who has trouble with vomiting and diarrhea since birth, and likely has a lactose allergy.  

Please pray for Rut and Juan as we learn if the interventions we have taken have been  effective. 

Finally we visited Oscar, he is paralyzed from the west down from an injury a few years ago.  The problem are his bedsores.  They are severe, stage 4 and unstable in some places reaching to his bone, and tunneling an estimated three inches deep. These are infected, and life threatening.  Most significantly, it is unclear if the urgency of our education fully grasped.  Please pray for Oscar his wife, and his son.  Pray that thy would understand the significance and in portable of the training we have given them.  Pray that God would show them the hope that can be found in Him because I wonder if Oscar has lost hope.  

I love what God has let me see and do, but it is so hard to shake off one situation to walk into the next one without being overwhelmed, or apathetic.  Yes, it is a balance between being caring and loving fully, but being able to continue on to the next situation.  Please pray for our team that we are neither overwhelmed or apathetic to the multitude of needs in every direction.

October 27, 2015

I have a lot to share, but I may fall asleep before writing all of it!  Today we returned from an all day trip out to Nueva Concepcion for an emergency medical intervention.  Last week we visited Sipacate, La Gomera, and Guastatoya.  This last weekend, we celebrated with Andi Brubaker and Krishauna Fulp as they committed their lives to each other before God and their friends and family.  Finally, a number of our kids have been sick in the home. 

Hearding cows in Sipacate

Selvin's sister waving goodbye

Adriana's grandaughter

In Sipacate and La Gomera, the team started out a rough day with several difficult visits, including the mother on one of our visits who had a blood sugar higher than my meter would read.  She had already been to see a doctor and was taking insulin and medications for a week.  Obviously this was an issue, and I was grateful for Gerardo and Manuel, and Kara who traveled with us that day, for their input as we determined a plan to get her the help she needed with the resources available.  Katerin is having more spasms, and these combined with her cerebral palsy leave her doubled backward with her head near her feet.  She cannot sit, and spends a lot of time in her hammock.  Her family is very loving and supportive of her, and are frustrated that she is struggling.  Selvin has a condition called Pectus Excavatum, or concave rib cage.  This has left him susceptible to respiratory illness since birth.  He has had a congested cough for as long as I have known him.  When we arrived at the house of Adriana, we learned that she had died earlier this month.  She was an older woman with many health problems.  Luis Fernando is doing well, but a grandmother who lives in their compound is talking to nobody and increasingly confused.  By this point, I was beginning to feel so worn down.  It so often feels like there is no hope for these families.  What can they do?  The hospital in Escuintla is a death trap, and there are no resources for them.  I feel so overwhelmed sometimes at the extent of the utter poverty and inability to meet basic health needs.  After a few more difficult visits, the day began to turn around, and we were again blessed by the incredible families God has allowed us to serve.  What a mighty God we serve.  He is so good to allow us to see part of His plan before it has unfolded. 

Manuela

Manuela's house

In Guastatoya, I was again blessed by the team God has me working with.  I may not understand the language very well, but I surely understand the camaraderie and love we share with each other, and the families we serve.  This is the best ‘job’ in the world.  We were encouraged to see Dora’s mother has had a second surgery to fix what the national hospital did to her arm in February, rather than fixing is properly.  Now, she is able to move her fingers, and says the pain is much less.  Angel’s mother’s circulation ulcer on her leg is

now healed over, although the skin is still not receiving proper circulation, and since she works constantly on her feet, the ulcer is likely to return.  Miguel, an older gentleman who suffered a stroke, could use prayer as he has been greatly depressed for the years since his stroke.  I am aware that many of these names may be unfamiliar, but I have mentioned most in either blog or facebook posts.  If you would like to know more about their stories, please ask me!

Today, Daryl, Gerardo and I traveled to Nueva Concepcion because we had been asked to see Jorge, a young man with Spina Bifida who has a very seriously infected bedsore on his foot.  Based on the pictures, we anticipated that his foot would need to be amputated.  This assumption is correct.  We evaluated his foot, and his foot is gangrenous.  There is dead tissue through his foot, and simply by touching his foot to check for a pulse over the intact tissue, pus squirted out around the dead tissue.  We loaded up Jorge and his mother, and took them to the national hospital in Guatemala city.  Although they do not have any supplies, many of the doctors are good, and we will provide the supplies needed for him.  After a long wait, and a run around from some nurses who wanted to send him home, we were told the doctor saw him, and determined to keep him overnight, likely to remove part of his leg.  Since we have heard that they will remove his leg up to above his knee tonight.  Please be praying for this young man,he is only 18.  Further, pray that the seriousness of this will sink in both for him and his mother.  They had received care before for this same problem, and we believe they have not been caring for the wound properly how they were taught a few times.  This is very frustrating. 

I think God is using all of these things to teach us, and to grow us.  I am excited about the things He is teaching me, and I am praying about where he is leading me, and this ministry.  

Again, than you all for your prayer!