Monday Nov 3, 2008

Rosa (remember…the gal with the consecutive incredibly high glucose readings) came to the clinic this morning. Her glucose was 215! We could hardly believe our eyes. I used the same machine, same strips, etc. It hasn’t been that low in several months. The only difference is that she had not yet eaten breakfast. But still, no matter what, breakfast should not cause a glucose level over 500. Therefore I choose to believe that God’s hand is in this. I don’t know what the future will hold for her, or what medicine she will need, or how she will get what she needs. But I do know that God has always come thru for me in the past, and I choose to believe He will do the same in the future.

Around 9am a few of us went to Amatitlan. I think I heard there are about 60,000 or more in this sprawling city. Like most cities, it has an area of commerce and it has a “slums” area (which is a shanty town), and it has far reaching dirt roads that weave into the mountain side. I went to 2 homes down a bumpy dirt road in order to see 2 people who had significant health needs/wounds. The first stop was to see Carlos. You’re simply not going to easily believe this story. He’s from Nicaragua and was her for work. He digs wells. Somehow he ended up at the end of this going-to-nowhere road, digging a well for a family. During his time of work at this home, he molested their daughter. At some point afterwards, he fell into the well, which caused him to become a paraplegic and have one leg amputated. Then….get this….the same family took him into their home to care for him. There’s forgiveness, and then there’s forgiveness. Does this blow you away or what? This happened 4 years ago, and since the accident he’s become a Christian. He’s been treated for a bed sore for at least 3 years. Unfortunately, I had no idea what I was walking into. The last Kevin and Ginny had heard (from the last medical team), the wound on his bottom was big enough to put your fist in it. Therefore I packed all sorts of stuff…trying to be prepared for the worst. The one thing that nobody told me was that I was going to have to assess and care for him in the dark. His bedroom (dirt floor) had one low wattage light bulb that hanging from the ceiling (if you can call it a ceiling) and no matter what I was in my own shadow. Fortunately, I happened upon a pen light when I was packing up my supplies, and therefore I could see what I was doing. Much to my surprise, the area looked great and was only the size of a quarter, and had almost no depth. Unfortunately, I’d only bought supplies for something huge, so I had to cut down what I had and make do. Also unfortunately, just as I had cleaned the area and was about to put a pad on it, a bug landed on the wound…so I had to clean it all over again. Now, I’m sure he’ll have more critters in it soon, but in good conscience, I just couldn’t put a bandage on it knowing there was a bug under it. Yicky! Ok…ready for more?? Our next stop on the bumpy dirt road was with Maria. Her home was more simple than the previous. She hobbled to the “door” to meet us and lead me down a dirt passage to her bedroom. Her lower leg was wrapped in what looked like a large bandana. She was in pain as I took it off and found another bundled up cloth covering the wound. I’ll try to not get too explicit, but the wound was as tall as my hand wrapped almost all the way around her leg, and was dripping with foul yellow yucky stuff. I cleaned and bandaged it as well as I could, then I simply said a prayer with her. Her 2 daughters have ran off and left her to care for two adorable granddaughters (7 & 8 yr old), and a 12 yr old grandson. We have no idea of how she makes any money to survive…perhaps she provides day care for a little tyke that was also there. As I sat on her thin, hard “mattress”, small bugs swirled around me…kind of like gnats. And get this….2 hr later, she was at the Bible study back in town, several miles away. Would you or I go thru such efforts? Just this evening, I’ve learned that some say that Maria has dealt with this malady for 15-20yrs. So, was it a waste of time to attend to her? Some would say yes. I would say no. Anytime a person reaches out to say that “I care” or “you matter”, it’s never a waste. And I keep reminding myself that God is in control.

When we returned to town (Amatitlan), I had an hour to goof off while the leaders had a Bible Study, and then the Bible study and simultaneous kids program would start at 2pm. I continue to find that blowing bubbles is a great way to make contact with folks. The kids were shy at first, but they soon came around and were chasing bubbles. I even had the old ladies blowing bubbles, and laughing as they watched each other. Then I taught the kids, “Cat, Cat, Dog”, which is my version of the kid’s game, “Duck, Duck, Goose.” Ducks and geese are first of all, irrelevant in this culture, and 2nd of all I don’t know the word for goose. And 3rdly, it makes a lot more sense to have a dog to chase something. So, the kids picked right up on the game and we had a blast…although we were hot and sweaty by the time the programs started. (It’s much warmer in Amatitlan.) The attendance continues to grow. Ok….are you ready again for more staggering info? If you don’t believe it, it’s OK. I wouldn’t believe it either if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. In a room, approx. 15ft x12ft, there was one local volunteer who led 100 kids in praise songs and Bible stories, etc. I’m told that every week this number is growing…especially now that school is out until Jan. When all the kids sat down, there was just barely enough room for the teacher to stand. There was absolutely no room for her to walk. And there were kids sitting all around the outside of the door because there was no more inside room. The adults Bible study (where there were also kids), takes place in a long alley way, about 20 yards long and 12 feet wide. Rigging the tarps to cover this area was a well planned, practiced, and executed exercise which reminded me of what it must look like to watch Barnum and Bailey put up their tents. As best as I could count, there were 200 people in attendance at this study. People came way in advance to save chairs because they always run out of chairs. And some people stand in the nearby street to hear what’s happening.

I’ve been asked, and have agreed to return to Amatitlan on Thursday to do a 2 hr clinic, and then to do home visits (which will include Carlos and Maria). This is way outside of my comfort zone…but it’s what I believe the Lord wants me to do right now.


Before (from under the tarp)





Before (from above the tarps)



During the adult service, taken from the standing room only section. You can't even see how many are standing at the front and outside the entrance to the alley.


During the adult service, taken from behind the speaker. The children's service is simultaneously taking place in the room (with the windows) in the back.
The Children's service (early on, before it got really full). Some kids sat outside the door because there was no more room inside.



"Red and yellow, back and white, they are precious in His sight..."

"They are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world."

Amen