Just the right question

• Is Maria here?
• No, Maria is not here.
• Do you know when she might come back?
• No, I don't know when she might come back.
• Do you know if she's OK?
• Yes, I think she's OK.
• Can you tell her that Debra came by and I really want to see her....I'm the nurse that has been caring for the wound on her leg.
• OK, I'll tell her.

This conversation (or one very similar) happened every Thursday nearly every week since the first week of May. Maria has a tremendously nasty leg wound. With the help of another Guatemalan, we'd been able to clean and bandage the area at least once a week since last Nov and we'd seen great progress...until May when I couldn't ever catch up with Maria. It was strange I couldn't find her, and knew how much she appreciated the Aleve to help with her pain.

Then, about 2 wk ago, when the above conversation was once again being repeated, something happened. This time, the person at Maria's house gave one tiny bit of additional information at the very end....."Maria doesn't live here." AGHHHHH!!!!!!

I (we) have begun to learn that we need to very carefully choose our words to ask very specific questions. The person at Maria's house gave me correct answers....but I never asked the most important question...Does Maria still live here? In the USA, the person at the door would've probably given that info the first time around. I wonder if I'll ever get my brain to start thinking like a Guatemalan.

Just for your amusement....

Last Friday I ordered a large supply of parasite medicine from the pharmacy. Today I called the pharmacy and talked to my normal contact person.

• Is my order ready?
• Yes, your order is ready.

2 hr later at the pharmacy:

• I'm here to get my order
• Sorry, only part of your order is ready.
• But you said on the phone that my order is ready.
• yes, it is ready....part of it.

Lesson: Ask what you really want to know.... is my 100% of my order ready right now?

Today Ginny and I and a couple others go to see a kid and his mom at their house.

• Hello, is Alex or his mom home?
• No, they are not here. Who do you need to speak to?
  
• We need to speak to Alex's mom. Do you know when she will return.
• Yes, about 4pm.

Later at 4:30pm

• Hi, I'm glad we found you at home. Where's Alex?
• He's not here. He's at his Grandma's house.

Lesson: Ask when Alex AND his mom will be home.

And for one more chuckle...
About 2 wk ago at the pharmacy, around noon:

• I need such and such medicine please
• OK, and today we're having a sale, 25% off
• Everything is 25% off? (I thought this was the right question.)
  
• Yes, everything
• OK, well I'll take this and that and this and that
• OK, you're price is X amt, minus Q37 (Q= the type of money they use here).
• Why Q37 instead of 25%? (I would've saved much more with 25% off)
• Because the sale is for up to Q150. If the total is more than Q149, then you only get Q37 off.
• OK. Well, since there is no flier or announcement of any kind regarding this sale, is there any way you can call me (since I'm a very steady customer) when you have a similar sale?
• Oh, we always have a 25% off sale every Monday.
• What? I've been here since Feb and you never told me this?
• Oh, sorry. But if you want to order something else now since there's a sale, I can do that for you, but only for the next hour.
• What?
• The sale is only on Mondays between 11am and 1pm, and again from 5pm-7pm.

The reason there is a crack in my bedroom wall is because that's where I bang my head.
Lesson: Ask if there is a particular item is on sale, and/or when there is a sale and for how long and for up to what amount, etc .

I'm not kidding you....this is the sort of stuff that makes me crazy! Is it any wonder my hair sticks straight up?

Can you believe that? Thanks God!

Friday, July 3rd, the last photos were taken, the last hugs given, and Beth was in the van with her suitcase. We were ready to take Beth to the airport. Just one problem, Manuel couldn't find the key. The ONE and ONLY key to the new van. We quickly searched everywhere....even the stinky trash. OK, time for plan B....we'll give Beth one last memorable ride in the back of Chuck Norris (our Ford Ranger truck). However, our minds were on the missing key. I don't know how a person goes about getting a key in this situation in the USA, much less in Guatemala. At what expense? How much time would be needed? Car Shops are only open 1/2 day on Sat, and we had a team arriving in 24 hr! It would cost us $100 or more per day if we needed to rent a van. We needed that key! Plus, we'd just used the van earlier in the day, and left it in front of the ministry house. How long do you think it would take for a Mercedes van to be stolen and/or stripped? (Essentially nobody leaves a vehicle of any value in front of their house.) As you can imagine, we were praying big time.

When we returned from the airport, the van was not in front of the house. My first thought, perhaps someone had hot-wired the van and gotten it into the garage. Nope.
Are you ready for this?
After we left, an older lady passed by our house, saw the key in the small strip of grass/dirt that separates our house from the street, and returned the key to us. (I'm glad some of our group stayed back at the house!)

Can you imagine that! Anybody could have picked up this key, but I believe God had this precious lady find the key. It would've been so simple for somebody to try the key or seel the key for the van that was sitting only a few feet away. But no! Once again God came through. Thanks God- you're Awesome!

God takes care of Carlos

Remember Carlos? He's the guy I've mentioned before who dug a well, fell in the well, became a wheelchair bound amputee quadriplegic, and is being cared for by the family who owns the well...does that ring any bells?

Carlos has to use a Foley catheter (urine tube/bag) and he asked me if there was any way I could get him a new tube & bag. In the USA, patients typically have this changed about every month. Health care is not very accessible for most people, particularly when they live quite a distance from the city. Carlos had not had a new tube/bag in several months, and I feared he would soon develop a potentially serious infection.

The next day I sent an email to a good friend (D.) and previous co-worker/nurse in Richmond Virignia to ask if she had any idea of how I could get these supplies for Carlos. Within an hour D responded via email that she would get to work on it. Within another hour or less she emailed again saying that she had everything I needed. I would say that I was amazed at how rapidly D obtained these supplies, but over time I've come to know D to move heaven and earth for the sake of a person in need. She is a true Christian friend that God has used to help me out more than once before. Now the next question....how to get the supplies here. Once again, God worked things out. Russ, another long time friend of mine was planning another trip to Guatemlala the following week to help in a different part of the country. This time, however, he was going to visit our ministry and stay with us his first night. Therefore, Russ was more than happy to provide the courier service from the USA to Guatemala. And are you ready for this? Russ and D. live within a few miles of each other in the same part of Richmond! So, sure enough, in about 1.5 wk, Carlos had all the supplies he needed and extras for the future. Plus, Russ brought down nearly 40lb of other medical donations!

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birdes of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you be worrying can add a single hour to his life?" God is amazing! And I love watching how God continues to provide....down to the last detail for you , me & Carlos!

Thanks D & Russ for extending yourselves to be a part of God's plan.

Luis Otoniel Bran

In a week (last week) where 3 celebrities died, I found myself growing more and more frustrated. While I don't know enough about any of the celebs to comment on their life, I can say that it makes me nuts to hear people go on and on about their deaths. As one friend wrote, "Anyone else find it ironic that folks are all concerned with how Michael Jackson died, but so few of them really cared about how he lived?" Is one person's death more important than another persons? 17-18 people are murdered every day here in Guatemala (murdered, not just died from things like a heart attack) according to the WHO. Guatemala...a country that has roughly the same number of square miles as the state of Virginia and almost double the population (per Wikipedia).

Below is a blog entry written by Ginny Holmes about a young man named Luis that was murdered Sunday, June 21st. Since that day, approx. 136-144 more may have been murdered. I've written additional comments at the end of Ginny's blog.

If you've been checking my wall on Facebook lately you would have read about an all too common occurance here in Guatemala. Luis Otoniel Bran, who was 19, was shot and killed two days ago, along with two other boys aged 13 and 22. As is often the case, we don't have many details. It is thought that there was a fourth boy who was taken by the shooters. Needless to say, there is no one left to tell us exactly what happened.

Luis was an exceptionally tall teenager by Guatemalan standards, and as Rachel said yesterday, he always smiled like the picture you see. He came to the ministry each day after school to help in the kitchen carrying bucketloads of dishes for the cooks, cleaning and working in the carpentry shop. Graduation from high school was in sight, leading Luis to possible employment as a mechanic. The word 'gentle' comes to mind when I think of this tall, but quiet young man.

The people of Guatemala are shaking their fists at the government and police for the escalating violence in this country. Drug trafficking, extortion, poverty, gangs...all lead to violent crimes, which all too often are against innocent victims who are simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. The government says it is working on changing this situation, but it's pretty hard to do when the police and lawmakers are corrupt and less than 3% of the over 6000 homicides per year are ever brought to justice. Villages throughout Guatemala are beginning to take the law into their own hands with vigilante groups seizing suspected wrong-doers and killing them on the spot. Unfortunately, with the level of corruption in the government and law enforcement, there is little chance of the situation improving any time soon.

Sounds pretty hopeless, doesn't it? But no matter where you live, your hope can't be placed in the government, in law enforcement, or in any human, for that matter. Reading the newspaper or hearing from someone we know that yet another relative or friend was murdered could make us never want to get out of bed in the morning. But we can't live in fear that something might happen to us sometime. I mean, is God in control of every single thing that happens in this universe or not?? If we really believe that, then we need to trust His eternal love and sovereign will. What happened to Luis and his two friends is tragic and seems to be senseless. Why so young? Why such a nice kid? But nothing is out of God's sight. He knew this was going to happen and He is even now surrounding Luis' family and friends with His loving arms of comfort and strength. We pray that everyone who was touched by this horrible event will draw closer to the only true hope which is found in the Lord who never changes, always loves, and has given us the absolute assurance of eternal life with Him through His Son, Jesus Christ.


And Luis? Why he is forever in the arms of his God and Savior! Can't get any better than that!!


I appreciate Ginny allowing me to post her blog here.
The details of his death are unclear, but I guess the details aren't overly important and won't change the fact that Luis and at least 2 other friends were chased and gunned down (killed). We'd heard rumor that a 4th boy was also involved, and today we were told he's in the hospital. Today we went to visit with Luis' mother and the parents of one of the other boys (only 13 yr old!) Luis' mom was obviously hurting, but her faith was so strong! She has not lost faith or hope in her God and His sovereignty. I could only hope that I would be that strong in such a circumstance.

My understanding is that Luis is his mother's only son. Perhaps his mom was looking forward to the day when Luis would marry and bring his bride to live with them in their simple home, as is the tradition in this culture. Perhaps she was looking forward to grandchildren. Perhaps she was hoping Luis would find a good job and be able to care for her as she grows older. Ginny mentioned to me that when she hears a siren, she now thinks of Luis. I wondered if Luis' mom and the other families are haunted by sirens. During our visit, I heard the loud pops of fireworks (the kind we hear multiple times every day and night....the kind that stay on the ground and make lots of noise...eerily similar to gunshots). And I wonder if she heard the gunshots that killed her son. And I wonder if she thinks of her son every time she hears gunshots or fireworks....multiple times every day. My heart breaks for her and the people of Guatemala.

During one of our visits, Oscar shared a similar story of 3 brothers that were killed at one time. And it dawned on me once again that our ministry workers have seen and lived through so much. Each one could render countless stories of similar tragedy. It really does bring me to my knees in prayer. It brings me to a renewed sense of urgency that we would all know and share Christ. I think Ginny said it best, " We pray that everyone who was touched by this horrible event will draw closer to the only true hope which is found in the Lord who never changes, always loves, and has given us the absolute assurance of eternal life with Him through His Son, Jesus Christ." Amen

Swine Flu and other factoids

On June15th, the Guatemalan government announced that all schools would be closing until July 1st due to the increased concern about Swine Flu. Buena Vista, a community that we serve every week, closed a few days earlier because of a several confirmed cases in a nearby town. If I understand correctly, the schools typically have a 1 week break in June, so the break was simply extended.

Unfortunately, the kids in our scholarship program were sent home with the same amount of homework that they would have had if they were in school. Obviously, the glaring problem is that in many cases the children weren't in class to learn the main concepts. So I guess it's a good thing that we have "reinforcement" (tutoring) on Mondays and Fridays which are led by Oscar and Ruth.

According to the June 29th report from the WHO (World Health Organization), 254 people in Guatemala have been confirmed to have Swine Flu and 2 have died. Over the weekend, I received an email from my missionary friend Britney in El Salvador. Their schools are now being closed as well due to the Swine Flu. Today's WHO report shows that El Sal has 226 positive cases but no deaths thus far.

For comparison's sake, the same report shows the USA to have 227,717 confirmed cases and 127 dead. Guatemala has roughly the same # of square miles as Virginia (my home) and almost double the population. According to the Virginia Health Dept. report for June 29th, Virginia has 249 confirmed cases. Of course, Guatemala doesn't even remotely have the same medical access or quality of care...so numbers don't tell the whole story. Per Wikipedia, the median income for Virginians is $59,562, and median income for Guatemalans is between $2,800 and $4,800.

NIT! Finally!

We've finally got our NIT!
A NIT is a series of numbers assigned by the government that basically acts as a tax free ID #, and generally shows that the government has officially reviewed our paperwork and recognized us as a ministry here in Guatemala. Now we can transfer items such as vehicles out of individuals' names, and transfer them into the name of the ministry.
I know this probably doesn't mean much to you, but it means a WHOLE lot to us. Kevin, Sandra, and others on our Guatemalan team have been working on this since last January, and we've very thankful to God for this part of the puzzle to come together.

Visit from a friend

Russ and I met on a missions trip to Guatemala in 1997. We're both members of West End Assembly of God in Richmond Virginia. Since then, Russ has visited Guatemala many ties, including this week. This time, however, he came in a day early to visit me and see the new ministry God has planted here. It was a short visit, only one day, but I was great to see my good friend from back home. One of the things we did was visit Rosa (the diabetic Guatemalan I've mentioned several times)...see the pic. Russ dedicated one of his suitcases on my behalf so that he could bring down donated medicines and other supplies. At the time, we had no idea of just how useful or how quickly some of the supplies would come in handy. I've already mentioned in an earlier blog about how God used a pair of reading glasses to help fill an immediate need in a person...see the blog titled "Falling Flat on My Face" Plus, it seems that I was chewed on by some insects (fleas?), and the itch medicine he brought with him helped me to keep me from going nuts as I itched and scratched throught the night (20 bites on one leg between my knee and toes). Additionally, he was a link in a really cool sequence of things that God did to provide a miracle for Carlos, a paraplegic. Look for more details in a blog that I hope to write soon.

Thanks to those of you who donated medical items and muchas gracias Russ for the visit and helping hand.