Getting Older

(Two girls from Chiminisijuan, and Salvador, my mud buddy, behind them)


Rachel just made some amazing spaghetti sauce for our after clinic dinner. Clinic days are always hard on those who stay home because they don't know when we'll all be back to eat! Chiminisijuan was exceptionally hard to get to today. We got stuck once, had to disconnect a trailer once, and swap four-wheelers several times. Duane actually came to help us, take a sick baby back to Canilla (whom he flew to the hospital in Quiche), and then David drove the car back again when we were finished. There were an exceptionally high number of kids with pneumonia today. After Duane took the one family to Quiche there were another three that we advised to go on buses. It's always hard to see them go, knowing that there's a good chance they won't go to the hospital. One mom borrowed my phone to call her father-in-law because her husband was gone to the coast for work. She went off to the side to call and then just stared off for a minute before walking back with tears on her cheeks. We pray, but never now what they will do.

Sunday I had a good laugh with Paulino. He said he was only half-alive, but I assured him his blood pressure was good. As always he had hugs and kisses for all. The girls don't like it, but I don't mind... After he left this week, his daughter-in-law came in with her two girls and told me how much Paulino likes to come and see us (he comes every week). She said we treat him better than his kids and every weekend she asks him how it went at clinic. "They took good care of me," he tells her. It's not very often or even necessary to hear that kind of thing, but it sure made me feel good!

Saturday...I'm backtracking here...there was an 80-year-old lady who came to Leslie and my room at the Canilla clinic. For 80 she was doing really good, but she had a pretty bad ulcer on her ankle. The only treatment is just to bandage it and keep it clean. After explaining to her how to bandage it, I thought the lady seemed rather irritated, and just as Leslie and I finished her consulta she said, "You know, I'm just so angry!" She then began to tell us why. For a good five minutes she told us about how she lives with her kids and relies on them for so much that she needs, but they ignore her, don't take care of her, and she just feels all alone (her husband is no longer alive). She said that she tried a different church because her son-in-law (who is the pastor where she has been for a long time) is just so mean to her at home. The new church was just too hard though because she didn't know anyone. What we saw as irritation was just bottled up sadness that she hasn't been able to express to anyone. "I am a Christian," she would say with tears running down her wrinkly face, "and I just tell God as I'm lying in bed that he is my only hope."
(This is a family from Canilla clinic that we are helping get their daughter in for a cleft palate surgery)
So those are just a couple clinic stories from the weekend. Church at Joel's was good on Sunday night too. I think in the last two weeks there have been at least 4 people accept Christ into their lives.

When I've not been at clinic, church, or studying, we've all been working together on the Aztec. Aaron is really close to being ready to paint it. Just a few last rivets need to be picked around and the hangar closed in. We will all be really glad when that airplane is finished. That's all I've got for now. Sometimes it's hard to write about everything that goes on down here, but today I thought a few stories of some of my old people patients was good to convey some of the clinic experience. I used to think that getting older kind of gave you a right to be a little more grouchy, but my friend Rose Gardner said there's never an excuse for it. I'm beginning to agree, as I see several life-experienced patients that are still laughing, crying, and hoping for a bright future. Leslie tells Paulino that he needs to trade his body in for new equipment...One day he'll get it.

The Narrow, Muddy Road

Tuesday Salvador and I were the only two left in the truck as we drove to clinic. For some reason the ladies didn't want to fight the mud with us, so they were walking behind us. Between mud holes my faithful companion and I were discussing what to share with the people before clinic. He would be the one giving the final message since he spoke Quiche, so I asked him to just share whatever was on his heart. Well, amid the bumps, turns, and re-runs he was searching the gospels and decided to talk about the wide and narrow roads. Wide is the road that leads to destruction, and many take it, but narrow and hard to find is the road to life with God. Good for the people in clinic who have a history of idolatry and polytheism, right? But then he shared something that I hadn't thought about it a while and that really spoke to me. He said that on the wide road you can walk side by side with a buddy, but that on the narrow road you have to walk alone. Now I'm not taking this so far as to think a life after God's heart is lonely or that He doesn't supply friendships and support, because He does, but the bottom line that spoke to me was the remembrance that I and I alone will one day give an account to God for the life I choose to live. Life on the mission field is like anywhere else in that it is full of ups and downs, hard times and easy times, but even more so in the difficult times I'm learning that I have to press into God for myself. I think one of the only differences on the Guatemalan mission field is that there's just a few more of those difficult times that involve mud. Salvador and I made it through this week, though.

As for other happenings....
We're undergoing a rotation with the medical help. Heather is going home tomorrow, but Hannah has come to take her position for about a week and a half. We will all miss Heather not only for her help but for her smile and help on the volleyball court on Saturday afternoons :). We actually cheated today and played a game on a Thursday evening as it is her last full day here.
I did have some real encouragement this week from some friends here too. After church on Sunday night Juan Carlos and his wife Jael invited me over again, this time for dinner, and then they invited me over again to his grandma's on Tuesday evening. They're a neat couple, and we're working together to show Christ's love to his grandma.
The other encouraging visit I had was with Nancy and her mom Carmen (I wrote about them and posted a picture about a month ago). It had been over two weeks since I made my last visit there, and Carmen went on and on about how they listen to all the motorcycles go by hoping its the gringito (little white guy). I told them my name, even tried my middle name "Alan" since it's easier to say, but Gringito is all that sticks. They were really nice, and extra appreciative of the visit this time, but I always leave really burdened for them. I can bring milk, pray, and offer my time to sit and listen, but what they really need only God can give. It's just Carmen and Nancy there, and Carmen said this time that her husband used to take care of so many things (before he died two years ago), but that now she has to be the man and the woman around the house. There are many women in her situation, but I think having a totally dependent child makes it extra hard. If you ever think of them sporadically, please pray for them, and for Nancy's health.

Also, I'm only able to write this tonight because I'm not in Unilla like we had planned. The mayor called Duane a few days ago to say that he wanted more time to organize. Next month we may not be able to get in or have enough help, but we are taking it as a closed door for now. Still, we are seeking God's heart for the village and what part we may play in realizing His will there.

And just as a last note, the gas man changed my motorcycle tire for free today. To my knowledge that is a privlege that I think only David has enjoyed up to this point! I think I grew two inches today!
So, I'm reminded that the Christian life is a narrow road. There may not always be someone there beside you, and that's the time to press into God who is always there, but there are also the times when God puts others along side us to encourage us. Whateve season you're in, press into the Source of Life for yourself today, and enjoy those God has placed around you.

Light in Darkness

Laughing at a bad joke, enjoying the mountain pine trees as the sun goes down, eating with friends and family, taking care of honeybees...these are some of the good things that God gives us. Every good and perfect gift comes from him, and I am so grateful for the light he gives us on this earth. At the same time I am all too often reminded of the darkness that exists in this fallen world. We got word today from the mayor of Unilla that the lady we visited died. I don't remember if I was ever told her name, but her family was really weird and chose to consult the local witch doctor rather than let us take her to the hospital. Malachi, Katie, Leslie, and I made several visits to her house to pray and check on her (she was the lady on whom I started my first IV), but her family refused help. Evidently her husband came (I don't know where he had been) and made her walk to a nearby village in the middle of the night. The next day he called our friend the mayor of Unilla for a plane ride from the white people because his wife was doing really bad. Well, we never knew any of this and couldn't get to that village anyway because it doesn't have an airstrip. So that day the lady and her baby (she was 5 months pregnant) died. I think she had at least one other child.
Anyway, we're really praying about what to do for the village. There is such a presence of darkness there and only the light of God will change the hearts and mindset of the people. Last night we listened to a message on the Internet from a preacher in Missouri, and the focus of his message was that as things change spiritually we see the results physically. So I'm trying to spend more time and effort in prayer, trusting that God is bigger than man.

As for news back here in town, there's not a whole lot new. David and Juan are working on painting large generator that Don Barton gave to the ministry a couple years ago. We've been using it at Chiminisijuan almost every week up till now, but it is finally in need of some maintenance. Also, here's a picture of my bee hive. My dad was wanting some pictures for reference.

Last night after church here (I didn't go to Joel's because I wasn't feeling too good with my puffy, itchy eyes) I went into town to have a soda with the post office man. He and his wife run a tienda in the park and lots of people go there to sit around and talk at night. We talked about bees, his family, my family and God. I was really trying to scout out and get a feel for night life there in the park. Duane, Katie and I are talking about singing some songs and then showing a movie on a Friday night with the projector. Most people know us and what we stand for, so we're talking about just going and showing a movie with a good message, maybe indirectly about God, but something that's still entertaining. The Jesus Film that we show in the aldeas and in the Zona Reina wouldn't grab peoples' attention here as much I don't think. They've been exposed to a lot of the Gospel, and have seen a lot church life that is opposite of the Gospel. Just going and making ourselves available for something fun would open doors in the future I think. Anyway, we're thinking about it.

Yesterday in San Andres was really busy again, but I don't think I scared too may kids with my puffy face. We prayed for several people. I got a drunk man (although not at the time) named Juan, who pretty much just lives on the streets without a family. His liver was enlarged and he's very anemic, so we prayed and gave him lots of vitamins. He was thankful, but I he didn't want to give up the bottle for Jesus. Later I got a kid who had some brain damage after some thieves jumped him in the bank, but don't worry it wasn't a bank around here. We prayed and gave him some vitamins and ibuprophen. This afternoon Leslie, Katie, Heather and I made our way back to San Andres to pray. On the way we saw "Petunia" along side of the road. I don't know exactly why Leslie named her Petunia, but Petunia is a midwife here who brings lots of her patients to our clinic for ultrasounds. She has no teeth, and gave us 12 rotten mangos. Katie thinks this was probably because they need to be soft for her to eat them... but she jumped right into our car-full of gringos and just talked away. Prayer was good. It's one more thing to do every week, but it's worth the investment. While we were inside praying we left our mangos sitting on the hood, hoping for some little kid to think he's found something good. But the kids know rotten mangos when they see them. (In Petunia's defense, they weren't completely rotten, just a little soft for us). Tomorrow we're heading up to Chiminisijuan for clinic. It's raining now, but the road should still be passable in the 4-Runner. So I hope you have a good day when you read this, and remember: pray hard, enjoy God's gifts, be light in darkness, and stay away from rotten mangos.

Benadryl

Benadryl has been the drug of choice for the last couple of days. My trip with Joel was great, but I ate something that has made my face itch something terrible! It might have been the chile pepper that they convinced me to eat for supper one night. It won't burn they said....
Joel and I attented a meeting of pastors, visited some friends, and I got to see the school that Pastor Jacobo and his wife Julianna run. They're doing very good things.

For this post I wanted to share a scripture that impacted me a lot when I first came to Guatemala. In Isaiah 58:10 God tells the prophet, "and if you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will shine in the darkness, and your light will become like the noonday sun." This and many other scriptures tell me that God cares for the poor, the hungry, the widow, the orphan, those who are being beat up by life circumstances. He sees them and what they're going through, and I was reminded today of this. A mom came in to the clinic here in Canilla with her baby. We have known her for quite a while and she comes nearly every week for her baby girl, Helen. Helen has some type of condition that I don't completely understand, but part of the result is severe hydrocephilus (the fluid in her head doesn't drain normally). This means that little, one-year-old Helen has a head the size of a bowling ball and many other problems as well. Her parents spent a lot of money and several months in the City at a hospital, but the doctors never showed up to maintain a working shunt to relieve the pressure from Helen's head. Mentally I think she is still pretty normal. She looks around, cries, eats, and is pretty normal. But she cant' sit up like a normal baby of her age because her head is so big. I say all of the this mainly just to ask for prayers for the mom, dad, and Helen. We have spent many hours with them; I've made house visits to pray with them, and Leslie has developed a good relationship with the mom. There are days that Helen is better (we measure her head every time she comes in) and although her parents have lost hope in the health care system here, they are praying to God for a miracle. So if you think of it or feel led, please pray for encouragement for Helen's parents and for healing in her body. I know God sees them.

And my bees are still alive and working hard. Joseph made some sugar water for them while I was gone, and they thanked him by giving him a fat upper lip. For some reason they got made at him today and stung him right on his lip. The swelling is going down now, but he was pretty funny to look at. If I were a little meaner I would have taken a picture to put on here. Also, I may be able to find a picture fo Helen to post, but I didn't feel like it was a good time to take a picture of her today. Lots of people were already staring at her, and I didn't want to make a bigger deal of the way she looks. That's all I've got for now. I think the Benadryl is kicking in and making me tired. I hope whenever and wherever you're reading this you can take a moment to reflect on the blessings God has given you in your life, and take moment to thank Him. He is watching over us in every circumstance.

Jesus and Motorcycles

I know most people wouldn't consider riding motorcycles very holy, but I think Jesus would've ridden with David and I if he were here today. We spent a good portion of our Sabbath up in the hills and in the river riding, walking, and enjoying the view. Sometimes a few of the kids in town go with us, and we get the opportunity to tell them why we're here...so we like to look at it as part of our ministry. Then there are other times when we just fall or drop our bikes and give them a good laugh. So motorcycle ministry may be stretching it, but it's fun when we have time off. Anyway, yesterday we had a really busy day in Chiminisijuan. Over 100 people again. Thankfully we've been able to drive all the way to the clinic in the 4-Runner so far this rainy season. The people are lined up outside the gate with several of the local tienda ladies and their blankets of chips and juices all spread out in the road. Lately they've been selling all of the homeamade tomales before we get there because so many people come. Opening the gate is not very easy, more like firing the gun at a race.

(This momma and her baby being "meenched" are listening to Armando preach before we start at Chiminisijuan)

There was some exciting talk at the house about a call Duane received from a pastor in San Marcos (a city close to the coast). Marcos Witt, who is one of my favorite Hispanic worship leaders, is going to be in Guatemala at the end of June and the pastor asked Duane if he could fly him into San Marcos. (Marcos Witt is probably one of the most famous worship leaders out there). Duane made some calls and found another pilot who had a bigger plane for a good price, so he's not taking the flight, but it was fun to talk about. If we can find somewhere to stay in the City some of us would like to go to his concert when he's here.
The next few days I'm going to be with Joel in a town near Antigua for a pastors conference. He took me with him a couple months ago to an international meeting in the City, but this one is going to be a little smaller. I'm looking forward to spending time with him again and getting to see part of Guatemala I've never seen. Our plan is to come back Friday night.
Here is a picture of Paulino and me. He is one of our regulars at clinic. Normally he comes in and gives us all a hug to let us know he's ready to have his blood pressure taken and get his ranitadine for his stomach. He comes every week to San Andres clinic and sometimes to Canilla (and then again to San Andres the next day). When he first started coming his pressure was out the roof, and now he's normal. We normally pray and tell a few jokes. He likes to teach me new words in Quiche and tell me stories. He's been in 4 car accidents, is missing an eye and three fingertips, has over 30 grandkids and great grandkids, and every week he tells us that he's close to dying..but not yet. I pray he has many more years left here, but we talk about heaven too. Very often I am reminded that there is more to life than what we see with our eyes. I want more and more to be living for eternal things. Last night God really spoke to me while I was praying before bed about making much of Him. I pray you also receive a fresh glimpse of what it means to serve an eternal God. His love, his ways, his power is not like ours, but he offers us all of His heart.

Going's On

A momma and her baby in San Pedro
Lots of patients for Malachi and Leslie

Taking a nap while she waits on momma :)

Our internet wasn't cooperating, so I didn't get to write earlier. But I want to say thanks to everyone who prayed for our San Pedro trip. We got in and out the same day, saw lots of people, and pulled lots of teeth (actually our friend Dr. Pedro from the City pulled lot's of teeth.) Two people accepted Christ, and a couple people asked for Bibles. It's always a blessing to be there. One of my favorite parts was while I was carrying supplies to the building where we have clinic. Kids were walking behind me on the dirt path singing "la la la la la" from a song I went over with them a month ago. Time and relationship are a necessity here to touch people's lives.

Friday when I we got back I spent the day studying and making a plan to capture the honeybees in our yard. Joseph and I were up until 11 that night, but we got a hive built and got the bees in it. We'll see if they give us any honey!
Duane helping me suit up.

Saturday was clinic day here in Canilla. It was hard to get up and pray and share a message with the people, but it's always worth it. There was the usual amount of people, and I especially remember a mother and her two daughters. The husband left her and the girls a couple years ago, and she was really open to talking and praying. Her mom is a Christian is supposed to come back with them next Saturday. In the afternoon we visited with our pastor friend Victor from Quiche. He runs the drug rehab center there and it was good to talk to him. In the evening Malachi led some worship for us all. He left today for his new job in Connecticuit this week. We'll miss him, but I think he'll be back.

Today I spent the whole day in San Andres. Over 100 people came through clinic, but they went through pretty fast with so many of us working. Our friend Doctor Jeff and Russel (from Agape) came to help us since they are in Quiche for the week. In the evening church at Joel's was good. Tonight I felt like I had a harder time singing in Spanish, but God's presence was still good. Some of the ladies who make food afterward gave me a "chuchito" and some rice/chocloate drink as a refreshment. I don't know if I was just really hungry or if it was just exceptional, but it hit the spot. Also, I don't want to get off of here without letting you all know that Paulita from San Andres (the diabetic lady we've been visiting) accepted Christ today. It's really cool when we pray and ask God to move..and then He does. We may not see or understand how, but prayer definitely changes things. I hope you take time in your day today to have a conversation with God. If we take time to talk to friends and family, why not take time to talk to someone who
loves us even more than them and can do anything?

Peeling a pineapple in San Pedro

Honey in the Horizon

(Our friend Armando is making use of his surroundings as he preaches on a previous trip to San Pedro. I think the chairs represent sin and the cares of this world that can hold us down.)

I've read recently that one reason we're not supposed to worry about the future is because normally we imagine it without God. So as we prepare to go into San Pedro tomorrow (another village in the Zona Reina like Unilla) I'm trying not to worry about it too much; rather, I'm really expecting God to move. In the natural it's easy to get really hot and tired, but when I'm praying I know God wants to do something. Of course the heat is no fun and there's a chance we won't be able to get home the same day due to weather, but my main concern is for the people there. As I pray for them I'm really burdened with their need for Christ. There are very few Christians, and I sense that they are the kind of people who need to see a miracle to truly be converted. They need something personal, not just a story-book God from a people from far away. I don't know, but I know we pray and continue to serve them, asking God to move. It's been almost a year and a half since we began helping the people there (normally at least one trip a month). Duane has also made several emergency flights and taken several people to the hospital in Guatemala City from there. If you think of it or feel led, please pray for God's will to be done tomorrow. I know his will is that all people may know his love.
In addition to all of that, I'm really excited about this honeybee swarm in the yard. If we can find or build a hive I'd like to try my hand at beekeeping. People here really love honey and I hear its good for allergies...We're getting ready to worship and pray as a ministry, so I need to go. After the heat is over I'll hopefully post an update on how the trip went. Stay cool for me, and if you think of it, have a spoon full of honey with your toast in the morning.

In Need of Something

(Prayer makes me hungry)
Since the Unilla trip, life has been moving at a pretty fast pace. Saturday and Sunday we had our weekly clinics in Canilla and San Andres. We requested that only emergencies and chronic patients come to the Canilla clinic in hopes of getting out in time to get to the Pastor's meeting in the park. We made it over in the afternoon. I think about 500 people came (and maybe more for lunch), and it was a really good time of celebrating what God is doing. People came together to glorify Him, not as individual churches, but as a body of believers.
Sunday was a little rougher for clinic. There comes a time when our resources just don't seem like enough, and we're in need of something more (very much like in the case of Reuben from Unilla). Our morning started out with Paulita coming in. She has very uncontrolled diabetes, living with a blood glucose level of 500 mg/dL (100 is normal). Recently she has developed what we think is acute glaucoma, resulting in blindness. She has three children, no income, little food, and her husband just left her. Malachi and I stayed the afternoon to give her IV fluids and to monitor her sugar as we gave her insulin.
Another lady came named Candelaria. She and her kids come every so often. Leslie buys her food, gives her children milk, and we pray. Her husband left her for another woman, so she has no income and no food. She has no hope if God doesn't come through for her, so we pray, and she cries, and we pray for her husband to know Christ. We sent her home with about 50 pounds of corn, rice, beans and milk. This time I helped her carry it to the bus, and that extra time with patients like her kind of make the "real-lifeness" of her situation sink in.
On a little lighter note, I did get to break away from clinic for a while and have lunch with Joel and his wife. It was good to talk with him about what God is doing in each of our lives, and not only talk about church stuff. He's becoming a good friend. Later Malachi and I went to church there after taking out Paulita's IV. It's good to spend time with him too. He is probably one of the most intelligent people I've met, and his heart and attitude is just so real and good. I'll miss him when he leaves. After all, a night in the jungle listening to roosters together and lots of clinic kind of make you close!
Today I kind of got a break and had a chance to catch up on some school work and wash by bike. In the afternoon we went to pray in San Andres and try some new eye drops on Paulita. Leslie and Katie were there with Malachi to see Paulita, so I stayed on the street after prayer and ate some atol with some "hermanos y hermanas" from the church. Next time I'll try it without lemon.
So I sense that God is inviting me to pray more and seek him more. Reuben, Paulita, and Candelaria's situations remind me that we are all in need of something. I need God, so I know they need God. And I know that He has the ability to not only change their hearts, but to bring them hope and healing. (Paulita and her son who won't leave her side even at the house.)