Almost the Weekend!

Thursday was another great day at ASELSI. They gave out 35 numbers again, instead of the 25 they used to give. We didn't have that many return "citas" (appointments) either, so we got to see several new patients. The hardest thing about that clinic is knowing that, even though many patients arrive before 5am, that some still get turned away.

Every patient we have knows how hard it is to get in to this clinic and they all ask us for the little slip of paper you give them as a return appointment. It guarantees that they'll get in again. Those who need one get one. Those who don't need one are simply told to come early when they come back. I guess it's good news when the people have so much trust in your clinic that they're willing to start arriving around 2am to try to get a number.

Our guests arrived on Thursday evening. Their names are Jim and Carolyn. They're originally from Ft. Collins, CO, but they winter in Arizona and are here from there, right now. They told us about one of the families they work with here and they have been so generous with this family. It's another young widow with several children. We hear that story so often here. And women have so few options when it comes to earning money to support their families. Folks like Jim and Carolyn really make a huge difference for the families they "adopt".

Today, Heidi was in clinic at Buen Samaritano. Her patient load is starting to pick up and is approaching a nice level. She could still use a few more, but the days are no longer spent wading through 1st and 2nd Kings in one morning! She has two surgeries scheduled for Tuesday, which should make a great opportunity for the students to see some of that.

We leave for Canilla in the morning for our weekend clinics there. Tomorrow is Katie's birthday. We're sure that Joe has done most of the cooking and planning - or will at least claim credit for it! Craig's mom and little brother are here, too, so it should be a very fun day!

Sunday, our students come in in the afternoon. We've had lots of email correspondences with them and are very excited about meeting them. They really seem to have a lot going for them and we can't wait to work together for the next week. Hopefully we can all teach each other some things!

Congrats to Michigan State and North Carolina for both winning their first round games in the NCAA tournament. The bad news is that we have to play each other tomorrow. If you'll remember, Heidi went to UNC and Matt went to MSU. The last time we played each other was April 2, 2005. Matt proposed after midnight (early in the morning) on April 2. He couldn't propose on April Fool's Day - Heidi knows him too well. And he knew that if MSU pulled the upset, she'd say "no".

This time, though, she's got the ring and is carrying his child, so he might cheer a little louder for the Green and White than last time. Of course, the Spartans are still underdogs and they're playing in North Carolina, less than an hour from Chapel Hill. We'll see.... (Thank God we have internet access!!!!)