Weekend Plans

Saturday morning was our regular trip to Canilla for the weekend. It was Beth's first time to arrive in Canilla by ground (she had flown in with Duane to pick up Heidi and Annie a week prior).

Saturday's regular clinic time was relatively uneventful, though there were plenty of patients to go around. Shortly after clinic ended, though, a man from Chiminicijuan showed up with a large gash in his head. He had been working with concrete and managed to get hit with a piece of rebar that cut him all the way to the skull. Annie had been the first-assist on Heidi's surgery on Wednesday, so it was Beth's turn to sew. She did a great job cleaning up the wound and closing it with as much tissue as had been left by the accident. We're pretty sure this guy's modeling career is over, but probably not because of the cut.

The afternoon was fun, too. We had a chance to relax a little, then head out to Chijoj to visit another mission that is in some transition right now. The previous proprietor died a few months ago and another American family is helping to sort out what's what. The Fickers are helping a whole bunch, too.

This morning, shortly after the girls left for clinic, the boys received a phone call that the road to San Andres was blocked by a large truck that was having some trouble getting a tire changed. Duane knew of an alternate route and after some sightseeing, the girls were able to get to clinic. There were 93 patients waiting when they got there. Luckily, with five clinicians, the clinic went a little quicker than usual and we were back at home before 5pm.

Please pray for a woman who came in with a molar pregnancy (Heidi's second this week and we think #7 since we've been here). We're praying that she will come to Chichicastenango for a life-saving surgery this week. If not, we pray she gets to an emergency room somewhere before she bleeds to death (not a guarantee, but a definite possibility in her condition).

While we were in Canilla on Saturday, our contractor put in the customary Saturday half-day. The work they did looks great and we're hoping they'll finish the driveway tomorrow morning and start on the fence that will surround the new addition. With the relatively high value of materials (versus labor), it's a good idea to secure the area before starting to accumulate stuff and start construction.

Tomorrow is clinic in Chicabracan. The girls will go with our evangelist, Juan Diego, while Isaac and Matt stay at home to supervise the finishing of the driveway and to receive some more construction materials. Tuesday we'll go to Leslie's clinic in Chiminicijuan (she's been having as many as 100 patients a week out there, too, with only she and Katie to see them all).

Wednesday we'll see our friend Regina here with yet another cleft lip and another microtia. After we see them here, we'll take them home, try to meet some of the officials in her village, and see what possibilities exist for at least one clinic there. (Yes, we could try to meet them in the road, but changing plans with her is a little tricky. The original plan was to meet here and we'll have a much higher probablility of success if we keep it like that.) Also on Wednesday, we'll pray that there is a quick surgery in Chichicastenango.

Thursday will be at ASELSI, Friday will be back at the Hospital Buen Samaritano, then we'll be back out to Canilla for the weekend. That'll give us 12 straight days of either clinic or surgery. Then Matt and the girls will take two days off (probably in Panajachel and Antigua) while Heidi and Isaac make a quick run to the United States to run an important errand.

Now, in pictures, the first and second are of Annie and Beth, respectively, in clinic in Canilla. The third is of Lydia teaching them how to make tortillas, Guatemalan-style. The fourth is of Heidi and Isaac holding Isaac's first tortilla (about the size of a quarter). And the last one is a shot from Friday of the workers pouring a concrete pad for the driveway (one of twelve pads making the driveway). Each pad takes 11 loads in the mixer to fill it.