What. A. Day!

Wow.  That one was a long one.  Here are the stats:  21 patients (plus Izabel from yesterday, who we sent for a CT and got a chest X-ray on during clinic today), 7 definite surgeries scheduled—6 of which are Urogyn cases!—plus two possible big cancer cases that the team is still feeling out and praying over, 1 decent meal (supper after clinic, which we finished around 8:15), almost 11 hours in clinic, and started with 2 but ended with a FOUR person team—YAY for Hale and Anna making it safely here around midway through clinic today! (Just to prove it, here's Anna doing a fingerstick blood glucose-- yep, we threw her right in to working as soon as she got here!  Poor thing might sleep for the rest of the week after the day we threw at her…)

So, prayer requests:  Please continue to pray for Izabela, pictured below.  We admitted her tonight and planned to take some fluid off of her abdomen to see how fast it recollected, how much protein is in it, and keep thinking about whether we think it is safe to operate on her.  She actually looks and feels a little better tonight, so we are going to hold off for now and see if she continues to improve in the morning with your prayers and ours!  I’ve seen God do even bigger things, and I never discount it, so keep those prayers going up… but especially pray for wisdom for the team to do the right thing for her.

 

Esmirna is another really tough case.  She has a large cervical cancer tumor, and is begging us to operate to try to give her a chance of living longer or even surviving—or maybe just giving God some more room to work His magic.  It’s really an inoperable tumor that should go for radiation, but she flat out refuses to go for that since the last time they went to the cancer hospital her father died there—after spending their entire savings trying to save him.  “Not going to happen” was a very clear message, leaving a tough decision for our team. 

I really wish I knew in these cases, “What would Jesus do?” like everyone was wearing on those hokey bracelets a few years ago.  It would be nice if I could let her touch my robes in faith and be healed, but that just doesn’t seem like an option!  So it’s back to our knees and our time with The Lord, and hoping for clear direction from The Holy Spirit and some radiology tests tomorrow.  She is the lady in the green shirt in the other picture.

Tomorrow we have two sling procedures and a fistula repair.  Of note, we are operating on the hospital administrator’s wife in the morning!  So definitely wish us luck with that one… It would really be nice if that went well, obviously.  “Don Tono” has been a huge blessing to the hospital, the people of Quiché, and to us personally over many years now, and his wife Ofelia is a delight that we look forward to helping.

We are all exhausted and going to bed now, so I’m sorry about the lack of other details and fun stories~  We’ll try for more entertainment later in the week, but now it’s all about prayer… and sleep ;-)