Back in the Saddle

First things first. Happy Birthday to Heidi! Much like me, she quit counting years ago, so she's twenty something-teen years old. If you didn't follow that, then you're too young to worry about how old people are anyway.

Yesterday, Heidi was at ASELSI. Poor Isaac had been traveling for about a week and was as schedule-confused as he could be. So he and Daddy stayed home to try to get a schedule re-established. It also gave Matt some time to work on a preliminary mixdown of the stuff he recorded at the church in Los Encuentros before we left.

Heidi had a busy day in clinic. She saw some pretty interesting patients, including a newborn baby with a golf-ball-sized mass on his arm. Also an 8-year-old with some type of mental problem. He has been kicked out of school for being disruptive. It's possible that he's autistic or something like that.

Fredy, our little imperforate anus patient, showed up with a prolapse of his colostomy. If you don't know what any of that is, just keep reading and don't worry about it. It's pretty gross.

She had a 4-year-old who doesn't talk. He seems to be more or less normal, physically, but his verbal and comprehension skills just are not where they should be.

Anyway, that's just a sample. She didn't get home until nearly 3pm. That's pretty late for ASELSI. Most of their workers are Mayan women whose husbands allow them to work with the understanding that it's a half day and that they'll be home in time to fix lunch (the main meal of the day for Guatemalans).

Today, she was in her clinic at the Hospital Buen Samaritano seeing a post-op patient, a couple of pre-op patients for the team that's coming in about 10 days, and a boy. (Yes, it's her gynecology clinic - don't ask.)

Some pics... First is of our translator, Cecy, with the stethoscope Heidi gave her for her nursing school. Second is the pancake breakfast Matt made for Heidi for her birthday this morning. Plum pancakes - yummy!

Next is a picture of Isaac's hands after attacking Jake yesterday. Apparently, Jake is shedding. He also seems to have missed us when we were gone. He let Isaac tug on his mercilessly for a total of about an hour yesterday. With all the hair Isaac pulled out, it's a wonder Jake's not bald.

The last pic is Isaac's first time on a school bus. Our mechanic friend Martin recently made a trip to the US to get a semi, a pickup, and a bus. Part of the way he makes his living is by buying discount vehicles in the US, bringing them here, fixing them up, and selling them. Well, the semi and the pickup deals both fell through and he only ended up with the bus. But Roy managed to fill it nearly full with furniture and construction equipment for the addition to the dorm.

Martin showed up at the house this morning with the whole load of stuff. Then we took it down to the Utatlan School to put it all in storage until the addition is done. Roy, it all made it here unbroken and undamaged. That mattress already had tons of stuffing coming out of it when it left the US, right? Just kidding.

Anyway, Isaac got to ride in the bus with Daddy and he loved it. Maybe that's a good sign for a few years down the road????

This afternoon, Malachi (Katie's friend) comes back to the house from Xela where he's in language school, and rides out to Canilla with us in the morning.