September 21-27, Working with Medical Team

One of the missionaries, Jo Brown, asked me to help with a medical team that came down to work in Palín, a small community about 45 minutes out of the capital city. The tiny church in that community is just getting started. They have been meeting under a fragile tent while their building is being constructed. A couple of the guys on the team worked on the construction of the church walls along with the Guatemalan contractor.

They had to be really short of Spanish to use me. My Spanish is not that good. Fortunately the translating was not that difficult. The first two days I translated for one of the doctors. Most of the physical complaints were very simple. The young children seemed to have sore throats, coughs, and stomach aches. These were easily treated and the team brought plenty of antibiotics, vitamins, and parasite meds. The old people just about all had the same problems—aching muscles, knee and joint pain. There were a few cases of diabetes. Most were not taking medication because they could not afford it. The goal of the team was to demonstrate God’s love and concern for them.

The last two days they were able to get a translator who is also a nurse. I got moved outside to help the team members who were working with the children. This was no small job. There were 4 of us and about 75-100 children ages 2 to 12. In the morning, most of the school age children were in school and we mostly had the preschoolers—no parents or rarely. In the afternoons, they were as thick as bees on a honeycomb. I love working with these children. They just want to please and they are so cooperative. No one complained that they were bored. If they did, they used a different word than I know. We told a Bible story and had a little drama to go with it. We sang song accompanied by a battery operated iPod speaker system. The children played games to memorize their Bible verse. The best part for me was all the hugs. Guatemalans are loving, affectionate people. They are also grateful for any attention, and they are not stingy with their thank-yous.

On the last day, a young woman came into the clinic while we were having our lunch. She was carrying roses, and she had her little girl with her—about 5 years old. The mother said it was the little girl’s idea to bring the flowers in order to express gratitude to the doctors and others who had helped her get well. The day before, one of the doctors had gone to her home to tend to the child because the mother thought she was too ill to bring her in.

After 4 long days of clinic and Bible school, we had a play day. We went out to some ancient Mayan ruins where many still offer sacrifices to the Mayan gods. We also visited Antigua which is the ancient capital city of Guatemala. The streets of Antigua are the original cobblestones and are a challenge to drive on and not that easy for walking either. The artesian market is quite fabulous. Guatemalans are famous for their beautiful fabrics which are unique to Guatemala.

It was an exhausting week for the body, but refreshing to the soul.

Neighborhood Ladies

Meeting the Neighbors

Not long after I arrived, the drinking water dispenser ran out. To replace the water requires strength and dexterity. The water bottle is a 5 gallon container that must be lifted about eye level and turned upside down over the dispenser. I decided I would go out in the neighborhood and ask someone to help me. I saw the neighbor next door outside. She has two adult sons living with her and she told me she would send one of them over later to change out my water bottle, but right now she and another neighbor were headed walking to a free cultural event in the area. Nolly, Sarita, Sarita’s 6-year old grandson and I walked about 4 blocks to a huge Catholic church. The street next to the church had been blocked off and circus type tent had been set up for the folkloric ballet. There was a marimba group that provided the music for the dances. A concession stand was set up just outside the tent for those who didn’t have dinner before coming. Once the dances began, I was totally captivated. I had no idea that Marimba could be so beautiful or that Guatemala had so many folkloric dances. This was also the first time for me to hear the Guatemala’s national anthem.

Nolly also invited me to go walking the next morning with her and two other ladies from the neighborhood—Betty and Carmen Yolanda. Thus began a daily routine of exercise. We walk from 4:45 to 5:45 every morning. Yes, this really is too early for me, but Carmen Yolanda goes to work early.

Making Friends

These 4 women have become very good friends to me. Nolly introduced me to a hair solon where I get my color and cut. She has also taken me walking to a terrific fresh market very near the house. To celebration the National holiday on September 15, four of us went to the National Theater for a Marimba concert. There were 10 marimba groups, all playing simultaneously. Each group has nine members—7 play the xylophone looking part, one plays base fiddle, and one plays the drums. The people in the audience applauded and yelled enthusiastically after every musical number. One song was such a favorite that the people got up in the aisles and began to dance and sing along with the music. There were 3 encores.

Nolly also guided me on a trip to Antigua, the ancient capital city of Guatemala, and a major tourist attraction.

Even before arriving in Guatemala, I had prayed that I would make Guatemalan friends and that I would be able to have a Bible study in my home, and even that at some point I might be able to lead a Bible study. Of course, my Spanish does have to improve a bit before I can do it alone. With this in mind, I had a little party last Saturday night to get to know as many of the ladies in my little neighborhood (30 homes) as possible. I handed out the invitations and prepared the food, waiting expectantly to see who would show up. Thirteen ladies came, of these 5 were completely new to me. A fairly young woman and her two little girls live on one side of me. I thought she was rather unfriendly or very busy as I had only seen her in passing and she was always in her car. It turned out that her husband had died in June of this year after a long illness. She really didn’t know anyone in the neighborhood because she had been so busy caring for her husband. I had to ask one of her daughters what was her name so I could address the envelope. No one in the area even knew her name—Elida. She stayed until the very end and seemed so happy to be in the company of all these friendly ladies. Two of my missionary friends also came, one to help and one to talk about a Bible study she leads. Several of the ladies were enthusiastic about a study right here in the neighborhood. We hope to get it going in January.