Interviews, Miracles and Pacas!

Crazy two weeks!  We did "English Interviews" with all of our missionaries for the Senahu, Polochic and Peten Zones.  We were working to help our Spanish Speaking Elders set goals for improving their English.  The follow up visits will now be by phone, and then in person when we do the next housing inspections.  We are really excited about this program, hopefully it will help our missionaries focus and work on their English skills.  The daily study goals are important, but the biggest goal is to listen and understand the Prophet and the general authorities without having to use a translator - that is a very exciting goal!
 In between the zone conferences we made it to Guatemala City, did our major shopping for the next few months and dropped Natalie off at the airport.  After having her here for the last six weeks, we will definitely miss her.
Exciting follow up news is that our four month old little girl from Senahu that was diagnosed with cataracts will be going down to the capitol next week with her parents to see a specialist, if all goes well she will be having surgery to remove the cataracts.  This is a very difficult decision and time for her family, Guatemala City seems like a world apart for her parents who will be traveling the nine hours by bus to take her, and not to know until after they see the Ophthalmologist there, whether the surgery will even work.  This is a big miracle in the happening, thanks to many people and their love and support.  A family and Ward in the US who is paying for the trip and surgery, a doctor willing to do the surgery at cost, missionaries in Guatemala who will be making sure things go okay there, the Doctors from Choice who found the problem, our Area Doctor who found the Ophthalmologist in the city for us, our District President who talked to and worked with the family - so they decided to go, a branch who is standing behind and supporting them emotionally to take the trip.  This is a miracle that involves lots of people, each doing what they can to help bring it to pass, I find it amazing.  We are hoping and praying that the Doctor finds the surgery possible and that all goes well.
 
In Peten we went to what is called a Paca.  It is really like a huge DI or Goodwill, full of clothes and stuff that have been sent down from the US from places like Deseret Industries or Goodwill.  Companies or business here get it, (not sure how that happens)  and then they sell it.  Some people have really big Pacas, then there are smaller ones, and sometimes just out in the markets.  Clothes, shoes, and all sorts of stuffs in a huge range of prices.  The Elders here collect "Paca Ties"  These are ties they buy in the Pacas for 5 quetz, (about 75 cents)  Some of them are really nice, some are quite hideous.  The ties and collecting them is quite a fun game between everyone.  We bought some ties this time, so that we can take them back up to Senahu to give to future missionaries and to give out in Wards where they don't have ties. I also bought me a new sweater for $1.25,  We have started the season in Senahu where it mists a lot, or light rain during the daytime and cool, so a sweater will be quite a wonderful thing to have.  Last time we were in the Paca I was looking for cooler shirts because of the heat!
While we were in Peten we also shopped for the missionaries in Senahu, they are setting up two new apartments and needed a refrigerator, pillows, white boards and a blanket.  Things we would just run to Wal Mart for in the states become quite a searching adventure.  We had to stop part-way home from Peten this evenign in El Estor where we made a couple of deliveries and are picking up some things to take up to the other Elders.  Spending the night here because it is too late to finish the trip. Tomorrow we will be visiting the Panzos Branch on our way through, they have an average attendance of only about 25 members right now.  Stopping in Teleman to drop more things off, swinging by Sacsuha to pick up a clothes rack, then up to Senahu to deliver things and make it to choir practice!  

Joyful Exhaustion

We were able to help work at the CHOICE medical brigade this week in Senahu.  They brought in Surgeons with full surgical clinic and supplies.  Screened, worked with, operated for 3 days straight.  Children with cleft palatte, or double cleft palatte, Adults and children with huge cancer tumours, cysts, glaucoma, hernias, hearing problems.  Every day they worked steadily from 8am till 5 or 6 at night doing miracles. Elder Spradlin, Natalie and I worked mainly with the vision screening, but did assist some in helping get other people to the right doctor to be seen.  We came home exhausted and overwhelmed on a daily basis. One of the Doctors told me that he and one of the other Doctors have been doing this twice a year for the last 22 years, that is major dedicated service!
 Two hard things with our little bits during the clinic.  One of the little girls we have known since we have been here, always looked like she had a lazy eye, we found out she was blind in one eye, probably because of some sort of illness when she was a baby. The other is our little 4 month old sister whose eyes did not seem to focus right.  She was seen by the ophthalmologist and we learned that she was born with cataracts in both eyes, and can only distinguish between dark and light.  There is some hope though that if we can find a pediatric opthamologist in the capitol, and if there is no retinal damage behind the cataracts, and IF the surgery is done in the next two months, she may regain her eyesight.  I wept with the mother as I translated for her with the doctor, and then went with her to tell her husband.  We are praying and helping them to look for the specialist in the capitol, then hoping they can find the means for making the trip, having the consultation and doing the surgery.
All Saints Day yesterday, meant being invited to Caldo twice by member families.  That was fun!  Today they are supposed to be flying kites in the cemeteries, it has been raining most of the day so we shall see.   

The work of the Lord

This week didn't go always the way we planned it, but it went well, if that makes any sense.  The people that were supposed to be attending the Dental Clinic, many didn't show up which was really hard, but there were other people that were able to be seen and the Dentists stayed busy the whole time.  They did miracles!  It was really hard though when we got home from the clinic on Thursday and one of the sisters here was complaining of a toothache  Our District here was supposed to go down to the clinic on Wednesday - but they didn't go, it made me very sad.  One older sister was in to have some of her teethe pulled, while she was waiting I started talking to her about going to the Temple and then helped her fill out her family history form, so when she goes to the temple she is going to be able to get the work done for her parents and be sealed to them.  One of those side benefits of an activity, for which I was very grateful!
Wednesday while we were at the clinic President C'aal from Senahu called and asked if I could help with the District Choir practices for the Dedication this Sunday in Yalijux.  We came back a little early then on Wed. so that we could make it to the choir practice.  We found out Thursday morning that there is a medical brigade from an organization called CHOICE coming to work here in Senahu for three days next week so we will get to help them some by translating for them.  The wonderful news of that is that we have a couple of members here that are in great need of seeing a specialist and they are going to be able to be seen.  We feel so grateful to be a part of the work we see going on around us.