Archive: May 2015

Surgical Week, Day 4

It is a bittersweet transition morning. Patients will be discharged and three more surgeries will be done, after which the operating room will be packed up for storage. But the dental office has a full day! Patients are lined up and down the hallways waiting for Drs. Sarah and Laurie to come on duty. These two dedicated doctors have worked patiently with all of us inexperienced dental assistants this week. We have learned about the equipment, how to mix amalgams, and how to comfort tearful little kids. It is heartwarming to see the expression on a beautiful 10 year old face when she sees herself for the first time with no staining on her teeth. What a pretty smile she has! We give her vitamins, a toothbrush, paste, floss, and and a lesson in oral hygiene. Will she keep up with it? Will her mom help her? But mom has been busy with other babies the entire time. We can only hope our little girl will be encouraged enough to take care of her own smile.

Anna’s baby Karin was born last night! What an adorable and healthy little girl. Mom and baby are doing fine and everyone is overjoyed! Videographers Dave and Kathi are doing a follow-up to last year’s story on Gloria and Anna, so look for the link here.

Surgical Week, Day 3

It’s always something! Today we arrived to a packed hospital and no power! The hospital operates on 3 phases and 2 were not operating. They have a back up generator but, you guessed it, no gas! After a few minutes of confusion in the dark, we gathered for a prayer. We know who creates light from darkness and we asked Him for this blessing.

When there is no power (and even when there is power,) there is no running water, so toilets were a problem as well. But slowly order was restored to the chaos. Lights came on here and there, and our brave handymen got the toilets functioning by manually pouring water in the tanks. We were back in business!

In the post-op room, it was time to discharge yesterday’s patients. Eight patients were discharged with their goody bags and medicines. Yessica’s mom was busy peddling her wares, beautiful handmade scarves, to the staff. These people may not have much, but they are still savvy business people. We all bought a scarf, and they weren’t cheap! One 40 year old woman, Angelina, will remain another day. She had a benign tumor removed from her face that was involved in her lymph node, and would have continued to grow. She was so thankful for the wonderful surgeons who helped her and for the care she was receiving from Michelle and Mary Beth, the post-op nurses.

Some of the staff went to pick up 15 year old Gloria, a return patient from last year. Thanks to her cousin Anna, Gloria came to STJI so her healing process could begin. They were so happy to see her again, and how beautiful she has become. Last year she had a lip repair, and this year she will have her cleft palate repaired. Gloria has been hidden away at home her whole life, because her family was either ashamed of her, or afraid she would be made fun of. These repairs will enable Gloria to go to school, have friends and begin to live a normal life. No one has ever heard Gloria speak because of her open palate and the staff is waiting anxiously for tomorrow to hear her speak her first words.

But more excitement! Gloria’s cousin Anna was 9 months pregnant when they came in yesterday, and today she went into labor while here in the hospital! So Gloria is in the operating room for her surgery, and Anna is in the maternity room. We will have two miracles tomorrow – Gloria speaking for the first time and a new baby for her family!

By the end of today there will have been 11 surgeries, innumerable dental patients for cleanings, fillings and extractions, and another baby in process! How many more blessings can we handle in one day? We are just about filled to overflowing!
Blessings,
Anita

Just when we thought we were finished…..We found Anna alone in the labor and delivery room. So we explained to the nurses our incredible journey with Anna and Gloria. We told them how precious they both are to us and they invited Cesia, Nadji, Kathi and I to go into the delivery room with Anna. The staff nurses delivered Anna’s baby since the doctor wasn’t there! We were so blessed to be there to meet baby Karen as she took her first breath! God created this precious child and lovingly appointed today as the day she would be born and Gloria would have her surgery in the same hospital just a few feet away.

We all praised God as we heard Anna praying God’s blessing over her sweet baby who rested quietly upon her chest. Anna’s husband, lit fireworks outside the hospital to celebrate the birth of his first baby! He still hasn’t seen Anna or his baby. They don’t let fathers in the delivery room here.
Please continue to keep everyone in prayer. What an amazing God we serve!

Love,
Jackie

Surgical Week, Day 2

With the return of the regular staff today, the culture and environment in the hospital is very different than yesterday. The doctors and nurses are back from the weekend, and the waiting rooms are full of local residents with everyday problems. The STJI staff starts the process of getting the day’s patients ready for surgery and dental work at 7 a.m. as yesterday’s patients get checked and prepared to be released.

Each discharged patient leaves with a backpack full of donated items including toiletries, hair bows and ribbons, dental supplies, clothing and small toys. They also receive the meds they need for their follow up care at home, and a bottle of clean water for use on their healing lips. They will come back in a few weeks for a check up. After hugs all around and a few tears, they are gone.

Sometimes, the admission process does not go as smoothly as you hope. Right away we have to send two little guys home without surgery due to complications. One has an acute lung infection, the other a heart murmur. When this happens, it is imperative the children see specialists in the city, which may take months, and then reschedule the surgery for when the team returns at another time. The disappointment for the families is heartbreaking. After such a long wait, they are sent home, only to wait again.

In the midst of the busy surgical day, some excitement! An emergency C-Section comes in! STJI volunteer Nadji, a neonatal intensive care nurse, is pressed into action and she is in her element. The local obstetrician, assisted by Nadji, delivers a beautiful baby boy! Mom and baby are doing fine and everyone is elated!

Meanwhile, volunteer and comedian Frank is outside organizing games for the kids and families, to keep them occupied while they wait to be processed for treatment. This breaks the boredom as many wait long hours. Spanish bibles are also handed out to many during this time, and volunteers pray with many of the families.

Four young men translators and 3 young women have been invaluable to us so far. Still in their teens, they are donating their time to help us make ourselves understood to the patients. Without their service, things just would not run as smoothly. Thank you Derrick, Chris, Kevin, Yarbin, Nancy, Irlanda and Armenia!

Thanks to the provision of our loving Father, day 2 has been a huge success – 8 surgeries, 3 other procedures, many dental patients and one C-Section! Thank you Lord, for allowing us to accomplish this work in Your Name!

“For God is not unjust to forget your work and the labor of love which you have shown towards His Name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.” Hebrews 6:10

A. Peters
Photos B. Peters

Surgical Week, Day 1

The day starts early in this hospital like no other. When we arrive at 7 a.m., the families are lined up, waiting patiently. They’ve come from remote villages in the hopes of getting the necessary treatment their babies need to repair their damaged cleft palates and lips. Many families are also here for routine dental work, fillings and extractions, that are either not available, or out of reach for them financially.

There has never been a hospital quite like this. The plumbing is sporadic at best. There are few sheets and no towels. The equipment is on again/off again and requires a crack team of handymen to keeps things running. But the Lord is working mightily in the midst of the commotion! Slowly things get up and running. Surgeons, anesthetists, and nurses are in action. Dentists and their assistants are doing routine dental repairs. Support staff are washing and prepping babies for surgery and for post-op care. Film crews are filming, musicians are playing, and everyone is praying for the Lord’s healing and calming hand in this important work. Suddenly, miracles are happening. Lives and hearts are being changed, one by one!

As the day winds down, the waiting rooms start to slowly empty. Parents are hot and tired, but filled with hope. Some babies will stay overnight and be released later in the week. Families are sent home with supply bags of items we take for granted – a toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, a little toy, a hair band and comb, maybe some simple medicines like aspirin. They are so grateful for each precious item. Most of these families will be returning to homes with no running water, no refrigeration and perhaps a bare light bulb to light the night. But they are also leaving with a most precious gift. HOPE! Hope for the future of their child, which they did not have before they came to the clinic. Hope for a beautiful smile and a better life. The hope which the Lord promises to us all.

It’s late and the doctors are tired. They’ve been standing all day. Everyone is tired and sweaty. There is no air conditioning and only a very occasional fan. But as we clean up and head out, it is evident that each heart is filled. It’s been a good first day and we are all thankful to have been a part of it.

Anita Peters
Pictures by Brad Peters

Clinic Day 4

This morning we said goodbye to Lora, Jane, Ann and Ginny as they headed back to the city to fly home tomorrow. We were all sad to see them leave. This team was amazing! They worked so well together. We were so blessed to see so many of our former patients and their families again. The hospital staff warmly welcomed us back and offered to help in whatever we may need. We are so grateful for the close relationships that God has provided. It’s a beautiful thing to see people of different cultures working side-by-side to serve those in need. Gary and one of our Guatemalan translators, Lalo, built custom crates to protect and transport our anesthesia machine and suction equipment. More importantly, they built a great friendship in the process.

We had a wonderful surprise today! Gloria, her Mother and cousin Anna came to see us at the hospital this morning. Gloria is the beautiful teenage girl who’s cleft lip was repaired by our team last year. Her story is featured in the video “Gloria’s Story” on our website. She was smiling and much less self conscious since her surgery. She is due to have her cleft palate repaired this year. Please pray that we can complete her surgery this year. Since our last surgical mission, her cousin Anna who translates for Gloria, has gotten married and is expecting her first child any day now. Please pray for a safe delivery and a healthy baby. Anna has a congenital hip deformity that makes walking painful especially carrying the extra weight on her joints during pregnancy.

The remainder of our team, accompanied by our Guatemalan friends, set up the entire operating room, pre-op and post-op units in record time! It’s like setting up a MASH unit. We literally bring everything but the kitchen sink. The sound of laughter and an occasional voice singing praise made it a very special day.
Dave even had aspirations of doing some landscaping with a machete! But we thought he should save his gifting for the O.R..

Please keep the surgical team in prayer as they are flying in from all over the U.S. tomorrow!
We are so grateful for God’s great provision as we see His hand at work throughout each day and in each encounter.
Jackie

Clinic Day 3

Dear Lord, we thank you and praise you as each day passes and we see all the wonders of your work. Breakfast devotion was sweet this morning. Gary shared a devotion of Romans 1:25 where the Lord’s word reveals that we need to be careful not to worship created things but rather our Creator. Here we are in the midst of beautiful nature and can get caught up in worshipping things He created, including the Dr’s and trams that will be serving the people. It was good to be reminded how humble we need to be. There was a lot of sweet and vulnerable sharing.

Today was the last day of clinic seeing actual patients. There is still a lot of work to do before the surgical team arrives. Stephen was off driving a woman and her husband to Guatemala City, 5 hours away, to get CT scan of her tumor before she has surgery next week. Patients are still being transported for lab tests, translators are translating and everyone is praying!

Jackie feels better but Dave is having his day of not feeling so great. Both were troopers and made it through the day. There were at least 4 patients today that were returning for cleft palates and other work. It was so heartwarming to see their smiling faces.

One little baby was so badly infected that surgery was not an option until her infections cleared up. She was bathed and given new clothes, prayed for, given medications and her parents were taught how to care for her. We asked her parents to bring her back during our next trip for the cleft lip repair.

It is amazing to see the patience and attentiveness of the parents and kids. The Lord brought each and everyone in that day for a reason. His timing is perfect, we know that.

So the day ended with the surgical schedule completely filled, along at least 10 other patients coming in for local anesthesia for more minor fixes. They will have a busy schedule next week! The praying, worship, and sharing has been so special and powerful. We praise God every day for his blessing!
Ginny

Clinic Day 2

It was another beautiful day today in San Cristobal. Day 2 of the Clinic was another blessing, for the team, and for all the patients and parents- at least we pray it was! I feel the Lord is opening all our hearts more and more each day. Especially those of us who are here for the first time seeing firsthand the people and the country. Dear Lord, the children and parents you brought to us today were all so special. If possible, they seemed even more scared than yesterday, but our team works hard to make the connection to have them feel special and loved. They were a bit older for the most part, but we still had a fair share of infants. One baby was only 9 months old and weighed only 8 pounds. He was so undernourished that he could not be scheduled for surgery this trip, but hopefully next year. After a full exam, Nagi took him in to the prayer room to feed him with a special formula, the family was prayed for and sent home with whatever we could do to help them out. We pray we see them next year.

As we came in the morning, we saw the woman with the tumor on her face from the day before and her husband. They had been given food and shelter for the night and the first thing she did was hug us all. She was so scared yesterday; we feel she is seeing some hope now. At least we pray she is. There were at least two repeat clients from the year before coming back for a cleft palate repair. Little Marlin, now just over a year, was the boy who was so sick Jackie and team went up to his home to help with his breathing. Jackie was so scared at that time that she would lose him. But here he was back and thriving. Jessica, about 8 years old, also back for a cleft palate repair was looking so pretty and healthy. Lots of hugs were given by Jessica to all.

Several of the children needed special treatment. One little boy about 8 years old had a seizure on the table. His parents had stopped his medication because they had no money. So many needs to pray for! All the parents appeared proud, respectful, and caring. Several patients needed radiology consults and trying to find a radiologist close by was a challenge. Things went so fast and there were many lab trips for Steve. Gary and Rudy went into town to a lumber place so Gary can build a crate for the anesthesia matching. All the transporting back and forth takes a toll on the equipment. We ended the day with worship singing and fell into bed!

Please pray for Jackie and Dave as they have been feeling sick the last 2 days. They need their strength for the next week and a half. Pray for the health of the whole team here and the team arriving on Saturday.

God Bless!
Ginny

Clinic Day 1‏

First day of clinic was incredible! Our team had our daily devotion and reflection in the morning and then off to the hospital. People were already waiting at the clinic by the time we got there. Some people came from hours away and were waiting patiently to be seen. Others were walk-ins from the street and some were patients we had worked on last year. It was so good to see them! All came wearing their best clothes including the adorable babies.

There were so many little ones, some moderately healthy and some very underweight. Our youngest patient was 12 weeks old and the oldest was a 57 year old man. One case was particularly heartbreaking as the surgery could only be done in the United States. The translators did an excellent job and after explaining the possibility of a US surgery the Mom said “She would be sad, but she would let her son go”, he was only a few months old. We all were so touched by this child. We all prayed with the Mom and her son before they left the exam room.

As each family left the exam room, our team would give them a bible and pray for them. You could see the concerns and fear on many of the parent’s and children’s faces. You could see the reality setting in as their child was finally getting scheduled for surgery after waiting for so long. It was happening and it was scary! But many of them left with smiles and handshakes. One middle age woman came in with her husband. She had a tumor near her ear. She needed a translator for the translator. She was scared. We prayed for her before she left and the amazing thing was everyone was praying in their own language. I couldn’t help but think how the Lord must have been smiling to hear how sweet all our prayers mingled together in several different languages sounded to him.

Clinic was crazy busy all day long. There were times when I could see Dave and Jackie’s faces when they were heartbroken to realize they could not help the child. It was hard to watch the sadness on the face of a young adult or teen when they understood the same thing. Our team would comfort them and pray.

The Lord opened our eyes and our hearts for each and every person there. Our biggest prayer continues to be that they see the love of Christ and their hearts are open to receiving Him. Our desire is to make a connection with all those that come to the clinic. Thank you Lord for this opportunity to love on these people who love and care for their families.
God Bless!
Ginny

Clinical Trip

Praise God for his mercy and provision. On Saturday, everyone arrived on time and cruised through customs after receiving all the final documents at the 11th hour, almost literally! All our supplies and medications for the clinic team made it through intact. After a long travel day, everyone pitched in and unloaded the truck in record time. Even the bus drivers pitched in and helped. Our team is amazing!

On Sunday morning, we had a great time of prayer and worship. After breakfast, we spent most of our day preparing for the clinic opening. While at the hospital, Jackie took some of us on a quick tour. Dr. Claudia was on duty and delivering a baby that morning. We prayed for the baby and all the babies soon to be coming to the clinic for assessment. The town and the hospital can make you sad, but Cesia reminded us that we are not here to feel sorry for these folks. We are here to serve and to show and share the love of Jesus. I personally pray to have Jesus move my heart to know what to do, to be bold and brave and to have wisdom and compassion. I pray we all step up to the divine appointments or inspiration that God has for us on this trip.

Next, we drove up to see the land that has been offered to STJI. It was high atop of a mountain with gorgeous views. We prayed that again the Lord will guide Jackie and Dave and give them clarity on how to proceed with building their own clinic on this land.

Driving back to the hotel, we stopped and Dave and Jackie did a consult with a couple and their 10 week old baby at a local restaurant. I got to hold the baby!

We ended the day with another good meal and by celebrating Mothers Day. Before bed, a few of us put some last minute vitamin packages together for the discharge bags and played some silly games. Jackie, Dave, Cesia and Stephen are always hard at work making connections and making sure everything is running smoothly and organized.

We are in the midst of our first morning clinic day and the people are pouring in. Keep all the families and the team in prayer!

God Bless!
Ginny