Mari, adoptions, and Unilla

February 27 - Maybe you remember from my last post about a little girl named Mari out in the Zona Reina. She has some sort of infection - whether in her muscle or in her bone or possibly both - but she has lost the function of her entire left leg. She is in extreme pain and has been in that condition for the last 4 months. We have been trying all week to get them into see someone who might be able to help her. Our friend and fellow missionary who lives in Chichicastenango agreed to see her. He is a surgeon who just happened to have a medical team there this week. So our plan was to pick her up on Tuesday and get her in to see Tom. However, it rained all day Tuesday (out in the Zona Reina - not a drop here!). Disappointed, Mari's dad walked three hours back to his village with Mari on his back and said he would not be able to leave again until Friday. So again this morning we tried to take her into see Dr. Tom who turned out to be out of town until next week. So we called our new friends in Guatemala City - Manos de Amor (Hands of Love) - and more specifically Dr. Pedro. He made a few phone calls and within a few hours Duane was on his way out to pick up Mari and her family. He just called to tell me that he left her in the hospital with IV fluids running and doctors examining her. Please remember to pray for this very sick little girl. Pray for her mother as well who is at her side and due to deliver at any minute in a strange city with people who do not speak her language. How thankful we are for this new connection to the City and the resources available there! God is always faithful!

This week has been one to "catch up" on so many things - from housekeeping to paperwork. Duane and I had an appointment yesterday with our lawyer about Grace's adoption. Although she is officially ours, when we received her paperwork, they had incorrectly written her name as "Grace Ficker Ficker". Now, having Ficker as a last name is bad enough but to have it twice was a little too much! Plus, and more importantly, it would raise all kinds of questions when we apply for her travel visa at the US Embassy. So for the last 6 months we have been working on this paperwork only to find out yesterday that it has been filed incorrectly not once but 3 times. And we wonder why it always takes so long to accomplish anything here. We are thankful though for a lawyer of integrity who perseveres through this unbelievably complicated maze of paperwork. Abi's adoption is still in progress.

March 6 -We have been asked by the mayor of Uspantan to help out in a village called Unilla. It is not far from San Pedro where we go monthly and is about a 3-4 hour walk from the nearest road. Duane flew out there Tuesday for the first time. Unlike the US, none of these airstrips are on a map nor is there any information about their condition, so he likes to "check them out" personally without passengers. This runway (a narrow grass strip) didn't look safe enough to land on so he flew to another one which was close by. The villagers were expecting him and could see that he landed on the other side of the river so they canoed over to meet him. Below are pictures of this canoe which was a very long, hollowed out log, a man using the canoe to cross the river, and a sign outside of the clinic we will be working from. The river was deep and the current swift. The man who navigated however was an expert and easily poled until his pole no longer touched bottom and then paddled until they landed exactly where he wanted them to go. Duane was met by close to a hundred men and children who led him to the "clinic" where we will work for the first time on the 19th of this month. Unilla itself is fairly large for that area with about 500 people right there and other smaller villages surrounding with an estimated population of around 5,000. We will plan to go for 2 days, show the Jesus film in Kek'chi at night, and see patients during the day. Please begin to pray with us for open hearts to receive the good news of Jesus, pray for safe traveling, and health for the villagers and for our team as well. These trips require a tremendous amount of planning and organization and financial provision. But nothing is more important than the prayer that takes place beforehand. Without the hand of God upon them, they are nothing but 'good works'.

clinic update...

Yesterday, after making the necessary repairs to the plane, we were finally able to make our monthly trip out to San Pedro in the Zona Reina. The community leaders had called to let us know that there were lots of children sick with coughs and colds. They were right and we saw several babies with pnuemonia as well. One little girl has stayed in my thoughts and prayers since yesterday. Six year old Mari was so pale and thin. She began 4 months ago to have fever and pain in her hip which grew red and swollen. Her dad treated her in the house with herbal remedies and relieved the swelling by sticking needles into it to release the pus which quickly accumulated. He finally took her into a doctor in Coban when her entire body began to swell. Yesterday, she cried in pain as I examined her emaciated body, her leg hanging limply. We tried to arrange a flight for her into the City to be seen in the national hospital there but her dad needed to "make arrangements at home" first. Please pray for her, that her dad will take her, and that she will recover the use of her leg.



The evangelical pastor, Juan, has been there to help us the past several times that we have gone to San Pedro. Yesterday he had a young man who has recently accepted Jesus as his Savior and was able to read the Bible that has been translated into their language - K'ekchi. It isn't often that we find someone who can read in their native language. Most who learn to read, learn only in Spanish. And as most of the adults in San Pedro speak only K'ekchi, this was a real treat! And once again, we used the Catholic church to show evangelistic films such as Jesus and the story of Joseph in K'ekchi while people waited for their "consultas". So we continue to plant seeds, asking the Lord to bring forth the harvest.



Our friends Bob and Jodi Gay and our new friend Hugh left this morning after a week with us. They are always an encouragement to us and it was a pleasure to listen to the wisdom that Hugh brought. Bob's passion is to encourage pastors and he was able to do that yesterday while we were in the Zona Riena. Today on their way out, they stopped into visit with Victor - our friend and pastor who has recently opened a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in Quiche'. Alcoholism is a huge problem here in this area and Victor has a gift to be able to minister to men who are trapped in this addiction.



Our other clinics have been really busy for the last couple of weeks. During the dry season and even when the rains begin but before the crops can be harvested, we always see an increase in malnourished children. We have 4 new babies with cleft lips and palates who will have their first repairs at the end of March. And we have also had an increase of widows who have come with stories of desperation. We have begun helping them with food as well. As always, God is faithful and we are confident that He will supply for the needs of these moms and children.

Uniting the Body

For many years we have been a little confused by the stark differences that exist here in this country between those who live in the rural areas and those who live in Guatemala City. When we travel to the City, it is much like stepping back into the US. We can eat lunch at Applebee's and shop at PriceMart - just like Sam's. It has become even more disorienting when we travel from areas within the Zona Riena into the City...in less than an hour (in the airplane.) It is like traveling to a different country. We have wondered if people who live in the City understand what life is like, within their own country, in the "campo". And in recent days we have observed how God is blessing the church there - not just financially but with the outpouring of His Spirit. We have wondered if there was a way to connect the two areas. Yesterday, we saw the Lord move in response to our prayers as a group of 27 Guatemaltecans made a 12 hour bus trip from the City to help here. They came bearing gifts of boots and clothing and food for their people. They came with doctors, dentists and Physical Therapists who worked alongside of us to serve over 225 people from this area. They came with hearts full of the love of Jesus to share with their own people. And we know that it is the Lord uniting believers to function as one body - different parts, in different areas - but each equally important to the health of the body of Christ. We pray that this will be the beginning of a enduring, fruitful connection.

I was in awe (and a little overwhelmed) as I watched how each one here, my own children, the Allison's, the Bontrager's and even Cali - our new friend and local Peace Corp worker -worked together to serve the 250 guests who visited yesterday. I can see how God has put people into our lives to help shoulder the responsibility that comes and continues to come more frequently each day. And in the midst of all the activity, we were so happy to see Heidi, Matt and baby Isaac arrive for a visit. Heidi immediately pitched in to see patients. It is so good to have them here for a few days - they have become a part of our family.

I need to get ready for clinic this morning in San Andres but I want to leave you with the prayer that Paul prayed. "May the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another...that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the...Father." (Romans 15:5) May He cause you to be united with other believers today, to honor and lift up the name of our Father!