Angelita and Josephina are two of my favorite people. They have both lived in the orphanage in San Andres for many years. Josephina has a lesion in her brain which has gotten progressively worse over the 15 years that I have known her. She is confined to a wheelchair now and has trouble with normal activities like eating and dressing herself but she is sharp. She never complains and always has a smile on her face. Angelita has Down's syndrome. She too, has been in the Home for as long as I can remember. She is like a grandmother now for the younger kids - no one really knows how old she is. The government has advised the directors to send both of them to an adult home in the City but for both of these women, this has been the only home that they have ever known. So even though they are lots more work for the staff, they stay and are cared for with so much love....it humbles me. Both women share not only a room but their bed as well - along with their cat. They try, to the best of their ability, to take care of each other and when one is sick, the other grieves.

In the last couple of years Angelita has had trouble with urinary tract infections. She was seen by a visiting urologist a couple of years ago who eventually had to catheterize her under anesthesia. Since then, when she begins to have trouble, I end of doing this "evil thing". She never complains about the pain that she has or the fact that she pees blood (at least not appropriately or to the right people who can help her) but when she stops eating we know something is wrong. This time she was quiet for so long that her kidneys have become affected - which makes her treatment much more difficult (not only catheterization and antibiotics but daily injections of antibiotics). When she sees me now, she begins to cry. It is impossible for her to understand the long term consequences of infection left untreated. But she does understand that she does not want to be in the hospital - which would be her only other option. I so admire the staff there who, while so understaffed, give her so much love. When her time to die comes, I know that she will be in the place that she calls home surrounded by the people who are the only family that she has ever known.  

James 1:27 says, "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world."

Other updates here -
 - The school started their second semester last week. Adrienne brought her biology class down to the clinic on Friday to observe ultrasounds. They are beginning to study fetal development and were super excited about what they got to see. It was lots of fun to see their enthusiasm!
 - The professional nursing (RN equivalent) is still on track to start in January.
 - Pre-construction activities - like, getting power and water to the site have begun. We will still need a well dug and are looking into prices for that. Lots of loads of dirt have been hauled in the get the building site "on grade".....whatever that means. The fence has been begun - the street side with gate should be completed this week.
 - Duane will probably be making a trip to the US next week to help get the load of construction equipment loaded and ready for shipment. We are amazed at the amount and quality of equipment that the Lord is providing!
 - The apartment for Dr. Luis and his family has been started...

Please pray that the final government approval for the hospital will come through this week! It has been - and continues to be quite the process!