A Week in the Life

What a week! This is my normal schedule for ministry site weeks.

Monday: Clinic

Tuesday: Asilo

Wednesday: Clinic

Thursday: Hospital

Friday: Clinic

     On top of that, our Spanish Internship prof, Alicia Juarez, has been here in Guate the last week and a half. “Spanish Internship” is just a fancy name for homework in Spanish that has to do with our work at ministry sites. We had lecture on Thursday for 2 and half hours for that class. Fuuuun. 

     Laura and I have been working out together twice a week pushing weights around in the gym. We are pretty buff you know. 

     At the Asilo we mostly just talk to the nice old people there :) There are a few ladies there that are long time friends of Maureen and look forward to our visits every Tuesday. We also change dressings. It’s not as fun as chatting and it’s sad because it really hurts when we are cleaning the sores. But it has to be done.

Doña Julia and I

Dressings

     Once again, the hospital on Thursday was an adventure! We saw three surgeries this week. 

Maureen and I

     The first was a precious one-year-old boy. He had a lump under the skin in the shoulder blade area. This was easily found and removed in a fast, clean process – a good warm up for the next surgery!

Cute little baby feet

After the surgery

     Surgery number two: circumcision. One eight-year-old boy is now able to pee with ease! This surgery was significantly more gruesome than the first. It was worse than I thought it was going to be – a great warm up for the third surgery! Pictures don't do this one justice. So I left them out :)

     Amputation. Above the knee. Friends, if you ever get diabetes, take good care of yourself. Please. I don’t want to be observing your gangrene leg being taken off while you are awake. This surgery was actually less bloody than number two but far more disturbing just knowing what was happening to this sweet eighty-year-old abuelita.  

Her eyes are closed, but she's awake!

After. She kind of looks like she's smiling...but I doubt it.

I spared you the photos of the actual cutting...If you all want to see them I will have to get LOTS and LOTS of comments asking for them or your email address so I can send them too you. It's not pretty.

In these bodies we will live. In these bodies we will die. Where you invest your love, you invest your life. Awake, my soul! Awake, my soul! You were made to meet your Maker. Awake, my soul! Awake, my soul! Awake, my soul! For you were made to meet your Maker. You were made to meet your Maker.- Mumford & Sons