Mustard Seeds

There is something so beautiful about children praising God.

Tonight we watched the movie "Little Boy", about a boy whose faith, (or will, not sure exactly) was focused on bringing his dad back from WWII. It's making me reflect on the past week. When we have faith as little as a mustard seed, we can move mountains.

Faith. Faith as small as a mustard seed.

Faith like a little child.

The kids here sure do have faith. I see it especially when I do devos with them in the morning. I think I put a video on in one of my first posts with them singing.

Well this week was the younger kid's turn to have the Olympics. There are a ton more of them than the older kids. ALL of them were pouring their hearts out to Jesus before they got started.

Let me show you.

Isn't that beautiful?

It puts my faith in perspective. Do I believe that I can truly rely on God? He has provided me with great jobs, a wonderful and God-fearing family, a safe house, food regularly on the table, and yet sometimes I try to do things myself. I have anxieties when I can't seem to do something right. When I try to do it on my own strength. 

What can I do to increase my faith?

The movie "Little Boy" would say to make a list of things to do, helping others in need or visiting the prisoners, clothing the naked. Yes. We should do those things. 

What is in my heart though? Am I doing it for recognition? 

"Oh wow, Rachael is so awesome, she's going to a foreign country where they eat weird food!"

I hope that's not my goal. I think everyone likes to be recognized for doing something hard. I think that instead it needs to be a goal of getting closer to the Lord. Seeing the world through His eyes. Looking at the children here, I can see Him. Listening to their screaming when they sing is both heart-breaking and exhilarating. God is moving. 

I want Him to move in me. 

Matthew 17:20 "...Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain 'Move from here to there', and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

Faith

Clean Hands, Clean Teeth!

Time to show off your pearly whites! It's Tooth Brushing Time!

Today Christy, Elvin and I spent the morning going to the Chicoy school to talk about brushing teeth and washing hands. The clinic started a Clean Hands, Clean Teeth campaign a while ago, and it's time to start promoting it at the other schools. Next week we have a photographer coming out to take pictures of the kids brushing their teeth, so we can make posters about healthy habits for the other schools. It was so cute!

The kids have a leader who runs the drill. After snack time they all get in a line, sing a song about having clean hands and teeth, and then they line up at the sink. The leader then yells out, "Ready?", and everyone shouts "Yeah!". Then they wash their hands for as long as it takes to sing the song again twice. When the song is done the leader shouts "Turn off the water!", and they all troop back to the classroom to get their toothbrush. They shout the song again about healthy teeth, and the leader all gives them toothpaste.

Then they brush their teeth, inside, outside, tops and bottoms, and their tongue, then they spit out the toothpaste, but don't rinse!

I was a little nervous about the swallowing of toothpaste, but the World Health Organization actually implemented this in other countries, and they found that having the fluoride on their teeth longer definitely helped. Man these kids are cute!

We just got the little benches the kids are standing on today! It really helps so the little kids can reach. 

They also have an ingenious idea for keep the soap from running away! 

They hang it in nylon stockings! Crazy!

We were there to do some quality control and make sure they were all doing it correctly before the photographer arrives next week. I think they are doing a GREAT job!

I got a few hugs today too, which was pretty awesome!!

Here's a video for ya!

And to top off a good day, There was dinner waiting for me at the house, I found my way to a specific Tienda (store) to get Candy her favorite chips, and there was an awesome sunset tonight from all the humidity in the air.

God bless Guatemala!

Love you all in the States too!

Women, parties, and God.

Uteruses.
Feminine hygiene.
menopause.
Stress.

All women face those problems at some point.

I have been tasked with putting together a presentation about women's health for some of the church and school ladies. Don't know how it's going to turn out, seeing as how right now it's all in English and I need to translate it all into Spanish. That'll be interesting.

I found a cute uterus though.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/368380444503041220/

Gotta love Pinterest. I'm thinking I can get some felt and make some for the clinic. 

Why? 

Because it's a cute uterus. 

Anyway, enough about women things.

Today I had three patients that I had to take all by myself without a translator or any of the Guatemalan staff. 

It was slightly nerve-wracking. 

By God's grace they were all easy, and I could actually understand what they wanted and got across to them what they needed to do. 

• I saw a girl with an injured arm that I saw at the Olympics, which was getting better.
• I saw a man who wanted something for his son's cough.
• Lastly, I saw a girl with some eye irritation.

It felt pretty good to be able to do it all by myself. 

It made me think about a verse I remembered while researching about stress relief.

Deuteronomy 31:8 

"The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; 

He will never leave you nor forsake you.

Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged."

I think this verse is something we all need to hear regularly. Whether you are taking some major exams for your PhD, working in a high stress environment, taking care of screaming children, or just having anxiety about things you can't change, God goes before you. 

God's in control

It was a really nice weekend. I went to a birthday party, ate lots of wonderful Guatemalan food, had a movie night, and chilled out. 

Now I can really chill out. 

God's got this!

Epicness

The Olympics.

Athletes all over coming together to compete in feats of derring-do that put us all to shame.

Or in this case, schools from all over the Ministry coming together to compete, kid against kid. Grade against grade. School against school.

All in a loving, God-fearing way of course.

The games come complete with a Torch relay run. I was a little terrified about the flames. Mostly because the one torch was held together with masking tape, which turned black rather quickly.

We have sprinting, long distance running, relay racing, and of course jump rope. 

The schools of Tactic, Mocohon, and Pulurla all did well in these games today. I got the wonderful opportunity to play nurse and hand out ice packs and water. I did a bandaid also, which kept me busy.

Jump rope competition. The last one to stop wins!

Long distance run

Day 2 of the games was more exciting. We had a soccer tournament, which was highly competitive. 

The schools of Chiacorral, Mocohon, and Pururla all competed against each other for the championship.

I didn't have much to do but stand around and wrap knees. However I did discover a broken collarbone which did not happen during the game. The kid was trying to do a fancy move in the grass and landed right on his shoulder. He had to go to the center of health. He got lots of attention from his friends though, so he wasn't too unhappy about it.

Go team!

Today was also the last day for our dental team. They have been working so hard all week. It has been so much fun having them around. So, after the games ended I walked the 30 min back to the clinic to join them for the afternoon. 

I think all of us were ready to be done by the end of the day, but it was a good day. Between the team not feeling well, and the busy morning they had, it was a tiring day. They had beautiful smiles the whole time though. 

We will miss you Snell team!!

Christy and I had the opportunity to do a home visit for a lady in the church who was in the hospital for a while for an operation. She was doing ok, but I think she definitely needs time to recover. Thankfully there is a family she is staying with that is taking very good care of her. Christy and I were able to bring her some vitamins, and we were able to pray for her also. It was a sweet opportunity. 

What a week it has been. 

I hope this week you all take the time to look up at the stars. They are so magnificent! I can't really see them much here, but when I can it's a great reminder of how big God is. He can take the most mundane day and make it beautiful. 

Teeth aren't pearly 'til you smile! -Anthony liccione

We have a Lovely dental team here this week, and man! They are desperately needed here. 

I've watched the Dentist pull so many teeth that I could probably do it myself. We've done a few fillings, but most of the teeth we see are so broken, they are at the gum line or have abscesses that need to heal. Some of the teeth are so bad that we have to put the patient on antibiotics, and ask them to come back at the end of the week. 

Our patients are mostly kids who don't have their adult teeth yet. But they usually don't have many healthy teeth left. 

Dental health is an extremely important component to helping the kids here to do well in school, and just have better health in general. The schools are starting to implement a tooth brushing campaign so that they can help the kids develop good habits. In the school that they started the campaign, they have already seen better school attendance, and better health. 

It is so fun to teach kids how to brush their teeth. They are usually not smiling after seeing the dentist, but I can usually pull a smile out of them when I demonstrate how to brush teeth. 

It has been a busy week, lots of getting to know people, and lots of parties in the evening. It's nice having a team here because we keep them entertained, so we have to do fun things. 

Tomorrow will be interesting. I get to go to the Olympics!

Just kidding. Not the real Olympics. 

The schools are competing in soccer, so I get to play First Aid, and bring my ice packs and bandaids.

Til tomorrow!

Sabbath

My thoughts are on the people in Ecuador right now. That earthquake brought major damage and huge loss of life. God bless those who don't have housing, and have lost loved ones. Tim felt a tremor that day, although I don't know if it was the same as the 7.8 that hit Ecuador. That loss of life is horrible. 
May God be seen in the midst of it. 
USA Today - Earthquake in Ecuador




Exodus 20:11

"For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy."

Sometimes it is hard to rest on the Sabbath day. You are so busy during the week, and then on the weekend you have all the time to do the things you didn't have time for earlier. 

The body needs rest. 

God rested on the 7th day. Sometimes in the middle of my weekend I think to myself, "I can't take a Sabbath, I have such and such to do." 

Is it a Sabbath if you "rest" by doing?

I don't know. 

I think for some people, doing things like cleaning the house, or doing outside chores can be a form of rest. I think where we tend to mess up (mea culpa) is making the chores more important than sitting down for an extra hour with God. Maybe your extra hour with God (or day, which is what He means) is hiking mountains, or going shopping. What are we doing to honor God on His Holy day?

Just a thought for the weekend.

I really needed the Sabbath this week. Les and Rita Peters invited us over for lunch yesterday at their house. The Peters are the Canadian missionaries who started Impact Ministries in 2001. They are the sweetest couple, and it's a joy to be included in their little family. 

The Peters live on a large property owned by the Ministry. This property is slowly growing to include: A state-of-the-art greenhouse that is self-sustaining; A dormitory for visiting missionaries; A seminary with a large church; acres and acres of agricultural land; and last but not least the beginnings of an orphanage. 

Work continues on the orphanage

View of one third of the fields

The Baby House spied through the trees

Lunch was delightful, and it was so nice to be able to speak English!! 

I am so thankful for that. 

Today was a grocery and church day. Their church here is called Rio de Vida - River of Life, and it was packed to the gills. They all dance and jump up and down, and praise the Lord with their all. It is so beautiful!

Rio de Vida Iglesia

Well as you go forward this week, remember God is present, and I hope He gives you a Sabbath, and a wonderful semana!

Thankfulness, Food and the Widow Maker

Well the week passed quickly.

Yesterday my hosts brought me to their small group (they call it a Cell Group) so I could start plugging in with their church. Candy was nice enough to translate so I could feel included. My head definitely hurt after trying to understand with my limited Spanish. I am working on it, I promise!
We were going through Mathew 4-7, and highlighting the core principles of each chapter. It definitely made me miss GCF though, since we are going through the same chapters! (Love you guys!).

The food here is great if you know how to cook it.
How long does it take to cook black beans anyway?

I bought some tortillas off of a vendor that Candy recommended, and I think the lady was asking me why I couldn't cook them myself. Haha. I tried to make some once, and it was really hard to not have it fall apart in your hands! I guess knowing how to make them is a rite of passage for all the girls here, and is something you have to know in order to get married.

Don't worry Dad, I'm not planning on getting married while I'm here.

While I was making dinner tonight I ran out of gas in the stove. Candy called the guy and they brought us a new tank in about 15 min!! Talk about service!!

I have to say though I am very thankful for the amenities we have in the states. Here you can't flush toilet paper; you either cook over an open fire or have a gas stove; there's no dryer (although I am so thankful I can use the washing machine!); and there is a shower head (I'm thankful I don't have to use it!) that is called the "Widow Maker" because it has open electric wires that heat the water.

Life is interesting in Guatemala. I'm so glad we have toilet paper.

The clinic was slow today, no one stopped in to relieve the boredom of computer stuff, so I listened to some Skillet and P.O.D. to make the time go by: POD Alive

I was really starting to feel lonely in the back room by myself today. But I got to skype with some of my siblings and that really helped. I am so thankful for family!!

God leads

Thanks friends for your help with the kittens. I guess it was too late on our end, the kittens both passed away overnight. I suppose it is a blessing in disguise, neither of us over here know how to raise newborn kittens, and at least they aren't suffering anymore.

Today was an interesting day.
We were in the clinic today, and since there isn't a big team here, I was the only trained professional in the building. There usually are one or two Guatemalan nursing students who run the clinic, but one is gone on his practicum and the other was taking a few patients to an optometrist in another city.
So that left me and the administrator Christy, and a student came for a few hours. Christy is a Canadian who married a Guatemalan, and even though she is as young as me, she is running the clinic. She's pretty cool.

So Christy and I were holding down the fort today. We had a bunch of people stop by. There was an older lady who had been pretty sick for a while, with difficulty keeping food and drink down. I wasn't exactly sure what to do with that, because she's got some other stuff going on, and I'm technically not able to prescribe anything. We are able to do over the counter stuff, and check things like urine samples and blood sugars, which is helpful. The only problem was that we have about 10 different glucose monitors, with all their different accouterments, and the one I decided to use must have been programmed for being in another country, because the range of blood sugar as being normal was definitely not what I was used to. So we wasted a lot of time figuring out whether this thing was accurate or not. 

A lot of people come into the clinic for random questions. "What do I do for headaches?" or "My kid has been having stomach issues, what can I give her?". I was able to do my best, and even teach some stretching exercises to decrease headache pain. 

There is definitely a stomach bug going around. It sure is nasty. On top of that, apparently it is one of the hottest Aprils in a long time. Dehydration nightmare. 

So in between visits I worked on some projects on the computer: inputting data from a previous team, and working on a presentation about basic feminine hygiene and reproductive health. It was interesting until the last hour of the day, and then I was ready to go home.

On my walks to and from the clinic today I saw a few homeless/possibly passed out drunk men that were laying on the side of the road. I really wanted to stop and help them, because the story of the good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37 is such a good example of what it means to be Christ to someone. Especially someone who is diseased/gross/possibly won't want your help, etc. It troubled me today to see that. Alcoholism is very common here, as is abuse and infidelity. 

I talked it over with my host family tonight, when do you help? Or as a foreigner and a woman, can I or should I? 

The answer I got was probably not. I guess the ministry is looking for ways to help people, and they know the culture and how to help without causing dependence or belligerence. Plus, as a woman it is not wise to help in most of those cases because drunk men can be dangerous. There is also a culture here that is very patriarchal, with pretty clear lines between what is appropriate for a woman to do and what is not. I guess the best thing to do is to pray, and if someone really does need help, call one of the big men in the ministry. Its kinda frustrating though, not being able to do anything. 

So I'll end on a note of prayer.

Father, please give the ministry and I wisdom to help the helpless, and teach about mercy and grace. You are the Lord, the Great Physician. You know where our paths lead. Thank you for opportunities to help in the clinic. I pray that you would bless the men I saw today, that they would come to a knowledge of you. In Christ's name I pray, Amen.

Having to adjust with a vengence

Yesterday was a series of firsts for me.
First time I had to ask for something in a pharmacy by myself. First time I wandered around Tactic by myself (and didn't get lost thank you God!), And the first time I held (not with my bare hands) a newborn kitten that still had its umbilical cord.
So I got sick. Yep. First day I was supposed to be at the clinic.
Nothing to do with the cat, it was probably something I ate. (TMI sorry). Anyway yesterday was miserable.
Day before that I was walking with my hosts to see the office, and low and behold one of the Ministry ladies Flor had found a tiny baby kitten that had no mother around. She brought the cat to the office, hoping that the baby would be taken care of by a very pregnant cat that is due to give birth any day. Needless to say, the momma completely ignored it. Of course Flor was very excited about my being a nurse (because that translates into me knowing what to do with a baby cat), and so I ended up researching kitten formula, and how to deliver it.

One baby turned into two last night as Flor found another one. At the moment Candy (my host momma) and I are taking turns taking care of them. They aren't doing too well though.

Anyway, I was feeling a lot better today so I got to go to the clinic for the first time. Sorry I don't have any pictures of today. It was pretty slow, only two patients (one with a ruptured ear drum, ouch!). So we filled the time with inputting previous team's data into the computer. 

I had a good day. It is amazingly hot here. I definitely got sunburned the other day because I wasn't paying attention. The altitude also makes me feel out of shape. 

So if anyone has good ideas about what to do with sunburn when there is no aloe vera, please let me know!

Also, anyone know how to help baby kittens survive?

I will leave you with a psalm that really fits this place. I am surrounded by mountains, and am constantly in awe of the One who made them.

Psalm 24

"The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. The world and those who dwell therein. For he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? anf who shall stand in his holy place? He who has a clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Life up your heads, O gates! Be lifted up , O ancient doors, that the King of Glory may come in. Who is this King of Glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle! Lift up your heads O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of Glory may come in. Who is this King of Glory? The Lord of Hosts, He is the King of Glory!"

And So It Begins

"Beinvenido!"
Welcome. It's the first word I heard as I stepped out of the airplane yesterday. What a testament to the culture of hospitality that Guatemala cultivates!
I have to say, traveling can wear you out! I almost lost my phone, I almost missed my plane, and I almost couldn't find my ride when I left the plane. BUT God is good, and He definitely was watching out for me yesterday.
Anyway, no one wants to hear boring plane travel stories.

Let me tell you about Tactic.
Tactic is situated in the mountains, surrounded by lush greenery that seems to take over everything.
We are at about 4800 feet in altitude, and it's pretty easy to get higher when we visit the surrounding villages.

There is a pretty big disparity between classes here. The wealthy are really wealthy, and the poor are very destitute. The foreigners here, (the US and Canadian missionaries) try very hard to blend in and not show off how rich we are. It can be difficult though, because we stick out like a sore thumb. Also, in trying to keep the foreigners from getting sick or hurt, we are staying in a pretty big, gated  house that is one of the bigger houses in Tactic. (One of the only ones that can fit all of us).

  The Missionaries I am staying with are the Weavers, and they live very simply.

Tim Weaver loving on some kids.

Candy Weaver in the middle of a hug line.

The road was a little long today, I just arrived in Tactic, so today is a settle in and sleep day, and tomorrow I'm going to explore Tactic a little more.

KITTENS!!!

MORE KITTENS!

View of Tactic from the roof

Hard labor is everywhere.

Let me leave you with a scripture to look up today. Psalm 18. It was one that I have always loved and was a big center for my devos this morning. 

On a similar note, book lovers, if you haven't read the book "The Bronze Bow" by Elizabeth George Speare, I highly recommend it. 

God bless my friends!

2 days to go!

Ahh!
It is really happening.
I'm packed. I've been prayed for (multiple times, thanks GCF, family, and church!) so it is bound to be a God-filled trip! Whew. Crazy.

I was hanging out with a friend tonight, and we were discussing orphans.
Don't ask me why... Why not?
Anyway, I was reminded of the last time I went, we had the opportunity to go to the big hospital in Coban where we delivered Layettes. These are bags filled with baby things to be given to the new moms in the maternity ward. While we were there we were informed that there are babies abandoned at the hospital all the time.
Every day.
How heart-wrenching to be so desperate that in order to keep your child fed and taken care of you abandon them at the hospital, often-times just left in the sheets upon discharge.
We got to meet some of the babies, and we prayed over them. At the moment that was all we could do, soon enough they will be sent to the over-filled Guatemalan government-run orphanage.
Impact Ministries is building an orphanage, and they've even plotted out the ground for the building. Wouldn't it be so cool to be involved in that? I kinda hope that it'll be in progress when I get down there so I can help.

Isn't this baby cute? I want to take it home. Sadly, that is frowned upon.

Worship

It always amazes me how Children worship God. They are so full of trust and abandon, that even though musicality may be missing, they never fail to bring tears to my eyes.

Well.
Time is speeding away. This time next week I will be ensconced in a cold desk chair, using my limited Spanish vocab to try to get to the heart of someone's life story.
Clinic time is my favorite.
I love being able to sit down with someone, and figure out where a medical problem is stemming from, so that we can send them home with a plan to stay healthy!
The language barrier intimidates me a little. Grammar is not my strong suit.
I guess that is what Spanish/English dictionaries are for.
(shout out to my lovely Spanish teacher Tonika who has worked very hard with me this past year! Thank you!)
I am getting very excited about this opportunity! I've been re-playing in my head all the people I met last time, and the opportunities we had to spread Jesus in a place filled with witchcraft and animism.
I am so thankful for the many prayer warriors who have been drenching this trip in prayer already, and have committed to continually pray for me. I definitely would not have the courage to leave my country without you.
For those of you who don't know much about the religious life of Guatemala, here are some pictures that show the mixture of Christianity and Witchcraft that is religion.

Here is a circle to ward off bad spirits, right on the lawn of a big catholic church.

Right inside the church are plaques that are dedicated to the Mayan god Chixim, thanking him for healing.

This looks like Jesus right?

Actually, it is the Mayan corn god, on the cross. The people reach in and touch him to transfer power to themselves.

I hope and pray that I can in Christ, with my limited vocabulary, speak truth in the midst of such a mixing of religion. May God be present.