DAY of the DEAD...

Well, it's Halloween in America, and Day of the Dead here in Mexico.  It is a big Holiday, if you could cal it that..  I guess it is supposed to be a time to honor and communicate with those passed on.  There is joy in connecting with those in some other place, but there are secret ceremonies and a lot of witchcraft associated with the celebration.  The cemeteries are centers of celebration.  The gravestones are painted and prepared for the week of fiesta.  There is food and booze and trinkets,items that the departed loved, left at the gravesites.  Needless to say, there are vandals and vagrants who take advantage of the food, booze, and trinkets.  There are candles and incense and even burnt offerings.  Paths of marigolds line the streets directing the spirits to the cemeteries.  There are parades and wailing and a lot of flurry in the markets.  There is a lot of partying, alcohol, and music.   The celebration lasts several days, each day commemorating the dead who died in different manners:  a day for those who died violently, for those who have drowned, for children, etc. 

Needless to say, I have not been to any festivities, nor to a cemetery...   Thus I have no photos of any Day of the Dead celebration....   Just thought you might want to know....

Carolyn in Chiapas

Photos of Sophia y Priscilla, Jan and Pablo's granddaughters making pumpkin sugar cookies.  We will have a little Halloween celebration:  Halloween prizes, a little candy, Pumpkin cookies, Bob for Apples and No-Hands-eat-a-donut-off-a-string, games....   Jan and I will have fun!

JAIL VISIT...

Well, it's Tuesday, Jail Day.   Jan and Antonia and a new lady, Sebastiana and I travel to the jail to visit, pray, bring small items.  Antonia does a regular Bible Study there.  The medium security jail is located a few miles outside of Ocosingo.  It is in the countryside, and higher up but at the base of the mountains that surround Ocosingo.  

I don't know the crimes that the inmates are suspected of, but they may include drugs, drunkenness, car accidents, embezzlement, or just being accused of something, and being incarcerated for years while waiting for trial or a real verdict.  

There is a painful process to be allowed in, but the visiting seems liberal.  There are families, kids, etc. visiting in the open court yard.  Apparently the men sleep, 6 to a cell.  They are out all day, allowed to move freely in an open courtyard  There is a big pavilion where they eat: a light breakfast, a decent lunch, and not much besides coffee for supper.  There is a basketball court.  They work at crafts:  beading bracelets, making baskets or crocheting hats, or weaving hammocks.  It is practical, and very constructive, but it is disconcerting to see grown men beading bracelets, or crocheting fancy little purses.  They play chess, or cards, or a Peso Toss game.  There are signs posted to show respect, to honor discipline, to be on time for meals, not to mark the walls or floors, and to not spread AIDS....    They pore over simple items:  beads, yarn, soap, lotion, toilet paper, that Jan brings.  They can sell their wares, and this helps to purchase small items or to send money home.  The church is a big source of comfort for the men.  Many have come to know The Lord while inside.  They have turned their lives around and just wait to be released.   There are 3 small chapels inside the walls, in the courtyard:  Presbyterian, Pentacostal and Catholic.  

We leave all but the necessities in the car.  One is not allowed to bring more than 20 pesos (about $2) inside.  Nor cell phones, or electronics of any kind.  No fruits (they ferment them...)  You cannot wear olive green, orange, or any dark color.  You must relinquish your ID, passport or whatever at the first gate.  They record you in a large ledger, your name and age.  You get the first stamp on your arm here.   

You then pass another clanging gate and all bags and belongings are searched and a pretty thorough Pat Down is done  Having passed all of these, you pass through a 3rd large clanging gate and receive a ticket and another stamp on your arm.  The guards are all pleasant and courteous.  Thay all carry big guns.....   You are now free to visit, wander around the pavilions and yard.  The men are all smiling.  They are warm, polite, respectful.  They are clean, their hair is cut.  They are happy to have company, to see us.  I think we are lights of hope and visions of the outside to them.

It is a good visit.  More food for thought.  

Carolina 

DAY OF REST...

Today is Sunday, for Christians, the Sabbath.   For most everyone, it is a day of rest.   It is a cool morning, and I walk down the hill to town.   The little storefront Presbyterian church, Nueva Vida, was founded by Pastor Pablo.  It is near Parque Central, where I walked yesterday.  Thankfully, I find my way down the narrow streets that all look alike.  It is packed today.  A good sign.  There are singles, some students studying in Ocosingo.   There are children and families.  There are at least 2 moms nursing their babies during worship.  Children crawl under the benches.  And, of course there are us older folk.   Everyone is proper and respectful.  But it is certainly casual.  Trucks and motorbikes roar down the hill not 6 feet from the open door.  No one even blinks and Pablo keeps talking.  He was asked to speak today, sort of a class rather than a sermon, on the history of Christianity, how it developed, time wise, and how the early church worshipped.   With my so so Spanish, I missed a few details, but it was very interesting. 

For those of you Protestants, you will be familiar with "How Great Thou Art" and "Trust and Obey".  They are very traditional here.  Maybe a guitar now and then.  But certainly no clapping or contemporary music.   I miss my stirring Praise music.   We did have a hymn time before worship.  The music director (Daniel, one of the clinic guardians), had us rehearse a new hymn over and over til we got it right.  He uses a keyboard.  He implored us to try to sing together, rather than some slow, some fast, some loud, some soft.   In breaking away from the Catholics long ago, the Protestants use few symbols, no crosses, no nativities.  Unlike our Catholic religion at home, Catholicism here is steeped in rituals, animal worship and sacrifice, actual voodoo ceremonies.  It is not considered here as a Christian religion.   People ask if you are Catholic or Christian.  

Pablo along with many other rural pastors will be honored next week for Pastor appreciation day.  Pablo pastors 2 full churches, so he will be honored twice!   They also celebrate "First Fruits", in October.  It's a time to celebrate the harvest, and the blessings you've been given.  

There was something going on here up front.  I took a chance with my I pad!  Usually the doors are closed and visitors are not welcome to the ceremonies.

These crosses, too, are not Christian symbols.  They represent communities and are a throwback to Mayan tradition.

So, wherever you are, in the world, in your faith journey, may you be a light.  May you worship the one and only Lord, and and then may you shine for others!

Love,

Carolyn

The Golden Years...

Well, again, this place affords me the time and opportunity to reflect.   The Golden Years....when do they begin?   Am I in them?  Hah!  Absolutely.  But I can't think of a better way to celebrate than by being here.  I love the novelty and the absolute wackiness of living here.  I love experiencing just a teeny bit of the hard life folks here live every day.  I am fortunate to have the physical ability to do so.  This is not a sacrifice at all, for i know that I can return to my privileged life at home.  Maybe I am contributing in some small way.  But I know for sure the experience over the years has opened my eyes and changed me for the better.  

I walked today, downnn the mountain to town, about 2 miles.  Curvy roads, steep streets, pot holes, water streaming down the streets from who knows where, rocks and construction always, everywhere.   I had to go under and around barbed wire for a blocked off street.  I feared getting lost if I veered from the only way I know.   But at the other end, the old cathedral,  Parque Central, and the markets and shops.  

I read in the park for awhile, again people watching, wondering about their lives, and reflecting.

 I continued downnnn another mile to Jan and Pablo's house in the heart of the noisy, boisterous people's market.   Life takes such effort here. Nothing is fast or easy.  Takes all day to come to town to shop, for a few fresh vegetables, a live chicken, tortillas.   Then somehow you go home to your simple hut to cook a meal from scratch.   There are few choices here, little variety.   There are no blueberries, cherries, raspberries or Greek yogurt.   I eat these everyday.   There is no cottage cheese or cake mixes.  Milk is not plentiful, and comes in a wax carton.   After stopping to visit with Jan, I start the walk back, hoping to catch a taxi.

Thankfully, I meet Pedro and I get a free ride back up the hill to the clinic and my comfy room.  

 It is hot, and the exertion can get the best of one!

 A short siesta is in order!    Walking up the hill, in the afternoon, at this elevation can tax a Golden Year citizen!  As I sit in the big waiting room of the clinic, the wind picks up and tho it is sunny to the right, the big clouds are moving rapidly over the mountains, and there is a huge downpour.  It is like this at this time of the year, lots of downpours, daily rains.   Time to pause.  

I will fix my own meals today.  I figured out the propane stove, and how to wash and rinse dishes, in 2 separate tubs of soapy and rinse water with bleach.  Everything must be washed and disinfected.  Purified water must be used for everything.   There is a small refrigerator and microwave, in Spanish .  The utensils are ancient, broken, wobbly, rusted, etc.  No Pampered chef here...   Dishes are plastic, or chipped china.  Pots have no handles, the salt clumps from the humidity.  But, amazingly, the food prepared here is clean, fresh, delicious.   Do we really need more??

Well, again, some thoughts for the day.   I am going to work on my Bible study and listen to the hard rain on the tin roof.   

Not sure who Hannah Whitall Smith is, but she wrote the following.  It was my little daily saying the other day....

  When the soul is full of peace and joy, outward surroundings and circumstances are of comparatively little account.  

Could not be more appropriate for me in this time and place.   Hope you find your peace, as well.

Hermana Carolina 

These are the children in the hut next door to the clinic.   There are 8 of them..Lizbet, Luis, Josue, Jocelin,  Jessica  and more...  We talk in the evenings.   They are clean and bright.  I am encouraging them to read, as the strike continues.   They eat a meal early PM, and then just have cafe' con leche, maybe, for supper.  I share my apple slices.  Luis made his own kite, out of thin pieces of plastic and string and twigs.   It is windy now, and kite flying season.  Awesome!

PHOTOS... Caravana Medica...

Dr. Gerardo Cruz Lopez, Medical Director, Las Manos de Cristo

Our Prayers have been answered

This couldn't be more exciting.. so long in the search (well in our opinion, anyway...), and so suddenly in the resolution.
WE HAVE A DOCTOR for the Clinic in Chiapas!!    God is good!   All the time.  
His name is Dr. Gerardo Cruz Lopez.   He lives right here in Ocosingo.  He is young (28, 30-ish), and is a shirt tail relative of the Feliciano family.   His sister is married to Pablo's brother.  Pastor Pablo and Jan know the family, and knew that he was finishing Med School, and his internship.  He has done his service to the government.  He knows a fair amount of English.  Jan had worked on English with him before, and had talked about the clinic.  Unbeknownst to us, until we arrived, Pablo now had been in recent conversation with him.  He was interested,and was due to come this week while the MedicalTeam was here. We worked with him on Thursday and Friday.  We talked, he observed, and joined in on the consultations. 
He is very bright, competent, and is very friendly, with a "hands-on" approach.  He had supper with us Friday evening.   We prayed, and laughed, and welcomed him.   I think he was happy and pleased with the situation, and the likes of us!!
We made an offer, tried to describe the role and duties and responsibilities he would have, and he accepted. 
He, at this time,will be able to give us 1 1/2 years, as he wants to do a residency in Internal Medicine at that time.  But only God knows what may happen at that time.  Maybe he will find the experience and fulfilment right here!   Maybe he will like to study in the U. S.!   
He will start next week here at the clinic. How fortuitous that one of us (me....) will be here.  It will be fun to get to know him, to share philosophies and treatment opinions.  He and Dr.Bill have already discussed cases, and treatment,and the fact that we will learn from each other.  He wants to go out to villages to see what rural living is all about, and the problems endured by  the Tzeltal people
There is paperwork he must do, and his formal license to be obtained in Nov.   Our Hebron Board will meet next week for any further discussion.  
We couldn't be more thrilled.  
Carolina, Nurse in Residence 

Turkey in the morning... stew at lunch... Photos

1212 PATIENTS....

End of Caravana Medica for October, 2013...

Faithful Blog Readers....
We were REALLY busy the end of the week of clinic.   We saw a whopping 177 pts on Friday!   With our even smaller, elite team.  We saw a total of 1212 pts for the 2 weeks.  Long days, but really fun, rewarding, as usual.  We laugh and ask Dr. Bill's opinion and look at each other's unusual pts.  For my medical friends, I will put up a separate Blog, so that you can get a flavor of the kind of patients, and the kind of ailments we see.  

We are in the clinic til 4 or 5 each evening,and then blissfully, breathlessly walk up the steep steps back to the Bible school.   I shower...as the cold water feels better then than in the morning.  And we find a spot on the roof or on the bed or a shady spot to read or nap til dinner.   The internet at the Bible school was down, hence no Emails for a few days.   Then we eat supper all together, and again on the roof to take in the incredible night view,moon, stars, etc. We read in bed for a bit, and crash at 9:00 to do it all again at 6:15 the next day.  I will very much miss the camaraderie and the companionship of my close friends here, as they leave and the team breaks up, each to go his own way.  Devotions at sunrise to start the day, "This is the Day that The Lord has made..." in 3 languages every day at breakfast, quiet de briefing, sharing at night on the roof.... The 360 degree view is unlike any other.  But I look forward to the next phase!  
Just got back from San Cristobal.    Pedro drove Jan and I and Dr. Bill and Penny for their flight home. Sentimental Adios' and Hasta luegos.   We stayed at our usual quaint, old, Fray Bartolome Hotel, And spent the day in the 3 markets that we love.   Jan and I then stayed Sunday, as we did not have to get back.  Wonderful respite for us both. Sleep in...a little.  It's freezing in morning, San Cris.is high and cold at night.  Beaut. during day.  WE had a LOOOOng breakfast in a beaut. courtyard rest. and talked and talked.  Ihad some eggs,beans VeraCruz that was good, and tons of Cafe Americano, full of caffeine.  The only decaf they have anywhere is instant.  Yuck.  In a state that is known for coffee!   We people watch...remember the contrasts...   San Cristobal is an ancient city, full of traditional, Tzeltal, Chamula, Tzotsil people.  They come to shop, beg, and sell their wares.  They carry large boxes, chickens, trees, wood, and construction material on their heads.  There are the Gringos, like us.  There are Europeans.  It is a popular tourist place for Germans, French, etc.   There are high end shops, as well as the people's and artisan markets.  And then there are the dropouts, the old hippies, long hair, dreadlocks, back packs, etc, traveling away their lives.   

Then Jan and I took the ADO bus back to Ocosingo, 2 hours.   Really nice ride, slow and easy with that BIG bus over those narrow, curvy mountain roads.  Half the time there is only 1/2 of a road, part washed down the hill, or covered with dirt slides after rain.  Stunning views of this end of the Sierra Madres.   We did fine, even passed a dump truck....

And now I am in my new dig at the clinic!    While we were gone  (I had packed up my things), the worker guys moved my stuff.  I am in a big corner exam room that will someday be a delivery room!!   It is very comfy.   The windows are high, and the clinic heats up during the day, but the windows all open, and I have a nice upright fan.   The BR is next door, shower water is warm in the PM after the sun warms it.  No heater.  REally cold in the morning.   I have a desk, a bed with a little bigger blow up mattress, a small table, a little sink AND a mirror in my room,   I am all set up, just need some flowers, which I will pick tomorrow or get at the market.  There are 2 young guys that live here too at the clinic They are in pastor school, and are the caretakers.   Jose and Danilo.  Another guy Juan is a nurse and helped us in the pharmacy all week.  They are all fun and nice, part of our family here.  We call them Joe and John and Danny.  Pablo's office is in the clinic so it is active in the day time.   Monday Jan and I will take it easy,she cleaning her house.  She still has workmen from the constrluction they just did, put a 2nd story on top of the flat roof, and raised the living room floor.  It leaked from the alley, and was dark.  The house will be nicer, tho it is still off the alley and next door to the pig slaughter house.  A lot of cement work.  I will Blog and Email and take it easy.  It's been an intense 2 weeks.   There is lots planned for me.  Jan and Pablo are really glad I am here.  Me too...  
Sorry for this epistle.  Once I start, I cannot stop. l want you to know, to see, and feel all that I do..
More later.  Love you all a bunch.   Wish you were here...

PRAISE FOR THE MORNING!

Subject: MONDAY MORNING..

This Monday for me is delightful!
But I have to share how my morning began...
Remember I slept here in the clinic for the first night last night.  I organized my little room, took a nice shower and wrote and read for awhile.  It was dark, tho the sky was beautiful.  I was alone.  Til Jose y Dani returned.  I explored a little, tried my keys to the kitchen, office, etc.  There are 2 turkeys in a cement courtyard between the kitchen and office, and outside my room.  I slept well, tho it rained hard.  I awoke to the turkeys gobbling, instead of roosters crowing.  The sun is out, hot already.   
I checked out the kitchen, pretty nice, tile, nice sink, stove, refrig.  Mexican style...  flys, ants, stuff sitting out.  Made coffee (Jan left me a coffee pot).  I will make some meals on my own, and some with Pablo and the staff, John, Joe, Dani, Laura and Mercedes, the kitchen/all around helpers, etc.  There was a huge pot of water boiling.  I asked if they were going to make beans.  They said No, por los pavos...... (the turkeys....)   Got the picture?  
Sure enough, they carried the big pot outside in the back yard area.  The turkeys were already hanging on the fence, desanguinated....   They then put the turks in the water to get the feathers off.  Remember your grandma doing that??  They'll cook the turks today in the oven somehow with a lot of tomatoes.   I'll let you know.   See photos...
I told you it was a land, a life of contrasts:   a beaut. clinic ready to do brain surgery.. well, ok, not quite, and turkeys being killed out the back door.  Tzeltal ladies in traditional dress, not speaking Spanish, pulling a cell phone out of their bosom...
More later!!    Have a conventional day... 
C.
 

WINDING DOWN....

Winding down.....

Well the 2 week caravan is coming to an end...   The time, in a country where time runs slow, has flown.  One more day of Clinic, and then Dr. Bill and Penny will reluctantly return home.   The joy of my staying behind, however, is wonderful!   6 or 7 more weeks to absorb, serve, work hard, travel, rest, reflect... sounds delicious.  I will probably move to a room off the clinic.  Even tho the Caravan will not be here, that is where I will spend much of my time, and where the center of the medical ministry is.   I will sleep there, work there, shower (outside...), and eat in the small kitchen.  I may prepare my own meals, or eat with some of the Hebron staff members.  I will spend time with the Secretary each day to work on Spanish.   Jan and I are excited about doing a Bible study together.  Both of us need it!  Another lady may join us.  She lives in Ocosingo, is American, but is married to a Mexican and has lived here for many years.  Jan says she is very shy.  We haven't decided what we will study yet.   I will go out to several villages with 2 Para Medics to see pts. and bring medicines, and I will travel with Pastor Pablo to his village, Sibal, for a church dedication.  It is always nice to have a Hebron Board rep. with him.  The locals like that.   It is such a relationship we have built.  

MARKET San Cristobal....

The market in San Cristobal is a fascinating place.  It is a place for trade and purchase of all manner of food and products.  It is bustling, crowded, stinky and a must see for tourists!   We make a few purchases, some fruits, freshly ground coffee and enjoy the experience   The Artisan market also is fascinating, in a more upscale way.  Locals shop here too, but it is more a tourist's dream of purchasing truly hand crafted and typical, native products.  Jewelry, textiles, blouses, toys, etc.  Enjoy the photos!

TO MARKET, TO MARKET to buy a fat pig.... or a chicken, or some chilies...

Well, a little respite from the intense week of work.  Sadly, it already is time for Doreen and Karen to go.  They have been a huge part of this elite team of 5.  We will now be an even more elite team of 3!   I hope Pablo remembers that...   He is known for :   just a few more, we'll cut it off at 100, there is a village that just arrived....   Thank goodness for the helpers, the Para Medicos, Pablo and Jan and their family.  

We leave the compound with Pedro driving at 8 AM for the 2 hour ride to San Cristobal.  The scenery is dramatic and stunning.  We go Over, Down, and Up again to arrive in San Cristobal, higher in the mountains.  It is a beautiful town, historic and ancient.  Narrow cobblestone streets, small sidewalks with big holes, driveways, and odd levels.  One must also watch out for the bars and cement bay windows, as there is not enough room to clear them as one walks.  There are magnificent, ancient cathedrals, and thriving, crowded "people " markets, the ones with fresh produce, poultry, spices, etc. There are parks and gazebos and people walking at all hours of the night.  It  is a popular place with the Europeans and hippies.  The Artisan market is wonderful, and we spend hours going from booth to booth with jewelry (silver, amber, and that made with seeds and nuts!), fabric, trinkets, blouses and everything typical, and some not.  It is a wonderful day to walk and shop and reflect before stepping back to our own culture.  Reverse culture shock is common.  We had 2 nice restaurant meals, and enjoyed the simple, old Fray Bartolome hotel.  The courtyard makes up for the thin towels and the simple, noisy rooms.  

We arise at 5 am and are on the road by 5:30.  Again, a stunning drive through and over the mountain, 1 hour away to Tuxtla.  It is still dark, but the lights far below in the valley are beautiful.  There are hanging clouds and low fog to drive through.  We hug and say our bittersweet adios', and see Doreen and Karen through security.   We later hear that this was the last flight for United for Tuxtla to Houston.  Bummer.  Now the trip will take us through Mexico City and onto Houston.   Much longer distance, more time, and more difficult customs.   Oh well,  I have some time to work on it.

Doreen and Karen arrive home safely, and have much to think 

HI HO, HI HO, it's off to work we go.....

THE CLINIC....        

We trail thru the banana trees, downnnnnn   the steep steps single file,  and then upppp the steep steps on the other side to the clinic for our first day of seeing patients.    We came over to the clinic late Sunday night to look around, introduce the new folks to the clinic and the operation we have created.   Over the years we have perfected a pretty good working model of how patients are registered, how they wait, how they flow thru the exam rooms, the oculista area and the pharmacy.  We are always tweaking the process with each group that travels   The new kids on the block, Karen, NP, and Doreen, Helper Extraordinaire were nervous and excited!    Dr. Bill, Penny, and I  reacquainted, naturally.   We have at least 36 trips between us!    We  unloaded those HEAVY bags that were loaded with meds (thank you everyone!), pregnancy tests, toothbrushes (thanks Dr. Salzer and Dr Damko),  soap (thanks Dr. Vashi), T shirts, towels, eyeglasses (thanks Eric and Amcon) and more!  We organized and took stock of what we had and what we needed to buy: worm medicine, antibiotics, etc.   

We were unsure what to expect, as this is  very small medical group, and sometimes Pablo forgets the realities of our limitations!  Predictably though, the first day is light, and we only saw about 50 patients.  It was ok, as we adjusted our process, and assigned dual roles to each of us.  The day went beautifully, and we finished early enough to debrief, walk, rest,and prepare for tomorrow.  

My day began with a patient, that just could have been the man of my dreams...  He was 69 (same age, mas o menos... )   He was a widower, his wife died 4 years ago from cancer....    Ok so far...  He got my jokes, was a very sharp caballero with a typical  cowboy hat, and was from a nice village up the mountain...  (I could live there..maybe..).   His only drawback was the amoebas....

There was the girl with Down Syndrome, dashing up and down the hallway, eluding her mom.  She escaped into an exam room, and absconded with some stethoscopes!  All in a day's work.  Another "Village" boy (family of 5), was a little hyper.  Then he was out of sight for a few minutes, when the mom began to laugh.  He was small enough to get into the cabinet under the sink...see photo!   Shades of Tommy!  There was a little boy with Hydrocephalus, who had already had a shunt, and now a feeding tube.  They had gotten good care, and the boy had out lived all expectations.  There was nothing new we could do but encourage the parents, and tell him that we, and God loved him.  We prayed together, and they were tearful and deeply grateful.   

People want injections, that is common here.   Children ask if there is a medicine to learn better, and medicine so as not to forget homework already studied.  If only!  

My day ended with the "village".....a term we have coined for family groups of more than 4...    There were 6 in this group, a mom and 5 children, the smallest one hanging at her breast.  They  were a delight, despite the fact that they were Very poor, Very dirty, infested with scabies and parasites.  They had huge smiles, were Very polite, and believed in The Lord, despite their desparate condition.  It took Forever to exam all of them one by one, write medications, give mom detailed instructions, etc.  My head was pounding by the time I finished, but as I came out front to get a breath of fresh air they came  running to me with their arms full of our gifts of love...Tshirts from the Dollar Store, toothbrushes for all, loads of soap and medicine.  Beaming and grateful, they posed for a picture.  I think this is what it is all about...     see photo

Manana....

CLINIC.....

Well, the week has well begun!   We have our devotions on the roof at dawn, eat a hearty breakfast at 6:30, and are at the clinic by 7 AM.   The waiting room is full, many patients already registered.  IT is non stop, with Karen, Penny, 2 para-medics, and I seeing pts.   Dr. Bill is circulating, helping all of us, consulting, diagnosing, checking meds, etc.   We enjoy discussing the pts, and using each other to debrief, learn, laugh, etc.  There are some sad, some funny, some puzzling, and some mundane things we see each day.   Boy with osteochondroma (may turn malignant..);   a very sick 17 year old, 10 days post partum with "childbirth fever", but who had come for seizures, which could not be treated because of the pregnancy;  a sick baby with Hydrocephalus, a shunt, feeding tube etc.  Prayer was all we could offer, but it was deeply felt and appreciated.  There were the  ladies with headache, stomach ache, leg aches, knee aches, etc... Who wouldn't? .....when you are up at dark, prepare an open fire, make your own tortillas, walk up and done the mountains carrying firewood with a strap on your head, etc.   Most have never taken a pill in their lives.  Imagine the relief of an Ibuprofen pill!    Then there are the kids with worms...and the kids with worms..and the kids with worms...   I need a stamper for writing the prescription for Mebendazole...especially when I am seeing not just a family of 7, but a whole village!   It has become a joke.   Somehow, when my turn in line comes for a patient, I get a Village!   By the time I leave the room after examining and discerning symptoms, and writing prescriptions,  I need air and a good laugh!   Both are usually freely available.  (the first photo is one of my villages...lovely family, polite,smiling, but very poor, very dirty, and all with colds and worms...

More later!   Much love from Chiapas..

SOUTH.....The mountains in front of us..

WEST.....The clinic through the Banana trees

EAST......The corral at the slaughter house

NORTH... Ocosingo at night. View from the porch\\

NEWS FROM CHIAPAS....

Well, I thought I would send you some news from Chiapas...  There is so much that swirls around us, and so much we do not understand  So many cultural differences...   Despite the I Pads and Internet, Smart phones and international cell phones, Skype, Facebook, etc, etc, sometimes we are clueless on the meaning of things, or completely oblivious to what might be obvious to you all back home.   We don't see any News, there is no TV.   The INternet here, despite its amazing and miraculous presence, has been down for several days.  In fact, it has really only worked one day since arriving.   That, of course, is not all bad.  Kinda makes you let it go, sit back and really enjoy the experience, without constantly being in contact with the world you left behind to enjoy the  experience!     So I write, and will post later...

Unbeknownst to me, there has been a major, country wide Teachers' Strike.  Try to imagine that... the whole of Mexico, from preschool to universidad, has been shut down.  Hard to get an exact answer on the cause, and the dissenting parties.  Mexico has called for 3 major reforms, one of which has to do with upgrading the school system here.  Sounds like a worthy cause.  The school system, such as it is, is pretty pathetic.  Children do not attend school, school days are short, teachers are not qualified or are not committed (I'm making sweeping assumptions from my observations here...), and education is not equtable (for example, for the rural or Indigenous folk lack schools and teachers, both.   On the other hand, I'm sure teachers are not paid much, and are not respected.  So there is protest, and strike.  However, there is backlash and confusion and many people do not even know the issues.  Just sad that all children, lacking academically already, are out of school, perhaps until November.   Some parents have banded together, and are trying to teach the kids, saying, that due to the teachers choosing to strike, they do not want them back.  They want all new ones hired.   Ha...There are roadblocks, common in Mexico, both to make a point, shake  down anyone who wants to pass, and make money for the road blockers.  We thought it might keep patients away, but so far, not.  The roads our patients travel on are not blocked...

GRAY HAIR....A Crown of Splendor.... Proverbs 16:31

Sept. 29, 2013

Sunday, day of rest, even though we haven't done anything yet...  We sleep in..til 8 AM, have a light breakfast, and walk to church.  It is almost 2 miles, straight downhill, steep.  But a beautiful day to say Buenos Dias to everyone.  Pastor Pablo is pastor of this small Presbyterian congregation, held right ON the street, in a storefront type room  Trucks and cars down shift, and speed past the open door.  The prayers and music are more familiar to me, but I still have trouble following everything.   "Bienvenidos"sung gently while each person walks around greeting every other person, is always touching.  Of course, we were asked to introduce ourselves and are always treated as celebrities.  Without a hymn book, I am lost with the songs.  There is a type of sedate contemporary music presented by a young man and woman, singing and playing guitar.  It is pleasant... Pablo's sermon, interestingly enough was focused on gray  hair, elders,  the wisdom held and respect deserved.  I have been thinking a lot about my gray hair lately...   He compared this respect and wisdom to that of our Heavenly Father, wiser,kinder, and certainly deserving of the ultimate respect.   Pablo celebrated the birthday of a sweet gentleman, 82 years young (as Debbie would say) and his wife of 60 years.  He prayed for them, and used them as wonderful examples.   We were invited share lunch to celebrate, Marvelous home made tamales and tamarindo juice.  The joke here is that we Gringos love the tamales, but find the lettuce hard to chew...

The weather here has been stunning...sunny, kinda hot, humid, but with a gentle breeze that makes it almost perfect.  Big white clouds hover over the mountains, and sink into the valleys.  The hard rains of the last few weeks have subsided.  

The vista from our 2nd floor is spectacular, gentle landscape surrounding us.  We are in the middle of a pasture, at the foot of the mountains, outside the town of Ocosingo.  Picture this:  straight ahead, to the West are mountains. close enough to touch, green, with dots of lights at night coming from small huts along the highway, and beyond, up pathways far into the terrain.  The sun sets over here.   To the left, North is a corral, a cattle slaughtering operation...  Needless to say, there are sounds and smells that are not exactly idyllic...  To the right,  South are more of the Bible School buildings, dorm rooms, classrooms, a kitchen, sheds, etc   And down the steep stairs thru banana trees, across the little stream, and up the steep stairs on the other side of a little ravine, LasManos de Cristo, The Clinic.   Behind us, to the East, are distant mountains, where we watch the sun come up at 6:30 AM, and the city of Ocosingo nestled in the valley.   

I think I am finding myself....again....