UPDATE 6-22-06 PM

     This was the last day of major cases, with just a light schedule planned for tomorrow morning.  Then, we’re off for a day of R & R in the historic city of Antigua.

     As we walked up to the Salud y Paz clinic this morning, there was a small girl with a horrible bilateral cleft lip in her mother’s arms on the front porch.  Larry spotted her right away, and recognizing that she was not one that we’d seen before, began asking questions.

     She was on the surgery schedule for this afternoon, and joined the growing number of patients who we had the privilege to care for here in Camanchaj.  Our bus driver, Adolpho, who was once a nursing student and then a professional tailor in the past, stood at the foot of the bed and observed the surgery.  He had the biggest smile on his face, and afterward thanked me profusely, calling this “the greatest gift for my people”.

     Adolpho’s “people” have been so gracious and loving.  Think about how much trust and faith they put in us, a group of strangers who do not even speak their language.  Yet they are willing to lie on an OR table and allow us to put them to sleep and operate on them….amazing.

     Tonight, after dinner, the president of the Guatemalan church for the country of Guatemala came to meet our group.  He thanked us profusely, prayed for us, and gave each of us a hand-stitched “Iglesia Metodista Guatemala” passport holder as a gift.  The group then shared stories of their experiences for the week so far, and there were again a few moist eyes in the room as we reflected on this week’s events.

     We were saddened to have to say good-bye to Maaike and Ynge, our (Dutch) translators who had to travel to Guatemala City to attend a wedding, and we’ll be sad again tomorrow to leave Kevin and Lucy when we depart the clinic.

     Tonight, on the night shift at the clinic, Janet – for the 4^th night in a row – and Cheryl join Kevin and Lucy in caring for our overnight post-op patients.  So far, they’re all doing well.

Cindy with patient in the pre-op.	Wayne and Joe singing, Amazing Grace.	Larry with a grateful mother and her baby after cleft lip surgery.
Pam with patient in post-op.	Charlie's hands during surgery.	Tomasa singing with the group during morning devotion.
	Team nurses and Tomasa (with Arlen's blood) playing a joke on him before her release Thursday morning.