series of short updates

• MILAGROS: yesterday was an incredible day. mark and i (along with Kelly, Holly, and Roxanne who were here visiting) picked up Milagros and her sister Gerada from their village of Tablon. after dropping off the ladies at the airport, we headed to a private hospital in guatemala city. Milagros is a 37 year old woman that we met a few weeks ago. she's been suffering from abdominal pain for over 2 years. already a mother of 3, she describes it "as if i am giving birth every day of my life". she had been to a hospital over two years ago, but since she didn't have the money to pay for her follow up visit, she has been suffering ever since. anyway... we are on a mission to make her well. instead of telling the story all over again, CLICK HERE for mark's blog. if you want to help (we are still $1,375 short from what we need), you can let me know or follow the link on mark's blog.

• BERTER & ANABELA: after celebrating their key ceremony (they recently received a new home through the 12x12 Love Project) some of our friends who were here visiting felt the need to get their baby Andre to the doctor. along with his mom, Anabela, we were in the clinic the next morning. Andre has a skin disease (scabies) so severe that the bugs are living in his bloodstream, completely draining his energy. we purchased medicine to kill the bugs and begin treatment to his skin. however, the doctor gave mom a complete exam as well, and determined an even greater problem. her and her husband are carrying serious sexually transmitted diseases that without treatment and hygiene care, are not going to go away. sadly, the doc explained the "taboo" nature of these diseases within the context of the poor villages and indigeneous culture. he said it is considered bad/wrong to talk about these things (sex, female issues, cleanliness, etc) and therefore the STD's, etc, continue to spread without ever being treated. while the doctor was frank and honest with Anabela, our fear was that her husband may not support the recommended changes to their lifestyle. so... mark and i decided we needed to talk with dad. knowing the cultural issues, this was chancy... but we prayed for God's help and trusted it would work out. before long, we were in a closed door meeting with Berter and Anabela. we did not mince words. we assured him that this was not Anabela's fault and to not hold it against her. we went over the procedures necessary to improve their health. we told him we love him, that we are his friends, and that he can trust us. i pray that a couple weeks from now little Andre is acting like a normal 2 yr old, and mom and dad are all cleaned up and good to go.

• ESBIN: kerrie knew something was wrong. esbin was not himself. when we got him to a doctor, we were told he has pneumonia. had we waited another 24-48 hours, he said he would have had to be rushed to an emergency room. right now esbin is home, being treated with IV fluids, and using a ventilator to help him breath and drain mucus. he is going to be ok, but as many of you know he has a long road ahead of him. based on several doctor's opinions, i am beginning to doubt if his mom & dad are doing to the daily rehabilitative exercises that they should be doing in order for him to get well. he should be improving more than he is. please pray with us as we continue to support esbin and try to get him healthy again.

• TABLON: about a 45 minute hike below Buena Vista, visiting the village of Tablon is always an emotional experience. a few weeks ago when we we went, we were told by the locals that they had never seen white people ("gringos") in their entire life and certainly ever in their village. last weekend, with our friends, Roxanne, Kelli, and Holly visiting, we walked through the village visiting families. the first place we stopped had recently had their kitchen collapse from the strong winds in the mountains. the second place we visited was an 82 year old lady whose home had recently collapsed during the last earthquake. standing in her filthy soot covered tin shack, she cried and explained that she had no one who cared for her. each story after that had a similar story, and similar feel of hopelessness. i told mark as we walked away from one of the homes, "every time we visit here i leave depressed." Tablon is a sad and isolated village, far from anything civilized. i always leave feeling like people are sick and unhappy. i don't know what this means for us as we continue to live and work here. but i know that we are here to show love and bring hope - and that the people of Tablon desperately need both. so... it sure feels like this is the beginning of something.