Can You Pray With Us?

A couple of weeks ago, I blogged about a young man named Antonio who was desperately sick.  Well, I want to give you an update.  First, his name is Alberto, not Antonio – sorry!  I don’t know how I got the names confused, but I did. 

In my last blog I shared how Alberto was nothing more than skin and bones with a large lump in his stomach area.  He needed to go to the hospital in Coban and that we were going to help his family get there and follow up on his condition.  Well, he went.  He saw a doctor, had some x-rays done and spent the night.  The next morning they discharged him with a prescription for an antibiotic and some pain meds.  Alberto’s mom came here to the mission site to show me the x-rays and the prescription.  Although I am not a doctor, nor a nurse, I looked at the x-rays and saw black spots all over his chest cavity and in his stomach.  I took the mom, Camila, to Chisec and bought the medicine Alberto needed and took her home.  Camila tried to explain to me, through her daughter, what the doctor said and what was wrong with Alberto, but it was really tough to understand and she didn’t really understand.  So, I suggested that after he finished with the medicine we go to the Centro de Salud (health clinic) in Chisec together to see what the next step should be. 

So, they came yesterday and we went to town together.  As soon as the nurses saw how serious the situation was, they ushered us into an office and began to gather information.  The doctor wasn’t in, but they said if we returned at 8am the following day, we could go straight in and talk with the doctor.  As I drove them home, Camila shared with me that her husband is working on a farm and he makes only Q50 a day (about $6).  She said that was just barely enough to pay for their rent and food.  There was no extra for healthcare.  That is the reality for the majority of the people in this area.     

This morning, I picked them up at 7:30am and off we went.  When we got to the clinic, we were able to see the pediatrician right away.  She went over the x-rays and the notes that were taken at the hospital in Coban and then proceeded to tell me what was wrong.  Alberto has cancer.  The huge lump we could see in his stomach region was a secondary cancer and it had already begun spreading throughout the body.  The x-rays didn’t show the primary source of the cancer, but the doctor said there was more cancer than just what we could see, physically.  She said the blood work showed he was also diabetic, but the most pressing problem was the cancer.  She did not believe there was much hope for Alberto, short of a miracle.  She went on to explain that if the family did want to pursue care, they would have to first return to Coban – a 1 ½ hour trip.  But the hospital in Coban is not equipped to deal with cancer patients, so they would send him to the capital, a 5 hour trip.  They wouldn’t have to pay for the medical consult in Coban or the capital, but would have to pay for any transportation, all tests that would be done and for any medication that would be given.  The doctor said that most likely they would only be looking at palliative care in Alberto’s stage of cancer.   

As I listened to all of this, I felt helpless and heartbroken.  This family had waited too long to seek help and now the situation was desperate.  Feeling overwhelmed, I drove them home and went home myself.  I talked to Rocky and we spent the afternoon processing and praying about what we should do. 

I am struggling to process all of this.  I believe that God sent them to our gate and honestly, I just want to make it all better; I want Alberto to be well. But, there are times when we can’t do anything in the physical realm and then, the most valuable thing we can do is pray.  Alberto needs a miracle.  It is as simple as that.  I know my God is big enough to heal Alberto and I am willing to step out, in faith, and pray, trusting that the Lord will move in whatever manner He deems best.  Are you willing to step out with me?  If you are, pray for Alberto.  Pray that God would touch and heal his body of all sickness and disease.  Pray that Alberto would know that he is in the hand of the Almighty and he need not fear.  Pray for peace for the family and strength to continue on.  Pray!  

An Interesting Day!I

Although it has been pretty quiet around here without any teams and without Manny and Cindy, Friday was an interesting day!  We were in town in the morning and saw three truckloads of police at the gas station.  This is super unusual, as Chisec just got police this past year and I think we have 1 truck and maybe 2 or 3 officers.  We asked the gas attendant what was happening and he told us that there had been a gun fight and 5 police were injured and 3 people killed, so now police were coming form all over Alta Verapaz to settle the situation.
As we learned more throughout the day, the activity centred around an area about half way between the mission site and Coban.  About 6 months ago people just started building little shacks at the side of the road; they were squatters, which is not unusual around here.  At last count there must have been well over 50 shacks within a 2 km stretch of road.  The posted signs read that they were "in negotiations" for the land.  Well, I guess the "negotiations" came to a halt on Friday.
By the time the situation was at its peak, there were about 200 police there(buses full of cops arrived on the scene). People were being evicted from their little homes and the police were maintaining a presence so no one would try to return.  Then to make things a little more interesting, in a community just a couple of kilometres away from this area, the police arrested one of the CODECA leaders and the people were rioting in response.
CODECA is the illegal organization that helps people steal electricity by connecting them illegally. I guess because of the road blocks and police presence due to evicting the squatters, the police happened to find one of the CODECA leaders and they arrested him, publicly.  The people of the community went crazy.  They were shooting off guns and throwing rocks on the cars in the road.  Needless to say, the road was closed until things settled down.  
The police were still there 24 hours later only allowing a small number of vehicles to pass through the area at any given time.  It meant what normally takes 1 hour 15 minutes to drive took 2 1/2 hours.
As I reflected on the unrest, I was thankful that the police did come and they were able to restore order in a reasonable amount of time and that they stayed to monitor the situation to ensure the safety of those travelling between Coban and Chisec.  I was also thankful that a CODECA leader was arrested.  I know the price of electricity here is unreasonable, but stealing is never the right alternative.  There has to be another way to solve the ongoing problem with electricity.
I was also sad, although, as I thought about all of those families who were evicted from their homes, humble as they were.  Where were they sleeping that night and what were they going to do now? Sad for the families who lost loved ones in the battle.  Most likely those lost will have been the men of the home - the providers.
The longer we live and work in northern Guatemala, the more we realize the problems and challenges facing this area are not simple; they are complex and often no one comes out the winner lest of all the Indigenous we work with and live alongside of.
It makes it challenging to figure out what to think or what to do.  Our North American thinking simply doesn't fit. This is a different culture and we have to respect that.  I am thankful on a daily basis, although, that my God is able to bridge cultural divides and provide us with a common ground where we can come together, in Him, seeking guidance and wisdom.  His ways are not the ways of man...they are so much better!

  

Antonio

On Monday we went to the capital to work on our Guatemalan residency.  As we were driving out of the gate, two women were waiting for us.  Rocky recognized the older woman as the same one who had been at the gate Saturday morning.  He had tried to communicate with her then, but she spoke no Spanish (only Kekchi) so he asked if she could come back on Monday when the workers would be here so they could translate.  

So, we got out of the car.  The older woman’s daughter was there to translate between Spanish and Kekchi.  As we started to hear her story, a boy of about 12 or 13 came out from around the corner.  It was clear that he was severely malnourished – a walking skeleton.  Apparently he had not been able to eat for about 5 months.  Every time he ate, he vomited, so he just stopped eating.  They went to the Centro de Salud (Health Clinic) in Chisec and were told he needed an operation to remove a growth in his chest/stomach area.  But, because the fair to travel to Coban (the nearest hospital) was Q15 a person one way (just under $2) they were not able to go.  It is hard to wrap your head around this level of poverty – for lack of $4 her child was going to die.     

As I type this I can still see Antonio’s face; his sunken, desperate eyes.  I can see the worry and fear on his mom’s face.  And they were at our gate looking to us for help.  Oh man!  We gathered around Antonio, laid hands on him and called out to the Living God to intercede in his life.  We gave the mom a financial gift and encouraged her to get her son to the hospital as soon as possible.     

It was overwhelming, humbling and an incredible privilege all wrapped up into one big emotional bundle.  It is only by His grace, calling, infilling and strength that we are here, serving the Lord in Gautemala.  And it is only in His perfect timing that we were driving out of the mission site at exactly the same time that these precious people arrived.  God is good…no,… God is absolutely amazing!