Here comes the rain!

What happens when the first week of rainy season comes with little or no rain? Well, it’s simple, really. In order to catch up, the clouds dump ALL of their warehoused rain on you in one afternoon. Thankfully God waited to pull the release cord on the clouds until we were done cleaning out the clinic, riding back to Panajachel, and walking to the place where we ate lunch. It was really quite fun to see the rain pour down while we ate. Then it kept raining....and raining....and raining.... Jorge and I finally decided to make a brave dash for the house a few doors down where we thought someone would be waiting to give us a ride. He wasn't home. Our normal driver rode by on his motorcycle laughing at us standing under an overhang, just out of the rain's reach. He graciously came back with his car (15 passenger van) and took us all over Pana to buy things for the clinic. We have mirrors, towel holders, and toilet paper for the bathroom. We have wood for curtain rods. We have enough fabric (hopefully!) to make the curtains (all 15 of them) tomorrow.

The day started out with a bang. Literally. I don't know who's birthday it is or what holiday someone decided to celebrate, but I woke up to at least 20 fireworks. They've continued periodically throughout the day, too.

I'm craving some s'mores right now. Just thought I'd share. My family got to have some earlier this week!

Little splurts about this week:

-Lots more work in the clinic doing vitals and handing out meds.

-Another morning of checking out filters in a little town that is part of San Andres (Tocache, I believe). It had the most incredibly amazing view I have ever seen in my life. It's on top of a hill. Looking in one direction you can see almost all of Lake Atitlan with the volcanoes behind it. Looking in the other direction, you're surrounded by forrest-covered mountains. So beautiful!

-Thursday we got to go to San Luis to make a couple of house calls and do height and weight assessments on the kiddos in the school. A little girl, Luipa, I think, at the house where we did one of the home visits gave me a whole handful of the most beautiful and creatively designed flowers I've ever seen. She just kept bringing me more, and each one was more interesting that the last. God is so imaginative! Then as we were leaving the school another girl ran up to me with a whole handful of even bigger flowers. Then ANOTHER girl brought me a giant light purple rose that smelled better than any rose I've smelt before. I was the flower lady for the day!

-Thursday we also got to visit the public hospital in Solola. I'll have to write more about that later.

-Thursday we also went to the best pizza place in town. They have live music that is sooo relaxing. It was a nice last dinner to have with Nancy and Anne!

-Friday we got to take the doctors into the city. We stopped in Antigua on the way for a little shopping and to see the great cathedrals. We also got to go to a meeting with the executive director of an important foundation in Guatemala City. She was such a sweet woman. You could tell she knew what she was doing and had mastered the art of graciously wielding the power she has.

***Most important one: I asked God to renew my passion for this work and for these people and to help me with my bit of homesickness. He has done it beyond what I could have imagined. Thank you God!!!

-Today, met the other two nursing students that Heart to Heart is sponsoring and the three of us, along with Jorge, cleaned out the entire clinic (the new one). LOADS of dust later, it's clean and ready for things to move in!!

Wanna see La Clinica?? Check it out...

THIS is two months ago, when the March MNU team was here.

THIS is now. It's amazing. God has done such great things through this project...mostly in the hearts of the people who have had the privilege to be involved! (The man is Jose, the Heart to Heart volunteer coordinator in Patanatic and the woman is Dr. Nancy)

Below is the temporary clinic in the community center below the clinic. My team (which arrives on Monday) gets to move everything upstairs into the actual clinic. I can't wait!!


More pictures to come!