Busy busy day

Kemmel and I headed out to different clinics today but finished it up together--always a plus. I was in La Palma with Josefina's team seeing the ABC kids for their well-child checkups. This is a group of really poor people who live on land that doesn't always produce what they need for the year. Up until the ABC program was started, very few kids went to school there. I was talking to one dad of 4 kids who said he became a Christian when he was 19 years old and didn't know how to read. He prayed and asked God to help him learn to read so he could understand the Bible better, and he did, little by little. He told me that he decided that he wanted his kids to learn earlier than he did, and now all of them are in school, including his 12 year old son who was just promoted into the 4th grade! He came in today and told me "Good morning" in English! Then asked me to write down 3 more phrases in English for him to learn. Good kids--great Dad!
Sometimes we get disappointed when we see how few kids make through high school. But maybe we should get excited when one generation of kids makes further along than their parents did. And the next generation another step further. Finishing sixth grade is a big deal when neither of your parents went long enough to learn to read. We thank God and also the sponsors of the ABC program for helping families reach these milestones.

Well, as I said, Kemmel and I ended up together, because he and Sheri's team went to Mactzul III for their inaugural clinic. There were 65 patients and poor Sheri was cranking them out by herself. So, when we finished in La Palma, we headed out to help. Whew! They are definitely effective at getting the word out! But we made it home and the church members seemed satisfied with the work. Tomorrow central clinic at Clinica Caris.