Classwork

As part of our education program for our ABC families and their churches, we are launching some new materials for teaching sex education at the different age groups.  This last week we presented the material to our ABC coordinators and volunteer promoters.  We started out the time asking how many of their parents talked to them about puberty or sex when they were growing up.  A whopping zero raised their hands, which confirmed our suspiciones.  They were a little squirmish talking about it at first, but began to open up and especially the older ones spoke up about needing these classes in the churches and parents not knowing how to talk to their kids. 
Unfortunately, these classes are already too late for two of our ABC girls who have dropped out due to pregnancy/marriage--both are 14 years old.  Sometimes we think we have made great strides in promoting education, when all of a sudden we are hit with the reality that in this country, education is still a luxury and that teen marriages (and to some extent, premarital sex) are just part of life even in the Christian community. 
We appreciate your prayers as we begin taking the classes to the churches.  There are still some concerns over whether all the churches will be receptive to the material, but we are eager to work on convincing them!  We pray that God uses us to help strenghen families and churches in the area.

Mactzul V - Mobile Dental Clinic

Yesterday we had our first mobile dental clinic in Mactzul V with a full size dental chair (bigger than our patients) and dental lamp!  We started doing restorative care in some of our mobile dental clinics about 2 months ago and our biggest challenge is getting everything there in one piece without breaking things like dental compressors, dental units and such.  For those who have been down these roads you will understand the force of bouncing that reeks havoc on these pieces of equipment. 

We have had 2 different opportunities to either have chairs/equipment donated or purchased at a great reduced rate.  As a result, we have selected some key locations to try and put in some more permanent dental clinic items such as chairs to better the service to the churches, communities and patients that we serve.   We hope to place 3 more chairs in places like Paxot II, Chuchipaca and maybe Chimente, Totonicapan.  The first of these is Mactzul V as the church has donated us a room to place the chair and in the future hope to donate the room for solely clinic purposes and are even looking at leaving a church member on site as a live in guard.  Not only for us, but for their needs as well. 

So after suffering through breaking one compressor (which Marcos has diligently found a way to fix although we still need to find a part) and having multiple troubles with a dental unit, we decided to create some moving crates made out of 2 by 4's for both the compressor and the unit - thanks to Josue and Manuel our promoters/carpenters for getting these made!  No pictures for now, but will post later.

We were also able to have a dental lamp base with wheels made here locally with a metal worker so now we have mobile lighting as well which provides better light for doing the restorative care mobily.

Fishing tackle box also donated by Casa del Rey - found a great use for it.

We have to send a big thanks to the mission at Casa Del Rey here in Chichi for the donation of this dental chair, plus another yet to be placed.  Thanks Matt and Martitza!

The above picture is of Juan Marroquin and his son.  His son had surgery at Ezell a year ago and we hope to attend a thanksgiving service with their family in September celebrating the good health of their son.

One of the patients who had to pass through dental.  :(  We were afraid people in the communities would not be much interested in paying extra to save teeth, but we have been pleasantly surprised and are grateful to the dentists that work on educating their patients to take advantage of teeth cleanings and restorations - Thank you Marcos and Sandra!

It's been a while hasn't it?!  I guess we've been in a blogging slump lately.  The last month flew by as we hosted a mobile medical/dental team, went to the States for some family reunioning and then hosted a Men's Seminar and Children's Education Seminar.  Sometimes we get to going and doing and don't have the creative juices to blog.  But I think we are somewhat back on a regular schedule now (fiber cereal and your own coffee make a big difference)!

Today Kemmel and I are having an admin day, working on class materials for Sex Ed class that we are showing to the Volunteers class next week and getting bank deposits and accounting taken care of.  Our clinics have been good lately including some good work on the evangelism and church strenthening front.  But today, Sheri and Josue got half way to clinic and had to turn around due to a large nation-wide manifestation and road block over electricic services.  I bet the strikers are enjoying this rain that tropical storm Ernesto is bringing us! Well speaking of rain, I'd better get this posted or saved before the internet gets any weaker...

Thanks for tuning in from time to time!