A First

We have four boys.

So far, only one cut that needed stitching.

So far, only one broken bone.

Before today, nothing that needed to be taken out of a nose or ear.

Grattan proudly displays our first nasal foreign body - a balloon!

Church

We go to church twice on Sunday, once at 9.30am and then again at 6.00pm.

At our church in Alabama, Redeemer, we only have one service on Sunday.

This frees us up to either have a time of family worship (very important), or spend time with my family (also, very important).

However, I also miss having church twice on Sunday and we get to experience that here.

If only I could understand more than 25% (10%?) of what they were saying!

p.s. Charity says the picture only makes it look like women's bible study is in a dungeon
p.p.s. Charity also says to remember these photos next time you complain about your bathroom. We even bring our own T.P.

LoC II - Food

Menu for our days are as follows ...

Breakfast - cereal, eggs, pb & toast or oatmeal. The chickens in the picture are not who I get my eggs from - but I do get them from their neighbors. Twice I have bought pancake mix that contained bugs - there will not be a third time, but I did find a recipe.

Lunch - Get to eat at clinic for $7 U.S that pays for me and my four boys. This is good Belizean food, fellowship & I don’t have to do dishes!

Dinner - spaghetti, chicken tortilla soup, shepherd's pie, mac & cheese, and others to follow.

Misc. - I go to the market once a week with the clinic cook.
- I have to bleach the veggies so we all don't get sick
- There are ants in the fridge so things have to be sealed.
- Things are very expensive except staples (ie. rice, beans, flour).
- The oven works most of the time.
- We get red and green apples, bananas and watermelons for fruit.
- I get my eggs, some veggies and tortillas delivered to my door.

p.s. I am now using fabric softener. Cloth diapers are going great. I have 6-ply cloth diaper & a little flannel insert for extra absorbency - they both dry great. I use the thirsties diaper cover that dries fast. I added another line to dry more –it has helped a lot. I just have to remember to start a load at night so that I can hang for the early morning sun.

Trivia

A nickle for whoever can guess why this bird, the Jacana, is referred to as "the Jesus bird".

Came across this one this evening when we were out for dinner.

Clinic life

A little about the clinic.

Hours are 8am-12n, and 1p-4p. No appointments so it is first come, first serve.
This explains why some folks show up before 6:30am.

Currently we are seeing between 10 and 30 patients a day. Some days have been slow because the clinic has been without a consistent doctor for several months and so people are not aware that someone is there full-time. The slow days have been nice to get adjusted to life here - but we are here to work, so I would like to see it get busier.

Our lab is limited to spun hematocrits (to check for anemia), urinalysis, pregnancy tests and a finger-prick blood test for H. pylori. Patients are sent to the local hospital if any other labs are desired. This includes the third positive dengue test we ordered earlier this week.

We do have an ultrasound machine. The image is a little hazy but I have looked for gallbladder and aorta disease, dated a couple of pregnancies and located a foreign body.

We do have an ECG machine. I use it to determine if someone needs to be on aspirin or not :)

In a town called Orange Walk, about a 45 minute drive, there are a couple of surgeons and a variety of other specialists. Some people, when they really want to get something done, travel north about 30 minutes to Mexico – how weird is that to say good quality medical care can be had in Mexico?

We have a pharmacy that is fairly well stocked.

So far lots of diabetes and hypertension management. Many older patients are fixated on their cholesterol – we think there was some sort of government education program sometime back. We wish they would be more fixated on their diabetes! Lots of arthritis - most people work hard labor, either around their home or on the sugarcane fields. Most everyone has congestion – either from the dust or their open-air fires in their huts/homes. Some parents want vitamins and/or worm medicine for their kids – I say OK.

I have had three ER cases so far. First, removed a bead from one kids ear- three people to hold him down. Second, took an inch long piece of metal out of the base of one guys foot – it had been there for 5 months. He had had frequent infections but didn’t know why. They forgot to X-ray despite his repeated problems!! He said only sometimes he could barely feel something in there. Walking barefoot your whole life takes a lot of the sensation out of your sole. Finally, patient had a vagal event in our waiting room - though this was only determined after am intense, quick evaluation. Things like heart arrhythmia's, stroke and low blood sugar were at the top of my list initially. Maybe he just wanted out of the waiting room and back to a bed :)

Our patient population is primarily Mayan – most speak Spanish, a few speak only a dialect. Some of our patients are a mix of Creole. Some are Americans or Canadians down to visit or live. And we also have a few Mennonites - they make up around 1/7th of the total population, but mostly keep to themselves.

Click here for a link to the clinic's website. It has some interesting information, including how the clinic got started.

Mosquitos

The coin is the Belize equivalent of an American quarter.

The size of this mosquito is something I would expect from the time of Noah, not the 21st century.

Why we are here II

John Piper, a minister of a church in Minneapolis, has had a significant influence on our life. He has authored many books, most notably Desiring God, and has a library of sermons that can be easily accessed here when you click on his resource library.

Below are links to two different sermons that I have listened to over the past few months. They have either directed us in our decision to come to Belize or have confirmed our choice to do so.

Boasting only in the Cross

What is the Recession For?

Hope they encourage you.