As any day in Oaxaca goes, we will start with a pleasant drive down a crumbling road.
Today we encountered a landslide as we made our way to San Juan Mixteco, where we held our third clinic. A backhoe was moving away debris as the hillside continued to crumble in small chunks. After a 10-minute wait, the vans and car made it across the improvised dirt road next to a cliff with sweeping views of the valley. Well, we definitely can say life in Oaxaca is never dull.
Just a note, San Juan Mixteco is 12,000 feet in the mountains and we are based in Juxtlahuaca at 5,000 feet. These are truly cloud people. The Mixteca tribe is another one of Mexico’s beautiful, and short people with the elderly women wearing these beautiful blue shawls they make by hand.
Today’s clinics went smashingly. We were housed in a community building with plenty of room (and kid control) so we were able to do the work we needed to very efficiently. We treated a lot of general aches and pains and a few diabetics and injuries. Rochel, our wonderful volunteer dental student and Glenn, not a dental student, cleaned teeth. I’m not sure how many we treated, but all were very gracious and appreciative.
One highlight for me was seeing team members pray with people. When someone would request prayer or we felt the Holy Spirit leading us, we could go aside and pray with them. Bear in mind, that the Christian church in this region has only been recently established and there is no Bible in the Mixteca language. Our presence and medical care helped move the church in this community forward.
I nearly became a casualty myself this afternoon. As I took an afternoon bathroom break, I failed to remember that the biggest person in this region is well...Joe...and then me. Each doorway is sized appropriately (I swear it can’t be more than 3’9”) and I forgot this fact as I rushed out of the bathroom and WHAM, my forehead hits the doorjamb, my knees hit the floor and the woman taking change for the bathroom laughed as though I was Curly from the Three Stooges. Oh the pain!
It never ceases to amaze me as I watch God in action and this trip is no exception. Although my bag of meds was confiscated in Guadalajara, our sponsor church has a supply of medications that went well above what was taken and had additional meds that have been truly needed. God’s provision has been well above what we expected and that has been awesome.
“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything; you may have an abundance for every good deed.” 2 Corinthians 9:8
God is also using us in remarkable ways. Yesterday, Rob treated an extremely nasty burn on an 8-year-old girl’s foot. Left untreated, gangrene likely would have set in possibly leading to an infection that could have killed her or left her with an amputated foot. Please pray for her continued recovery.
God was very evident today as we departed San Juan Mixteco during a short burst of rain. After local church members laid hands on us and prayed for us, (AWESOME) we departed on the same roads we came in on. As we climbed, we came to a section of road where four dump trucks were sliding as they moved away from a construction site. We were forced to turn around on a narrow road, the clay filling the tread on our tires.
We did manage to turn around and find a return route home although the wet roads and steep terrain made even me, a very stoic driver and rider, nervous at times. Marilee took out the Mad Libs and we took our eyes off the road for a few good laughs. Who knew firefighters hosed hydrogen peroxide into wet diapers?
I’ve probably already overstayed my blog time so I will finally tell you the meaning of my blog title, “My name is Chato.”
Pastor Bill in his wisdom decided I needed a Mexican name. Apparently Sheldon just wasn’t working. After brainstorming a few options, we decided Chato was manly enough and common enough to work. So now when someone says “CHATO” I strike up a masculine power pose.
Well, maybe we have gotten a little too much sun here.
We LOVE your comments and have started reading them each night. Your words of encouragement are great. Keep them coming.
Please continue to keep us in prayer. Elena was very sick last night unbeknownst to us, but was fine today. Please pray she stays healthy as well as the rest of us. Please pray that each clinic our last two clinics will really allow us to impact lives for Christ and that they run as smoothly as today.
And if you would, please pray for my forehead – it still smarts pretty good.
God bless,
CHATO
3 comments:
Katie is glad she doesn't need to pay to use the bathroom. She had to go back in at Cameron's house last night to do OLP. Was too busy being the teacher while they were playing school to go when I had asked.
She did eat quite a bit of rice and says she now likes it. Her appetite might have been lessened by the cupcakes they had for Tamalyn's B-day
Chato - You and your team are the presence and revelation (bible)of God!
"Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary."
St. Francis of Assisi
Give 'em HEAVEN!!!
Sheldon,
I've thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog - thank you so much for keeping us all informed! You are in my thoughts and prayers, and I wish you well with the rest of your clinics and potentially harrowing drives (I probably wouldn't handle that well!)
God Bless,
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