CHRISTMAS LETTER 2011

Friends and Family,

I greet you from the green hills of Guatemala. Our winter, rainy season, is coming to an end. The coffee trees, choked full of red berries, are our Christmas trees! Harvest is in progress. This past year has been a difficult one for the poor in Guatemala. Coffee prices for producers have improved, yet the plantation owners do not pay the pickers a just wage, not even minimal salary. Landslides and flooding has caused destruction to bridges and highways. Presidential elections have brought little hope for social change. Inflation of basic food prices has increased malnutrition and common illness with children. Many patients postpone seeking health care for lack of even bus fair to arrive at the clinic. Now the women purchase their corn by the pound, where as before they would purchase 25 to 50 pounds on market day. More and more patients come to our clinic acutely ill and scared. Fewer Mayan women can afford to weave the beautiful blouses of their ancestors.

Advent approaches and yet there is hope that the New Year will bring a better life for their families. Their faith is a constant in their lives. People generously care for one another. Education is more accessible for their children and families sacrifice and beg to assure their children stay in the classroom.

I just visited family and friends at home. I attended the Assembly of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, of which I am an Associate. I witnessed the call to occupy the cities and come out into the streets to protest the economic reality. The majority of Americans are not making ends meet; health and education are not available to everyone as they should be. the answers are difficult. The world economic crisis has affected the generosity of others to the poor. The people here are hungry!

Closing doors for the Clinic would be a difficult decision. We ask you to put the Clinica Maxeña on your Christmas List. As the year comes to an end, we are not prepared to face the expenses we must confront. We must also renew contracts with workers and purchase medicines for the year 2012. Most of our workers earn minimal salary of less than ten dollars a day. We cannot provide salary increases again this year. They need their jobs and the sick need our presence as a parish clinic.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS AND GENEROSITY!

A JOYOUS CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEARS FROM ALL OF US AT THE CLINIC!

SHEILA MCSHANE - DIRECTOR

Donate on line at: http://catalog.diocesehelena.org/Guatemala-Mission-c10/

NOTE for the CLINICA MAXEÑA

or send check for DIOCESE of HELENA to:

Diocese of Helena

Guatemala Mission

Mr Mark Frei

P.O. Box 1729

Helena, MT

59624 again remember to note for Clinica Maxeña

Your morning COFFEE

FRIENDS AND FAMILY,

I am sure many do as I do, when you wake in the morning. Quickly I go to the kitchen to brew my morning coffee. It seems I cannot start the day without it. Here in Guatemala, if you rise at dawn, you can witness the field workers, women and men, with their children, packing into the backs of pickup trucks, to go to fields to pick coffee. Especially in these times, when unemployment is reality for most, the poor take the opportunity to earn a little cash. Children from seven years and up are brought along to help fill the boxes and gunny sacks with the red bean; babies are carried along on the backs of moms. The land owners take advantage of this necessity. Salary for eight hours in the field, under the beating sun, can be thirty dollars to a family, if they can pick 100 pound of the wet red coffee bean. This is once a year opportunity so many poor take to the fields.

Today with visitors, I went to the coffee cooperative, that was started by the first priest of our mission, Jim Tackes, more than forty years ago. This truly is one of our greatest gifts to the Mayan population in the small community of PASAC. The coffee harvest is in progress. The cooperative of NAHUALA has 164 members. This year, they will export 1500 one hundred pound bags of the golden coffee bean. They pay a more just price to pickers and the actual members make good profit on their harvest. With financial support from international organizations, this cooperative now has a huge dryer for the coffee. The women of the cooperative have their own project and small process machinery; they shell and toast the dried coffee bean, grind and bag it and fill gold cellophane bags. Their coffee is named, Coffee FEMININA, or of the WOMEN, of the cooperative. Their coffee is completely organic and sold in the cooperative for five dollars a pound. The red shell that comes off the coffee bean, after being thoroughly washed, is preserved and transported to the project of worms, in the same community, and used in production of organic fertilizer. This fertilizer is provided to members for their coffee plants and other herbs for the next harvest.

PLEASE DRINK ORGANIC COFFEE OF FAIR TRADE ORGANIZATIONS!! START YOUR MORNING OFF RIGHT!!

ENCLOSED A PICTURE OF JUAN, PRESIDENT OF THE COOPERATIVE OF PASAC, NAHUALA, STANDING NEXT TO ORGANIC COFFE BEANS , DRYING IN THE SUN BEFORE BEING PLACED IN THE DRYER. ALSO PICTURES OF ALBERTA, WITH THE COFFEE BEAN BEFORE TOASTING, AND VISITORS PURCHASING CAFE FEMININA OF THIS COOPERATIVE.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.

DONATE ON LINE FOR OUR MISSION AT;

http://catalog.diocesehelena.org/Guatemala-Mission-c10/ PLEASE NOTE FOR Clinica Maxena ! We need your support. THANKS. HOLIDAY BLESSINGS! SHEILA

SUCCESSFUL EYE SURGERIES BRING JOY

FRIENDS AND FAMILY,

The eye surgeons and assistants have returned to their homes in California. Regina, Guatemalan medical resident in Ophthalmology, assisted in surgeries and will return on Friday to follow up on operated patients. Thirty eight patients had eye surgery, twenty five patients for cataract removal. One hundred ninety eight patients passed ophthalmology consult and also were screened for diabetes. Eight new Diabetics were diagnosed and will attend Diabetic Club on Friday.

One special patient was 20 year old Diego. Diego, insulin dependent diabetic, is in control the last two years in the Clinica Maxena; it is not known how long he was diabetic before diagnosed. As a juvenile diabetic he is brittle, malnourished, and with bouts of depression. Loss of his eyesight was sudden and perhaps cause of his recent depression and abandonment of insulin treatment. We quickly made a house call and brought him to the clinic. Fortunately it was right prior to the arrival of the Eye doctors. He was diagnosed as legally blind from bilateral cataracts. The right cataract was successfully removed last week and the left cataract will be removed in April in the Clinica Maxeña. The next brigade of Ophthalmologists will be from Montana. He was smiling as he could again read the eye chart. Diego is studying mechanical drawing for an associate degree. His education is supported by Sr Anna's education support project.

The Clinica Maxena is busy every day. Each day brings very poor patients to medical consult. Most of these patients have acute illness although daily we are seeing chronic illness with more cancer, diabetes, Aids patients and a resurgence of Tuberculosis.

The Conference of Catholic Bishops is preparing a document of analysis of the Health care in Guatemala and will present it to the new President who will take office in 2012.

We ask for your continued support, and interest in the work of the Clinica Maxeña. Times are economically difficult as we confront daily medical emergencies for the Mayan population we serve. We need more financial support to successfully begin 2012 with a full staff!

You can donate on line at: http://catalog.diocesehelena.org/Guatemala-Mission-c10/

Note for the Clinica Maxeña

or send check to Diocese of Helena

Address

Mr. Mark Frei

Guatemalan Mission

Nurses Fund Checks to Diocese of Helena

PO BOX 1729

HELENA MT. 59601

Attached is a photo of Diego, following surgery with sunglasses, to protect his eye from light; the second photo shows Diego with Dr Marty and Dra Lauren, who performed his surgery, and his MOM.

Visiting Surgeons give the Gift of Sight

Good Morning friends and family,

Today is the last day for Eye surgeries in the Clinica Maxeña. Daily more than forty patients waited on benches inside and out of the clinic. The doctors and surgical assistants came from California. Most of the patients are elderly and carry a wooden cane and assisted by family members.

Yesterday, however, Diego, our 20 year old insulin dependent diabetic, was operated on for a right cataract. Hopefully in April the left cataract will be removed. He is legally blind because of the cataracts. Catarina, 18 year old insulin diabetic, was diagnosed with retinopathy. Friday they will come to Diabetic Club of the Clinica Maxeña. We will commemorate World day of Diabetes.

These are all patients who could never pay a private surgeon for these operations. Our clinic charges less than one hundred dollars for cataract surgery. Many are exonerated as many do not have enough money now even to buy corn. Please pray for the Poor. You can help us to help them by putting the Clinica Maxeña on your christmas list. THANK YOU!

Enjoyable time in Seattle with Friends and Family!

Hello from Seattle,

I am off to Assembly tomorrow for CSJP and Tuesday will return to Guatemala. It has been quiet time in ways, but also relaxing. I had hoped to sell more crafts but I did ok so far and hope to share at assembly this weekend. I was able to witness to OCCUPY TACOMA, a large city near Seattle, with good Jesuit Friend BIX. I understand better the reality of the economic crisis and how even in our country the wealthy are dominating and health and education needs and unemployment are very real to the people here too. Unfortunately because of the economic crisis we have suffered greatly with a decrease in donations for our work in the Clinica Maxena. We ask for prayers and donations.

Last evening I was with a very good friend who was hosting a Indigenous delegation from Chiapas, Mexico in Seattle. It was enjoyable to share with them and know a little of their efforts also with sustainable agriculture. These projects give hope to the people and good for the Mayans to return to plant Mother Earth.

Last weekend I was with dear Guatemalan friends, Juan and Carlos, Carlos's wife Maggie and long time friend Linda. We work and played together many years in solidarity with the struggle for Justice in Guatemala, with many folk in Seattle, with a national affiliated group, GUASO, and a non profit weaving group for cooperatives, EL QUETZAL.

Tonight I am with my niece Patty and her husband Craig. I am very grateful for the hospitality of good friends Margy and Jerry who have visited our Mission. Jerry is an organic farmer who has provided seeds and knowledge with our agriculture team of the Clinica Maxena.

I am looking forward to sharing with the Sisters and Associates this weekend of the CSJP. I am also looking forward to return home to Guatemala on Tuesday. COCO is waiting for me.

Blessings. Sheila

Pictures include photo with BIX, SJ. Fr Bix is awaiting prison for protest for abolition of Nuclear arms. Myself, Carlos and Juan, Guatemalans, living in Seattle. AND there is COCO waiting for me to come HOME!