TALENTED, COMMITTED WORKERS MULTIPLY RESULTS OF WEEKS ACCOMPLISHMENT!
This past week has been busy. Many patients passed consult with our Doctor. Preparations of wood for clinic roof has begun as more wood is ordered and brought to the Mission Property in large town trucks. Workshop and area of Maintenance is cleaned and secured for wood arrival.
The Day of the WORKER is celebrated in our "BUEN VIVIR" Booth on MAY 1st. Juana and Metchas, Clinic Cooks, rise early to prepare Tamalitos of the Plant Izote, which grows on our Mission Property. Miguel Guarchaj, experienced WORKER in Sustainable Agriculture, welcomes patients to listen to Health advice, with a loud speaker, from the Buen Vivir Booth. Tamalitos quickly disappear at 2 quetzales each. Workers come out to relax for a few minutes and also enjoy tamalitos and organic coffee. Diego Tunay brings Bamboo Baskets to the Booth to advertise them and market them.
He is a young, unemployed, Insulin dependent Diabetic, known well by the Clinica Maxeña.
A week later.
Saturday, Diego Tunay traveled with myself, and Cirilo to Panajachel. We left him with a friend who has a beaded jewelry shop and who had agreed to teach some jewelry making to Diego. Diego was eager and quick to learn. He was delighted as he made two rings and a necklace. They invited him to return so to learn bracelets and other items. Meanwhile myself and Cirilo visited the sidewalk shops and bought many beautiful Mayan craft items for my scheduled visit to my home in Montana. I hope to be able to sell some Guatemala weavings and jewelry, hopefully at the Irish Festival in Butte, Montana on August 9, 10, and 11th.
Today six field workers left for a course at IMAP, three of them clinic workers. IMAP is the Institute of Permaculture whose focus is sharing knowledge of Mayan Ancestral customs and organic sustainable gardening. The Clinica Maxeña's Sustainable Agriculture team hopes to form a local Association to expand and share their knowledge with local farmers, from different communities, to work together in solidarity, to improve their lives and grow local herbs, and vegetables. Todays course is on diversification in planting and will focus on corn fields. The cost of the course is twelve dollars per individual; the clinic is paying the inscription for all who went with the clinic team.
Today, myself and Cirilo, the accountant, and the clinic kitchen crew will plan for the visit of Pastoral Ministry Students, from Carroll College, in Helena, Montana to our Mission; 16 students will arrive on May 13th for 8 days.
At dawn our 18 year old patient, Magdalena, left by the town ambulance, accompanied by Chico, a clinic worker, for re consult following chemotherapy. She has a severe advanced Lymphoma on her face, covering one eye. Please remember her in PRAYER.
HAVE A GOOD WEEK! GREETINGS FROM THE CLINICA MAXEÑA.
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Sheila McShane
Director
Clinica Maxeña
