Update on Glendy

08.23.12

Glendy is doing much better, but still a little drainage.  As soon as that stops they will take out the chest tube.  The doctors have done some x-rays and they think they may have to operate again because–if my Spanish is clear– they think the left lung may not be expanded enough, and they may try to reinflate it.

08.26.12

Thank you for your prayers!

I talked to Foster yesterday and he said Glendy improved greatly, so there was no need for any additional surgery.  They took out the chest tube and she went home.  God is so very good.

Thank you for your financial support and faithful prayers for the people of Guatemala.

In His Service,

Tim Spurrier

On the web: www.NewCovenantWorldMissions.org
Access Online Giving Here:  Make A Difference Today

Glendy: A Little Girl needs a Big Miracle

08.17.12

Friends:

We’re sending some photos of Glendy.   The first one is of her when she came out from having the chest tube put into and they took 600cc of fluid from her lungs.   The pathology is still not back yet.    The second picture is of Dr. Juan Francisco Rios and some of our nursing staff.   The third picture is of Glendy´s Father Pedro, mother Ana Patricia and a bright-eyed Glendy. Finally, a photo of Glendy being held by her big sister   Glendy is doing much better.

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Glendy has two sisters and a brother back home in Paso Caballos where her father is a farmer.  Paso Caballos is a village about 80 km from Hospital Shalom, and it takes three hours to get there on roads that are in very poor condition.   Paso Caballos is very interesting because it is a mostly indigenous village in the middle of the rain forest located at the source end of the river San Pesdro.   During the civil war years in Guatemala, the army installed a landing strip there for military purposes.   This is one of the landing strips we would like to reclaim for emergency air ambulance service.

This year pilot Paul Jones is planning on bringing a Cessna 206 air ambulance to work here from Missionary Air Group. We will look for Church teams from the States that would like to go to this village and live in a tent or on a church floor for a few days to help clean and repair the runway . . . this is a story I will share on another day.

At this moment Glendy´s hospital bill is at $2,000 USD and, before she leaves Hospital Shalom, it could be even higher. She has been here five days and has had one surgery. The truth is  $2,000 is not a lot of money for all that medical service but it is all the money in the world if you are a poor farmer from Paso Caballos.

If anyone feels it in their heart to help this family please let us know.   The pay pal account at newcovenantworldmissions.org is always available or you  can send a check to New Covenant World Missions, P.O.Box 35968 Canton, Ohio 443735.   Please put Glendy on the memo line so we will be sure to appropriate the funds in the right place.

Thank you all so very much for all your prayers and support.

In His Service,

Tim Spurrier

On the web: www.NewCovenantWorldMissions.org
Access Online Giving Here:  Make A Difference Today

Update from the Field

Hi, Everyone:

Hello from the Peten Jungle in Guatemala!  I am pleased to pass along some updates from Hospital Shalom:

• During February the hospital was crazy with the surgical team and all the people. We performed 34 procedures in 4 days!
• Isidro Amaya the patient I wrote about in an earlier post (Click here for details.), passed away.  Everyone at Hospital Shalom, along with Isidro’s family, are very happy that he accepted the Lord before going to meet Him. This was a close one, but Isidro is resting with his Loving Father.
• The construction on the doctor housing of the second floor is going well, and we now have flushing toilets, lights, and hot water up there. Dick is finishing hanging doors, and we will be able to begin using the space ASAP!
• Dave Ewing and I are putting in the stud walls for the hospital rooms so we will be ready for electrical and dry wall in April.
• Dick and Mary Joe Crandall will be starting a follow-up visitation program for patients after they have left Hospital Shalom. We feel this is a very important step in reaching those living in rural communities.

Christmas Outreach Follow-Up:

• Follow-up on our Christmas outreach we had for those living in the landfill:  The newly elected Mayor of San Benito has come along side with the local church we attend, to continue the project we started.  They are cleaning up the landfill and starting a feeding and nutrition program there. We will meet with the Mayor to offer her the services of our mobile medical clinic on a monthly basis.

Prayer Requests:

• For our mobile clinic, we would like to have a portable generator, a portable ultrasound, and a four door 4×4 pickup.
• We’ll also need another 4×4 pick-up for the follow-up visitation program.
• For both vehicle requests, we need older, used trucks. We do NOT want to give the impression of wealth. We would prefer the same type of trucks used for local farm work, so we blend into the surroundings.
• The mobile clinic needs a budget of about $5,000 to start the pharmacy that needs to go with it.
• We need a bus to transport teams.
• Funds to continue construction on the hospital.

Thanks for your ongoing love and support!

Tim Spurrier
On the web: www.NewCovenantWorldMissions.org
Access Online Giving Here:  Make A Difference Today

Our First Ambulance Run Transports Patient with Broken Hip

01.13.2012

Hi, Everyone:

I am sending a few pictures of our first ambulance run with our new ambulance provided to Hospital Shalom by Mercy Trucks. The patient was an elderly lady who had fallen and broken her hip.  We needed to operate and install a Richards Sliding Nail so she will be able to walk again.

Joe Ray, from Cherry Valley Church of God in Northeast Ohio, is driving the ambulance for us.

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Thanks for your continued prayerful support that enables us to minister to the physical and spiritual needs of the people living in the Peten Jungle Region.

Tim Spurrier
On the web: www.NewCovenantWorldMissions.org
Access Online Giving Here:  Make A Difference Today

Update from the Field: The Roof is Complete

08.18.11

Greetings!

I am thrilled to report that the roof on Hospital Shalom has been completed. Happily, they no longer have water running down their walls. Additionally, the roof-top “swimming pool” has been eliminated. I was honored to have been on site to assist with this final phase and witness installation of the final piece!

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Praise God for the progress that has been made!

Dave Ewing
On the web: www.NewCovenantWorldMissions.org
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A New Baby & Patient Updates

08.08.11 | 9:00 AM

Greetings:

Hospital Shalom welcomed a new baby girl on Tuesday, August 2. Her mother is 44 years old and this was her 7th child — the next youngest being 16 years old.  The child’s father was not present; the mother arrived for the birth with her daughter.

Unfortunately, the child was born with Downs Syndrome and has a cleft palette. It also appears there are some heart problems as her chest is very large and you can see her heart moving rapidly.

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Rolando, the 13-year-old boy who was brought to us with serious health issues two weeks ago, has been diagnosed with tuberculosis. (You can read his story here.) Additionally, we have admitted Mynor, a 22-year-old patient, who we suspect has the same diagnosis.

Please pray for the wisdom as our team ministers to these patients and their families and join us as we intercede for physical healing for these patients.

In His Service,

Tim Spurrier
On the web: www.NewCovenantWorldMissions.org
Access Online Giving Here:  Make A Difference Today

In Less Than Five Months . . .

08.07.11 | 12:00 PM

In less than five months, we’ll be sending Christmas cards, hanging colorful lights, and decorating the tree . . .

Before you know it we’ll be unpacking nativity figurines, attending cantatas, and baking cookies . . .

And when the day arrives, we’ll celebrate the birth of Jesus surrounded by friends and loved ones, opening gifts, sharing memories and meals, and taking pictures to preserve the moment.

But this isn’t even close to reality for the 45 children living with their mothers among the garbage in the Municipal Dump in San Benito, Peten.

But in less than five months,
things are going to change . . .

At Hospital Shalom, we are planning big things for Christmas this year . . . and we need your help. Please take a few minutes to watch the video and learn how you can proclaim hope to the hopeless and share God’s message of salvation as we celebrate His Son’s arrival.

God gave His best gift to us and, as His ambassadors to the Peten, we want to demonstrate His lavish love to those whose lives are filled with despair. Will you help us?

If you are able to assist us with this initiative, please mark CHRISTMAS on your check or in the memo field if you are making an online donation.

Your gifts make an eternal difference!

Thank you for your faithfulness to the mission,

Tim & Doris Spurrier
On the web: www.NewCovenantWorldMissions.org
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Save the life! (We will pay the bills later.)

Posted: 07.27.11 | 9:00 a.m.

Greetings & Salutations!

The picture below is a set of five-month-old twin girls, Emileny & Elizabeth with their parents. Both babies arrived at Hospital Shalom on Monday, July 18, with bad  intestinal tract infections, severe diarrhea, and fever. Within hours, any two of these three problems can lead to dehydration and death or permanent brain damage for small children in the Peten.

Emileny & Elizabeth and their Parents

The family had NO funds to pay for services and refused to subject their children to the care of the government-run General Hospital. Our Pediatrician, Dr. Carmen Juarez, came to Doris and asked her what she should do.  As always, Doris said, “Save the life. We will pay the bills later.” The girls are now coming in for daily check-ups. They are doing well, but we are keeping a close eye on them.

On another note, I wanted to provide you with an update on Carla. (The following photo shows Doris checking on her progress.) You will recall that Carla is the eight-year-old girl who arrived weighing only 20 pounds. (You can read her story here.) She is doing well, but not gaining the weight as we would like. She has added six pounds and we still monitor her closely.

Doris checks in with Carla and her mother.

Thanks to all of you who make the miracle of Hospital Shalom a reality for so many!

Tim Spurrier
On the web: www.NewCovenantWorldMissions.org
Access Online Giving Here:  Make A Difference Today

Two Urgent Prayer Requests

07.26.11 | 1:53 p.m.

Hello, Everyone:

Well, we need prayer again.  It seems that we are always asking for prayer and we really need it urgently on two fronts.  First and most urgent is Ronaldo Cuc Gluitz (pictured below). He is 13-year-old boy who was brought to us by the wife of the Mayor of San Benito. Ronaldo´s mother took him to her looking for help. Ronaldo weighed in at 66 pounds today, which is less than half of what he should weigh for his age and height.  He also has a large abscess in his groin and some serious respiratory problems due to severe malnutrition.

Ronaldo Cuc Gluitz

Dr. Carmen Juarez came to me this morning asking if we could exonerate his medical expenses because the family has no resources. The Mayor’s office will pay for x-rays and lab work if we will cover the rest of his expenses. Ronaldo will be a long-term patient at Hospital Shalom due to his severe condition. (If you feel led to give funds to help cover Ronaldo´s health expenses,  we would greatly appreciate it.)   We are anxiously awaiting the time when we have the second floor completed and available with rooms especially for these types of patients. (Read update here.)

Now, for the second prayer request.   We have just been informed that the government-run hospital is now closed due to a lack of funds. We are researching to see if any services are still available there or if the operations have shut down completely. We did notice that we have been unusually busy today, but did not realize the reason for this.  Please join with us in prayer that the General Hospital is not shut down completely, and that we are able to handle the overload of patients.

God Bless you all for all you are doing to keep us here and ministering health and healing in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Thank you.

In His Service,

Tim Spurrier
On the web: www.NewCovenantWorldMissions.org
Access Online Giving Here:  Make A Difference Today

Going Everywhere & Announcing the Good News

Posted: 07.26.11 | 9:00 a.m.

Hi, Everyone:

This photo below is of myself, Sean Donnelley and Bob Wilson. Sean is President of Missionary Air Group (MAG) and Bob is a retired firefighter from the Boston area. They arrived from the Rus Rus Hospital in Honduras via the air ambulance MAG has stationed there, to help me install an air compressor for the firefighters at our local airport. The new air compressor will allow our firefighters to refill their own air tanks. Bob was very instrumental in acquiring the compressor and preparing it for shipment to Guatemala.

Tim Spurrier, Sean Donnelly & Bob Wilson

Their visit was to prepare for MAG placing an air ambulance in the Peten to provide emergency air service to very remote areas. Sean says that the Cessna 206 will be stationed here soon after all the modifications for safe jungle service are completed. Then, Paul Jones, the pilot who will work with Hospital Shalom will transport it to Guatemala.

Praise God for giving us His favor, connections, and resources to carry out Mark 16:15, “Then he said, “Go into the world. Go everywhere and announce the Message of God’s good news to one and all.”

I think the remote regions of the Peten Jungle qualifies as everywhere!

Thank you for your continued love & support,

Tim Spurrier
On the web: www.NewCovenantWorldMissions.org
Access Online Giving Here:  Make A Difference Today