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.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

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

Answers Elusive for ER Patient

01.19.12 | 12:20 PM

The picture below is of Isidro Amaya.  Isidro is a 73-year-old man who lives in the village of Santa Amelia, which sits about 20 miles from the Mexican border.  He supports his family by riding his bicycle into town once a week to purchase meat and other things he can resell in his village.

Isidro Amaya

This past Christmas Eve Isidro brought his wife into San Benito so she could have her gall bladder removed at the government hospital.  Isidro was also experiencing some health problems, so he was scheduled for an operation to remove a mass in his abdomen. The mass was removed on the 12th on January, and he has not been well since.

Too frightened to return to the governmental hospital, Isidro arrived at the Hospital Shalom Emergency Room last night.  His son told us that he has no money and cannot afford the care he needs.

We are trying to determine what the General Hospital has done to him.  We do not know what kind of mass was removed from his abdomen. We do know it was not sent to pathology because Isidro’s son says the mass is sitting in a jar in their house.

Additionally, we cannot find out who performed the operation, because neither the doctor’s name nor signature appears on any of the General Hospital forms that were given to Isidro.

We do know that Isidro spent some time in the intensive care ward at the General Hospital after the surgery, but we do not know why;  nor can we find out what they did while he was there. We do know that Isidro is building fluid in his abdomen and there is an infection; he has lost a lot of blood and is very anemic.

We are trying everything we can to determine the proper course of treatment so Isidro can return to his wife who is home–alone–trying to recuperate from her surgery last month.

Please join us in prayer as we seek God’s wisdom for answers on how to properly treat Isidro. And if you feel the Lord would have you support us financially as we provide quality healthcare to Isidro, please contact us.

Every prayer and every financial gift makes a difference!

Thank You and God Bless You!

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.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

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

Not One Child Spent Christmas Eve Sleeping in the Dump

Hello, Everyone!

We are happy to provide an update on our Christmas outreach to the people who live and work in the San Benito landfill.  I am thrilled to share that, to our knowledge, not one child spent their Christmas Eve sleeping in the dump.

The Pastor of the local church where Doris and I attend did a fantastic job of sharing the Good News that God’s own Son came to this earth for all of our sins. His message was very uplifting and on Christmas morning, after breakfast, many of our invited guests (those people living in the dump) raised their hands in response to the altar call, and more than eight people prayed for salvation.

It was truly a blessing beyond measure to see them come to a knowledge that though they may live among the discarded items of this world, they have not been discarded — they are very valuable to God and to us.

Even the hotel workers, where we hosted the event, wanted to know more about our God and one worker gave his life to Christ during the outreach. He was prompted to become a Christian because he had never seen people do this for anyone, much less for those who live in the dump.

Thank you for having a part in this great outpouring of God’s love, and for supporting Hospital Shalom & New Covenant World Missions. We could not have done this without you.

God Bless you all,

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!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Praise God for the progress that has been made!

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

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.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

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
Access Giving Information Here:  Make A Difference Today

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