Chattanooga Medical - Guatemala Trip - Day 7

This morning started with a bang!  Seriously - we purchase fireworks yesterday for Jeanie's 65th birthday!  We lit them outside her room at 5:30 this morning - it was a blast.

The excitement didn't end there, as we started getting ready for breakfast, Melvin (the doctor) and Elder (the nurse) came and got Del again.  "NO WAY!!  Seriously??"  Yes, a woman had come to the hospital with 2 feet dangling from her vagina.  Yes, she was giving birth to a child feet first!

The team again sprung into action and prepared for another c-section.  We were hopeful that it would not be necessary, but, under the circumstances, it looked like that might be the only option.  Del seemed confident that he could deliver the baby vaginally, so that was the first option.  Sure enough, he did it!  I watched in amazement as he pulled the child by the feet out of his mother's body.  The little girl was born on Jeanie's birthday at 6:36 this morning.

The rest of the day we drove home to Guatemala City, but it wasn't without some interesting sidelights. About 45 minutes out of Cubulco we stopped at a pottery shop.  The team was in for a cool show as we watched the man make 2 pots.  As we re-boarded the bus, Jeanie asked about the passports, and saved us a lot of frustration later because they were still at the office in Cubulco.  Julio drove out and met us, so it wasn't too bad.  It was probably only 20 minutes for him driving.  I felt bad though, as I had intended to get them this morning, but with all of the chaos, things got lost in the shuffle.

We stopped at Pollo Campero for lunch and Sarita's for ice cream.  It was a wonderful trip home. 

When we arrived back at Thelma's, we had dinner, told jokes, talked and shared stories, and played games.  It was very relaxing.

Tomorrow we are going to the beach.  I hope it is a good day - sunny, but not too hot.

Thought for the day:   I received an e-mail yesterday that really made me angry. It was a response to an e-mail I had sent to a number of people.  He responded to everyone on the list, and whether he meant to or not, basically told me off and attempted to put me in my place.  I don't know this man from Adam, and frankly, after the e-mail, have absolutely no interest in ever meeting the guy. As a matter of fact, two of the people who do know him did not help his case as they tried to smooth over the tone of his e-mail by basically telling me he is just that kind of a person.

There are two different ways I can go with this thought - I will choose the one that I need right now. 

Relationship with the person colored the way one of the other people I spoke with read his e-mail.  They had a more "forgiving" attitude, a more "understanding" sense of his actual intent, and a  broader history with him to comprehend what he was actually trying to do with his e-mail. 

It baffles me how relationship can help one overlook what seems to be so great a flaw.  But really, isn't that what relationship does for me.  I mean - look at me - flawed to the very core, and I have a relationship with a beautiful, wonderful woman who daily overlooks my broken flawed personality and chooses to love me every day.  I have children that see my mistakes and failures, yet they love me.  I have friends that, though I have let them down and failed them, they still remain my friend.

So, I guess I must ask myself, as pertaining to those with whom I have relationship, does "love cover a multitude of sins"?  Am I willing to "overlook" imperfections for the sake of the relationship?  Am I willing to offer grace and mercy to those who I know best? 

I should be - Lord, help me do it better.  Help me do it well!