Thank you Jesus!!!

We give all thanks and glory to our savior Jesus Christ who brought this magnificent team together and provided a safe journey and used the incredible gifts on this team to deliver much needed medical care to those in need. Touching lives with the love of Christ and delivering miracles to those in need is a slogan Iaomai Medical seeks to emulate with each patient and volunteer. The 2011 Iaomai/Helps Guatemala Medical Team did just that during their 8 days in Huehuetenango. Each journey always begins with taking the first step and the first step for this team was a huge step of faith. From the leadership to the volunteers there was a majority of new hearts serving, but that didn’t sidetrack or slow this team down. What developed was a group of tightly knitted leaders and volunteers who stepped up to serve with their whole heart – truly amazing and powerful!!!

Iaomai Medical’s mission is to share the love of Christ in a practical way through the gift of advanced healthcare. Iaomai also has goals for its volunteers to have the most incredible experience possible. We do this by empowering the volunteer, removing distractions and providing an environment for each volunteer to use their God given gifts. We know by doing this an individual will feel significant and incredibly motivated. The results are seen in the shape of volunteers having a life changing event, empowering them to be more focused, driven and seeking to make the most of their lives in all that they do.

This year’s team was fantastic, so many lives were touched and as one volunteer said, “it was my life that was impacted.” That’s so true for all of us who serve. I can’t thank all our volunteers enough, the love and care each one poured out was truly amazing and why Iaomai continues to make a difference in each community served. Thank you all for your sacrifice and service to the 2011 Iaomai/Helps Medical Team. We pray many blessings on you and your effort. We hope to see you all back on a future mission.

In His Almighty Love,

Sean Burgess

From the Desk of the CEO of Sharp Memorial Hospital

This week I am incredibly inspired by a beautiful story of community that spans from San Diego to Guatemala. This story begins with a group of difference‐makers that decided to transform health care for patients in Guatemala. Many of your SMH colleagues, led by Dr. Greg Imler and Crystal Rubin, created a medical mission opportunity that brought care and hope to those in the most desperate of situations. Their compassion and clinical excellence provided services for hundreds of people, many of whom thoroughly walked for days to reach this mission clinic. Their generosity yielded health for this community and hope for a new future. The story of Marito begins with a young child that was born blind. During their medical mission in Guatemala last month the team came to learn of Marito’s needs. While caring for countless others, they found the time to raise the money necessary for an eye transplant that may help Marito gain his vision. Just this week, the team that so generously gave of their talent and their treasure learned that Marito’s surgery was a success and he can now see for the first time! Through this surgery, this family’s life will forever be changed and was only possible because of the genuine desire to help others.

Inspire as a vision, inspire as a motto, inspire as a way of life!

Tim Smith,

Chief Executive Officer

Sharp Memorial Hospital

In Guatemala, a Comadrona is a traditional birth attendant with little formal education or training.  They usually have very few supplies, difficulty transporting patients during an emergency, and oftentimes work in unsanitary conditions.  In Guatemala, Comadronas who have little or no formal education attend 80% of all childbearing indigenous women.  Guatemala has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in Latin America, with national figures reported to be between 156 and 270 deaths per 100,000 live births.

The Comadrona Project with Helps International works to reduce infant and maternal mortality in rural Guatemala through the training of these traditional birth attendants by midwives, obstetricians, and/or nurses.  These trainings take place in the Comadronas’ communities and use visual and participatory curriculum to teach healthy birth practices and emergency response.   The Comadrona Project is undergirded by the belief that training the traditional birth attendant in Guatemala, where the vast majority of births are attended by unskilled providers, remains a necessary component of decreasing maternal and infant mortality in this region.  The emergency methods we teach are critical to survival until the woman and/or baby reaches a referral facility.

In October of 2011, a Comadrona Training Team made up of Five Iaomai volunteers and led by Dr. Stephen Hebert came to Guatemala to train 11 Comadronas in Huehuetenango during four days.  The year prior, a smaller Iaomai team had met with these same Comadronas and gave a brief training during two mornings.  We saw the need to extend the training to be more detailed and complete so Dr. Hebert worked hard during the past year to organize the training and find donors that would give materials for the Comadrona birth kits.  The 11 Comadronas that we trained varied in age from 15 to 65.  We had 3 generations of Comadronas: Grandmother, Mother, and Daughter.  Esterfina was the oldest most experienced Comadrona in the group and her granddaughter Nayeli was the youngest and has not yet attended a birth.  It was amazing to see these 3 generations of Comadronas with such pride and passion for their profession.

Normally, the Comadrona team would travel from the Military Base in Huehuetenango to the Comadronas’ community; however, Dr. Hebert had slipped a disk in his back and was advised not to travel on bumpy roads for long periods of time.  After talking with the Comadrona coordinator, we agreed to transport the Comadronas each day from their community to the Military Base and back.  In order to get to the training, most of the Comadronas had to walk anywhere from an hour to two hours to a river.  This river is big and deep and there is no bridge for vehicles, just a small footbridge.  From the river, Erin Treinen, Helps’ Preventive Health Program Coordinator, would drive the Comadronas 30 minutes to the MilitaryBase.  And in the afternoon, she would drop them off at the river to begin their long trek home.

Our training began on Tuesday morning, talking about what the Comadronas had experienced during the past year with their patients: how many complications they had seen, how many transports they made, and what materials were useful.  After a long discussion and some icebreakers, we talked about preparing the birth area and sterilizing equipment.  We watched the Helps International Comadrona videos on preparing for the birth.  After that, we simulated the process by washing our hands and sterilizing the equipment, step by step.

The following day we had Beth Muser, RN specialized in neonatal resuscitation, train on stimulating the baby, mouth to nose/mouth resuscitation, feeling for pulse, and compressions.  We watched the Helps International Comadrona video on Helping Baby Breathe and then simulated the process with the Comadronas.  Beth had brought a CPR baby simulator so the Comadronas were able to practice all of these techniques on the baby.  They also learned how to feel for the pulse and to recognize a normal and abnormal pulse.

On Thursday, the training focused on complications.  First we discussed warning signs during pregnancy focusing on bleeding and symptoms of high blood pressure.  We then talked about blood loss and used “bloody” towels to demonstrate normal and excessive blood loss during the birth.  This demonstration was very impactful because the Comadronas really understood how much blood is too much by seeing the amount on the towels.  We also touched on retained placenta as it is one of the most common complications in the area.  After lunch, we took a field trip to Casa Materna, a clinic for pregnant women nearing their due date that are high risk.  The clinic has beds for women to stay for up to weeks at a time.  Casa Materna has nurses working around the clock and doctors who do consults during the day.  It is located right next to the National Hospital so when the women have dilated 4 centimeters, they are transferred to the hospital to give birth.  Many Comadronas knew of Casa Materna before but had never visited so they found it beneficial to have a tour and ask questions about services provided and cost.

The last day of our training we had all the Comadronas come to the hospital for a medical consult with the Iaomai team.  After each Comadrona was seen, we had a celebratory lunch in which we all thanked each other for our efforts and participation.  Then we had a “graduation ceremony” in which the Comadronas were given a diploma, a group picture, and their backpack filled with materials for attending births.  The birth kits included: scissors, bulb syringe, towels, gloves, soap, nail brush, floss, plastic tarp, baby hats, bleach, container for storing sterilized instruments, and a poncho.  The training group and the Comadronas were very happy with how the week went and we look forward to visiting with them in 2012.

By

Erin Treinen

Coordinadora de Salud Preventiva

HELPS International

As pastoral support for the team in Guatemala, I had the privilege of praying for many people. One of my favorite situations however, came unexpectedly. I was working in the clinic, where all of the patients filter through.

The clinic was very busy all day long with many patients needing to see the doctors. I was tired and frustrated, but worked very hard at not showing it. Then all of the sudden a entourage of men in camouflage came walking through the clinic.

Sure enough, the guy in charge comes right up to me, and says through a translator, “you’re the guy I see praying for people.” I introduce myself to him, and he asks me to pray for him. Feeling this overwhelming sensation from the Holy Spirit, I prayed for him, his soldiers, and his country.

When I was finished, he said that now he wanted to pray for me. It was a beautiful prayer that I will never forget. And as he finished his prayer in Spanish, he said in clear English, “In Jesus’ Name!” What made this situation even more special is that I found out that this wasn’t just a soldier, but the General of the camp.

By

Rev. Tim Neisler

Words cannot express what an incredible privilege it was to lead this year’s team to Huehue. You all did such a great job of following your passions to serve others in Jesus’ name. Your hard work accomplished great things, including 105 surgeries, over 1000 clinic visits, several decisions for Christ, and multiple happy campers, interested in returning to another team in the future. Seldom was heard a discouraging word.

God was faithful in providing safety on our travels and keeping the group healthy. All of our equipment arrived and all our talents were stretched a bit as we learned to work outside our comfort zones. The group of strong personalities melted into a great team.

I measure the success of these trips not only in the numbers of people served, but also in the number of people who express an interest in a future team. Many of you gave me the ‘can’t wait ‘til next year’ or the ‘next year I want to….” stamp of approval. Thanks for those words of blessing to my ears!

In the next week or so, you will receive a survey of your experiences. Please be very honest and generous with your comments. We want to make these trips even better, both for our patients in Guatemala and for our volunteers who give so generously of their time, talents and hard earned money. We DO NOT take you for granted!

May God’s richest blessings fall on all of you!

Dr. Greg Imler

Team Leader

The Iaomai Medical Ministries group included a team to treat patients with cleft lip and palate and other facial deformities.  The team included 4 surgeons, 2 anesthesiologists and a nurse.  Their task was to change the way these patients looked, functioned, and felt about themselves.

One patient, a 36 year old male, had his upper lip revised while his wife waited anxiously in the waiting room.  He told Iaomai volunteers that he always felt he was ugly and hoped that could be changed.  When he came out, she saw a face that was totally different.  This patient’s change of face was welcomed by his wife and she could be seen smiling often at the bedside.  The most amazing moment was when the patient was given a mirror. His face lit up, hopefully putting behind him all thoughts of being ugly.

This story could be retold over and over as the days passed.  Children with clefts would come in with only the perspective that the mirror showed them.  Many of them had also been the objects of jokes because of the way they spoke.  After these surgeries, the reflection in the mirror is going to present these patients with a whole new way of being seen and hopefully they will be able to express themselves in a way that is much more understandable.  It was the goal of this team to provide these patients with a new way of life.

Over the first 4 days of the trip, there were 6 cleft lip surgeries, 21 palate surgeries, and 2 special lower lip surgeries on patients with vascular birthmarks that provided a 11 year old and a 23 year old man with a new appearance and hope.

The swelling will still go down more as the lip heals.

It has been a joy and privilege to serve with this team and our small part in the big picture was a major blessing to all of us on the facial plastics team.

This little boy had a palate surgery which will help him eat, breath and talk better. He still needs to have his cleft lip repaired, this is why we continue to return each year to Guatemala.

By Dr. Lisa Buckmiller

I remember being asked by Dr. Buckmiller a few years ago to go on my first mission trip to China.  I thought, “Absolutely” and a few months later I got my first taste of what it was like to care for cleft lip and palate patients.  I had been warned that once you go serve on a mission trip, you will want to go every year and I find myself on my 3^rd trip in just over 2 years. I never dreamed that I would be able to use the “mark” that the Lord allowed me to have at birth, but the fact that I was a cleft lip/palate baby seemed to be working in my favor on this trip. Such is the case again in Guatemala.  I find myself humbled at the fact that the Lord would allow me to share my life experience with many different people.  To be able to tell a cleft patient in the PACU that I truly understand what they are feeling gives me a great feeling.  I have felt their pain, I have cried their tears, and I have woke up in recovery wondering “what just happened to me” and thinking “what do I look like.” I know that the Lord uses us as instruments in many different ways and on these trips, I really feel used.

Many years ago I had to make a choice about how I was going to view my cleft palate and lip.  Was I going to ball my fist up and shake it at God or was I going to loosen that fist and open my hand up to Him and let Him use me as He wants to.  I have been drawn in an indescribable way to give back to these cleft kids.  Being asked to be a part of the team is a blessing that I could easily get emotional about and the Lord has given me strength to work for these patients.

I also come away from a trip like this with a unbelievably humbled spirit.  At home with my wife are our two boys.  Our six year old, Owen, also was blessed with his own “marks”.  He has faced challenges from being born with cleft lip and with spina bifida.  The beauty of living close to Little Rock, Arkansas, is that we have a world renowned cleft surgeon in Dr. Buckmiller.  To say that she is good would be the understatement of a lifetime and we have opportunity to see her for our cleft needs.  I forget how spoiled we are when I go on these trips and when I watch the handiwork of the cleft surgeons, I quickly remember how talented they are and incredibly gifted. I think that’s how you can sum up this Guatemala trip to Huehuetenango.  It has been a gift.

One of my favorite stories from this trip was a mother of an 11 year old boy who had his lower lip revised by Dr. Buckmiller.  I don’t think he totally understood what his new face would look like because there was still a lot of post operative swelling around his lip.  His mother understood the major difference that had occurred though.  She made the comment to one of our team that she was grateful for everything that had been done for her son and that every time she looked at her son’s face she was going to remember the faces of those that worked with him on this trip.

There is no doubt that this trip has left an impression for a lifetime.  Not only for patients but for us as well.

By Matt Bishop, R.N.

A picture of Sandra taken in January of this year, when she first came seeking help.

Erin, with Helps International, in our triage area talking with Sandra and her parents.

When I started writing this I was happy just to have captured the images I had, documenting the work of Iaomai/Helps and the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of Sandra and her parents.  I spoke with Dr. Lisa Buckmiller, trying to get more info concerning Sandra’s case.  She told me it was a tough case with a really neat back-story and that I should talk with Erin.  This is what Erin was able to tell me. Sandra was first seen by Dr. Shultz, a Helps International plastic surgeon, at the January Huehue clinic.  After examining Sandra, he determined the case was too difficult for surgery and that some other options would need to be explored.  After thinking about Sandra’s case, Dr Shultz suggested Erin contact Dr. Buckmiller, a plastic surgeon who had the expertise to tackle Sandra’s case. After forwarding all the doctor notations, case files and charts they had on Sandra to Dr. Buckmiller in Arkansas, she said she would see Sandra when she came to Huehue in October.  Erin notified Sandras parents that Dr. Buckmiller would see Sandra and to bring her to Huehue.  Sandra and her parents made the 2 hour trek to Huehue and Erin was able to meet them at the front gate on Sunday.

Sandra and her dad, before going into the operating room.

Dr. Buckmiller praying for Sandra and her parents before her surgery

Sandra had a severe fissure in her pallet that Dr. Buckmiller said was the toughest case she had since she got here.  Considering the fact that the Helps plastic surgeon didn’t think he could help Sandra is a testimony to Dr. Buckmiller’s skill and how difficult the case really was, and more importantly I believe it is a testament to her faith in God.  Dr. Buckmiller has been given a gift to restore and correct what is not right.  I was able to witness several times this week when she and her staff would come out to the pre-op area to pray for the patient and their family.

Sandra, the day she left the hospital.  Dr. Buckmiller said more work needs to be done to fix her upperlip but the biggest hurdle had been cleared.

“Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.”  2 Corinthians 13:11 NIV

This verse came to mind after thinking about the physical restoration that has happened in Sandra’s life.  What a blessing to be a witness of what God is doing in Huehue.  Sandras life will improve dramatically now that her pallet has been corrected by Dr. Buckmiller.

The reality is all of us who follow Christ have access to the One who can provide Spiritual restoration to those around us who may look whole on the outside but are empty on the inside.  Paul’s encouragement to us all is to strive (or aim, in the ESV) for full restoration….lets not be afraid to share the Good News of true restoration that comes through Christ!

by brotherjoe

To see more photos go to Mission Focused Blog

The eye team that is here this year is due to Dr. Greg Stainer, who was part of Iaomai’s 2009 team. He recruited his colleague Dr.  Keith Miller and two other returning team member, David Luera and Gloria Lizarraga. This team has provided about 50 eye exams each day and given out eyeglasses free of charge to the patients who need them.

Dr.  Miller has also help a patient with a sty that needed to be removed and was able to get a 15 month old cataract patient referred for surgery. Because he could not see he had not learned to walk yet. Our team here has raised the $1000 needed to pay for his operation.

Patti Miller is showing off the glasses they have collected to give out to patients.

This little 8-year-old girl named Jessica could not see very well, she said it was hard for her to walk to school. Rick & Tim were able to pray with her and share the love of Jesus. She was so happy to receive her new glasses that helped her see well.