Daddy Fixed Diego

My husband called tonight from Guatemala. He is having such a great time there, although he is thoroughly exhausted. People come in droves around 7am and they wait there. ALL DAY. Sometimes they even stay overnight. Why? Because normally if you "get" to have surgery there, they make you pay upfront for the surgical equipment...plates, pins, etc. Unbelievable. He said they have done 43 surgeries since Monday morning. An average day here is around 3-6 surgeries. Monday they did 11, yesterday they did 14, and today they performed 15.

One of the neat things about this trip is that John gets to operate outside the "usual" age range of his patients. Here, he does not usually perform surgery on pediatric or geriatric patients. His patients are on the average between the ages of 20 and 60. However, in Guatemala, he is operating on infants even! The other day he operated on a 9-month old. Today....well, today he had a 2-yr old little boy named "Diego". Diego had a hernia, so John operated on him and fixed the hernia. When Jack got a turn to talk to him today, John told him how he "fixed Diego". He explained that he operated on a little boy his age whose name was "Diego". Jack's response was so cute...

"Thank you, Daddy!!" :)

It was really priceless. I am so thankful that John has volunteered his time and given up his own practice for a whole week to help these people. To give of his time and his services, his compassion and love, to give them what they would otherwise either not have access to or not have anyone able to do the surgery they need. It is truly amazing. I am in awe of him.

In follow up to my last post, I have watched two movies I was wanting to see and have started reading "I Will Carry You", the book by Angie Smith. I am loving it. It's a heartwrenching story, but one that is full of inspirational teaching about fully trusting and relying on God for grace and strength...even when life's trials become too hard to even comprehend. I cannot imagine the loss of a child, and I don't want to try, but Todd and Angie have handled this situation with their Audrey in an amazing way. Their faith truly sustained them and they have made me stop and take a look at how much I absolutely believe in God's plan for my life, no matter whether I understand or agree with it. Like the song that Angie chose for the title of her blog about Audrey says:

"Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings You glory
And I know there'll be days
When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to praise You
Jesus, bring the rain" (Mercy Me)

Absolutely. That is my prayer, too. That no matter what He brings me, whether it is joy, peace, or pain...may it glorify Him above all else.

I pray constant protection for John. I pray for the lives of the people he is treating. I pray for the travel back to the states on Sunday. Most of all, I pray that this trip has changed my husband in ways that he doesn't even realize yet, but soon will.

Goodnight, all!