Spencer's report

The last couple of weeks we've had some time off from the temple (two days for Christmas and two days for New Year's) and now we are closed for two weeks of maintenance. A good part of that has been, however; going to doctor's appointments and for lab work for Jeanine. Each specialist directs us to another specialist and another set of lab work tests. Each experience (office) has it's schedule with sitting and waiting. The good thing is that it hasn't caused too much interruption from our appointed assignment. Jeanine has missed some days at the temple due to appointments, but I've been able to keep going. The second good thing about the appointments is that the medical system works differently here. We have been able to go to the next appointment without waiting for approval from insurance companies. We take her medical records with us for the next doctor to see, so we don't duplicate blood work. The cost of doing all these very technological exams is much less than it would be in the USA. Each test gives us new guidance and eliminates some serious implications. I have real faith and hope that these procedures will keep us here for many more months and will prove to be for our good. I'll let Jeanine tell you about our little side trip to Coban. It's a mountainous rain forest area. This week we will go to Lake Atitlan. We will spend two nights there. We've been there before, but it is beautiful and we want to take a boat across the lake. We should have some nice pictures of it to share next week. Note from Jeanine: I had two doctor's appointments last Monday in Guatemala City and all day appointments here on Thursday and Friday. I've now had ultra sounds of my kidneys, bladder, liver, and heart. A CT scan of my abdomen, an endoscopy that included 13 biopsies and a Halter Monitor. I've had more urinalysis and cultures than I can count and lots and lots of blood work. There isn't much left to check out! But I'll come out on top--just wait and see!

Family and Friends

Just a few thoughts to add to our blog. We've had our challenges with Jeanine's health this season., However, I think there are some things to be happy about. I think the diagnoses through lab work and knowledgeable doctors has been good and affordable. Whether we can continue or not, we've had choice experiences and have served well. Our service in the temple has been so rewarding. We've mastered our temple Spanish, and both of us feel comfortable conversing there. There are spiritual experiences that do come, but are better treasured rather than spoken. Each of you can have these experiences thru family research and temple attendance. One of the things that makes this mission special is that we are working with the Lamanites. When we came and were set apart our blessing included being set apart to teach the children. We've done that for a year. Sometimes it has spilled over to teaching the adults who are less active or non members who have come on the buses to see the temple. Now that part of our calling has come to a halt. The new president and his wife don't see it as a function of the temple. So we feel blessed to have had the experiences and thousands of children have been blessed. If we don't go any further, it all has been a special treat and worth it. I have perfect faith in the leadership of President and Sister Galvez. We will be blessed by following them. This is a picture of the group I took on a tour around the temple and into the waiting room last Saturday. We stopped by nativity for a picture. I have loved taking them on these tours. As I finished with this group, I was privileged to teach a group of about 10 investigators that were outside of the temple. I THINK those opportunities will continue to "pop up". These teaching moments are generally spontaneous.

New Year's Eve for 2015

Last night I watched Fireworks. They were going off in every direction of the skyline. I especially loved the ones behind the temple. But when the temple lights off at midnight you couldn't see it as good.

Our last charla of 2014

Well, we are feeling sort of sad. The new presidency has different directions and priorities and our Saturday morning charlas didn't make the list. So the 27th was probably our last one. It was very special because the excursion was from an area that spoke Quiche. So the opening and closing prayers were both given in Quiche--that was a first! And we loved the spirit they brought. The moms were as enthralled as the kids.

A little more Christmas

Here are a few more pictures of our real Christmas. We bought food for these people instead of exchanging gifts and thought our money was well spent! Christmas Eve we had dinner with the Riggs and the Hintons. I made a jello poke cake with strawberries and kiwi to add the Christmas colors. I also made the salad. It was a yummy meal and amazing company! After we received the presents from Rachelle and Dave's family and the Trail Mix from Santa, our Christmas was a little more filled out. But our favorite part of Christmas was to read the testimonies of some of our children and grandchildren. It took a long time and filled our hearts with love for our family and our Savior. In the temple the day after Christmas I was asked to give the spiritual thought. I told about Janae and Steve's family going to the temple (or Visitors' Center for the younger boys). They performed baptisms for family members on Stephen's side. Each of them wrote their feelings about being there in the temple and experiencing some of the same things we enjoy on a daily basis. Then in our Family Home Evening we talked about the Fall of Adam and Even. I shared with the other missionaries Ethan's summation after Chad explained that it was really a sin, but they broke a rule. Ethan summarized "So, they broke a rule, but Heavenly Father was pretty chill about it." That says it all. Thanks family for sharing such awesome experiences with us!

Another update on Jeanin'e health

Another update on Jeanine’s health: Since my last update, I have been seen a cardiologist about the bradycardia (low heart rate). EKG confirmed the low heart rate and the stable heart murmur from when I had rheumatic fever 50 years ago. He didn’t think either were serious, but did order a Halter Monitor for 24 hours. I did that this week. Taking the leads off my chest created “interesting” bruising. I will meet with him on January 8, 2015 to find out the results. He didn’t think the bradycardia was severe enough to cause the headaches. He prescribed an RX for migraines. More about that med later. Here is a crazy picture of the bruises: The next day I had an endoscopy (where a tube with a light, a camera, and a tool for taking biopsies is introduced down your throat). It was a pretty amazing of an experience. The anesthetist came in and introduced himself as Sergio (Dr. Sergio Gomez). He was very personable. Then when the gastroenterologist came in, she introduced everyone and then said she wanted to start with a prayer. She addressed “Dear Heavenly Father” and prayed for each person on the team, prayed for me and prayed that Heavenly Father would guide her hands and we could get clear and accurate results to eliminate my pain. She ended in the name of Jesus. My heart was touched by her humility and faith. I expected the endoscopy to simply confirm the gall bladder disease. Instead I now have two new diagnoses. I have esophageal reflux, but the damage from that is not serious at this point. The more serious concern and the cause of my excruciating pain is chronic gastritis and lots of excess bile. It has been going on for years, but with my high pain threshold, I didn’t notice it until it became a crisis. She ordered three new medications and said it would take 2-3 months to calm it down. She also took a total of 13 biopsies from my esophagus to my duodenum. The pathology reports are back. Good news: no malignant or premalignant lesions. The lesions are all from the chronic gastritis. I’ve also had a ton of lab work done. Tomorrow I go for a Doppler study of the liver and ports. I think that is all due to the excess bile. I have a ton of medical reports to take home with me. I’ve exchanged emails and had a phone conversation with the Area Medical Doctor. He is over 9 missions. He suggested I not take the migraine med because of some very serious side effects. He had the same concern for one of the meds for gastritis. It can cause Parkinsonism type tremors in “patients of a mature age”.  He was also concerned about the UTI antibiotic for six months both because of the risk of creating a “super bug” but also because it is so hard on my stomach. My Celebrex for my back is also hard on my stomach and has side effects—but it is about the only thing I can take and pain management is my only recourse for my back, or I’d be terribly limited in my mobility. So what is in the future? Tomorrow I have the liver and port studies. Monday in Guatemala City I see the Gynecologist and the Urologist for re-evaluation of treatment and prognosis of the UTI’s. Then on Thursday I see the Cardiologist, as I mentioned. I still have lots of abdominal pain after I eat. I can hardly wait for 2-3 months to pass so the gastritis will be calmed down. The headaches are less, but I do I still have sporadic severe headaches (sometimes migraines, but not always). And the back pain is ongoing, but not new. It was funny when I went back to get pathology reports, the doctor was concerned about my 2 hour post prandial (after eating) blood sugar which was only 52 (normal is 80-120). She thought I should see an Endocrinologist. I told her it was ancient history—I’ve managed it with diet for many, many years and I do not want to see any more specialists. At this point I’m managing everything adequately enough to not come home early. I’ve missed some shifts at the temple due to doctors’ appointments. But otherwise, I’m able to go as assigned, and find that serving others is a great distraction from pain. So it is a win-win to be there.

Christmas in our apartment

Today we received a package from Rachelle's family that she sent down with the a family visiting another missionary couple. We we WILL have something to open on Christmas morning. We are still hoping to receive copies of testimonies from kids and grandkids. That will be the best Christmas present possible. When we arrived home from our Christmas deliveries, we had received one ourselves! We have a NEW washer and dryer unit in our apartment. They installed it today while we were gone. When they took the old one out in early September and joked that we'd get it back for Christmas, no one dreamed it would literally take until Christmas! This does make a wonderful Christmas present for us! We are happy campers!

Merry Christmas from Spencer

Dear Friends and Family, We wish that you and yours have a wonderful Christmas holiday. I remember so well the pressure I felt when I had my kids alone. My desire was that each felt loved and happy with their Christmas. I felt that I would have gladly exchanged places with their mom after she was taken, rather than bear that responsibility alone. Now the gifts and the tree mean nothing to me, and my desire is that each of you can make your dollars stretch and that you teach your children the spirit of giving. We can't teach them enough about Jesus and his birth. And, that's not a trite statement. Today, Monday the 22nd, the temple missionaries took food and blankets to a needy branch up in the mountains. Maybe you could use these pictures to teach the kids the real meaning and spirit of Christmas. These people had lost most of their crop this year because of the lack of rain. They were waiting for us to get there!

More about the Choki Rama

When we arrived they were have a Christmas spiritual program in the chapel waiting for us. There were some sisters outside cooking a BIG pot of stew over an open fire and some tamales in the coals. After we passed out all of the Christmas gifts it was time for their Branch Christmas Party/Meal. Everyone brought their own bowls and got in line to receive some from the big container. Then they sat on the grass or basketball court to eat. No one had utensils. They just used fingers to get the large chunks and drank the broth from the bowl. There is a cute albino boy in one of the families. There were no tables to clean up or floors to sweep. Even the little children ate the stew with enthusiasm. Personally, we were glad we brought our own lunches. One family there with nine children walks one hour (each direction) to attend church. Another family walks an hour and a half. When it was time to go home they loaded the packs on their backs and started out. We were able to give some of them a ride part of the way in the mission pickup. It was a wonderful experience to provide Christmas to these people.