Beinvenido

Welcome - Robert, Bev and Colby Dow from Henderson,NV. He is a general dentist who had an desire to work at the Tio Juan Clinic for three days. On Thursday they headed to Patan - 3 hours above Tikal- three hour 4 wheel drive, dirt road experience. Patan is a remote area where a school was built but needed school supplies. A ward member was aware of the need so Colby decided this would be a rewarding Eagle Project.

Welcome - Gordon and Ann Croft from Meridian, Idaho. He, too, is a general dentist wanting to experience a different country to give humanitarian service. They go to Puerta Vallarta each year doing humanitarian service. He read the LDS Academy newsletter telling about the Tio Juan Clinic and decided a change would be good.

Meet the boys from Mi Casa Orphanage with their founder John. Tio Juan means 'Uncle John'. He is the founder of the girls and boys orphanage. There are currently 60 girls and 300 boys in the Tio Juan orphanages. He started the orphanages in 1975 and during that time there have been over 8,000 orphans.

These girls are from the Esperanza Orphanage. Dr. Call had to counsel the Nuns about what the two little girls have been drinking from too much - COKE. Look closely at the smallest girl - you will see a small bottle she is holding - she had coke in it. Both the youngest girls baby teeth were rotting because of the coke. (Do you think I should quit?)

Group picture with the adorable girl's from the orphanage.

Elsie has become my best friend. She has been the cook for the past 18 year's at Tio Juan. She was demonstrating the technique of making tortillas. It's not as easy as it looks.

Dr. Dow and Colby were doing their best to make perfectly round tortillas. The girls had a fun time trying to teach us how to make them. It's all in the movement of patting the dough to make them so round. The tortilla's were tasty. The girls mainly loved having Colby in the kitchen. They thought he was pretty cute. Today they were making 100 tortilla's for the Mi Casa (boys) orphanage. On Friday, they will make the same amount of biscuits for them.

In an earlier blog, I showed you the working table when they make biscuits. This is a picture of their kitchen - not windows or doors.

Richard and Cindy (She is being trained to become a dental assistant so when a visiting dentist doesn't bring an assistant with him she will take on that role.) Richard teaches her an English word and then she teaches him a Spanish word. It's fun to watch the exchange between the two of them.

Dow family hard at work. By the end of three days, Colby was assisting his dad and doing a great job.

Gordan and Ann in action.

We all enjoyed getting acquainted during the week of January 23- 26, 2012. LeeAnn and I furnished lunches for everyone and then traded alternated evenings of feeding the group. Lots of bonding time - we enjoyed getting to know all about their families, and to hear about other humanitarian trips they've completed.