In addition to the travel and surgeries we have posted in our blog, we still have been very busy both in our little Mexican church in Ixtlahuacan and the boy's home, Hope House. We continue to play in the worship band at church and are helping out as much as possible to get a more permanent place for worship. On some of our previous blogs we showed photos of our church and how we meet under a tarp hung by rope between trees. This last rainy season it became rather dismal as each Sunday that we showed up to rehearse before the service, the rain and wind had blown the tarp down and we spent precious rehearsal time rebuilding our "church". The other alternative was to use the original terrace, which, because of church growth, has become too small for the number of people who now attend, so people would go home, not finding a seat. We approached the pastor and said something had to be done. The upshot was that we were able to help out in getting a massive steel structure built, with a new and very durable covering over it. People have been getting motivated to beautify the (rented) property, painting and pruning. As part of this we asked pastor if he would like to have a platform to get the band and the speaker off the muddy ground. So Walt and some of the men built a platform and now the place is beginning to look more like a church. There is a lot more room under this new tarp and we add more chairs every Sunday now. Here are before and after photos of the old and new tarps. The new tarp, framework and platform can all be moved to the other property when we are ready.
The workshop is now fully functional and in operation. We were concerned that the high-end level of the power tools were beyond the boy's abilities. However, they have proven us wrong as they work with every tool in the shop. Of course we are very conscious of safety! Work began with building simple Christmas items such as reindeer and snow flakes. These are items that have sold well and we are beginning to earn some money for the shop. The boys have progressed beyond the Christmas items and have helped build workbenches for the shop. Now that it is fully operational they have successfully built five bunk beds, in reality ten beds, for another orphanage in the area. Funds for the material were provided by the local Rotary Club and the boys donated their labor. They, in fact, with the help of four adults completed construction of all the beds in four days. These are not full days as they still have to attend school. Not only have they become proficient with the tools they are very careful about quality control. If something is not routered properly they will redo it until they are satisfied. Same with sanding prior to varnishing. Here are photos of the workshop and the boys at work. If you enjoy woodworking and have a little patience, we welcome you to come on down for a week or two!
Monday, December 6, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Israel Praise Orchestra Trip
God worked it out so that we both could be on this trip together. It was an incredible experience to have the opportunity to minister in the land where Jesus walked and talked. There will be very little narrative but plenty of pictures in this blog.
We arrived at Tel Aviv on 29 October and met the group, had dinner and then had our one and only rehearsal. Walt played bass and Nancy was the sound tech, a position sorely needed. Our first few days we stayed at Baptist Village, which was founded in 1952, just four years after the war of 1948. Many of the damaged Israeli Army vehicles still remain as monuments to that war along the road to Jerusalem. The first day, in addition to two concerts, we visited Caesaria Harbor, one of the many sites that King Herod was responsible for building. We know him as the king whose paranoia led him to kill all the firstborn babies in an attempt to kill Jesus. However, we saw a side of him we never knew, an incredible visionary genius who constructed many sites in and around Jerusalem. Here are pictures of arriving and our first day in Israel.
On Sunday we headed up to Jerusalem. It was much hillier than we had anticipated. Two concerts were held at the Baptist House in Jerusalem and the only tour this day was at the Prayer Center. The Prayer Center was a place to pray for the lost of this world. While in Jerusalem we stayed at Christ Church which is Old Jerusalem next to the Jaffa Gate. Here are pictures of our second day.
Monday was a strictly tour day and we got to see Masada, the Dead Sea and Qumran, where the Dead Sea scrolls were found. Of course we got to see all of the territory between all of them. A trip to the Ahava factory, where they make products out of the Dead Sea water and mud, was included as well. Our tour guide was excellent at pointing out the various features as we past them. Here are the photos for Day Three of our trip. That evening we also got to see a fantastic light show on the walls of the King David Citadel. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photographs but it is something we would want to see again.
On the fourth day we drove to Bethlehem to see the Church of the Nativity and the Shepherd's Field. Our tour guide, being a Christian, was quick to point out that this may not have been the actual location of the manger and so forth but it is representative of what it would have looked like. It is interesting to see how man would rather worship an icon or some site rather than the person of Jesus. An interesting fact about Bethlehem is it is in Palestine. At the security gate anyone is allowed into Bethlehem. However, on the way out they carefully check to see if there are any Palestinians on board your vehicle or if you are taking something out that someone may have given to you. This question is again asked by customs at the airport at departure from Israel. Apparently the Palestinians feel that since there grandparents lived on this land, it was rightfully theirs whereas the Jews believe that God promised them this land so it is rightfully theirs. So worshiping icons or sites or fighting over a piece of dirt does manifest the sinful nature of man. After Bethlehem we drove to the top of the Mount of Olives and walked down to the Garden of Gethsemane. Some of the olive trees there date back to that time. Late at night we took a walking tour of the Western Wall under the Old City. One of the stones in the Western Wall has been estimated to weigh approximately 600 tons. Question is, how did they get such a thing into place thousands of years ago? Here are the photos for this days tours.
The fifth day found us on a walking tour of Old Jerusalem. This was totally fascinating. It seems like every site that had some traditional meaning assigned to it has a church built on it. Not only one church but several churches, for example, Armenian, Roman Catholic, Ethiopian, you name it. Again it points out how man would rather worship an icon or "holy" site rather than the person of God Himself. The ultimate in our minds was the church on the site where Judas Iscariot was assumed to have hanged himself! However, as our guide pointed out, each site may not be the actual place but it is indicative of what it might have looked like. So it does give some added insight about the area as described in the Bible. So from that point of view it was very interesting. After our walking tour of Old Jerusalem we went to the Garden Tomb. Now understand that in Old Jerusalem there is a Church of the Holy Sepulchre and now we were on our way to the Garden Tomb - two potential sites for the place where Jesus was buried. But, we really got to appreciate the narrator at the Garden Tomb. He laid out how this tomb is more likely to be like the actual since it was outside of Jerusalem and the features were as those described in the Bible. The high point of his narrative was when he exclaimed, "Whether its this place or within the city what does it matter? The tomb is empty, He is risen, He is no longer here". And that is what really counts. Apparently the British have been responsible for the Garden Tomb since the late 1800's and have had the freedom to make this statement for all these years. What a testimony the British have at that location! A high point for us as an orchestra was to have communion there. Later that evening we gave an impromptu concert at Christ Church, which turned out to be very special. Here are photos of our fifth day in Israel.
Our sixth day had us working our way to the Sea of Galilee. So we drove back along the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. The significance of this road is that it is the same valley that Jesus used in His illustration of the Good Samaritan. So we got to see what that area is like. Then we got to see the Sea of Galilee. Just like the Dead Sea, it is below sea level. The Sea of Galilee is fresh water because water enters and exits whereas the Dead Sea water only enters. One of the highlights was eating at a restaurant that served fish from the Sea of Galilee, probably very similar to the kind of fish the disciples caught in their time. We gave a concert outside the museum that contains the relic of a boat dated to the time that Jesus was in this area. The concert was special and then seeing the boat was fascinating. Later that evening we took a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. They had a band that played Jewish tunes and we danced to them. Then, as we docked, they put on Christian music and we all sang our hearts out. It was a very memorable moment to be singing with messianic Jews, Jews that have found the Messiah as we have, and praising God with one voice. That night we stayed at a very beautiful hotel in Tiberius. Here are the photos of this day. Someone also recorded several of the songs that we played in front of the museum of the "Jesus Boat".
Our final day of tour took us up to the Northern end of Israel to the Golan Heights where Israel borders on Syria and Lebanon. Here there were many signs of the struggles between these various countries. But we also got to see more excavations of interesting sites and some of the places that Jesus was, according to the New Testament. For example, the tour for this day included Capernaum where Jesus chose His first four disciples, James, John, Peter and Andrew. There are many references to Jesus' activities in Capernaum in the New Testament. So it was interesting to see the area that Jesus Himself saw. Of course, the Golan Heights is a tense area because of the neighboring countries and we saw the military presence, although things are peaceful right now. We also took a tour of ruins of the Temple of Pan, niches carved in the rocky cliffs, and of Agrippa's palace. The day ended with an exceptional meal in an Arabian restaurant. Some of us felt it was the best food yet. Here are photos of our last day of tour.
After this we left to go to the airport. Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv has got to be the most secure in the world. It took two hours to get through customs and security before even getting to the terminal. Everything was carefully checked and questions asked. We commented that Israel, that contains God's city Jerusalem, is the seemingly most dangerous we have been to. It's like the spiritual warfare is happening here. But satan has already lost that battle.
As usual this trip has been a real blessing to us and we have committed to take at least one trip a year of this nature. It is fun to use our old skills for His service.
We arrived at Tel Aviv on 29 October and met the group, had dinner and then had our one and only rehearsal. Walt played bass and Nancy was the sound tech, a position sorely needed. Our first few days we stayed at Baptist Village, which was founded in 1952, just four years after the war of 1948. Many of the damaged Israeli Army vehicles still remain as monuments to that war along the road to Jerusalem. The first day, in addition to two concerts, we visited Caesaria Harbor, one of the many sites that King Herod was responsible for building. We know him as the king whose paranoia led him to kill all the firstborn babies in an attempt to kill Jesus. However, we saw a side of him we never knew, an incredible visionary genius who constructed many sites in and around Jerusalem. Here are pictures of arriving and our first day in Israel.
On Sunday we headed up to Jerusalem. It was much hillier than we had anticipated. Two concerts were held at the Baptist House in Jerusalem and the only tour this day was at the Prayer Center. The Prayer Center was a place to pray for the lost of this world. While in Jerusalem we stayed at Christ Church which is Old Jerusalem next to the Jaffa Gate. Here are pictures of our second day.
Monday was a strictly tour day and we got to see Masada, the Dead Sea and Qumran, where the Dead Sea scrolls were found. Of course we got to see all of the territory between all of them. A trip to the Ahava factory, where they make products out of the Dead Sea water and mud, was included as well. Our tour guide was excellent at pointing out the various features as we past them. Here are the photos for Day Three of our trip. That evening we also got to see a fantastic light show on the walls of the King David Citadel. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photographs but it is something we would want to see again.
On the fourth day we drove to Bethlehem to see the Church of the Nativity and the Shepherd's Field. Our tour guide, being a Christian, was quick to point out that this may not have been the actual location of the manger and so forth but it is representative of what it would have looked like. It is interesting to see how man would rather worship an icon or some site rather than the person of Jesus. An interesting fact about Bethlehem is it is in Palestine. At the security gate anyone is allowed into Bethlehem. However, on the way out they carefully check to see if there are any Palestinians on board your vehicle or if you are taking something out that someone may have given to you. This question is again asked by customs at the airport at departure from Israel. Apparently the Palestinians feel that since there grandparents lived on this land, it was rightfully theirs whereas the Jews believe that God promised them this land so it is rightfully theirs. So worshiping icons or sites or fighting over a piece of dirt does manifest the sinful nature of man. After Bethlehem we drove to the top of the Mount of Olives and walked down to the Garden of Gethsemane. Some of the olive trees there date back to that time. Late at night we took a walking tour of the Western Wall under the Old City. One of the stones in the Western Wall has been estimated to weigh approximately 600 tons. Question is, how did they get such a thing into place thousands of years ago? Here are the photos for this days tours.
The fifth day found us on a walking tour of Old Jerusalem. This was totally fascinating. It seems like every site that had some traditional meaning assigned to it has a church built on it. Not only one church but several churches, for example, Armenian, Roman Catholic, Ethiopian, you name it. Again it points out how man would rather worship an icon or "holy" site rather than the person of God Himself. The ultimate in our minds was the church on the site where Judas Iscariot was assumed to have hanged himself! However, as our guide pointed out, each site may not be the actual place but it is indicative of what it might have looked like. So it does give some added insight about the area as described in the Bible. So from that point of view it was very interesting. After our walking tour of Old Jerusalem we went to the Garden Tomb. Now understand that in Old Jerusalem there is a Church of the Holy Sepulchre and now we were on our way to the Garden Tomb - two potential sites for the place where Jesus was buried. But, we really got to appreciate the narrator at the Garden Tomb. He laid out how this tomb is more likely to be like the actual since it was outside of Jerusalem and the features were as those described in the Bible. The high point of his narrative was when he exclaimed, "Whether its this place or within the city what does it matter? The tomb is empty, He is risen, He is no longer here". And that is what really counts. Apparently the British have been responsible for the Garden Tomb since the late 1800's and have had the freedom to make this statement for all these years. What a testimony the British have at that location! A high point for us as an orchestra was to have communion there. Later that evening we gave an impromptu concert at Christ Church, which turned out to be very special. Here are photos of our fifth day in Israel.
Our sixth day had us working our way to the Sea of Galilee. So we drove back along the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. The significance of this road is that it is the same valley that Jesus used in His illustration of the Good Samaritan. So we got to see what that area is like. Then we got to see the Sea of Galilee. Just like the Dead Sea, it is below sea level. The Sea of Galilee is fresh water because water enters and exits whereas the Dead Sea water only enters. One of the highlights was eating at a restaurant that served fish from the Sea of Galilee, probably very similar to the kind of fish the disciples caught in their time. We gave a concert outside the museum that contains the relic of a boat dated to the time that Jesus was in this area. The concert was special and then seeing the boat was fascinating. Later that evening we took a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. They had a band that played Jewish tunes and we danced to them. Then, as we docked, they put on Christian music and we all sang our hearts out. It was a very memorable moment to be singing with messianic Jews, Jews that have found the Messiah as we have, and praising God with one voice. That night we stayed at a very beautiful hotel in Tiberius. Here are the photos of this day. Someone also recorded several of the songs that we played in front of the museum of the "Jesus Boat".
Our final day of tour took us up to the Northern end of Israel to the Golan Heights where Israel borders on Syria and Lebanon. Here there were many signs of the struggles between these various countries. But we also got to see more excavations of interesting sites and some of the places that Jesus was, according to the New Testament. For example, the tour for this day included Capernaum where Jesus chose His first four disciples, James, John, Peter and Andrew. There are many references to Jesus' activities in Capernaum in the New Testament. So it was interesting to see the area that Jesus Himself saw. Of course, the Golan Heights is a tense area because of the neighboring countries and we saw the military presence, although things are peaceful right now. We also took a tour of ruins of the Temple of Pan, niches carved in the rocky cliffs, and of Agrippa's palace. The day ended with an exceptional meal in an Arabian restaurant. Some of us felt it was the best food yet. Here are photos of our last day of tour.
After this we left to go to the airport. Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv has got to be the most secure in the world. It took two hours to get through customs and security before even getting to the terminal. Everything was carefully checked and questions asked. We commented that Israel, that contains God's city Jerusalem, is the seemingly most dangerous we have been to. It's like the spiritual warfare is happening here. But satan has already lost that battle.
As usual this trip has been a real blessing to us and we have committed to take at least one trip a year of this nature. It is fun to use our old skills for His service.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Balloon Festival in Ajijic
Years ago Walt went to the Albuquerque Balloon Festival, and was in awe of the size and intricate design of many of the balloons. So when we moved to Ajijic 3 years ago we heard that the Saturday prior to Dia de Independencia, which is 16 September, they have a local balloon festival. So we had to go check it out and have tried to go every year since. We went this year again and thoroughly enjoyed it. Unlike the hot air balloons in Albuquerque, these balloons are totally different. They are not powered by propane gas, nor do they carry people. They range in size from a few feet across to over 20 feet. The biggest difference is they are not made of fabric but simply tissue paper. The source for the hot air is a wire ring wrapped in cloth that is soaked in kerosene and then lit. This actually works, and the balloons can attain a tremendous height, in fact, we have seen them go well above the mountains behind our house and these mountains are 3,500 feet above the lake. The greatest amount of excitement though is the fact that you have an open flame contained within a balloon made of tissue paper. You guessed it, a very flammable situation. Even though the balloons are made of tissue paper the designs rival those of Albuquerque and the size may not be as big but some do get as large as 20 or 25 feet in height or even diameter. So they are pretty awesome. It is a unique event to our village, and of course you can buy all kinds of food and drinks, cotton candy and palletas (fruit popsicles).
To give a flavor of this event we took a few photos and videos that we want to share. First of all, the event takes place in the soccer field about a quarter mile from our house towards the lake. If the wind is favorable, the balloons sometimes sail right over our home, but not this year. This year the wind sent most of them over the lake. We went to the soccer field not only to see the balloons but join in the festivities down there. There are typically around a dozen groups that bring their balloons and each group has a large number and variety of balloons. Here are photos of one of the groups and some of the activities taking place as they begin to launch. This was at the early part of the event so the soccer field didn't have too many people yet. A couple of hours later it was almost wall-to-wall people and people still streaming in. You can see the large number of balloons on the tarp for this group. Also in this series of photos you see some of the other groups beginning to launch their balloons. Many of the balloons are sponsored by local businesses, and have their name prominently displayed. One year when a balloon burned up a corn field this was a bit of a problem, as the farmer knew exactly who to speak to for restitution....
Getting set to launch the balloons can be rather exciting. Remember, there is this large tissue paper structure that requires hot air inside to make it float. Rather than lighting the kerosene some use a chimenea first and when the balloon gets partially full, then they will light the kerosene ring. Since some of the balloons are so large they use ladders or even scaffolding and then strings or long poles to hold the balloon away from the fire and vertical so that it doesn't catch on fire prior to launch. However, we saw our fair share of those burning before they even took off. Here are some photos of launch preparation.
One huge advantage of tissue paper balloons is the ease of repair. More tissue paper and packing style tape is all you need. Here is a photo of a balloon that had a hole in the top. After this photo was taken it unfortunately got another hole in top and they managed to get it down for repair. However, after that hole was filled the next thing we saw was this balloon go up in flames before it even got off the ground.
Watching balloons launch successfully is always a thrill and the crowd always cheers. Here are some photos of successful launches. Here is a video of a successful launch. Note the water bottle can be seen keeping the balloon from swaying and at the last part of the video the kerosene flame can be seen. The ballast has to be sufficient to keep the balloon from swaying but not so much as to keep the balloon from flying. The kerosene fire in the rocket, in this series of photos, burned out and the rocket landed intact and we saw it on our way home and took a photo of it that is shown at the end of this blog.
One of the most exciting things for the crowd, but not for the folks that spent untold hours making these balloons, is when they catch fire and crash. Some don't even get off the ground. Here are some photos of balloons that didn't make it. Here is a video of what most look like when they burst into flames after launch. Looking carefully the kerosene ring can be seen falling first. If this happens above the soccer field, the kids love to chase after them, with their parents hollering warnings to be careful. As can be seen at the end of the video, the burning remains often do fall into the local residential areas. Nothing fun in Mexico is without a certain amount of risk! There were a couple of spectacular disasters that we managed to catch in video. Here is a photo of a large Happy Face taking off and here is the video shortly after. Here is a photo of a rocket made up off three boosters. Here is the video shortly after. In the video it is clear that the green booster is the first to fail. The music, a Mexican Anthem in the background, appears to be very fitting.
So now the question is where do they land? In the earlier video clearly one was landing in a residential area. We saw one burning kerosene ring land on a roof and keep burning. But since everything is concrete and tile there is no danger of a house burning down. Here are two photos of balloons that have landed. The first landed in flames on the power lines. The second, landed intact in someones yard. This particular balloon was the large rocket that was in one of the earlier photos. It was interesting to watch because its kerosene fire went out and it just slowly drifted to earth intact and landed in this neighborhood.
To give a flavor of this event we took a few photos and videos that we want to share. First of all, the event takes place in the soccer field about a quarter mile from our house towards the lake. If the wind is favorable, the balloons sometimes sail right over our home, but not this year. This year the wind sent most of them over the lake. We went to the soccer field not only to see the balloons but join in the festivities down there. There are typically around a dozen groups that bring their balloons and each group has a large number and variety of balloons. Here are photos of one of the groups and some of the activities taking place as they begin to launch. This was at the early part of the event so the soccer field didn't have too many people yet. A couple of hours later it was almost wall-to-wall people and people still streaming in. You can see the large number of balloons on the tarp for this group. Also in this series of photos you see some of the other groups beginning to launch their balloons. Many of the balloons are sponsored by local businesses, and have their name prominently displayed. One year when a balloon burned up a corn field this was a bit of a problem, as the farmer knew exactly who to speak to for restitution....
Getting set to launch the balloons can be rather exciting. Remember, there is this large tissue paper structure that requires hot air inside to make it float. Rather than lighting the kerosene some use a chimenea first and when the balloon gets partially full, then they will light the kerosene ring. Since some of the balloons are so large they use ladders or even scaffolding and then strings or long poles to hold the balloon away from the fire and vertical so that it doesn't catch on fire prior to launch. However, we saw our fair share of those burning before they even took off. Here are some photos of launch preparation.
One huge advantage of tissue paper balloons is the ease of repair. More tissue paper and packing style tape is all you need. Here is a photo of a balloon that had a hole in the top. After this photo was taken it unfortunately got another hole in top and they managed to get it down for repair. However, after that hole was filled the next thing we saw was this balloon go up in flames before it even got off the ground.
Watching balloons launch successfully is always a thrill and the crowd always cheers. Here are some photos of successful launches. Here is a video of a successful launch. Note the water bottle can be seen keeping the balloon from swaying and at the last part of the video the kerosene flame can be seen. The ballast has to be sufficient to keep the balloon from swaying but not so much as to keep the balloon from flying. The kerosene fire in the rocket, in this series of photos, burned out and the rocket landed intact and we saw it on our way home and took a photo of it that is shown at the end of this blog.
One of the most exciting things for the crowd, but not for the folks that spent untold hours making these balloons, is when they catch fire and crash. Some don't even get off the ground. Here are some photos of balloons that didn't make it. Here is a video of what most look like when they burst into flames after launch. Looking carefully the kerosene ring can be seen falling first. If this happens above the soccer field, the kids love to chase after them, with their parents hollering warnings to be careful. As can be seen at the end of the video, the burning remains often do fall into the local residential areas. Nothing fun in Mexico is without a certain amount of risk! There were a couple of spectacular disasters that we managed to catch in video. Here is a photo of a large Happy Face taking off and here is the video shortly after. Here is a photo of a rocket made up off three boosters. Here is the video shortly after. In the video it is clear that the green booster is the first to fail. The music, a Mexican Anthem in the background, appears to be very fitting.
So now the question is where do they land? In the earlier video clearly one was landing in a residential area. We saw one burning kerosene ring land on a roof and keep burning. But since everything is concrete and tile there is no danger of a house burning down. Here are two photos of balloons that have landed. The first landed in flames on the power lines. The second, landed intact in someones yard. This particular balloon was the large rocket that was in one of the earlier photos. It was interesting to watch because its kerosene fire went out and it just slowly drifted to earth intact and landed in this neighborhood.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Shoulder Replacement, Mexico Style
Walt has had pain in both of his shoulders for many years, and gradually has lost the ability to lift his arms much. Well, a month ago Walt found out the reason was that he had no cartilage at all in his left shoulder and has very little in his right shoulder. Our doctor sent us to an orthopedic specialist who immediately recommended shoulder replacement surgery.
This is how the process went. We tried convincing our doctor in the US about Walt's shoulder pains. He was not terribly interested, and told him to take Ibuprofen. Then our doctor here in Mexico tried exercise and medication almost to no avail (although we have to say that the medications available here are often more effective than some in the US, thanks to the FDA). We were both in for a regular checkup one day and Nancy said to our doctor, "This is only as far as he can lift his arms". He immediately said to see an orthopedist. The orthopedist is one of the many specialists that come down to our local clinic from Guadalajara on different days of the week, so two days later, Walt was talking to the specialist. He asked about arm movement and the like, then said, "Lets go across the hall to get x-rays", looked at the right one and said, "You should think about replacement surgery" then saw the x-ray of the left one and said, "Right away". This was all in the same 20 minute appointment, not waiting weeks and weeks for x-rays or permission from insurance to see a specialist! We then sought council from our regular doctor, mainly to see if Walt was healthy enough and whether we should do it with our Mexican government insurance, IMSS, or not. He said if we can afford to pay for it ourselves we can control who does it and when. So we did our internet homework comparing Medicare costs, out-of-pocket cost and IMSS, which would be no cost, since we are now fully vested (although it would be put off for many months). Since we had the money we decided not to go through IMSS. Then we looked at the cost difference between out-of-pocket and Medicare - if we had even kept up the policy payments. The specialist here said it would cost around $10,000 USD and it actually came out to be $9450 USD. Finding what we could about Medicare allowable expenses, deductibles and then including payment of a Medicare Part B and supplemental policy, we figured we easily saved $10,000 to $20,000 USD. This is based on that we saw that shoulder surgery in the US can cost as high as $40,000 and it looks like Medicare may have taken care of around $10,000. Then, of course, you have to add in the $5,000 we would have spent on the cost of a policy and, just like with IMSS, you don't know who you would get or when it would be scheduled.
Now here is the beauty of the whole thing. We went back to the specialist on his next Friday visit to the clinic and he said, "How about scheduling it a week from this Monday?" What? Not 6 months from now? Then the following Friday he called us in the evening to say only one of the two prosthesis parts had come in (delayed from the US) and he didn't want to operate twice and didn't think we would want that either (that is a joke, btw). A few days later he called again to say the part was in and rescheduled us for a week later. It was the surgeon who called us personally at home to apologize for the delay and to reschedule the surgery. It was not the secretary of the assistant nurse to the specialist's assistant. It was the specialist himself.
So, one may ask, who is this specialist that can give you this kind of attention? After all you are way down in Mexico and they just are not qualified.... Here is his own personal home page, in English yet. His "Curriculum" page is the most interesting.
We went to Guadalajara Wednesday morning, had the surgery around 11:00 am and apparently the surgery was about an hour and a half long. The socket was replaced with a plastic one, and the shoulder ball was replaced with titanium. The doctor came in several times after the surgery to see how things were going. Nancy stayed overnight in the room (she had a nice couch to sleep on), which is the custom here. The surgeon returned Thursday morning with the anesthesiologist in tow. With Walt's three previous surgeries he never got to see the anesthesiologist. In fact, he had chatted with Walt a little bit before the surgery. Walt's last words to the anesthesiologist, surgeon and nurses before he dozed off were "Hasta luego" (See you later)- that got a good laugh.
The clinic we were in is only nine years old and very modern. It is really a tiny hospital more that what one would call a clinic. In fact, the operating room looked like it was some space age place. Here are pictures of the clinic and of Walt recovering.
Walt began physical therapy the day after surgery and, when he was at the specialist Friday here in town, got some more exercises to do. Next Friday the staples will come out and we should be on a full road to recovery. Already the fact that there is no pain whatsoever in the joint is huge! God is good!! Work with a physical therapist should hopefully improve mobility in the muscles that have atrophied over the years.
So this is proof that in places where malpractice suits do not exist, affordable quality health care does exist. The next surgery will be scheduled around our missions trip to Israel at the end of October, plans for Thanksgiving and Christmas and our yearly trek to Thailand, depending upon how fast the recovery process is. So it may be the beginning of November or as late as February of next year.
This is how the process went. We tried convincing our doctor in the US about Walt's shoulder pains. He was not terribly interested, and told him to take Ibuprofen. Then our doctor here in Mexico tried exercise and medication almost to no avail (although we have to say that the medications available here are often more effective than some in the US, thanks to the FDA). We were both in for a regular checkup one day and Nancy said to our doctor, "This is only as far as he can lift his arms". He immediately said to see an orthopedist. The orthopedist is one of the many specialists that come down to our local clinic from Guadalajara on different days of the week, so two days later, Walt was talking to the specialist. He asked about arm movement and the like, then said, "Lets go across the hall to get x-rays", looked at the right one and said, "You should think about replacement surgery" then saw the x-ray of the left one and said, "Right away". This was all in the same 20 minute appointment, not waiting weeks and weeks for x-rays or permission from insurance to see a specialist! We then sought council from our regular doctor, mainly to see if Walt was healthy enough and whether we should do it with our Mexican government insurance, IMSS, or not. He said if we can afford to pay for it ourselves we can control who does it and when. So we did our internet homework comparing Medicare costs, out-of-pocket cost and IMSS, which would be no cost, since we are now fully vested (although it would be put off for many months). Since we had the money we decided not to go through IMSS. Then we looked at the cost difference between out-of-pocket and Medicare - if we had even kept up the policy payments. The specialist here said it would cost around $10,000 USD and it actually came out to be $9450 USD. Finding what we could about Medicare allowable expenses, deductibles and then including payment of a Medicare Part B and supplemental policy, we figured we easily saved $10,000 to $20,000 USD. This is based on that we saw that shoulder surgery in the US can cost as high as $40,000 and it looks like Medicare may have taken care of around $10,000. Then, of course, you have to add in the $5,000 we would have spent on the cost of a policy and, just like with IMSS, you don't know who you would get or when it would be scheduled.
Now here is the beauty of the whole thing. We went back to the specialist on his next Friday visit to the clinic and he said, "How about scheduling it a week from this Monday?" What? Not 6 months from now? Then the following Friday he called us in the evening to say only one of the two prosthesis parts had come in (delayed from the US) and he didn't want to operate twice and didn't think we would want that either (that is a joke, btw). A few days later he called again to say the part was in and rescheduled us for a week later. It was the surgeon who called us personally at home to apologize for the delay and to reschedule the surgery. It was not the secretary of the assistant nurse to the specialist's assistant. It was the specialist himself.
So, one may ask, who is this specialist that can give you this kind of attention? After all you are way down in Mexico and they just are not qualified.... Here is his own personal home page, in English yet. His "Curriculum" page is the most interesting.
We went to Guadalajara Wednesday morning, had the surgery around 11:00 am and apparently the surgery was about an hour and a half long. The socket was replaced with a plastic one, and the shoulder ball was replaced with titanium. The doctor came in several times after the surgery to see how things were going. Nancy stayed overnight in the room (she had a nice couch to sleep on), which is the custom here. The surgeon returned Thursday morning with the anesthesiologist in tow. With Walt's three previous surgeries he never got to see the anesthesiologist. In fact, he had chatted with Walt a little bit before the surgery. Walt's last words to the anesthesiologist, surgeon and nurses before he dozed off were "Hasta luego" (See you later)- that got a good laugh.
The clinic we were in is only nine years old and very modern. It is really a tiny hospital more that what one would call a clinic. In fact, the operating room looked like it was some space age place. Here are pictures of the clinic and of Walt recovering.
Walt began physical therapy the day after surgery and, when he was at the specialist Friday here in town, got some more exercises to do. Next Friday the staples will come out and we should be on a full road to recovery. Already the fact that there is no pain whatsoever in the joint is huge! God is good!! Work with a physical therapist should hopefully improve mobility in the muscles that have atrophied over the years.
So this is proof that in places where malpractice suits do not exist, affordable quality health care does exist. The next surgery will be scheduled around our missions trip to Israel at the end of October, plans for Thanksgiving and Christmas and our yearly trek to Thailand, depending upon how fast the recovery process is. So it may be the beginning of November or as late as February of next year.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Brazil Praise Orchestra Trip
From June 1 through June 12 Walt had the privilege of joining a group of some two dozen American Musicians on a trip to Brazil to give concerts and hold Masters Classes for the Brazilians. So this is Walt's personal blog on that trip.
First of all I feel honored and privileged to have joined this group of what I consider professional musicians under the able leadership of Camp Kirkland. Most of us met for the first time in Atlanta, GA for the final flight to Sao Paulo. Then, depending on where and when a concert was, Brazilian musicians would join us. I believe the largest orchestra may have been as large as 50 or 60 players and a couple of times we accompanied large choirs. So it was a real thrill, especially given that we don't have orchestras like that where we live.
We gave thirteen concerts, I believe (I actually lost count), in the nine days we were in Brazil and we toured the very last day. So all in all it was an excellent experience. Here are some photos beginning with our first rehearsal, first concert and going on through almost every concert. At the very first concert at a gated apartment complex my bass did something it never had done in all the years that I have played - it never kept its tune during the first two songs. I loved Nancy's response "The devil was in your bass so great things are going to happen." She was absolutely right as the trip was a total success for many reasons. To hear what we sound like here are some videos of concerts. This was "Jericho" at our first concert in Sao Paulo. Here is "Days of Elijah" in Brasilia and here is "Jericho" in Brasilia. You may want to use earphones or good speakers. My laptop speakers didn't do the songs justice (i.e., you couldn't hear the bass ;-)). You can hear that the Brazilians absolutely loved to join in singing.
One of the reasons the trip was successful is meeting new friends. This includes both people from the orchestra and Brazilians that we met. I was somewhat apprehensive at the thought of leading the rhythm class as we had no idea who or what to expect but we came prepared as much as possible. To me the greatest blessing that I received was a whole new set of rhythm player friends. Yes, I know, we are a strange lot! I am still receiving e-mails from the Brazilians thanking us for the pointers we gave. Here are photos of all my new friends.
However, not only did I teach Master's Classes in Rhythm, the Brazilians taught me to play some "interesting" rhythms. They actually allowed me to play in one of their worship sets. I mentioned this to Nancy as well and loved here response again, "So you are getting more out of this trip than you expected again?" Absolutely! Here is a video of just one of the worship songs they did. My new buddy Marcos is playing the bass in this particular song and my long time Brazilian buddy, CG, is playing drums.
One of the lesser reasons (right!) I enjoy going on these trips with Camp Kirkland is that he likes to eat like I do. I think we both might eat a little more than we ought to just by egging each other on. But it was well worth it. I only took a few photos of our eating sessions because I was more interested in eating then photographing. Here are the photos I took. For those of you who don't know what churrascaria is, you need to find out. They continue bringing different cuts of meat, mostly beef, on skewers or swords until you turn the little green tag to red. It always took me a long time to turn it red. Then I believe we had Brazilian pizza who knows how many times. The chief characteristics of Brazilian pizza are they use little, if any, sauce but substitute the sauce with "large" amounts of cheese. Also, when you have had your fill of pizza they bring dessert pizza - a delicacy to die for.
Our trip to Brazil this time included half the time in Sao Paulo and the other half in Brasilia. The only real touring we had a chance for in Sao Paulo was a special treat to the concert hall to hear Brazil's best symphony orchestra. That definitely was a highlight for all of us. Here are some of the pictures of Sao Paulo. Brasilia was a city planned in the 1950's to be the new capital of Brazil. The main part of Brasilia is very thoughtfully laid out. However, 50 years plus a large migration of people gravitating to the capital have changed the original main concepts, especially in the many towns now surrounding the main part of Brasilia. If you go to Google Earth, you will see that the plan form of the main part of Brasilia is an airplane. Here are photos of some of the highlights of this city.
One highlight while in Brasilia was to attend and observe a rehearsal of the Brazil National Symphony Orchestra. As musicians we really enjoyed this treat. Here are photos of that rehearsal.
As with all these trips, they too soon come to an end. Here are some photos of our departure back home. A video of one of the songs that the group did for us can be found here.
This is not the end yet of a rewarding trip of this nature. Nancy is going to join me in October as we do this in Israel again. This will be her first time and I know she will receive more out of it than she is expecting. For that trip we both would appreciate your prayers. Also at this point I need an additional $1,500 and Nancy needs and additional $2,000 as well. If you feel led to help go to this link.
First of all I feel honored and privileged to have joined this group of what I consider professional musicians under the able leadership of Camp Kirkland. Most of us met for the first time in Atlanta, GA for the final flight to Sao Paulo. Then, depending on where and when a concert was, Brazilian musicians would join us. I believe the largest orchestra may have been as large as 50 or 60 players and a couple of times we accompanied large choirs. So it was a real thrill, especially given that we don't have orchestras like that where we live.
We gave thirteen concerts, I believe (I actually lost count), in the nine days we were in Brazil and we toured the very last day. So all in all it was an excellent experience. Here are some photos beginning with our first rehearsal, first concert and going on through almost every concert. At the very first concert at a gated apartment complex my bass did something it never had done in all the years that I have played - it never kept its tune during the first two songs. I loved Nancy's response "The devil was in your bass so great things are going to happen." She was absolutely right as the trip was a total success for many reasons. To hear what we sound like here are some videos of concerts. This was "Jericho" at our first concert in Sao Paulo. Here is "Days of Elijah" in Brasilia and here is "Jericho" in Brasilia. You may want to use earphones or good speakers. My laptop speakers didn't do the songs justice (i.e., you couldn't hear the bass ;-)). You can hear that the Brazilians absolutely loved to join in singing.
One of the reasons the trip was successful is meeting new friends. This includes both people from the orchestra and Brazilians that we met. I was somewhat apprehensive at the thought of leading the rhythm class as we had no idea who or what to expect but we came prepared as much as possible. To me the greatest blessing that I received was a whole new set of rhythm player friends. Yes, I know, we are a strange lot! I am still receiving e-mails from the Brazilians thanking us for the pointers we gave. Here are photos of all my new friends.
However, not only did I teach Master's Classes in Rhythm, the Brazilians taught me to play some "interesting" rhythms. They actually allowed me to play in one of their worship sets. I mentioned this to Nancy as well and loved here response again, "So you are getting more out of this trip than you expected again?" Absolutely! Here is a video of just one of the worship songs they did. My new buddy Marcos is playing the bass in this particular song and my long time Brazilian buddy, CG, is playing drums.
One of the lesser reasons (right!) I enjoy going on these trips with Camp Kirkland is that he likes to eat like I do. I think we both might eat a little more than we ought to just by egging each other on. But it was well worth it. I only took a few photos of our eating sessions because I was more interested in eating then photographing. Here are the photos I took. For those of you who don't know what churrascaria is, you need to find out. They continue bringing different cuts of meat, mostly beef, on skewers or swords until you turn the little green tag to red. It always took me a long time to turn it red. Then I believe we had Brazilian pizza who knows how many times. The chief characteristics of Brazilian pizza are they use little, if any, sauce but substitute the sauce with "large" amounts of cheese. Also, when you have had your fill of pizza they bring dessert pizza - a delicacy to die for.
Our trip to Brazil this time included half the time in Sao Paulo and the other half in Brasilia. The only real touring we had a chance for in Sao Paulo was a special treat to the concert hall to hear Brazil's best symphony orchestra. That definitely was a highlight for all of us. Here are some of the pictures of Sao Paulo. Brasilia was a city planned in the 1950's to be the new capital of Brazil. The main part of Brasilia is very thoughtfully laid out. However, 50 years plus a large migration of people gravitating to the capital have changed the original main concepts, especially in the many towns now surrounding the main part of Brasilia. If you go to Google Earth, you will see that the plan form of the main part of Brasilia is an airplane. Here are photos of some of the highlights of this city.
One highlight while in Brasilia was to attend and observe a rehearsal of the Brazil National Symphony Orchestra. As musicians we really enjoyed this treat. Here are photos of that rehearsal.
As with all these trips, they too soon come to an end. Here are some photos of our departure back home. A video of one of the songs that the group did for us can be found here.
This is not the end yet of a rewarding trip of this nature. Nancy is going to join me in October as we do this in Israel again. This will be her first time and I know she will receive more out of it than she is expecting. For that trip we both would appreciate your prayers. Also at this point I need an additional $1,500 and Nancy needs and additional $2,000 as well. If you feel led to help go to this link.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
California Visit
At the end of May we visited San Diego for a few days. Adam, Cindy, Isaac and Anica came to CA to attend Cindy's sisters wedding so we felt it an excellent opportunity to see them and especially our new grand daughter who we had not seen in person yet as well as spend Kirstin's birthday with her. For the Thai and Mexico Heine's the temperature was quite cool.
We managed to do quite a bit while in San Diego. Here are some photos of Adam and Cindy reporting back to their church, Coast Vineyard, and of some of the fun we had relaxing at Kirsty and Will's house and at the park and some time we were able to have with Adam and Cindy's friends, the Wyatts, from Napa CA. We loved meeting and spending time with our new grand daughter, Anica. Here are some photos of her. Then we went to the beach with everyone. Isaac had already been at the beach in Thailand but probably too young to remember it. It was fun watching his and the dogs' reactions to the waves coming in. Here are photos of that day. Here is a video of Isaac challenging the mighty Pacific Ocean.
Fortunately our visit with Kirsty and Will coincided with Kirsty's birthday. Here are a couple of photos of her babies and the time we spent with them. The visit was entirely too short, but Nancy had already been away from home for over 2 weeks prior, visiting parents in Oregon and kids and friends in the Bay area....and Walt had a trip to Brazil in just a few days...More about that in the next blog.
We managed to do quite a bit while in San Diego. Here are some photos of Adam and Cindy reporting back to their church, Coast Vineyard, and of some of the fun we had relaxing at Kirsty and Will's house and at the park and some time we were able to have with Adam and Cindy's friends, the Wyatts, from Napa CA. We loved meeting and spending time with our new grand daughter, Anica. Here are some photos of her. Then we went to the beach with everyone. Isaac had already been at the beach in Thailand but probably too young to remember it. It was fun watching his and the dogs' reactions to the waves coming in. Here are photos of that day. Here is a video of Isaac challenging the mighty Pacific Ocean.
Fortunately our visit with Kirsty and Will coincided with Kirsty's birthday. Here are a couple of photos of her babies and the time we spent with them. The visit was entirely too short, but Nancy had already been away from home for over 2 weeks prior, visiting parents in Oregon and kids and friends in the Bay area....and Walt had a trip to Brazil in just a few days...More about that in the next blog.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Final Shore Excursion - Barcelona and Montserrat
After twelve wonderful days we returned to Barcelona. Our ship arrived at 5:30 in the morning and our flight was not until 11 pm that night. So we decided we would take a different tour in the Barcelona area to use up most of the day. Still, we ended up spending nine hours in the airport. One thing we forgot to mention on our first stop in Barcelona was the fact that we felt, since have learned Spanish in Mexico, that we could converse with the locals. We soon discovered that all stores and restaurants were using a different language. Then we learned that Barcelona is in Catalonia and the language is Catalan, Spanish is second. And even that Spanish was noticeably different than Mexican Spanish. But we had no trouble with the cab driver - she spoke very little English and we carried on a conversation in Spanish and learned quite a bit about Barcelona.
Since this was a quick bus tour, for the most part, this blog will be shorter than the others. The main part of the tour consisted of visiting Montserrat, a mountain top monastery built more than a thousand years ago. It still is being used as a spiritual retreat for priests but more so as a retreat for young people involved in studying music, including a boys' choir.
The first set of photos are some more generic views of Barcelona. Since we were on our way to Montserrat we were driving through the suburbs of Barcelona, which are distinctly different than the old part that we visited at the beginning of our trip. The photos of some of the outskirts are shown here.
Most of the photos are of Montserrat. The surrounding area is very reminiscent of Yosemite because of the large granite cliffs, a favorite of rock climbers. The monastery is perched way up at almost a 4,000 foot elevation. The photos of the monastery and surrounding areas, including the drive up and down are shown here. A video of a service taking place in the main church is shown here.
We were overwhelmed by the size of the airport in Barcelona. So while we were killing time we took a couple of photos. These are shown here.
Hopefully you enjoyed our little travelogue. If nothing else, when we sit out on our terraza in 20 years we can bring out our computers and reminisce about an extremely enjoyable time in our lives together.
Since this was a quick bus tour, for the most part, this blog will be shorter than the others. The main part of the tour consisted of visiting Montserrat, a mountain top monastery built more than a thousand years ago. It still is being used as a spiritual retreat for priests but more so as a retreat for young people involved in studying music, including a boys' choir.
The first set of photos are some more generic views of Barcelona. Since we were on our way to Montserrat we were driving through the suburbs of Barcelona, which are distinctly different than the old part that we visited at the beginning of our trip. The photos of some of the outskirts are shown here.
Most of the photos are of Montserrat. The surrounding area is very reminiscent of Yosemite because of the large granite cliffs, a favorite of rock climbers. The monastery is perched way up at almost a 4,000 foot elevation. The photos of the monastery and surrounding areas, including the drive up and down are shown here. A video of a service taking place in the main church is shown here.
We were overwhelmed by the size of the airport in Barcelona. So while we were killing time we took a couple of photos. These are shown here.
Hopefully you enjoyed our little travelogue. If nothing else, when we sit out on our terraza in 20 years we can bring out our computers and reminisce about an extremely enjoyable time in our lives together.
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