Training the Fire Fighters!

We had Mr. Nick Harper, from St. Louis, Missouri, come again and train the fire fighters. We are very thankful that God used Nick last year and has since then provided equipment to the departments here in Chiquimula. This time Nick came with more equipment! He was able to round up and donate five 12 lead heart monitors and bring them with him to teach the fire fighters how to use them and read the results. This monitor looks at the heart from many different angles and views and prints out the EKG chart showing where the problems are, and then they can determine how to fix the problems. The machines also read oxygen and CO2 levels. You can also shock the patients with the defibrillator on it. It takes the patients blood pressure and prints all this out on the paper for the patient. So when they get to the hospital they can hand the paper over to the doctors to see what is happening with the patient before they even look at them! And seeing how I am such the expert on the monitors...I'm sure they do even more than what I mentioned. These monitors do not exist here in Chiquimula! And now four different fire/EMS departments have them and know how to use them!
How cool is that! There were fire fighter/ems from Chiquimula, Zacapa, Cabanas, and Puerto Barrios. All these locations are on the Eastern side on Guatemala. There were around 20 or more guys and girls attending the classes and learning how to use the monitors. Some of them were in the process of becoming paramedics and it was easy to tell who they were based on their knowledge they already had on how the heart functions and how to read the charts. And there were others, like myself, who were starting from the beginning and figuring it all out in four days! But they did it! Me?? Not so much!
Nick first taught them how the heart functions. I learned so much in those two days. He taught in one day what he said they learned in four!! My head was hurting and I really didn't need to know all that information like they did. But praise the Lord, some light bulbs were going off and they started to answer the questions and even think ahead and ask some great questions! And praise the Lord for Marlos! He is also a Chiquimula fire fighter/paramedic that knows a good bit of English. He translated during the classes for Nick. I didn't have a clue how to translate some of...well any of the medical terms into Spanish. But b/c of Marlos' education and paramedic back ground, he was able to translate so that everyone could understand and learn. He had to step out a few time b/c of his other job and left me to translate...bless their hearts! We made it, but twice as slow and with the help of the other paramedics saying the names in Spanish. So thank you Marlos for your help! Nick then taught them how to read the EKG chart printout. And what good hearts looked like and how to know what is going on with abnormal printouts. He gave them homework the second night, and then the third night one of the girls asked for more homework so they could tell if they really understood it or not. Weirdo!! Nick gave them a lot more homework and everyone was yelling and talking smack to her! It was pretty funny! Even her face changed when Nick gave them the homework.
The third day Nick actually got a volunteer and showed the class where to put the patches and wires and how to use the machine. The fourth day, they practiced on each other the whole mid-morning. Nick actually started crying and said that he had been praying for a long time about that moment and it was really nice to see them doing it right and understanding what they were seeing. Praise the Lord!! So we gave each location a monitor to take home with them and use with their patients on calls! They have to pass their paramedic classes in order to be able to use the monitors with the government approval and especially the defibrillators! So don't freak out or worry! It's under observation...somewhat. Ha!
The fire department treated Nick like a king!! They had him a really fancy hotel here in Chiquimula that only the government employees can use. I had never seen it before...beautiful!! A huge pool and nice bungalows(?). Everything was green and manicured! Then they took him out to eat every meal or fed him at the fire station. Nick said he felt stuffed the whole time he was here! They took him to the volcano in Ipala to fish and to the Mayan ruins in Honduras...he had it made!!! Haha They wanted to treat him as good as the fire fighters that went to the State this past year were treated there. It was really nice and meant a lot to us and Nick! They even took my family and me out with Nick to eat one time! So I am just amazed by their giving and gratitude for what God is doing for them...through Nick and all the other folks back in St. Louis. Praise the Lord for his faithfulness and goodness! Keep these guys in your prayers! We are actually praying for a fire pump truck that we could get donated to the station! If you know anything please write us! There you go...