Updates

BATS: Last week a man came and filled some of the openings in my house with cement. I’m still not sure why he left some of the gaping holes open. I told Sister Carol and she is sending him back sometime. Another man came and sprayed my block of houses with a strong chemical to kill any bats in the house and ward them off. The following morning I found two bats on my floor, one gecko, several cockroaches, many spiders, and an army of ants all dead throughout my house. I tend to be a naturalist and don’t like chemicals but in this case I am so thankful for those chemicals. I am now bat free!

MARIA: Thank you for all your thoughts, prayers and responses. We went back to the hospital this week and Maria does not have a brain tumor, cataracts, Vitamin deficiencies, or parasites (that they can tell). We spent 5 hours there, most of it waiting in the waiting room. Sister Carol was not able to go with this time so another teacher accompanied us. We saw a different doctor and he seemed to be more thorough and responded to all my questions and suggestions. In the end he thinks it is a nerve issue behind her eyes. I asked what can be done and he shook his head sadly and said, “We must pray.” Maria is continuing her steroid treatment for another 2 weeks. Then we will go back and if there is still no improvement, Maria will be sent to a specialist that works with low-vision children.

JOHN/LOUIS: I don’t think I have ever talked about John but he is one of my neighbors. John is a little over a year and, until recently, was terrified of me. He has grown so much in the last month I am always surprised to see him running around now. They tell me he isn’t afraid of me anymore because he has seen all the other children play with me and now he is able to move around on his own and he can run away if he gets scared, which he doesn’t. Anyway, I have been greeting John since I moved here. I am friends with his mom Betty and his ten year old brother Fred. This past week I found out John is not named John but his name is actually Louis! How does that happen? I’ve been calling Louis John for the last 6 months and no one ever corrected me.

It is a little like my friend Celeste who thought her friend named Monday was named Tuesday for a time. And my friend Amber who thought her dog was a boy for several weeks before she found out the dog was a girl. Oh the misunderstandings and lack of communication we deal with daily. Gotta love it!