Namesake

During our time of service in mission, it is not uncommon for someone to name a child after you. Sometimes it is a friend or someone you work. Other times it is someone who hardly knows you. But it is always an honor.

Mitch Tolbert, who has just concluded 10 years of service in the Peten region of Guatemala, shared a story about one of his "namesakes":

I'm attaching a photo of a boy about a year and a half old. He's
the son of Domingo Ca'al, one of our head catechists in the parish,
who lives in the village of Las Flores. A few days before he was
born, Domingo called me to say he was worried that there might
be a problem with the birth since the last time his wife had given
birth the placenta did not pass as quickly as normal. A few days
later I got a call at midday. Domingo said that his wife had had a
son but that two hours had passed and the placenta had not come out.

So I got in the car and drove two and a half hours to Las Flores.
They have a one-room dirt floor house. They had used some large
sheets of black plastic to separate off an area to be used for
the birthing. After a few minutes we were able to get Manuela, his
wife, into the car, and I took them and the newborn to the hospital
in Poptun, where they treated her and checked out the baby. Mother
and son turned out fine.

Now, the tenth child to be born into the Ca'al family was named
Manuel Esteban, but in recognition of the events surrounding his
birth, they call him Mitch (or Mich as they write
my name here). So, whenever I go to their house now and hear
my name called, I have to think twice before realizing they're
not necessarily referring to me.

Hopefully, he won't have to carry such a funny moniker too
much longer. Maybe, before too long, they'll start calling
him Manny or something normal like that.

- Mitch