Tourism & Travel Days

Friday we split up our group, some hiked a volcano and others went into the city of Antigua. Those who hiked the volcano, Picaya, went up and down in less than 3 hours, roasted marshmallows at the top over some lava rock, and took some amazing photos! Those who went into Antigua toured a coffee plantation, went to the Mayan Museum, and visited the market for some shopping. That evening we reconvened for dinner, card games, and conversation! We said our goodbyes and final thanks to our amazing hosts, and went to bed for a few ours before our early day of travel!
Most of us were up by 3:00am on Saturday morning to be able to be on our way to the airport by 4:00am. We checked in, got through security and customs very smoothly! Our flight left at 8:00am and we landed in Atlanta around noon. We then enjoyed our 7 hour layover at the Atlanta airport where we said our goodbyes to our incredible team leaders and enjoyed some food like Chick-Fil-A and burgers. We found our gate, played card games, and loaded up for the next flight! We all landed safely home around 9:30 last night.
Thank you again for all the prayers and support that made this trip so successful  and enjoyable. God is great!

Final Day of Clinic

Today we were once again in a community center, but this one was brand new and absolutely gorgeous. We certainly were blessed with this location! There was a beautiful mural painted on the wall behind where we set up pharmacy. There was so much room for all stations without feeling even slightly crammed. We saw over 80 people today, as well, primarily women and children.We treated more for stomach pain, headaches, and body aches, and treated less for diabetes. However, we did see many patients who had pre-diabetic needs, which is where our amazing nutritionists come in! They truly were rockstars the entire trip, but I truly saw them shine today as they helped provide kids who have difficulty eating with a protein supplement to help them grow. They also sat down one-on-one with their patient (with a translator, too, of course) and taught them about what the need to do to prevent diabetes. Lunch, again, was provided by our hosts at the site, and back to work we went! There were more cases of parasite-related issues today than we had seen in days past, but thankfully we had the medication on hand that was needed. Praise the Lord! It truly has been an amazing 6 days of clinic! Awe we’re able to see, talk to, and help so many people, and hopefully plant seeds of faith in their hearts! This week has been very humbling & has touched many hearts and lives. Thank you so much for the prayers and support that made this trip possible & successful! 

Clinic Day 5

Today we set up clinic in a community center in another small mountain village. We saw over 80 people from 8:00am-4:30pm. In the middle of our clinic day, we had to take a brief pause because it was down pouring so hard that the sound of the raindrops on the tin roof overwhelmed the space! We saw many patients for diabetic care, stomach pain, and headaches. The kids absolutely loved the stickers & playing Ring Around the Rosey. Our amazing hosts made us sack lunches so we were able to eat on site and then get right back to work! We were able to let a mother hear the heartbeat of her baby, give words of encouragement and hope to a man struggling with depression, and put smiles on children’s faces by giving them dolls and cars to take home. Once again, the day had its challenges, but was overall another blessed day to be out serving the Lord! When we returned “home” we were once again greeted by many kids who were ready to play games! Kids of all ages have grown to absolutely love Uno, which has been a great bonding experience between our team and the kids. In our evening devotion, we looked at the lives of servants such as Mother Teresa to reflect on our own lives & find similarities between our work here and what she did in her life. It was another very inspiring and humbling message to close out the day. Stay humble. Share your faith. Help those in need. 

Thank you for the prayers! 

Clinic Day 4

Good morning!
Yesterday truly was an eye opening day. When we arrived at the village on the mountain, we could already tell it would be a different experience than the days before. The people seemed much more somber and skeptical of our arrival. We had to go down a few steep hills with all of our supplies to get to the building we would call our clinic. There were many stray dogs wandering around the clinic and surrounding area. There were very few people waiting in line to see the doctors, compared to the tens of people we usually have patiently waiting with smiles on their faces. Judging by the 15 people waiting for us, we were expecting to see only 20 people at the most, but God is Great! We ended the day seeing over 50 patients, many of which were mothers and children. One of our doctors was also able to perform a “surgery” of some sort! One lady had a growth on her arm which they removed and stitched up in our clinic.  After clinic, we went on a hike down and up the mountain for some amazing photo ops! We then returned to our vehicles and headed back to where we’ve been staying. When we arrived, there were many ladies from a local church all set up for us to buy some Guatemalan goods! There were so many beautiful items: shirts, skirts, bracelets, notebooks, toys, and so much more! After shopping, we played Tenzi, ate dinner, had our evening devotion, and headed to bed.
Although the day was emotionally taxing with seeing all the sad and sick people in that village, we are so very thankful for the opportunity to see those people and put smiles on their faces, give them the care and medication they need, and share God’s Good News with them!
Continue the prayers! We are going off to another village in the mountain again today!

Clinic Day 3

Good morning! Yesterday was a long, yet great day! Our clinic was open from 8:00am-4:00pm and we were able to see over 100 people, many of which touched our hearts in one way or another. There were many patience with diabetes and infections, which are both things our team was able to help with!!
Our devotion last night was about how God counts by ones. We don’t need to be famous, speaking in front of thousands of people about His love. We can simply touch one heart, make one person smile, or pray with someone, and you’ve done the work of the Lord. Afterwards, we told many stories about specific patients who touched our hearts just by the simple things they did. Whether it was a smile, a hug, or seeing the light in a mother’s eyes when she heard her baby’s heartbeat for the first time.
Yesterday was surely filled with touching people and stories, all blessings from God!
After clinic, we had many kids arrive to play games with us! We played Sharks and Minnows, Dizzy relay, and Uno. It was a blast!
Today we prepare to head up into a village in the mountains to serve the people there. We are expecting to see more infections and flu symptoms due to the elevation, as well as more children.
It’s a beautiful morning here in Guatemala! Keep the prayers coming!

Clinic Day 2

Hello and good morning! Yesterday was another beautiful day! The clinic was busy with more  wounds and diabetic care. Again, stickers and coloring pages were a huge hit with the kids! We also attended church in the afternoon which truly was a blessing, being able to worship alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ in Guatemala. Our team chose 3 songs to sing in front of the congregation: “Thy Word” (Tu Palabra), “O Sing to the Lord” (Cantad al Señor), and “Here I am, Lord.” Today clinic will be a little longer, about 8:00am-4:00pm, where we hope to help those who come in, put a smile on their face, and plant Jesus in their heart. Every day here is full of challenges, no doubt. Our resources are limited, but God always provides. I liked the way one of our team members put it yesterday while reflecting on the day. She said, “It feels like a ‘loaves and fish situation’ because every time I think that we are going to run out of a certain medication or something, someone always finds more.” That is God at work. He works in us and through us in things big and small. Another team member reminded us today that “God is good all the time, and all the time, God is good.” God truly has blessed us every day leading up to this trip as well as every day here on the field serving His people, and He will continue to bless us all through all the days of our lives. No matter the language we speak, the clothes we wear, or the paycheck we receive, we all are the same. We all are brothers and sisters in Christ. We all can turn to him in any time, trouble or joy.  We all can count on His plan to guide our lives. We all can trust in Him to know what is best for us, even if we might not see it. We all can join together in prayer and holy communion, singing, and worshipping the Lord.
Today will be a full and busy day! We hope to do some home visits today since the weather stopped us from going out yesterday. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. Guide the hands of the doctors, the lips of the translators, and the hearts of us all to do work that glorifies the Lord.

Clinic (and more!) Day 1

Good evening, again! We had an absolutely incredible day here in Guatemala for our first day of clinic! We were able to see 81 patients total from the hours 8:00am-1:00pm that our clinic was open today. Within those hours we saw many severe wounds, burns, and orthopedic issues, as wellas chronic diseases and pain. On the lighter sideof things, many kids also learned the proper wayto brush their teeth, spent time coloring, and playing soccer outside between rain showers. Our team has been working incredibly well together and we thank God for blessing each of us with the various gifts and abilities that allow this team to work so smoothly! After clinic, we enjoyed another amazing home cooked meal before the church opened its doors for a Kid’s Club where hours were spent in God’s word, studying, signing, and reading! After wrapping up our little study groups with the kids, we had tamales, chicken soup, and friend plantains for dinner after singing some more songs while listening to the rain on the tin roof! To wrap up the day, we had a great team-member-lead bible study about fear and how the only One we need to fear is God. We need tofear him not in a negative way as we may fear the things of this world, but out of love and respect. Tomorrow we plan on bringing the blessings ofmedicine to people unable to visit us by going totheir homes! Please continue to pray for us, our interpreters, our hosts, and the people we see! God truly has blessed us here with amazing resources, people, and smooth sailing thus far!

Praise the Lord!