I was blessed to spend this week with a team from Arizona who came to Guatemala with open hearts to share God's love in tangible ways. Together with two Guatemalan doctors and a dental crew in a makeshift church "clinic", we saw several hundred patients. But more, we built relationships, listened, learned from, encouraged, received and played with the community of Pojopon. We were welcomed with open arms and the day we left was a celebration of many tears, hugs and photos with our new friends.
The days were as long as the patients lining up outside the church and I was stuck in a dark "cave" made from blankets hung by ropes from the very dimly lit church ceiling. However, God gave me strength and clarity with each patient to understand and help meet their needs...physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. Dogs and children ran in and out from under the blanket dividers, grandmas beamed, proud men gave sincere thanks and widows cried.
The days were as long as the patients lining up outside the church and I was stuck in a dark "cave" made from blankets hung by ropes from the very dimly lit church ceiling. However, God gave me strength and clarity with each patient to understand and help meet their needs...physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. Dogs and children ran in and out from under the blanket dividers, grandmas beamed, proud men gave sincere thanks and widows cried.
There was a young man who could barely make eye contact due to the embarrassment of his sun allergy, an elderly woman who took nearly five minutes to move into the exam "room" due to pain from severe Osteoporosis and young children with illnesses they should not even have to think about. But so much joy. The church's pastor shared with us the vision God had given him for his church and community. We talked about the living water of Jesus and he told a story of faith and fresh water springing from dry ground where they are building a larger church. The church they have now is connected to the pastor's house so it was a tight fit for our "clinic" with our seemingly never ending lines of patients along f the adjacent cornfield. What a pleasure to spend time with these humble people of the Western Highlands in rural Guatemala.
The afternoon clouds rolled in and the rains came, yet from inside the blanket walls of my exam room I could still hear the sounds of my teammates praying for healing and helping people of all ages find the correct glasses prescription, the dentist drilling and the joy of children singing songs to God in Spanish. When I stepped out to the pharmacy counter the smiles beamed as children played with stickers and blown up exam gloves (no wonder my box of gloves was empty that last day). I rode away exhausted and yet full of love and encouragement, thanking God for His clear presence.
Our week in pictures below...click on the photos to view the captions.
Our week in pictures below...click on the photos to view the captions.