Team Johnson 843 – Day 3: The Clinics Open
Hello again readers! Welcome back to the blog for Team Johnson’s first day of clinic work here in Totonicapán. Today, we have another author, first-time participant Mark Babineck, who happens to be a professional journalist, so of course he has to contribute to the blog!
Here’s how Mark describes the day:
The Johnson 843 team gathered bright and early Monday in the crisp Quetzaltenango morning, bolstered by coffee, fellowship and the inspirational words of our chaplain, first-timer Azariah Terrell. The group started out by unleashing our inner third graders with a rendition of the Hokey Pokey, before Azariah propelled us to breakfast and beyond with words from scripture and song. Team leaders Phil and Linda Johnson, Josie Johnson, Char Schumann and Heather Schmoker took with them some chocolates as a reward from longtime volunteer Cindy Pekow for their colorful scrubs in a sea of typical blue and light blue.
After our driver deftly navigated worse-than-expected traffic, we arrived to patients already waiting in the brilliant Totonicapán sunlight. Donning masks amid increased levels of flu and other infectious diseases, we along with our indispensable red-hatted volunteers went to work addressing the concerns of the first of three groups arriving during the day.
The distribution of patients on the first day skewed more toward adults rather than kids, so we adjusted staffing levels on the fly to provide resources to the larger General patient load. We did deploy our only two pediatric wheelchairs, and the mobility crew ended the day having assembled more than 30 total devices.
One patient with new wheels broke into a bit of a smile as he manipulated it in practice inside the high school gymnasium, getting used to his new level of mobility before the trip home. Another, one of the two youngsters who received a special pediatric chair to help him deal with his muscular dystrophy, can now move much more easily with his family, in greater safety.
Physician Abby Kennedy, on her second Faith in Practice trip, found the organization through word of mouth and made her first medical trek to Guatemala last year. Her advice for anyone with the opportunity to join a team: “Do not hesitate! Just do it.”’
This is the most fulfilling kind of medicine I have practiced,” said Abby, who spent Monday working at the hectic General clinic. “It enlivens my normal practice at home, which was unexpected, but wonderful.”
Afterward, the team discussed ways to avoid some end-of-day bottlenecks at a couple of the stations, hoping to better use Insight as a tool toward that end. And running water to the campus cut off mid-afternoon, although we’ve been told that should not be a problem Tuesday. All were minor challenges in the grand scheme, and the group handled them with grace and trust in the Lord.
We reconvened at the hotel for a spirited dinner and, for most, and early retirement to our rooms to clean up, relax, meditate and prepare for the next day.
Thanks for reading and join us again tomorrow for our next day at the clinic!
Josie Johnson, Team Blogger/Photographer
