Hello, readers! Before we get too far into the trip, I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Aubrey Mizerak, and I will be the team blogger and photographer for the duration of the Robinson Surgical Team’s mission in Guatemala. I’m traveling with my dad, who is an anesthesiologist for the team; I’ve watched him travel on missions trips many times before, and I am exhilarated to finally be able to join the team. Now, let me tell you about our first day.
It’s a beautiful evening in Guatemala City. After a hearty (and delicious) meal provided by Faith in Practice, the surgical team has headed to their rooms to prepare for a day of bus travel and hospital setup.
Most of the team is based in Oregon, with some scattered members from Washington, Iowa, Illinois, and Utah. After several early-morning flights and lengthy layovers, team members for this week’s surgical team began congregating near the departure gate for Guatemala City. Veteran team members took time to introduce themselves to first-time volunteers. There was a sense of camaraderie across experience levels and medical specialties, even before the team took flight.
Upon arrival in Guatemala City, team volunteers did an excellent job of moving through customs efficiently, and fortunately, no one was left behind. We waited patiently for our checked trunks to circulate through the baggage claim, and once our luggage was acquired, we headed for the exit. Daniela, a Faith in Practice team member, was there to greet us outside with a friendly wave. Then, we loaded our bags and ourselves onto a bus and took off for our temporary hotel.
Although it took a while to get the rooms sorted out, we were eventually able to have an hour of rest before it was time for dinner. Daniela did a fantastic job helping us, from gathering passports to distributing room keys – we are grateful for her!
Tomorrow, we will board another bus, this time to take us to the city where we will be serving for the remainder of our mission. team members are looking forward to hospital orientation/setup and triage, which will be hard but fulfilling work. It’s been a great start to our mission, and we can’t wait to see what God has in store for us this week.
-Aubrey
