Our morning began with a homecooked breakfast and hot coffee (thank you Superstar Cooking Team of Pat, Carol, Art, Dianne, and Vicki!) and our morning devotional and meeting. Our final team members have arrived and they were welcomed. Pastor Steve read from Luke 10 and said today we would be commissioned. We are finally here, we are ready to do what God has asked of us. We will face challenges, we may doubt our abilities, we may have to face fears. This is a chance for our team to go deeper in as we become a family, for us to go deeper in our faith, for us to go deeper in our understanding of God. Take chances! Open up! Look for God today. Jesus did his ministry not from ivory towers, but on the street and in the villages. He sought people who were hurting, needed to be loved, needed to be touched, those who were on the margins of society. Remember that today as we meet our patients smile, say hello and change their day. From the Book of Matthew, we were reminded, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” We were then off to the hospital!
After a brisk walk along ancient cobblestone streets, crowded with speeding motorbikes and overstuffed “chicken” buses, we arrived at the imposing, but immense Obras Sociales del Santo Hermano Pedro (Social Works of Saint Brother Pedro) built in the 1600’s, and rebuilt several times after earthquakes! I have been told Franciscan Brother Pedro was known for picking up the sick and abandoned, the unloved and caring for them. He collected donations to help heal, clothe, feed these most needy and he himself wore tattered rags. For his selflessness and good deeds, he is beloved by the people of Guatemala. Faith In Practice teams refer to this building simply as “The Obras” and it is where we come to meet and treat our patients.
We entered and were led down a series of hallways, fresh breeze in our faces, passing the kitchen where today’s lunch already smells delicious, to a large open courtyard where folks are waiting patiently in plastic chairs, many with envelopes containing medical records in their laps. Many have travelled hours and hours to be here. They are wearing their best clothes, many of the women in their colorful, hand embroidered huipiles (tops). Maria, our Faith In Practice Surgery Coordinator, explains over the PA system that we are the Faith In Practice Medical Team who has come from the United States to help. At that, the people stood and clapped, so thankful that we have come. This is unusual for such a quiet, humble people, but their gratitude is evident and gesture heartwarming. Pastor Steve led us in prayer and we all thanked God as one that after months of planning, this blessing is finally here! It was time to get to work.
The “Unpacking Team” (Cam, Charllie, May, Jenna, and a few more names I have missed) headed to the OR area for the monumental job of opening and organizing all the medical supplies we brought that will be used this week! Special thanks to Sue and Ron for ordering and Bob and Caroline for packing!
Our Pharmacy Team (Ron and Janet) got right to work finding their trunks and setting up the pharmacy. They will be distributing meds to all our patients in need this week.
Our Triage Teams headed to their assigned rooms. We will be seeing potential patients for
ENT (Fred and Neil), General Surgery (Breanne and David) and Vascular Surgery (Bill) today. There are many more people here for help than will fit in our schedule for 4 days of surgery.
Our Anesthesia Team (Stuart, Steve, Scott, Scott, Linda, and Robin) set up shop quickly! Each patient cleared for surgery will see this team to be evaluated and informed about what to expect and how to prepare for their surgery.
Our Dental Team (Cary and Rafael) headed to the dental clinic knowing there were already long lines of patients waiting for their turn in the chair. Teeth will be pulled, cavities filled, etc. today!
Priscilla, Linda, and Ruth found the new GI suite and their patients here for colonoscopies and EGD’s (examination of esophagus, stomach, and duodenum). It was Dr. Nick from Savannah who, after serving here last year, approached Olympus and was granted $250,000 of equipment that made this room possible!
Finally, our Audiology Team (Alexa and Kelli) headed down the hall, across a courtyard and up a ramp to the 2nd story Audiology Clinic. There was quite a bit to set up and the waiting chairs were full! Pastor Steve and I thought this might be a good place to start—sharing a blessing and learning more about these patients, but before we could do that we had to run an errand outside of the Obras for AAA batteries! Once back, Steve introduced us (I did mention Steve is a tall, fair, American with a deep voice that learned Spanish growing up in Peru and Chile?) and offered to pray with those waiting if they wished. Some gentlemen stood and removed their hats, most folks remained seated and bowed their heads, but all were grateful for this prayer in their language.
Once prayer was complete, Steve introduced me as the team blogger (which I just realized I have not done for you readers at home-whoops). We asked if anyone would like to share information? We learned some folks had boarded a bus yesterday at 2:00pm, in Petén (northernmost part of Guatemala next to Belize) rode that bus for 16 hours so they would be on time to wait to be seen. Some were here simply to have their hearing aides cleaned or repaired. I cannot imagine riding a bus through the night, 16 hours, for what we would consider a minor need? Here, that is what many must do to receive necessary help.
I asked the waiting group if they had many things to do before making this trip. Yes, they agreed, like our team they too had to pack, arrange childcare, pet care, take time from work, etc., but did it all gladly for this opportunity. At this point, a woman introduced herself as Teresa, she said she was so lucky to come only 3 hours by bus! She went on to say how she and all the people gathered thank our team and thank God as she knows we make sacrifices of family, friends, jobs to come help her people. Sometimes she is sad living here, but she remembers there are kind people that come, make their own sacrifices and remember her people and their suffering and we are these people. “God bless each of you for coming and sharing your blessings and helping the people of Guatemala”.
Before Steve was able to translate these beautiful, heartfelt words, I already knew what Teresa had said…it was in her eyes, and her hands, and her face. It was her heart she was sharing and that needed no translation. With some tears and Steve’s help, I thanked all these people on behalf of our team. Patients come here with something on the outside they need to be fixed. What they must know is that their allowing us to help is fixing something that may be broken in us. We are all God’s children, we are all the same, and we are blessed. I saw God today.
