We awoke before the sun this morning to attend our devotional and breakfast. At 7am, we boarded the bus bound for Hospital HG. The first patients had already been brought in to Pre-Op by the hospital staff when we arrived, so we were able to start the first few cases right away. Between the four surgeons and operating rooms and their able teams, there was a steady flow of patients moving from Pre-Op to PACU (Post-Op) all day.
The gifting of each surgeon, doctor, and nurse is evident in their work after only one day. Working without the latest technology, Dr. Solis was able to complete a difficult case this morning using the ingenuity and knowledge that he has been given by God.
Today, the patient suffering from a hernia of twenty years was also operated on and safely moved first to PACU and then to a ward, where he will spend the night. This surgery will certainly change his life, and it is a blessing for us to have been able to care for him in such a great and meaningful capacity.
Directly following lunch, pastor Jon Hurley led a service in the chapel for the patients who were waiting to have surgeries and their families. He quoted Romans 8, saying, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” and later, “I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” All of this was, of course, translated into Spanish. Following this service, a Guatemalan woman sang for the assembled company, and as the patients and their families left the chapel inside Hospital HG, Jon spoke with each person.
Our team has felt that persistent and constant love of God which Paul wrote about in Romans 8 through our service and our interactions with each and every patient. Today alone, we completed 21 surgeries, and we are excited to continue operating on patients tomorrow.
