The last day of operating has arrived. What a week it has been! One thought that really touched me from the devotional this morning was Pastor Kyle’s biblical definition of hope- a joyful anticipation of future certainty. I pondered on how that would apply to these wonderful people in Guatemala and frankly all of us. Life is hard. We are all suffering in some way or another. Through the hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ, we know that we can push on, we can do hard things, and Christ will help us carry our burdens. Through Christ all things are possible and through Christ, we will all be saved.
Remember our friend Yeyson who we met on Sunday during the clinic? He was in an accident 23 years ago and hasn’t been able to walk? Yesterday he had a rod put into his leg by Drs. Au and Even. The operation went perfectly. This morning Drs. Au and Even and their amazing medical team visited Yeyson. As a team they witnessed a miracle, they were able to see him walk for the first time in 23 years! I’m not sure there was a dry eye in the room. It’s stories like this that remind us of the God-given talent these surgeons have acquired through many years of hard work and training. This mission trip has made it possible for these surgeons to share that talent to bless the lives of God’s children here in Guatemala.
One disappointment for the day was that one of our patients did not show up for surgery. It was a 16-year-old boy who has a tumor in his leg. Dr. Willis was scheduled to amputate his leg due to this cancerous tumor. When the boy came in on Sunday he was very hesitant about the surgery. Today he did not show up for it. This is his third time to delay this operation from happening. Many of us have been praying for him. Eventually, this tumor will take this young boy’s life if he doesn’t have it removed. But we understand that having a leg amputated at the age of 16 here in Guatemala would be devastating and life-altering. It is that definition of hope that we know this young boy will be taken care of. We put our trust in God to take care of him.
Each and every patient has been touched by God’s love and power, each and every volunteer has been strengthened by God’s power and together we have had an amazing experience here this week.
Tonight as a team we will celebrate our accomplishments at Casa Santa Domingo for a nice dinner. Tomorrow the team has the day off and will be off exploring this beautiful city of Antigua. It has been an absolute pleasure for me to share this experience with you all. Hope you have enjoyed following along with us during this week.
Tomorrow’s post will be from our team members sharing their experiences of this week. Be sure to keep following!
-Anna Au
