I have been rereading a devotional on my bible app to prepare my heart for the medical mission. I am so excited to be there and contribute my Spanish skills :)
Let me share a little bit of what we do:
On Thursday we have a meeting about what we will be doing and we get a "job". I typically end up being a translator for triage (this is where the patients are being asked about their symptoms).
On Friday we mostly see the children and their families of a school that Hope Worldwide Guatemala opened in the poorest of the poorest community. I love seeing the kids and how much they have grown these past 2 years. This school has students from first grade all the way from 6th grade. The children live in homes made right next to an old railroad. These families are very poor and the neighborhood is so dangerous that even the police don't even go through there. Well, this is where the Hope school was built. The teachers do their best with the little that they have. At the medical mission the children are taught to brush their teeth, fluoride is applied to their teeth and thy get to do arts and craft while their parents wait in line.
Saturday we see the remainder of the families from the school and we start seeing people from the church as well as from the community. Saturday evening Hope Guatemala throws us a little dinner party where we can share our experience, eat a Guatemalan dinner and have some fun dancing.
Sunday we go to church, then we are at it again. We mostly see members of the church. This is a shorter day because some of the volunteers and doctors leave by this day.
I would like to share a story of a man from the past trip this summer. The man brought his 2 grandchildren to be seen by the pediatrician and he also wanted to see the doctor. As he shared about his and his granddaughter's symptoms, I could see this deep sadness in his eyes. I truly cannot explain it. I have seen that before and I honestly felt God's Spirit prompt me to ask. So I did! I told him that I see that he was sad and asked if he would like to talk about it. This old man, who has probably been a macho guy raising his family, broke down. His body posture changed completely and he said that several of his brothers have died within a year and his ailing mother is now bedritten and non-responding. As he continued to share, my heart felt so sad. I had no words, to comfort him. As he finished I got out of my seat and I hugged him. I truly cannot explain the experience...it was like God was in the middle of our hug. It was so beautiful. I could not change this man's situation or even say anything that would bring comfort, but that hug was so much more than what I could ever say.
In less than a month I will be out there again, translating. I pray that God can use me to bring His love to those who need to feel it.
