Hello everyone!
After a multi-hour bus ride through the mountains our squad made it to Quiche, Guatemala on 9/9/2014! The drive was beautiful! Guatemala is covered in green, has incredible valleys and charming buildings in a rainbow of colors. We are all working with ministries through Agape In Action, who works multiple local organizations to provide rural medical care. Our team is working at a local hospital doing manual projects and working with patients. I’ve been really lucky to be working in the pediatric department mainly with premature babies and their families. Other teams are working with daycares, a handicap school and senior center.
The hospital is a change of pace from the ones back home. There are about six beds per room and people/patients wandering the halls and into any room. The departments are filled with nursing students that are mainly 18 years old and study for one year. Although language has been a definite barrier from time to time, there are enough people on my team that speak Spanish, that we were able to find our way around in our ministry.
We have quickly been able to establish relationships with some of the patient’s in the hospital and have really enjoyed being able to spend time with them daily. One patient that instantly broke my heart is a baby named William that was born prematurely and weighed 3 lbs 4 oz at birth. He has a heart disorder and has been in respiratory distress. I have been able to spend time with his mother and hold her hand as she tearfully hears daily report from the doctors. It is rare in the US to have time to just sit with patients and spend time with them. There was a moment yesterday that caused my heart to grow 5 sizes, when William’s mother asked me to watch over him while she stepped out of the room. It felt so lucky that she trusted me. William needs to see a cardiologist for his condition and will need to be transferred to the city for the appointment. He is unable to be transferred for 10 days due to the waitlist. In the US we have endless resources and doctors on call; sometimes waiting can be difficult.
It’s been incredible to see God work through the translation issues, cultural differences and difficult medical situations. What an incredible way to start the race!!
