Guatemala | Suitcase Service

I am currently in Louisville for the Global Missions Health Conference. This is the first time I have attended this event. I have been really, really excited to have the opportunity to spend time learning from others with similar desires as mine. However, I was not ready for the amount of faith I would encounter this weekend. If caring for others in a missionary capacity is something that appeals to you, go. Go to this conference. Get online and register now. I am still processing what it all means and God’s calling in my life. I will let you know more about the details of the conference later, after I have had time to reflect. So for now, I would like to share about the experience I had last week treating remote areas of Guatemala.

This is el Rio Dulce. It is on the east side of the country. I have been to Guatemala several times before, but this area is new to me. Below is a picture of an orphanage/school Casa Guatemala. If you are looking for a place to dedicate some of your time or talents, click here for info on Casa.

Every day we traveled by boat to a different village to provide care. Sometimes we snaked up little streams that broke off the river. Other times we hiked for an hour up these trails that were no more than rocks. People live this way. Every day. In the morning when I get up to go to work, someone in the world is paddling a hand-carved canoe, or riding a horse, or hiking a mountain pass. While I sit in the AC listening to the radio, someone is carrying a fifty pound bag of rice on his forehead. It is just amazing.

Another amazing thing: the team I had the privilege of working with last week! We consisted of physicians, a dentist, nurses, translators, and lay persons. Everyone’s role was equally important in ensuring a successful trip.

The children in Guatemala are beautiful. However, they suffer various illnesses and diseases that would be very quickly treated in the United States. This little boy has some form of intestinal worms. You can tell by the way his stomach is protruding (it’s definitely not from over-eating). The dark spots are from scabies.

This little girl is one of my most memorable patients from the week. She suffers from some form of congenital heart defect. We can tell by listening with the stethoscope. However, she would need an echocardiogram to determine exactly where the defect is. The organization is currently brainstorming ways to provide care for her. If nothing is done, she will have a shortened life expectancy. Despite all of this, her smile is infectious.

If you would like more information about traveling to Rio Dulce, Guatemala with True North Missions, click here.

This year I got to spend Halloween in Guatemala with very good friends who I haven’t seen in a while. In Central America people celebrate the two days after Halloween, November 1 and 2. On Saturday we traveled to a town called San Lucas, where they have a huge celebration in the cemetery. People bring flowers to decorate the graves. Many families have lunch at the cemetery with their loved ones who have passed away. Also, they celebrate with kites. The background is that people believed the sound of the kites blowing in the wind would scare away the ghosts. All through the month of November people will be flying kites made of tissue paper. We went to San Lucas because they create the biggest, most beautiful kites. It was very cool to see (also a little dangerous- the wind blew some of them over). But I had so much fun.

When I asked why they spent so much time and effort making these kites that would sit for just a few hours, I was told that this is one of their proudest moments, part of their culture and tradition. Party with the dead!