The Beginning of the End

It's hard to try and sum-up the feelings and experiences I've had this past week. It was the fourth time that I had traveled to the area of Izabal, but it was the first time doing clinics in the towns we were in. In addition, the team of 15 SPU students made set this trip apart and made it special from past trips to this place. For the first two days, we were in the town that was farthest away, Creek Maya, and it took us about two hours just to get there. The hills were definately more difficult to navigate, but thanks to the Lord, it barely rained while we were there and we were able to get there and back every day. Along with having less rain, there was also more humidity and heat. It only took a few minutes before our scrubs changed a darker shade from the sweat, even so, the faces of those working were rarely without joy. It was the first time that a team from La Mision had come to help in this area and it was clear that it was needed. We were struck by how much education was needed in this area concerning sanitation and proper nutrition. The majority of patients were infected with a certain skin parasite, called Scabies, and it was only within a few hours before we ran out of medicine to treat it. This made me feel pretty angry, with myself especially, because I know we had a whole bottle full of this medicine back at the office, in the city. We decided not to bring more because we weren't expecting Scabies to be so prevalent. However, it was important to remember that in our weakness or in our lacking, God is strong and it is then when He usually chooses to do miracles. God did not make it possible to reach these areas to just bring people medicine. He made the journey possible, so that He could reveal Himself to His people, whether that be to the people of these villages or us. During the first two days of clinics, we saw around 150 people in medical and about 50-60 people in dental. The people that came to the clinics in Creek Maya seemed much more hesitant to receive healthcare, but it was a great foundation for future clinics. On the third day of clinics, we were in the village of San Carlos. La Mision had been in this area one time previously, but had experienced disorganization in the past with the patients. This time it was better organized and we were able to see over 100 patients in medical and at least 30 in dental. The people in this town seemed extremely grateful to see us there and were more receptive to accepting help as well. The indigenous language spoken in this area of Guatemala is Qu'eqchi and there numerous times were I wish I could speak this language. One word I did learn, after giving albendazol (a chewable anti-parasite) to basically every kid, sounded like, "Osh." This meant to chew or eat. During these clinics, the Lord blessed me with energy. Most mornings I felt tired upon arriving, especially after riding in the back of the truck requiring a strong grip to stay on. It was amazing how the Lord provided in little ways renewing our strength and enabling us to continue working.

Aside from working in the clinics, I was given yet another opportunity to get to know a great team of people with beautiful hearts. At the start of this last week, I was actually not very excited about meeting this group. I have been blessed greatly by meeting people from teams all over the U.S., but it always pains me to have to say goodbye after making such great friends. When it came time to meeting this group, I honestly felt drained of relationships. Thankfully, the Lord filled me yet again with a desire to get to know the people of this team and I was yet again blessed greatly by it. Even though the students from SPU were younger than most teams, they came with honest motives and open arms to serve the Lord. Overall, this last week was an excellent way to conclude working here.

As for doing medical missions in the future, it is always in the Lord's hands, but I would not mind doing this kind of work for a more extended period of time. Working with the people at La Mision have given me different view of how I imagined doing medical missions and a respect for those who work here. As for now, I head back to California the coming Wednesday to hunt down a nursing job and start paying back those dreaded college loans. Although this seems like the end of a chapter, I anticipate another one starting with more unknowns than any before. I am truly thankful that God is in control and not myself. Thank you for your prayers and please continue praying for La Mision and the beautiful people of Guatemala.

Here is a verse that was spoken of this week by one of the staff members, Maco, at La Mision that kind of summed-up the week...

"No eye has seen ,

no ear has heard,

no mind has conceived

what God has prepared for those who love Him."

-1 Corinthians 2:9 also Isaiah 64:4

Another one that I stumbled upon, reading this morning, that serves as a great reminder...

"For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him."

-Isaiah 40:13

En Christo,

Stephanie