San Lucas 2018 – Setting Up For Success

All hands on deck today as we got ready for a week of success!

From unpacking, organizing, furniture moving, machine testing, machine fixing – thanks to our “honorary Chapin,” Noe Aguilar from KU Med, to errand running, we are ready and eager for a week of life-changing work, and not just for the patients. As volunteers, we will get to experience a change inside of us too.

It amazes me, as a non-medical participant, that after nine years everything falls into place so easily, or so it seems, with so many parts coming together. Each group gets together, and in no time OR, Anesthesia, Pre and Post Op, Intake…it all transforms. It is evident that our team of volunteers has done this a few times. Many of them are returning veterans, but even the first-timers will serve here again in San Lucas and around the world.

Health is a universal need, and some places need more than others. In many of the underserved places we visit, like San Lucas, healthcare is sometimes nonexistent. These volunteers take time away from their busy medical schedules to participate in these missions. They give up their vacations and even their families, but what they gain from being here, in a harshly different environment than they accustomed to, seems to make it all worth it.

Personally, I’ve always felt that this is my place to be. I am from Guatemala; I know the language and how to best serve the people here. It would be selfish of me to go on a trip where I cannot fully use my talents for the greater good of others. Some of the other team members have incredible universal talents that make them a good fit for any mission location, and I’ve always thought they were so lucky, but this takes me back to my “humility lesson.” I could go on another Spanish speaking trip, but it is an honor to return to the place I call home. I know being here in San Lucas is a very special opportunity and I want to use this opportunity to serve others to my fullest ability.

When receiving the most genuine and gracious thank yous from people that will never know your name, but will always remember what you did for them, that is humbling. Being able to provide a “service to others” without the expectation of receiving anything back, that is when real service has been done.

When we arrived at the hospital today, Pablo unlocked the doors for us, but he did much more than that, he unlocked a week of possibilities, a week of service and success for Med Missions and its volunteers. #healthforsanlucas