San Lucas Tolimán 2017 – I wish I was back
It has been three weeks since I returned from Guatemala and I still wake up wishing I was back. I do not know if it’s the peacefulness of the lake in early morning, the walk to the hospital encountering all kinds of smiling faces, the good full days of work, the people you meet, the stories you hear, the friends you—all together for me, it’s what I long for.
I was asked recently after returning from this trip, “Where was home for me anymore?”
“Home” is Kansas City, that is where I feel I belong now. But Guatemala is “my country”. I have learned and care more for it and its people as somewhat of “a foreigner” myself. As I mentioned in my first blog, you can be a local and not know what is going on in your own backyard. It takes an organization like Medical Missions Foundation to open a window to the reality that needs to be attended to, and the beauty to explore! That is what it did for me.
Our mission this year was a very successful and busy week, 77 patients, 90 procedures, 29 cardiac and general patient clinics and 7 major OBGYN cases where seen and attended to. Yes, those are just numbers, but these numbers represent opportunities and lives changed.
Carmen and one of the medical team’s young patients.
The goal as a team is to make as much impact as possible in one week, and as a team (and a well-oiled machine, this was achieved)!
Organizations like Medical Missions Foundation come through Guatemala a lot. But the difference here is that Medical Missions Foundation was the first one at the hospital in San Lucas nine years ago and because of them, seven other teams use the facilities and provide service to a region in the course of the year. Talk about impact!
It takes organizations like this one and people like all of us to change a little part of the world. The key is making sure that there is longevity and sustainability to continue with work, even when some of us are gone.
If you have followed my blogs this year, I thank you for taking the time. I hope I was able to transfer the feelings and share the stories that made the mission so impactful. Thank you for the opportunity you introduced me to, gave me, and provided for others—the human responsibility you inspired me to have. Perhaps I was able to pass along some of that inspiration for you to explore, to see how you can get involved or what your role might be in the Universe to make an impact. Whatever it might be, I hope that the “humility lesson” I received once, is being passed along one way or another.
In my case, I believe that my “talent” it’s best used in Guatemala, and through the years I have learned that this is for the greater good of others and not for how it makes me feel. I have more work to do in “my country” for “the people of my country” and I have been inspired by the people that I have encountered along the way through Medical Missions Foundation for the last ten years. I am grateful to you all!
To support more missions like this one click here. #HealthforSanLucas #HealthforGuatemala #HealthfortheWorld