Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church

Guatemala

Members of His Family

– Report from 2009 Guatemala Mission Team by Rev. Lynn Lindsey

Church Mission in Guatemala

Church Mission in Guatemala

“Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”
 One of my favorite scripture passages is Matthew 25:31-46 when Jesus told his disciples, “…I was hungry and you gave me food…thirsty and you gave me something to drink…sick and you took care of me…” They asked him, “Lord, when did we do this?” and his moving response included the quote at the top of this article. I was honored to serve as staff liaison for the recent mission trip to Guatamela, May 23-31. As the days passed, this passage from Matthew’s gospel became even more meaningful as I witnessed dedicated medical personnel and support staff minister to hundreds of Guatemalan people – “members of His family”.
 Our trip was sponsored, as it has been for the previous seven trips, by the Salud Y Paz Mission, located in the highlands of southwest Guatemala. Travel involved going over and around mountains resulting in lots of curves and bends in the road – and many exclamations, gasps of awe and fear, and prayers. Our hotel was in Chichicastenango, which was over an hour’s drive over more of those perilous roads.
 I’d like to give you some important medical statistics early in this article.…and then share a few stories. Our medical personnel served 456 patients in the medical and surgical clinics and 251 patients in the dental clinic. There were 46 surgeries performed – 30 hernia and 16 cataract. 
The 30 hernia operations performed by PHUMC member Dr. John Jones were “book-ended” by surgeries on preschool boys. Both were emergency surgeries and one of them was particularly difficult. There was great rejoicing among the entire team when both little fellows came through the experience in fine fashion.
The surgery clinic was not the only place where hearts were warmed! Dr. Joseph Chacko, eye surgeon and member of Highland Valley United Methodist Church, removed  cataracts from the eyes of an older Mayan man. When he returned the next day to have his bandages removed, he was introduced to the children standing around his bed – his grandchildren whose sweet faces he had never seen.
 Most of the medical treatment involved parasite infections resulting from inadequate water treatment. There are also many cases of respiratory concerns, eye irritations and infections and muscle pain resulting from the arduous work that many Guatemalans perform.
Miracles abounded that last week in May as hundreds of people were examined and treated, medications were prescribed, teeth were extracted, and each patient and their family members received a gift and the blessing – “Dios Te Bendiga” – God Bless You. Perhaps the biggest miracle of all, however, occurred in the hearts of the team members themselves as we all felt the presence of God in our ministry with these wonderfully patient and appreciative people.
 Our team , eleven of whom were PHUMC members, worked together extremely well.  Everyone gave their best, all were willing to do whatever needed to be done and all challenges were met.  In addition, the team members respected one another, grew closer each day, worshiped together each evening and had lots of adventures and fun together. One of the “non-medical” highlights was the team decision to treat nearly 100 Guatemalan children to ice cream cones! This year’s team included: Jon Allen, Adrianna Alston, Dr. Carlos Araoz, Phyllis Barnes, Paul Bash, Dr. Bob Carlisle, Rebecca Carlisle, Chris Carter, Dr. Joseph Chacko, Carol Cook, Sam Cooke, Gwen Efird, Emily Erkel, John Fox, Billy Ferguson, Eric Glaser, Paula Grigorian, Denise Johnson, Collier Jones, Dr. John Jones, Linda Martineau, Marlyn Masingill, Dr. Bob McGowan, Naomi Prange, Dr. Tracy Windham, Lyndal York, and me.  Appreciation is expressed to the many generous donors who made this medical mission trip possible – those from our congregation as well as those from many churches throughout the state. On behalf of the team, please accept our sincere gratitude. We gave thanks for your support throughout the trip.
This article would not be complete without an enormous expression of appreciation to Team Leader, Gwen Efird, who gave countless hours in pre-trip preparation and incredible leadership throughout the entire experience. Her compassion and competence were unparalleled and the 2009 Guatemala mission team members are deeply grateful.
In closing, I lift up this quote from Gwen, “I believe God’s presence is what made this trip possible. We know that the people we served were blessed and hopefully they felt better because we came. But what I am equally sure of is that we were also blessed by being given the opportunity to serve and come into the presence of God’s children in Guatemala.”
Rev. Lynn Lindsey, staff liaison for the 2009 Guatemala Mission Trip