Today was our last day of clinic work and we spent it at Pablo’s plantation, La Azotea. The whole group was together again and everyone was able to collaborate and learn even more from each other. We only saw about 30 patients today as opposed to the other days where we saw 130. This way we were able to spend more time with each patient.

During our lunch break, we were served a delicious lunch with hibiscus juice. There was a performance going on while we were eating which was cool to see even more of the culture here in Guatemala. Most of us went on a tour of the gorgeous plantation and the Mayan museum. Pablo also showed us where he had his wedding ceremony and reception. We came back to the house and had some time to relax. Some of us played games and others went down to the town square.

Pablo and his wife, Sara, graciously served us dinner in their home. It was a recipe passed down from Sara’s mom! We toured their beautiful home and enjoyed a delicious meal together. Afterward, we spent time sharing our experiences from the week. We ended the night by talking about how all of our previous expectations had been exceeded and how grateful we are to have made so many new friends.

Written by: Melia, Brooklyn & Mallory

Tonight we gathered as a team after dinner and had a debriefing time where we were prompted to talk about where we have been challenged this week. We quickly found many of us felt the same way- inadequate. As students, we are still working to gain confidence in our different fields. Since our team is mostly students, we are pushed to act more independently at the clinic and at Keramin, and practicing new skills can be intimidating. Our patients are looking to us to answer their questions, address their aches and pains and to provide a solution. This is an exciting opportunity but can also be overwhelming. In addition, there is an obvious language and cultural barrier present, so we are often challenged as to how to best provide education and care to the people we see. 

On our first day we all felt quite overwhelmed by these realities, but every day God has been showing us over and over again that He is the one in control. In our devotion this morning, Hillary spoke about the importance of taking off our crowns. As humans, it is so easy to feel that we are in control of our own lives and our own situations. This also carries over into how we view others and our relationships with them. It is easy to go into a mission trip with our own agendas, believing that we are going to “save” the people we serve. Even though we have felt overwhelmed and inept, God has repeatedly reminded us of his power and grace this trip. We reflected on the importance of letting God take control, which has drastically changed the pace and outlook of our days. Knowing that he is the ultimate one in control has allowed us to have peace and to actually gain confidence in our skills and assessments today.

In the midst of our feelings of chaos, God has shown up. Keramion is a school for children with special needs that the therapy faculty and students have been serving. On Monday, we were told that the school has been without running water since last July as they have not been able to cover the bill. This was where God decided to do his work. In two days, due to a simple Facebook post, over $1500 was raised for the school. This will cover their future water bills and add groceries to their pantry to feed the students. Today, we were able to tell the school and they were incredibly grateful. It was an emotional moment for all involved, as we truly felt the power of God and his faithfulness to those who continue to serve him even when things feel impossible. 

There are 3 volcanoes we can see from the windows of our house that repeatedly remind us of how big and majestic our God is. Honestly, we are inadequate, but our God is mighty. We feel humbled to have seen Him move this week. 

Savannah, Kate, and Gabbie

After reflecting on today, we are deciding to make the point that sometimes participating on a mission trip and working with people from a different culture can be challenging. Can we all agree on that? Not only is communication difficult (sometimes in the form of various “wohoos”, “excellente”, and big smiles); understanding the daily challenges patients of another culture and country face, can wane on even the happiest of spirits.

The Guatemalan people are sincere, hospitable, hardworking, strong, relentless…etc. There will never be enough words to describe them. Working with them has been a pleasure and a joy but hearing their hearts has been eye-opening and endearing.

We met a woman today who works 3 jobs, 7 days a week, and is a single parent to 3 children. After hearing her story, we attempted to offer her healthcare and a prayer, yet her story resonated with many of us. The hardships, the challenges, the trials that plague so many people. However, her resilience and perseverance has prevailed.

Overall, despite the challenges, today was a joyful day. We saw greater depths of God’s work and God’s people and that is something to celebrate!  We thank God for the opportunity to visit these lovely “amigos”!

Written by: Nick, Stacy & Hillary

Monday morning our team woke up with anticipation for our first treatment day here in Guatemala.  We were looking forward to discovering the ways that we can both bless and be blessed by our encounters with the workers at the coffee plantation, as well as at Keramion.  We were split into two groups, the first consisted of nursing, pharmacy, and nurse practitioners.  This group headed out to the coffee plantation.  Their mission was to focus on assessing and treating workers from multiple coffee plantations. Our group was given a tour that demonstrated the intense process involved in harvesting, processing and packaging each bag of coffee that is made.  It was extremely insightful at how much time, effort and physical work involved in getting one cup of coffee.  Afterward, stations were set up to monitor each individual’s blood pressure, blood sugar levels, height, and weight. Based on those findings, the workers were then directed to either the pharmacy or nurse practitioner students for further health assessments and possible medication administration and education.  The day was fast paced, and Belmont students and staff were able to see over 130 workers!  This is likely the highest number of workers seen by Belmont on Mission in Guatemala in a single day.

Highlights of the day include a nurse practitioner removing a significant ear wax impaction, which led to him reporting significantly improved hearing afterward.  Other workers needed compassion not only in terms of their health assessments, but also in terms of the significant traumas many have experienced in the area.  One woman, in particular, lost her son due to cancer approximately two months ago.  The emotional trauma of her son passing made it difficult for her to focus on her health.  She was overcome with emotion just relaying this story to one of our students and really needed someone to listen to her story.  The Belmont team was able to identify her high blood sugar level and recommend her to follow up with her doctor.  The end of this first day left each student feeling proud of the work they accomplished, but also humbled at how hospitable and genuinely happy the Guatemalan people are.

Occupational therapy, music therapy, and physical therapy students traveled to a day program dedicated to children up to 21 years of age who have disabilities. This facility is truly a miracle, and a blessing to experience.  Gricelda, and her husband Eric, along with their adult children run Keramion.  Gricelda was able to tell the students her story about how she was led to serve this population.  She experienced more than one serious health condition, and during that time she felt God gave her the vision of Keramion.  The interpreter, Betty, was so helpful during the day today to relay information between Gricelda, her family, the children and our students.  Everyone was involved in the success of this day, including Keramion’s teacher Elvis, and our driver, Jose.  The students were able to observe and assess each child today to determine their recommendations that they will educate the staff on and implement on Wednesday.  Highlights of this group’s day included one little boy who was mesmerized by Melia’s guitar playing.  This was a great opportunity for our music therapy student to shine.  Another was a little girl who loved to lead the therapists in exercise and gave each student a kiss on the cheek when it was time to leave.  Overall, today was a wonderful first day and we are all looking forward to seeing the blessings the rest of this week has in store for us.

Marissa, Caleb, & Micah