It's a Wrap

Wow what a fantastic final day in San Pablo. Even though it was only a half day in the clinic, many patients showed up to see the doctors and dentist. At VBS we learned about Zacheius and made trees with traced hands. The most exciting part of today was the dedication for the new house. The house was built for Gabriella, Elder, and baby Sofia. During the dedication, Pastor Geraldo led us in a responsive reading and we sang songs in Spanish. Our mission team presented a Bible, a cross to hang on the wall, and a children's Bible for Sofia. It was a tear jerker when Elder, Gabriella, and other members of the village thanked us for everything we had done. They reminded us we are always welcome in San Pablo.

Mary plays wiffle ball with Gabrielle and friends

We gave T-shirts to our helpers and translators including Pastor Geraldo

Pastor Geraldo and Ramiro leading the house dedication

Gabriella cuts the ribbon so everyone can come inside

Baby Sofia already loves her new Bible

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I think I can speak for the whole group by saying that this trip has taught us not only about God's great plan, but about ourselves. It has made us thankful for things we take for granted: hot showers, water that is safe to drink, air conditioning, and modern plumbing. We shared some of our blessings such as medical and dental expertise and in return they shared their gratitude, humbleness, humor, and warmth. Though our lifestyles are quite different, our need for God's love  and forgiveness is the same. 

Nos vemos pronto,

Kara Weller

Familia en San Pablo

Day three in San Pablo is in the bag. At the clinic, we helped 70 patients. The biuilders finished the cement floor and will do electric work tomorrow. VBS was successful as well. Many children returned to learn about Ruth. Carmen taped up a paper cross on the wall of the church and each child wrote their name on a piece of paper and we posted it on the cross reminding the children that we are all part of God's family. The family unit is very important to the people of San Pablo. Children look out for their brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers take great care of their children. Many families live with grandparents or other non-immediate family members. I think that we, as a mission team, have become a family as well. Traveling to a foreign country forces us to work together as a team. For example, Carmen, Bob, Rhein, and I did not know each other well before the trip. However, we worked in the pharmacy together and within a day we had a smooth system worked out. And as Bob would say, we were "amigos." All of the photos from today show how the people of San Pablo have welcomed us into their community and family. 

 Bob and his helper working on a VBS project

Steve, Dennis, and Niko mixing cement

Kara painting nails 

Rhein playing  street soccer with the boys

A group shot after a tiring yet fullfilling day

Adios,

Kara Weller

Sights and Sound Of San Pablo

Our mission team was up bright and early ready for day two. We were busy again today in clinic. The house is coming along well and we also started VBS today with the help of one of our translators, Karla, who is a school teacher in Zacapa. About 70 children came to learn about Noah today. The question of the day is, "Thus far on our trip, what has struck your senses?"

Mary:
Sounds of San Pablo - "cock adoodle doooooo, ee-haw, ee-haw, grunt grunt grunt , waa waa waa, I don't want to see the dentist  he's going to hurt me"  (in Spanish of course!) Today's sounds of San Pablo reflect the rural village.

Carmen:
Sights of San Pablo-children lauging while working on Noah's Ark worksheets and decorating arks, singing songs in Spanish that have a familiar tune for those of us from America (motions to songs are the same in Guatemale as in America), and watching Karla-one of our CALMS interpreters read the story of Noah to the children as they listen. God is Good!

Rhein:  
Sounds of San Pablo- All the little children asking you to play soccer (which they call Futbol) which at first may be hard to understand a little, but then you catch on after a little while.

Diane:

The presence of God at work in the village. Our team is just a tool. The people have so much  patience. They stand in the sun waiting for us and then will sit hours waiting to  see the dentist or medical staff of the team.  I can only hope to have this patience when i return home. 

Steve: It was touching for me to see two little girls, perhaps 3 or 4 years old they came ready with their cups for the vbs snack, and after they had eaten a bit of their sandwich one of them stowed the remaining portion of the sandwich and their apple for each of them in her shirt while what I assume was her sister took back their cups and had them refilled for both, I appreciated their cleverness and sense of community.

M

Bob, Kara, and Carmen filling prescriptions in the pharmacy.

Carol and Luis

Dennis reading Bible stories with Biron and his friend.

Craftsman in San Pablo working on the house

Excellent work being done by the construction team 

School children in San Pablo

Holding more babies!

Working on art projects in VBS

Playing paito, paito, ganzo (duck, duck, goose)

Waiting for snack at VBS

Nurse Alice checking blood sugar 

Steve sharing a laugh and teaching some English phrases

Sergio (Niko) finishing the cement floor

Estamos bien. Hablare contigo tarde.

Kara Weller

Clinic and Construction Begins

What a successful day! When we arrived we were greeted by a line of at least 40 patients. We had the clinic up and running by 9 a.m. Some of today's patients, from surrounding villages, walked four hours to see the dentist and doctors. Our team saw a total of 90 patients. Many of these people touched our hearts because of their humbleness and gratitude. While the rest of us worked the clinic, Dennis and Steve worked with local craftsmen on constructing the house. Though chaotic, our mission team served many poeple with the help of some amazing translators through Central American Litheran Mission Society (CALMS). Here are a few pictures from today.

We're looking forward to another great day, 

Kara Weller

The Lord's Day

The mission is heating up here in Guatemala. We had a busy sunday filled with sun and fun. A few things we did today were...

Attended church at the Evangelica Lutheran church of Zacapa. The church was established in 1946 by German immigrants. It was  destroyed by an earthquake in 1976 and rebuilt in 1978.

Met Luis Mazariegos, one of the Lutheran church leaders, who gave the sermon.

Enjoyed a fabulous lunch including pork, beef, beans, potatoes, sausages,  vegetables, and tortillas. 

Saw the Lutheran boarding school in Zacapa. This school offers elementary and secondary education during the week and college level courses on the weekends. 

And we finally made it to the village of San Pablo! The tan building is where the clinic will be held.

We set up the clinic by completing tasks such as counting pills, 

...organizing the pharmacy, 

And of course holding babies!

Overall, today was busy and we are poised to launch into full operational mode. During devotions this evening we shared our first impressions of San Pablo and concluded that everything will work out according to God's plan.

Buenos noches,

Kara Weller

On a Mission

It was smooth sailing for the Guatemala Mission Team.Ten amigos from Wisconsin arrived safely today in Guatemala. We were met by Nils, our translator and cultural advisor, Dr. Julio, the dentist, and Rodolfo, our driver.  Travels included two plane rides, a stop in Atlanta, and a scenic, three-hour, bus ride from Guatemala City to Zacapa. We were struck by the beauty of the mountains and rugged terrain. We saw people along the roadside selling watermelons, papaya, and pineapples. Despite the rural area, the traffic was crazy but we buzzed right along.
Photos to come tomorrow.
Adios,
Kara Weller

24 Countdown, time to pack

All hands on deck for the packing party at St. Paul.

Pàstor Peterrson leads us in prayer.  

At the time of this post we have 25 1/2 hours and count.  Please pray for a smooth beginning, for the luggage to all make the flights and through customs and for Diane and Mary coming late on Friday that the roads are open and smooth.  Stay tuned for more highlights. Blessing on your day. 

From Annie

It’s been over two weeks since our return from San Pablo and the beautiful country of Guatemala. While I wish I could spend more time there, especially during these last few frigid days, I know that I also have a place here. After returning, I enjoyed one week of relaxation before jumping into my spring internship at St. Michael’s Hospital in their sports medicine clinic. Working an unpaid 40-hour week is a drastic difference from working a 7-hour clinic for four days. While some of the people I deal with are grateful for my services, many are less than thrilled to be in the position they are in. I wish I could show them how thankful they should be that they have clean, running water to drink and a septic system that can handle toilet paper. There are tons of people who have nothing and are thankful for everything. While I struggle to balance my full-time internship, two online classes and a part-time job, I can only imagine how I should be thankful for all of those things. I am able to attend a university and complete my degree. I am able to start a new degree at the drop of a hat. I have the past education to hold my part-time job and make a decent amount of money doing what I love. While others complain about the cold outside, I think of the beautiful San Pablo weather. While others complain about the snow outside, I think of the volcanoes that lined the Antigua skyline. I cannot wait to return to San Pablo. I originally set out with the mindset that I go to San Pablo to help the people, when in reality, they are the ones helping me.

From Christina

As I sit here at work on this cold, cold day, I think k of our arrival in Guatemala City. We arrived to the airport around lunch time & it was so busy. The security we are accustomed to at US airports are not the same however not was did I ever feel unsafe. It was a beautiful day, in the 80s & such a change from Wisconsin. We get our luggage & go out to find out our bus. There was so many people outside waiting to pick up people & taxi buses galore. You know how you see on TV the trucks loaded to the max with luggage? That's how many of these vehicles were. As we find Radolpho, our amazing driver for the week, he greets Carol & Diane with a big smile & a hug. I immediately feel like we are in safe hands.
The trip was amazing, such a life changing experience & I cannot wait to go back. I would love to go back in July & again in January but I know I cannot financially afford to do so. I do look forward to going again in 2016 & seeing Nilss, Karla & Alex, Kathleen, Manuel, Radolpho, & every other smiley helpful face I met. God Bless you all.

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Our Pharmacist Daryl Fahrner

Description of the pharmacy:

The pharmacy is a place of checks and balances. I try to look over each patient’s med

list and verify doses to make sure everyone is getting an appropriate treatment. I

also use my Spanish skills to explain meds to every person. As a third year pharmacy

student, this served as good practice for me personally. I was astonished by the

gratitude people expressed. Most shook my hand and said thank you very much, or

told me about how grateful/thankful they are that we were there. No one seemed to

mind waiting even though many had been already waiting for hours to be seen. This

is a stark contrast to the expectations of pharmacists in the US. Many don't realize we

are looking for drug interactions, billing their insurance, checking to make sure they are

being prescribed an appropriate dose, and double checking to make sure the correct

pill was put in the bottle with the appropriate instructions all before we hand them

their drug.

Favorite part of the mission trip:

My favorite part was watching some of our team members interact with the local

children. Prior to pharmacy school, I was a substitute teacher with a K/12 license, and

was a camp counselor as well. It just puts a smile on my face to watch kids having

fun. I watched a group of kids kicking around the most beat up and deflated soccer

ball I have ever seen, and they were having fun. I watched kids playing tag with our

group members and having a blast. They didn't need the new latest and greatest

gaming system, they didn't need the newest scooter, the coolest new bike, or any other

material artifact we have become so accustomed to. They were just kids being kids and

finding ways to make their own entertainment. They didn't look at us any differently,

they just accepted us right in. These children are immensely poor, but it is refreshing to

see even with that level of poverty, they have not forgotten how to be kids.