Guatemala

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Joe Boy

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Jan 31, 2007
Messages
692
I spent over a week in Guatemala on a medical mission tour.  I was the chaplain.  I prayed with all before surgery, visited them in recovery, prayed with them thanking the Lord for their successful surgery.  The 2 doctors did 53 surgeries in 4 days.  We went into the bush to visit people who will have surgery in August and to treat people who were ill.  Many were sick from the contaminated water after the floods.  We had some delays while crews cleared mud from the roads.  The people are small and very appreciative and are really poor. 

How many of you raise pigs and sows tied to a tree with a rope?  Or graze your calve on the side of a highway tied to a stake all day?  How many of you wash your clothes in the river, get your drinking water from the water, go to the bathroom in the river, rinse your food in the river, take a bath in the rivers, but will not eat the fish in the river?

I have not yet figured how they plant their corn up such steep hills from which forrest have been cleared.  The rows line up every direction you look, no weeds, no tractors, and all is done by hand.  I could not even stand on these hills or mountains.  All of the ground is rich and is cinders from the volcanoes.  After the corn is harvested they plant rubber trees.  Closer to the Pacific ocean they use large tractors in the fields.  We worked with the poorest of the poor.  They appreciated our efforts and that some of us spoke Spanish.  I saw people milking Watusi type cattle.  They looked like a cross between a water buffaloe and a Brahma.  Every man carried a machete.

I have a great deal of reading to catch up with after being gone for two weeks.
 

Tex

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Joined
Apr 27, 2008
Messages
59
We have some friend who are missionaries at an orphanage in Villa Nueva just outside of Guatemala City.  I took my family there last summer it was a good experience for the whole family and my kids would love to go back.  It was good for them to see how a lot of the world lives.  I am very thankful for our how blessed we are here in the United States.
 

Joe Boy

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Joined
Jan 31, 2007
Messages
692
It took us 4.5 to 5 hours to get to where we worked.  The people away from the cities and in the mountain areas are Mayan Indians, short, beaustiful, and very poor.  Americans need to go there and take their children to work and see what life is ourside our country.  We have taken young people to the poor part of Mexico before and they are amazed that the young people are so happy without things.  I am proud to be an American, too.  May God Bless the USA!
 

chambero

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Joined
Feb 12, 2007
Messages
3,207
Location
Texas
Going on a foreign mission trip is on my to do list.  Some of the engineers I work with go on trips to central and south America to install groundwater wells for drinking.  I hope to go with them one of these days.

This is a great example of someone living their faith and I commend you for it.  We should all do more of this kind of thing.
 

Joe Boy

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Joined
Jan 31, 2007
Messages
692
Thank you.  I think Ground water is the largest need in Guatemala.  Because of the floods that preceeded us they were very concerned for the health of the people.  Many water systems were heavily damaged.  I repaired one while I was there.  There is a difficulty in getting supplies.  I re-manufactured some parts.

Hope you get to go.
 

chambero

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Feb 12, 2007
Messages
3,207
Location
Texas
There are several different Christian engineer organizations that specialize in installing low cost groundwater wells in parts of the world where groundwater is fairly shallow, but too deep for hand dug wells.
 

arjeine06

New member
Joined
Oct 18, 2010
Messages
1
Hello all, I really salute all the people that is cooperating and organizing a medical mission. Actually, this is an activity where I usually join and help. I am a nursing student and as a part of my duty and experience I should help others in medic matter. However, any help from other people should already be appreciated.
 
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