Gloria a Dios!

My experience has been a little different than that of the others here on this trip. This is my second clinic to participate in over the past month. I worked in the General Medicine/Dental group that went to Chichicastenango, and I have been here working at Clinica Ezell for the eye surgery team. It has been interesting to see the completely different types of medical clinics that are available to the people down here. It's amazing that not only do we have this awesome place to work at here in Montellano, but that we are also able to take mobile clinics to those that can't afford to travel here often. Not only have I been able to observe the patients here at the hospital, but I have been able to see first-hand the homes of the people in Chichi. I wasn't sure what to expect at Clinica Ezell, but it is obvious that God is doing amazing things and providing what is needed to the people here through the work of Health Talents. To have a clinic as modern as this in a third-world country is honestly, a miracle.
I have had an advantage in the fact that I am here as a translator and can speak to the people here, but it has been great to watch how people can communicate without knowing a single word of each other's language--the smiles, the hugs, the love that pours out from everyone here. It's not necessary to know what the other person is saying sometimes; actions speak volumes more than words in many instances. There is a phrase that I have heard from every single Guatemalan here that I have worked with, and that is "Primero, Dios" meaning "First, God." Whether receiving good news, bad news, or many times uncertain news, every single person knows that whatever is going to happen is all in God's hands. It's humbling to see that kind of faith, a faith so true that we don't see in the United States very often. Gloria a Dios--Glory to God for all the He is doing here.
Hayley Entrekin