First Medical Clinic

Our journey to the small mountain village of Nueva Alianza (New Alliance) where we set up our medical clinic was an eventful one.  90% of the road was unpaved, extremely rocky and muddy with huge crevices the vans had to maneuver their way around.  At one point, on what is virtually a one lane road, we came nose to nose with a truck loaded with boulders and rocks being unloaded onto the side of the road.  Our only option was to wait until they were finished.  Joe and Rick pitched in and helped toss the rocks out, while the two vans, a bus, two horses with riders loaded with cornstalks, and a motorcycle waited and watched.  Once the job was done, the most exciting part was backing up and jockeying for position to be able to pass each other on the narrow mountain road without sliding off!!!  It had just rained and all vehicles were sliding around in mud about 6 inches deep.  Just another day on Guatemalan roads!

We arrived in the small village of 25 families and immediately began to unload and set up the clinic.  Part of the team manned the clinic, while the rest remained outside and formed relationships with the children of the village.  It was not the best setting for playing any organized games such as baseball or soccer, so we tossed footballs, jumped rope, and polished nails.  Then we did our best with a capella Hokey Pokey and  Chicken Dance.  We didn’t sound very good, but we had fun.  The village children had much fun teaching us their version of London Bridges and Duck Duck Goose. 

In the medical clinic, there was the usual stream of malnourished mothers and children who badly need vitamins and anti-parasite medicine.  One man had an ulcer on his shin that he has been dealing with for five years which Rick thinks may be so bad it may have gone into his bone.  Dan will try to find a way to get him into a hospital today.  It’s so sad that these people just have to live for years with health problems that we can so readily fix in the United States.

Then came the Jesus Film, our group singing, and Hermano Jesus preaching.  Paradise Bound has visited this village once before, four years ago, and was met with much resistance toward the Gospel.  Last night was not much different.  Eventually perhaps 10 or 12 people came forward to receive the gift of salvation, although it appeared more wanted to but something held them back.  One woman so badly wanted to receive Christ, but was restrained by her husband.   We pray that she did accept Christ in her heart, though unable to physically show it.

It was an eventful and DRY evening, capped by the pyrotechnics of a nearby volcano visible in the darkness.  The distant light seemed like a celebration of new souls added to the Kingdom of God!

Thank you so much for your continued prayers; our team members have remained healthy and we have traveled in safety on precarious roads.