Sunday Blog
In the early hours of our first full day in Antigua, our pastor Kristin Huffman gave a sermon on something that could not be more relevant: the power of change. It seems the theme of our trip so far has been change— not only for our patients, but within ourselves. Change in our flights on Saturday, which were delayed for hours due to volcanic eruptions, change in our leadership, with essential team leader Jeff Cameron falling sick the night before departure, and, at least for me personally, change in perspective.
It can be hard to fully grasp the impact of this mission. In the US, medical care feels routine, if not almost expected. Carolina, our Guatemala-based Faith in Practice leader, gave a speech at dinner on Saturday that reframed this perspective. For many of our patients, this appointment is their first encounter with a medical professional. For others, it’s the first time a problem they have had forever is finally being handled properly. Kristin’s sermon Sunday morning tied this lesson back to ideas I had been thinking on since I first boarded the plane, that everyone involved in this mission will feel the weight of change. As Kristin said, because of our mission, the lives of the patients in our clinic will never be the same. As for the other smaller changes we as volunteers have felt, an important lesson is to be learned about embracing God’s will as we adapt to our constantly changing lives. The grace with which the Faith in Practice team dealt with inconveniences like significant schedule delays on Saturday, or the new digitization of patient documentation introduced on Sunday, demonstrated our community’s ability to adapt and overcome obstacles. Upon a surprising development in the amount of patients in general surgery– only eight for the week compared to the usual overwhelming number– a similar sentiment began to circulate between team members: I’m sure we’ll figure this out. This seems to be a common mantra for our team in confronting uncertainty. As we approach the week, I find myself looking forward to change, as my team has already proved to be ready and willing to face whatever is thrown our way.
