Jim and Lucy Parker: Faithful Behind the Scenes
Jim and Lucy Parker have been part of Faith In Practice almost since the beginning, faithfully serving in ways many volunteers may never see. While Jim often serves as an interpreter or wheelchair assembler on mobility teams and Lucy serves in pre-op and as a Spanish interpreter on surgical missions, those volunteer roles tell only part of their story.
Over the years, the Parkers have become ambassadors for Faith In Practice’s mission in countless ways – helping shape the beloved Mercado at organization events, serving on the Board of Directors, introducing volunteers and donors to the beauty of Guatemala, and investing in future volunteers through the Volunteer Impact Fund. Wherever Faith In Practice has needed them, the Parkers have found a way to help.
One of their most visible contributions is the Mercado featured at Faith In Practice luncheons and annual celebrations. Filled with colorful handwoven textiles, jewelry, Christmas ornaments, nativity displays, and other artisan treasures, it has become a favorite destination for guests. What many people don’t realize is that every Mercado represents months of preparation.
Several times each year, Jim and Lucy travel throughout Guatemala, visiting artisan cooperatives, and villages around the country in search of pieces that reflect Guatemala’s culture and craftsmanship.
Lucy explained that her goal has always been, “to give it that Guatemalan feel when you walked into one of the events. I wanted people to see the incredible artistry of the Mayan people. These are the communities we serve.”
Whenever possible, they purchase directly from artisans, supporting families and communities throughout Guatemala. Those trips also create opportunities to reconnect with people whose lives have been touched by Faith In Practice.
“As soon as we mention Faith In Practice, their eyes get real big,” Jim said. “They always have a story. They’ll point to a knee and say Faith In Practice operated on me, or they’ll tell us about their mother, their neighbor, or another family member who was helped. There’s always a connection.” Those interactions have become some of the Parkers’ favorite moments, serving as consistent reminders that Faith In Practice’s impact extends far beyond a single mission week.
When the Mercado takes place at a Faith In Practice event, the Parkers work behind the scenes before and after the event, and they support the Mercado throughout the event. Lucy is joined by a dedicated group of friends and family members who volunteer alongside her, carefully arranging each display, and Jim is always available with a smile, a helping hand, and tools at the ready to solve whatever problem arises.
Lucy was born in Guatemala City and moved to the United States when she was sixteen, and Jim grew up in Venezuela before moving to the United States at age thirteen. Although both were fluent in Spanish, Lucy didn’t realize Jim spoke the language when they first started dating.
She laughs as she remembers one evening a few months into their relationship while dining with a group of Panamanian physicians. After stepping away from the table for a few minutes, she returned to find everyone laughing. Her first thought was that Jim must have said something inappropriate.
Instead, to her surprise, he was carrying on the conversation in perfect Spanish. “I had no idea he spoke Spanish,” Lucy recalled with a smile. Jim shrugged and said it had not occurred to him to mention it. “I also found out he could dance,” Lucy added, laughing.
Nearly forty years of marriage later, their shared language skills and love for Latin America have become invaluable in connecting with patients, artisans, volunteers, and friends throughout Guatemala.
Their connection to Faith In Practice also reaches back to the organization’s earliest days. Lucy’s father, an attorney in Guatemala, helped review and prepare the legal documents needed to establish Faith In Practice’s presence in the country. Looking back, neither Jim nor Lucy imagined what those early efforts would become.
When asked whether they envisioned the organization growing into what it is today, Jim said, “Not at all. I thought maybe we’d see 500 patients a year, maybe 1,000 if we did really well. Never the scope that we’ve reached.”
As Faith In Practice grew, so did the ways the Parkers found to serve. Together they have volunteered on medical clinic, mobility, and surgical teams, participated in donor discovery trips, supported construction projects, and each served on the Faith In Practice Board of Directors, with Jim currently serving as an active board member.
Although Lucy has a professional background as an ultrasound technologist specializing in pediatric cardiology for over 30 years, Jim’s career was spent as a petroleum geologist, and he is the first to admit that medicine was never his calling. “I hate blood,” he said with a laugh.
Jim’s point is one he hopes others understand – While healthcare professionals are essential to every mission, so are the many non-medical volunteers who make the work possible.
“There are all sorts of ways to participate,” Jim explained. “You can pray. You can spread the word. You can volunteer. You can donate. You can come to a function. You can buy something at the Mercado. Everybody has a part to play.”
That belief inspired one of the Parkers’ most meaningful recent gifts. Having served for many years, they understand that answering God’s call often requires significant sacrifices of time and personal resources. “We realize what it takes to be a volunteer,” Lucy said. “Money is one hurdle, but time away from your work and time away from your family are two others.”
To help remove one of those barriers, Jim and Lucy made a generous gift to the Volunteer Impact Fund, supporting the Faith In Practice Sponsorship Program so more volunteers can answer the call to serve. “The more people that know about that program, the better,” Jim said. “There are people who would love to serve but think they just can’t afford it. We want them to know there is help available. And for people who are able to give, it’s a wonderful way to help someone else experience this mission.”
Jim believes one of the unexpected blessings of volunteering is that it changes the volunteer just as much as it changes the patient. “Helping others grounds you,” he explained. “You can see directly how helping someone else impacts you. When you see their eyes light up and know that something you were involved with made a difference in another person’s life, it changes you.”
For Lucy, some of the most meaningful moments happen before the first patient ever arrives. “The morning devotionals are incredibly important,” she said. “People put so much time into preparing them, and it’s one of those roles that can easily go unnoticed, but it’s so beneficial. Most of us don’t take time every day to stop and think about our faith and the world around us. The mission days are so busy, but beginning each day with a devotional reminds us that this is a gift – that we’ve been given the opportunity to help give the gift of life to someone else.”
She paused before adding words that capture the heart behind their years of service. “This is the gift that keeps on giving. Dear Lord, we’re going to keep doing this until we can’t walk anymore.”
Because of Jim and Lucy’s faithful partnership, Faith In Practice is stronger today than it would have been without them. Their impact can be found in places many people never think to look: a volunteer who received sponsorship to serve, a patient comforted through a shared language before surgery, the Mercado that introduces others to Guatemala’s beauty, and the countless volunteers and supporters who, because of the Parkers, found their own place in the mission.
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The Mercado will be a part of our upcoming Known & Loved annual celebration in October.
For more information about the Volunteer Impact Fund and Sponsorship program, please visit the Sponsorship Information section of our website.
If you’re passionate about volunteering, we invite you to explore our list of current volunteer opportunities that is updated each week. Discover the various impactful roles available, and join us in making a difference in Guatemala!
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