Day 2
After an amazing first day in Antigua, our team gathered again this morning for our devotional. The topic was a tough one: “Why do bad things happen to good people?” It’s one of those questions that never has a clear answer, but feels especially real when you’re on a trip like this—surrounded by people who’ve been through so much, yet still hold on to so much faith. We talked about how, even when life doesn’t make sense, we can trust that God is still working through us. Sometimes just being there—listening, caring, showing up—is how we share love in this world.
With those words in our hearts, we headed back to Las Obras Sociales del Santo Hermano Pedro Hospital for another busy day.
When we arrived, the halls were already full of families waiting patiently, many who had traveled for hours, some even days, to be seen. In the operating rooms, our surgical teams dove right in working on joint replacements, gallbladder removals, hip dysplasia corrections, and complex deformities.
While the surgeries continued, I spent part of the day in the mobility clinic, where we met a mother who deeply touched all of us. She came in with her two boys, a 3-year-old and her 11-year-old son with severe neurological challenges, he was unable to walk or speak. For the last 11 years, she’s carried him everywhere on her back. Hearing her story stopped us in our tracks. She didn’t complain. She didn’t ask for much. She just wanted to find a way to make her son’s life a little easier.
When our team fitted him for his new wheelchair, there was this quiet moment when everything just stood still. His mom’s eyes filled with tears as she smiled, watching him sit upright on his own for the first time. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room—it was one of those moments that stay with you forever.
Later that afternoon, I talked with one of the local staff members who’s been working at Las Obras for many years. I asked him why he’s stayed so long. He said, “I believe God shows His miracles through the hands of the teams who come here. They travel so far to help us, and they change the lives of our people. I see God working through them every day.” This reminded me how special it is to be a part of a team that cares so much about others. Every surgery, every wheelchair, every quiet prayer—it’s all part of something much bigger than ourselves.
As the day came to a close, the devotional from the morning echoed in our minds: we can’t stop all the pain in the world, but we can bring a little light into the dark places. And maybe that’s exactly what we’re here to do.
Magdaline Kuhn, Blogger
