Sunday, February 22, 2026
TEAMWORK – It takes every team member doing their part today to accomplish setting up our Clinic location and to be prepared and ready to receive patients on Monday. Teamwork brings people together, and to get things done, we must rely on one another. The teamwork I witnessed today was extraordinary.
Sunday morning, a cool temperature, and the sun is shining in Antigua! We are starting early this morning as we have work to get done at the clinic building location in Canton de Dolores before we begin seeing patients.
We began our day with an encouraging message. Pastor Josef leads Devotion this morning. He is the most pleasant and enjoyable pastor to lead our team. We are very blessed to have him with Team 890 this year! The message was both inspiring and full of encouragement to embrace our God given gifts. We were given two challenges to be thinking about as we begin our week serving the underserved community in Guatemala. Both are self-reflective and mindful we are all created as one in the image of God.
After a delicious breakfast at the hotel, we began our journey and traveled by bus for about four hours to our destination. We had one stop along the way to get off the bus and stretch our legs. This allowed us time to try local snacks. Frozen bananas dipped in chocolate and nuts were extremely popular and I heard they were quite delicious! The time on the bus allowed us to rest before we arrived at our destination.
We arrived in Canton de Dolores a little after noon. The excitement was flowing from the bus as we departed. The building is large, covered (there is no a/c), and plenty of space for all of us to be together in one building. There is an oversized truck at the entry waiting for us to begin unloading, unpacking and setting up Clinic Stations. Our Clinic will be providing Radiology, Laboratory, Orthopedic, PT/OT, Pharmacy, OB/GYN, Pediatric, and General Care. These are much needed medical services for the underserved in Guatemala.
After gathering for instructions and introductions of the “Red Hats” and the “Blue Hats”, and the students/young adults who have volunteered their time to help us in many different areas of the Clinic this week (I will be sharing more about them through the week), the unloading of the waiting truck began. Everyone helps with lifting, moving trunks, and setting up Clinic Stations. The help of the students was very appreciated. They are kind and offer to help all of us no matter the task.
The afternoon was a tad bit warm but with teamwork and dedicated volunteers, we were able to accomplish everything we needed to finish before Monday. The wheelchair assemblers began the building of wheelchairs we will be giving to those patients needing them. The new wheelchair assemblers are learning from those who have served before and are excited to teach. It was a joy to watch. Our seasoned team members were extremely helpful in guiding some of us new to Team 890, always available and willing to answer any questions. The love, passion, and desire to serve here in Guatemala is overflowing from the building.
The return to the hotel was a short bus ride. We arrived, checked-in and had a short break before orientation and training of the Faith in Practice patient data software we will be using this week. Two things I learned during orientation was the first, cervical cancer is the number two cause of death for the underserved women of Guatemala and FIP is providing screenings to detect and educate, and the second, FIP provided over three thousand wheelchairs to patients last year. Afterwards, we had dinner and fellowship at the hotel.
Tomorrow will bring many emotions for Team 890. This week will be meaningful and life-changing for the patients we serve as well as for the team members who care for them.
Please pray for Team 890 and continue to follow along for the stories and how Faith in Practice is making an impact in Guatemala.
Much love from Estes Team 890,
Lynda M.
Photographer/Blogger
Ephesians 4:16 “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”
