Whoosh! And just like that – it’s a wrap!
Sending this to you LIVE from a bus somewhere between Retalhuleu and Antigua …
We ended our last night in Reu with a celebration dinner to recognize all those who helped make this trip a success. The FIP volunteers from Guatemala, Fito, Angela, and Carolina, have been incredible this week. They are always there to help out and jump in wherever they are needed. Rocky and Clarissa also had a special surprise for Megan for successfully leading her first mission trip.
On our way to Antigua, we stopped at a café to have a breakfast of champions – tilapia for breakfast – compliments of Vijay. 20 whole tilapias for 34 of us! Soooooo good!
We are back in Antigua for our last day to have a little R&R before most of us head home tomorrow. The fortunate ones will extend their stay a little longer. Throughout the week, we chatted with the team to find out what motivated them to join Faith in Practice and serve in Retalhuleu, Guatemala. We thought you might be interested in what they told us!
Telfer – 3rd trip – an anesthesiologist from Olympia, WA
“I like to serve.” His father also did mission trips and he is now establishing his own family tradition to pass along to his daughters one day.
Chad – 2nd trip – an anesthesiologist from Lincoln, NE
“I love to give back. We are so blessed. I enjoy the camaraderie and meeting new people.”
Karina – 1st trip w/FIP (12 other missions with Aloha Medical, etc.) – a surgical tech from Victorville, CA
She normally organizes trips but wanted to be a “worker bee” this time. “This keeps me humble and grounded. We need to remember how fortunate we are.”
Gretchen – 3rd trip – an OR scrub/circulatory nurse from Santa Cruz, CA. “I experience a wonderful sense of connection that I don’t have anywhere else in my life and it’s nice to make a positive impact. There is a long list of needs in this country.”
Alisha – 1st trip – an ICU nurse from Seattle, WA
“My patients were from Vietnam. This is my way of giving back.”
Denzel – 1st trip – a PACU nurse from Seattle, WA
“I’ve always wanted to do one and want to pay it forward. It was meant to be.”
Amber – 1st trip w/FIP (previous mission trip to Honduras) “I like service and being a nurse. I like helping others make a difference in their life. It’s my way of giving back. This is what I’m supposed to do.”
Betsy – 2nd trip – a pharmacist from Seattle, WA
“I enjoy being part of a team which comes together quickly to do great things.”
Nicole – 2nd trip – a pharmacist from Pasadena, CA
“I have the privilege to give time to provide help and support. Everyone is so nice, caring, and giving. It puts me in a really good place where I want to give back.
Es – 4th trip – an OR nurse from Snohomish, WA
“It fills up my cup. I was curious about this and when I got here it totally changed who I was. It brings out humanity and humility I’ve never felt before in my life.”
Olga – 1st trip – an ICU nurse from Los Angeles, CA
“to give back”
Rosie – 1st trip – assistant director of nursing from Joliet, IL
“My parents are from Mexico and it’s a similar situation to the patients (at Hospital Hilario Galindo). When I take care of the patients here, it’s like taking care of my parents.”
Kathleen (“Kat”) – 6th trip – an OR nurse from Seattle, WA
“This is the most tangible way to me to see the difference we make in healthcare. I’ve always wanted to help others – this is the purest form I have ever felt.”
Christine – 1st trip – surgical PA from Seattle, WA
“This reminds me of how lucky we are. We are so blessed in the U.S. Don’t sweat the small stuff.”
Sabrina – 1st trip – ER doctor from Pacific Palisades, CA
“This allows us to get back to doing what we were trained to do – to help others without the constraints back home. It feels good to help others. So many don’t have the privileges we have. This reconnects me with what I originally wanted to do.
Dana – 1st trip – a pediatric ICU nurse from Rochester, Minnesota
“Because I wanted to. I like to serve.”
Kristina – 1st trip – nurse anesthetist from Woodridge, IL
“I’ve been so blessed and wanted to come out to extend that to people in need.”
Amy – 1st trip – an OR circulator nurse from Olympia, WA
“I’m doing this for my personal growth and development, appreciation of different cultures, a new perspective on being grateful in my life and my families’ lives.”
Tim – 3rd trip – an anesthesiologist from Brea, CA
“This is one of the few times where I feel like I’m helping people who truly appreciate what I do.”
Molly – 1st trip – an elementary school teacher from Ohio
Inspired by her sister, Megan, “I have always wanted to do a trip like this but did not have medical experience.”
Tamara – 1st trip – a healthcare chaplain in Los Angeles, CA
“I found out about this trip from Tracey’s Facebook page. After doing my homework about Faith in Practice, I was called to take a leap of faith and dive in head first. It has exceeded my wildest expectations.”
Rocky – 6th trip – manager and director of surgery and employee health from Spokane, WA
“For the love of it … the past has prepared me for the future.”
Frankie – 2nd trip – CRNA from Windsor, VA
“It just fills my heart – it fills that bucket. I get to practice out of the passion of why I do this in helping a system that’s broken.”
Marni – 1st trip w/FIP (prev. mission trips) – an OR nurse from Olympia, WA
“I like to travel, see different cultures, help those in need … this rejuvenates me as a nurse. I like to give care to those who need and appreciate it.”
Megan – 8th trip – an OR/ICU nurse from Seattle, WA
“I fell in love with this place. It is my second home. I want to provide to those who don’t have access [to healthcare] otherwise.”
We will miss the new friends and family that we have made here but we are already looking forward to returning for our next mission in the future!
With love,
Molly, Tamara, and Craft Team 775
