Day 4:
As patients waited to be called back for their surgeries on Wednesday July 1st, 2026, there was a palpable spirit of hope. Clemencia, a sixty-nine-year-old woman waiting to receive a laparoscopic cholecystectomy, was joyfully sharing her source of hope with other patients she had befriended during her stay at Hospital Hilario Galindo.
Clemencia is a long-term patient at HHG who had experienced pain from her inflamed gallbladder for about a year. She encouraged us and her newfound friends by sharing her faith and the truths she holds onto in times of trouble. “Faith is something you believe without seeing,” she said, “leave all your anxiety with God.”
Clemencia came to faith as an evangelical Christian at the age of forty-one. Her family did not go to church when she was growing up, but she decided to turn to faith when her husband became sick. Now, she confidently shares the truth she knows with others, relying on God each day because “He is our refuge and strength.”
Another waiting patient shared a similar source of hope. Eduardo is an eighty-year-old patient who was waiting to receive a hernia repair. He uses a wheelchair due to the pain he feels from a previous hip fracture and chronic sciatic nerve pain. He reports that he needs a hip replacement but is unable afford one at the Guatemalan hospital he visited for his fracture. Despite his pain, Eduardo was remarkably cheerful, every sentence framed by a wide grin. When asked about his happiness, Eduardo replied “only God.” “He’s the only one,” he said, “my only hope.”
Eduardo came to faith at the age of fifty years old because he knew something was missing from his life, and he has followed the Lord faithfully for thirty years. He shared that he has comfort today because he knows God “has power over life.” “Without God everything is impossible.”
The surgery teams completed 18 operations today, and Clemencia and Eduardo are both recovering well. Clemencia’s prayer for the Farrow team is that “God will give you wisdom to continue to help other people.” Please pray that all team members would be encouraged by the faith and joy of our lovely Guatemalan brothers and sisters in Christ.
Rae Dabdoub
Team Blogger/Photographer, Farrow Surgery 913
