Day 1
We’ve all heard the saying, “It takes a village.” But here in Guatemala, we’re witnessing just how true those words can be.
For a Faith in Practice (FIP) medical clinic to come to life, it truly takes a village and this week, that village has come together in an extraordinary way.
In less than 24 hours, 30 volunteers from across the United States and Canada arrived in Guatemala. Before the roosters had even begun to crow, we were up and on our way to the airport, boarding a small plane bound for the Petén. When we arrived, we were met by nearly as many local Guatemalan volunteers. Together, we transformed a school into a fully functioning medical clinic—one filled with purpose, compassion, and hope.
But the story of this clinic actually began months ago.
It began when volunteers purchased plane tickets, requested time away from work, arranged childcare, brushed up on their Spanish, created personal Share the Mission pages, raised funds, packed supplies, and prepared their hearts to serve.
At the same time, Guatemalan volunteers and staff were already hard at work. They spent weeks canvassing the surrounding communities, listening to people’s needs and inviting them to come to the clinic. They identified those who might otherwise have little or no access to specialized medical care and prepared for the hundreds of people who would walk through our doors.
And now, that preparation has become reality.
This week, patients will be welcomed into a clinic offering General Medicine, Pediatrics, Orthopedics, OB/Gyn, Mobility Services, laboratory testing, and a pharmacy. There will be no fees.
But more importantly, there will be dignity.
People will be respectfully heard. They will be seen—not just as patients, but as people. They will receive medical care, prescriptions, referrals for needed surgeries, and mobility devices, including custom-built wheelchairs. They will be surrounded by people who have traveled great distances simply because they believe every person deserves the opportunity to be cared for.
And there will be prayer.
Because this clinic is about more than medicine. It is about showing up. It is about bringing hope where there has been uncertainty, compassion where there has been suffering, and practical help where there has been need.
It takes a village.
It takes the volunteers who travel thousands of miles. The Guatemalan staff who prepare for months. The people who donate, pray, give their time, make sacrifices, and quietly do the countless jobs that make a clinic like this possible.
And when all of those people come together, something beautiful happens.
A school becomes a clinic.
Strangers become a community.
Needs become opportunities to serve.
And, for a few precious days, an entire village comes together to remind people that they are seen, valued, loved, and not alone.
Julie Eberly Photographer and Blogger
