Chattanooga Medical - Guatemala Trip - Day 2

Cubulco, Guatemala is a wonderful place.  It is a small city located about 60 miles north of Guatemala City.  In a short time you can walk around most of the city, but it truly is a special place. 

This morning the team woke up and got ready for a day of preparation and discovery.  We were preparing for surgeries for the rest of the week while the doctors were interviewing patients and setting up the surgery schedule for the week.  Coleman said that today is the day the work is done, the rest of the week is actually fun.  It seems as I have interacted with the team that this is an "across the board" concensus.

We ate breakfast, lunch and dinner together, and the rest of the morning and early afternoon was spent in preparation for the week.  Around 3:00 we headed down town to shop and see the village.  This area is alive with Guatemalan culture and people aren't as used to seeing gringos, so we get lots of stares as we walk around.

As we waited for dinner, some of the team rested, some went swimming, some played games, and all relaxed in preparation for a long week.  Periodically throughout the day, the team members would take candy and toys to the children who were waiting with their families in the waiting area.  The kids and the parents loved getting the candy and just sitting and talking with team members.

After dinner we had planned on taking a walk, and as we left the property, we were asked about the possibility of doing a Cesarean Section on a pregnant woman who was bleeding.  It was so cool watching the team jump into action.  We didn't have certain supplies (or couldn't fine them), and they solved the problems quickly.  They were buzzing with excitement, but not anxiously, just purposefully.  I really enjoyed watching the machine operate.  Each person did their part and the prep was quickly done.  HOWEVER, false alarm - after further review, the woman was in labor, and we were just going to wait until she was ready to deliver.  I think everyone was disappointed, but they are ready to go tomorrow.

The fun begins tomorrow...

Thought for the day:  I was talking with one of the team members today about the pitfall of arrogance.  It is amazing how quickly we can move from humility to pride, and how just as quickly we can move from pride to being humbled. 

We had an incident today when a woman walking down the street broke her shoe.  Since we had some size 7 shoes, one of the team members asked if we should give them to her.  I said it would be okay, but the shoes were probably more "attractive" to kids.  Sure enough, the lady kindly refused our gift, but it allowed for a conversation of giving and not thinking that just because they are "poor" they have no sense of pride.

Later I had a conversation with another team member about how others can easily think highly of themselves based on their accomplishments, their education, their experiences, etc, and frankly, how quickly our response to arrogance in others is a prideful response as well.

The conclusion - we are all proud people who need the reality of others in our lives.  Others who are willing to speak truth to us - tell us when we are acting arrogantly, and keep us true to the reality that apart from Jesus Christ - we are nothing.

Thank God that His Son, who had every right to behave arrogantly, chose to humble himself to the lowest degree to show us what true greatness is.  Thank You, Jesus, for setting such an example, and forgive me for the arrogance I so easily tend toward.