Huguley employees and friends en route to Machaquila-Poptun-Peten, Guatemala
Twenty-one Huguley friends and employees arrived at Machaquila-Poptun-Peten, Guatemala at midnight to find no running water, no cooking fuel and no food, but ample scorpions and a rooster who started his day at 3:30 a.m. Their travels had begun 21 hours earlier. The final leg of their trip was seven hours longer than planned because one van overheated and the second lost its brakes.
Still, they rate last month’s mission trip as an unqualified success. Approximately 700 people living in remote mountainous communities in Guatemala received free healthcare for conditions ranging from parasites to flu.
The Huguley volunteers spent two days providing medical, dental and vision care at the site of God’s Helping Hands, a medical and dental clinic being constructed in Machaquila-Poptun-Peten. On two other days, the medical team traveled to outlying villages and treated patients in makeshift clinics outdoors.
Although providing medical care was the main purpose of the mission, a few also assisted with construction on God’s Helping Hands medical and dental clinic. They dug a ditch and laid pipe for running water, installed electrical wiring and a water heater, rebuilt a water pump, and installed bathroom sinks and mirrors.
Other volunteers taught art and English at the local school and donated art and learning supplies.
Megan Songy made visors with the local school children.
Clinic days were long, without a break for lunch. However, before the Huguley team left Guatemala, they found a little time to explore Mayan ruins, to appreciate the local scenery, and to shop.
“Despite the long days and the challenging working conditions, we all had a positive experience,” said Tonua Rubell, director of critical care at Huguley Memorial Medical Center. “We formed a strong bond as we worked hard and relied on each other to help meet the health needs of these Guatemalan people.”
For the third year, Huguley employees and friends have volunteered their time and paid their own expenses to make a mission trip. The two previous mission trips were to Pan American Health Service in Peña Blanca, Honduras. Huguley employees held several fundraisers to furnish medical and other necessary supplies for the mission trip.
Sam Simmons (left) and Bill Washburn lay pipe for the clinic.