Rumor has it that leaders at Fellowship Bible Church in Dallas are working with Hope Ignited to organize a Pastors Conference in Guatemala that will take place several days before the teams arrive during the second week in October. If so, this would be the first of it’s kind in the area and would be blessing to the local villages.

Fellowship Bible Church in Dallas is led by Senior Pastor Gary Brandenburg and Gary has made several trips to the area. Most recently, a team from his church held a very successful Medical Clinic for the local village.

Stay tuned for more details…I have a feeling this might just happen!

Is there a doctor in the house?

On Saturday, February 27th, Andrea Baxter, Arminda Perez, Graciella and Aldo Sanchez, Steven Hills, Adam and Rachel Jamison all from Dallas Texas along with Jodi Dziedzic and Bob Cloyd from Atlanta Georgia arrived in Guatemala for a weeklong Medical clinic and Stove Building Mission experience.

The team from Texas brought with them a great attitude as well as specific skills in the Medical, Construction and Information Technology fields.    Upon arrival, the team was met at the airport by the in-country host and coordinator, Oscar Garcia.   Oscar took the team for a quick lunch and then to their accommodations.  After a quick rest period and a time to relax and settle in, the team was picked up again by Oscar and was treated to a wonderful Italian meal then back to the cabins for the evening.  The next day the team attended church together and then shared a team brunch at a local restaurant.

Then the work began.

The team needed to sort and organize the many cases of donated and purchased drugs and vitamins for the upcoming clinic.  Without prompting, the team rolled up their sleeves and began opening the huge containers of vitamins and ibuprofen and placing in separate baggies a 30-day supply of each.   The remaining drugs were then inventoried and categorized by ailment to be treated.  The team then discussed how the clinic would be set up and organized for the next day.   The evening was capped off with a home cooked meal of carne asada and calamari as well as salad and drink.  So was this supposed to be a Mission trip or a vacation?

Monday morning, the team gathered for a Morning Prayer and devotional series that was led by Adam Jamison.  The weeklong devotion series would focus on three words that were to become actions…Faith, Hope and Love.  Each day the team would read a devotion that pertained to one of the three words and learn and discuss the Biblical teachings that applied to that word.  The team would then share how the devotion and teaching applied to them and the work that was being performed.  Each morning the team ended with a general discussion, prayer requests and prayer for the upcoming day.  It became a wonderful time to grow closer as a team as well as to learn more about what God had called us each to do.

After breakfast the team would be picked up by Oscar and brought to the site of where the medical clinic would take place.  Wheelbarrows full of medicines were already being rolled from storage to the make-shift clinic space.  The team immediately took control of their respective stations and responsibilities.

The clinic was set up in 6 stations that people would move through in order.  The first station was the registration table where names, ages and symptoms were obtained.  In addition, blood pressure, temperature, blood sugar and pulse was taken.  The next station was dedicated to a sharing of the gospel message as well as one on one counseling and teaching on subjects such as nutrition, personal hygiene as well as well baby care.   Then patients would be examined by one of two doctors that were on hand.  The doctors treated a variety of illnesses and administered several instances of first aid that included eye injuries, serious infections, rashes and burns as well as many others.  The following station was the pharmacy where patients would receive their prescribed medicines as well as counseling on the proper way to take the medicine.  The patients were then tested and fitted with reading glasses if necessary.  Finally, the patients were taken through a series of relaxation and stretching techniques that they could apply to themselves as well as teach others.  In some special cases even pressure point therapy was given to patients to relieve immediate sources of pain and tension.

The evenings would be spent sharing the stories and testimonies of the day as well as sharing ideas to improve the subsequent day’s activities.  The team saw over 350 patients from Monday to Wednesday afternoon.   In one case at the end of the day, the doctors actually made a house call to an elderly woman that was too sick to get to the clinic.   God was so faithful by providing for the strength, health and the loving heart of this group of volunteers.  They were amazing and as such, they became a light of Christ’s love for the people in the village of Aldea Los Anonas.

Smoke gets in your eyes…no more!

One might think that seeing over 350 patients in three days would be enough.  But not this team.   They wanted to address the source of the problem of many of the conditions that they were treating in the clinic.  That being the effects of smoke on a person’s eyes, skin and lungs.

Most of the cooking that is done in the homes of rural Guatemalans is done over an open flame in the middle of the living quarters.  As one might imagine, the result of an open fire in an enclosed space is almost unthinkable to many of us, but it has been an accepted cultural norm in Guatemala for hundreds of years.

Hope Ignited, working with Oscar Garcia has developed not only an indoor smokeless cooking stove, but have incorporated the cooking surface with a dining table where the entire family can congregate while the meal is being prepared.  The result has been favorably embraced by many lucky homeowners that have received the “esmokie”.

This team became the first team to actually build stoves for homeowners.  The volunteers carried concrete blocks, precast slabs, bricks and piping to several homes where the future stove would be constructed.  A trained mason worked side by side the volunteers and instructed them on the basics of stove construction.

At the end of the second day, the first stove was completed and the proud homeowner was overwhelmed.  No more smoke.  No more smoke related illnesses.

Such a small investment of time and money yields a significant improvement in the quality of life for an entire family.  A new “esmokie” costs about US $150.00 to build.  The building of these stoves will be a main focus of Hope Ignited as we move forward to constantly make the stoves more affordable, efficient and available to anyone that needs them

“Quotable quotes”

1960’s Television and Radio personality, Art Linkletter used to say, “kids say the darnest things…” But sometimes adults do it as well.  Here are some of the memorable quotes that were overheard during the trip…

1.  “As I get closer to the fire, it gets hotter“!  Said while sitting around an evening bonfire.  – Adam J.

2.  “Planned spontaneity” A new way of being.  – Andrea B.

3.  “Escalation of the snacks”. The actions over time of a small group of women bringing a higher quality and a more complex level of snacks and food to group meetings.  -  Andrea B.

4.  “Java Vu” = The phenomenon of constantly adjusting the sugar/cream level of your coffee to your liking, only to have a waitress come along and ruin it again. – Andrea B.

Thank you Fellowship Bible Church

Hope Ignited wants to thank Fellowship Bible Church for their efforts in promoting Missions as a vibrant aspect of their church and answering God’s call to preach the good news to people all over the world.

Special thanks go out to Senior Pastor Gary Brandenburg as well as Ryan Schwanke, Local and Global Partnerships Pastor for all of their time and support in helping make this wonderful trip a reality.

If you or your church would like information on upcoming trips by Hope Ignited, you may contact either:

Chuck Jamison, Executive Director
jamisonpdv@yahoo.com
619-517-4379

Robert (Bob) Cloyd, Regional Director
robert.cloyd@gmail.com
404-403-0149