Praying for Guatemala, Weeks 8 & 9

Women being used as slave labor in tortilla business.
Photo by Prensa Libre.

My apologies to all who have been keeping the Providence Health International and Faith in Practice surgical mission trip #388 to Reu in prayer.  My first week in Guatemala has been exciting, exhausting, and educational.

So - combining weeks 8&9, we should be praying for our ward nurses and pharmacists. The Ward Nurse is a role that has two primary purposes: 1. Improve communication between the surgery and Convalescent Wards of the hospital on matters of post-op care. 2. Work as an educator for the convalescent staff in a practice setting. The Ward Nurse is to work collaboratively with the local staff and not try to impose US best practices.  With respect, the hope is that the Ward Nurses and local staff will learn from each other.  Our pharmacists will be preparing the anesthesia trays, dispense post-op medications for the ward and medications for discharge which will include verifying dosages dispensed, labeling appropriately in Spanish and preparing post-operative antibiotics.  Pharmacists will also be in charge of keeping tight control of all narcotics.

For our brothers and sisters in Guatemala, we should be holding the huge issues of food scarcity/hunger and human trafficking in prayer.  This week I have been eating what my family eats and resisting buying snacks or other foods.  I know I've lost weight already as my jeans went on this morning without my ritual jumping, wiggling, and yanking!  I confess today I went to a restaurant, but I don't think I'll need dinner.  My host family is lucky as they have food at their disposal.  Many Guatemalans do not.  Many reasons exist for this including oppression of indigenous peoples by separating people from their agricultural lands.  For more on Guatemalan hunger issues, follow the highlighted hyperlink.

Human trafficking in Guatemala takes the form of outright sales of people into servitude in Guatemala or the U.S., babies being offered for adoption that have been kidnapped, and indigenous women being used for slave labor.  To learn more please follow the hyperlinks.

May we lift up our hearts and minds in prayer for the people of Guatemala and this surgical trip.  May our prayers lead us into action for justice for all of God's people.