by Valerie Schara | Mar 26, 2010 | Uncategorized
I honestly do not know how to describe the medical mission trip to the Coban region of Guatemala. I can tell you that this was by far the most exhausting, yet rewarding week of my life, and the number of things I have taken away from this trip are truly countless. I’ve been to Guatemala twice before on previous mission trips, but this year was entirely different for so many reasons. This year we traveled with a much smaller team, bringing only 23 members total (with just 9 of those being undergraduate students). I was so thankful for our small group this year. I have never gone on a mission trip where the group became so close, so fast. In our situation, I think we had to because we needed everyone to step up and help each other out as much as possible. The areas we reached had never before seen a doctor, dentist, or medical care of any kind. The whole concept of a group of people coming to help them was entirely new. Day 1: Arriving in Guatemala The first evening we arrived in Guatemala City. We spent the night at a missionary hostel in town. We woke up early the next morning around 5 to eat breakfast and head to the Coban region! The van ride took over 8 hours to reach our final destination. I think it’s safe to say that by the end of the ride, the winding roads had taken their toll on everyone’s stomachs. After passing through Coban (and grabbing a nutritious meal at McDonald’s), we headed up the bumpy “roads” for...
