Guatemala Update: …and back again!

As it usually goes with these kinds of trips, it is over too soon. The bittersweet reality of leaving the wonderful people of Guatemala is tempered by being back at home, surrounded by routine and the familiar. When we pause a moment to think back to the whirlwind of activity over the brief week, it’s amazing to realize the impact we’ve had on so many lives.

We were able to see and help more than 750 men, women and children in need of dental care. In this impoverished part of the world, these mission trips may be the only professional care they receive from year to year. This service does more than offer the local people a chance for a cleaning. It gives us an opportunity to reflect the compassion, love and abundant living in Christ that we can sometimes take for granted in the fast-forward pace of American life.

“This was my 5th dental mission trip to San Raymundo, Guatemala. I love going back every year and seeing some of the same patients and the way that the dental health has been improving as we have returned year after year. I have seen how important it is for me to go on trips like these to realign my focus and my priorities and remind me of the reason I became a dentist in the first place, which was to help other people.”

Dr. Andrew Nalley, Woodlands Family Dental

As we busy ourselves with commuting to work, paying bills, shopping on the weekends and heading out to regular times of recreation, it’s easy to get caught in the bubble of our everyday lives. Breaking free from this routine and diving into worlds that may be unfamiliar and uncomfortable challenges us to consider the abundance of blessings surrounding us. And the unadulterated joy we see on the faces and in the smiles of those we help can be the ultimate validation of our purpose and place here on earth.

We thank God for the talents and abilities to serve our local community and to serve the global community when these opportunities arise. We thank you for consistent and powerful support and prayers as we continue to take these trips to be the hands and feet of Christ in the very heart of a country and a people who can benefit from our efforts the most.

Below is a brief slideshow of the memories we made. We hope you enjoy viewing these memories and much as we enjoyed making them:
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