Visiting Our Clinic in Guatemala

My good friend Brian Banks and I have just returned from a trip to Livingston, Guatemala. Several of our friends (our small group from church) have helped this small church in Livingston start and operate a clinic.

The clinic is not a free clinic. Our desire is for it to become self-sustaining. The local doctor, Dr. Juan Louis Rosales, is doing an outstanding job of ministering to these people. His charge per visit is about three dollars!

He provides primary care to all who come there. The clinic is located on the property of the church and the patients are getting connected to the church. The local church through the leadership of Pastor Enrique Blanco is thriving. Many are coming to the church, and it is experiencing amazing growth!

The clinic has many needs, and I am amazed at how well Dr. Juan does with so little. Our desire is to continue to support the clinic. We will have another trip in January or February of next year to do an outreach clinic. It is hard work, but the rewards are always worth it.

The clinic can use just about anything one might think of. We are planning on taking some supplies with us on our next trip. They need a computer and a printer. Currently, they have paper and pencil only. With better record keeping, we hope to get a better idea on the overall cost but also improve care and outreach. We are also looking for a portable ultrasound machine to provide better OB care.

If you have any desire to help support the clinic, please drop me a note. Brian is the owner of Providence Home Health and has a nonprofit set up through his company called “Everybody Matters.” On his website at http://www.providencehcare.com, there is a link for Everybody Matters at the bottom of the page. If you make a donation, just indicate it is for the clinic in Livingston. I can promise you 100% of the donations will go directly to the clinic.

I always make new friends on these trips, and on this trip I met Wilmer. He was an inquisitive young man who quickly showed me things on my phone that I had no idea about! His story unfortunately is fairly common. He has five siblings and is being raised by his mother. She has trouble finding work and the father is absent. His smile was contagious and he had lots of energy!

Have you ever been to Guatemala? Why did you go? Tell me in the comments!

Wishing You an Amazing Life,

Dr. Curtis Brown