Over the past few days, our medical mission team to Antiqua Guatemala has been ministering to dozens of patients in the Obras hospital. These patients have traveled to this small town where the church has built a clinic with four operating rooms, all under the support of Faith in Practice, which is the Houston mission that we support as a church.Currently, about 20 members from our congregation are joined with another 12 people, forming the surgical and support teams. Each day, nearly 20 operations are performed on Guatemalans of all ages while their families stay in the Casa de Fe ( House of Faith) which was built and has been maintained by Faith in Practice.

My task has been to help my daughter, Marianne, cook for the team and to pray with the patients before surgery. My heart has been touched by the strong faith of the patients who have come to a town for the first time and face the unsettling prospect of walking into a hospital. Yet, God is evident and His peace is felt by all.

Yesterday, I journeyed into the hills surrounding this city to visit a place where Habitat for Humanity has built six simple concrete block homes with 500 square feet each. These will house six families whose parents work for the Obras church and hospital. It was such a joy to deliver 7500 dollars which Sugar Land Methodist raised to connect the sewer, water and electricity to the homes so the families can move into their new homes and leave behind the tin and cardboard houses now. Continue to pray for this team and its healing presence in this poor country.