A little about the Physical Therapy site:
The Physical Therapy Site is committed to connecting with the community through activities that enhance physical, mental, social, and spiritual well-being, aiming to discover the gospel and life purpose. This is achieved through group exercises, personalized patient care, educational sessions emphasizing the importance of physical activity, and home visits. SI's dedication extends to providing professional services at low cost, aiming to raise awareness in the community about the numerous benefits associated with regular physical activity.
Greetings from Guatemala! Yesterday was the last day of service at our ministry sites, and it has been an amazing two weeks! This blog post will focus on the physical therapy site. Before we get into what we did these two weeks, let me (Joshua) share an overview of this ministry site. Gaby Escobar, our site leader, operates a small clinic that offers treatment for only 20 Quetzals. Although the price is very low, all of the patients experience high-quality service, from massages to ultrasound stimulation. Carlie, a former LIFT RA, also serves on this site as an intern, and Fredi, a medical student, also volunteered with us. Xena, Whitney, and I were assigned to this site to serve alongside Gaby, Carlie, and Fredi.
One thing that is so awesome about this clinic is that it is so much more relational than I expected. Each appointment was typically more than an hour because we spent so much time talking with the guests. Rather than rushing through treatment for the sake of efficiency, Gaby ensured that a relationship was built with every single patient. Additionally, we always prayed for the guests. This was so special because Gaby provided an excellent example of a Christian who is fully trusting God with everything. At times, I felt tempted to think that prayer was the least we could offer some guests, but this experience with the clinic helped change my perspective. Prayer wasn't just something we did at the end of each appointment; it was our clinic's most essential element.
Although I didn't have much experience in physical therapy, on day one, Gaby trained us and put us to work with patients. On our first day, I helped a man named David with plantar fasciitis. I used an ultrasound on his ankle and performed strengthening exercises with him. The others worked with their patients, and after we were done, we simply chilled with the missionaries. There was a lot more resting than I anticipated, but all of it helped keep our spirits up to serve the guests who visited us. On Thursday, we went to a community center to lead a group of about 60 seniors in some exercises! This was such a fun time, especially since I accidentally went on stage when it wasn't my turn!
After that, we began a project to paint the outside of our clinic blue. This took much longer than expected because we didn't use rollers to paint and did it with brushes. However, this time was filled with laughter and tomfoolery with the missionaries. We continued to practice Spanish, and we also began teaching Fredi English. After two days, the painting was done.
The next week of work was pretty normal, with many patients coming through for treatment. I had the privilege of working with David again, and the healing from just one visit. What was remarkable is that he said his pain had gone down and he could play some basketball. Several other patients we worked with came back, with all of them feeling better than last time.
All in all, serving at physical therapy was an amazing experience! God is providing healing and quality relationships through the clinic in Guatemala. We have a couple prayer requests for you. First, pray for health and strength for Gaby as she faithfully leads the clinic. Second, pray for direction and guidance for Carlie. Third, pray that Fredi might find a job where he can use his talent for physical therapy. Thank you very much for reading to the end of this post, and be on the lookout for Tenrick’s post about our volcano hike!
- Joshua Magary
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