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What is it like
to join one of our medical mission trips? Kathy Braico
MD may have said it best when she listed the following
joys of mission trips:
"There is a lot to choose from. One joy is that of being
able to help without having strings attached. For me
that means that I don't have to call an insurance
company to ask if I can practice medicine the way I do
best...
It is a joy to see a child that was nearly dead from
malnutrition or an infection last mission return and be
healthy.
It is a joy to see the expression on the face of a child
who receives crayons or a school kit
....to get a hug
from a child that you have never met before, who wants
to hug you just because they know you are there to help.
...to hear the cry of a 2 year old who just got a HIB
vaccine, because now I know he will not die of
meningitis. |
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...to receive a blessing from an old lady who brings her
grandchild to you.
... to know that maybe because we come to them over and
over again, the people of at least this little corner of
the world will know that Americans are not just rich,
thoughtless people who do not care about others, but
that they are people whom they would want to be friends
with.
...to work so hard that you fall into bed exhausted but
ready to do the same thing the next day.
...to work with a team of people who are all dedicated
to the same result, to see that people whom you never
met before can become a colleague in a matter of hours.
...to really make lasting friends with people of another
culture, some of whom I cannot even talk to, at least
not in words.
...to see that the people of our area are willing to
gather supplies and help people of a town they will
never see, just because they know the need is there.
I could actually go on for pages, but I won't. It is not
too much to say that the mission has changed my life!"
The following links will take you to logs and personal
stories written by former members of our teams that have
gone to Guatemala and worked on our clinic projects.
These personal reports describe the experience our team
members working in our clinics and also the unique and
personal joys and successes each member has had through
their relationships with the people of Guatemala.
If you have participated in one of our trips and would
like us to post a story or link to your report or log
that appears elsewhere, please contact us in writing
with a copy of the material for our board of directors
to review. E-mail through the button at the left or mail
to: Doris Grady, Glens Falls Medical Mission Foundation,
C/O Royal Care, 100 Saratoga Village Blvd., Suite 47-48,
Malta, NY 12020
Personal experiences of a physician and her son: Please
follow this link to a site that contains the trip log of
a 17 year old high school student who has participated
in two of our trips. This young man describes his
experience working in our medical clinic and assisting
with surgery. In addition, the site also includes links
to articles written by his mother, who also went on both
trips and describes her rewarding experiences
interacting with the people of Guatemala and the joy and
frustrations of caring for a tiny, very ill, Guatemalan
infant.
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