Being in Guatemala gave me chance to reflect on the lives of so many who do not share in my North American way of life. There were moments to see poverty and devastation among the Guatemalan people as well as so many moments to see great joy. Seeing the mother of eleven children living in a shack on the side of a loosely support hill made me appreciate my own sturdy house in Nashville. Although a great need exists, the willingness of the people to endure, even with so little, makes me rethink my seemingly insignificant problems and appreciate the things I take for granted. While traveling to a third word country does put the comfortable American in somewhat taxing positions it also has the ability to open one’s eyes and heart to the love of the people.
One particular experience I recall happened on my first full day in Guatemala. I was standing with the rest of the group during the Sunday morning worship service when an eight year old girl named Kaylia gave me a hug. I thought nothing of it as she went down the row and hugged the rest of the team. But to my surprise she came back and held tightly to my side though the entire singing portion. I honestly had never had someone so close to me for so long and at first, it was a little uncomfortable. Soon I realized that she didn’t care about my personal space and just wanted to be loved in a healthy way. Little Kaylia remained for the duration of the service only to transition to my lap during the preaching. This experience reminded me of the universal need to be loved. Everyone has this need – whether it is the neglected child in a third world country or an abused person in the United States. People all around us deserve love. We should make it a point to love on others using whatever gifts we possess. I feel we did just that throughout our week long journey. We loved on the people at the church and they loved us in return with their smiles.
Our team used physical therapy skills to encourage other students and staff at the hospital as well as motivate parents of the children we cared for. We loved on each other through fellowship and devotions to God. I treasure every moment we were able to show love along the way. I look forward to additional trips where we can continue to make a difference in the lives of others and in the process change ourselves for the better. I feel this trip enabled us to pave the way for future successes year after year, not just for physical therapy advancement but for the enrichment of people in need.
~Nathan Smith