Guatemala
This is Dr. Otto Hernandez and his wife Magali. They have been serving the poor, mostly in remote villages, for over 30 years.
Dr. Otto has held position as Chief Internist at a major hospital in Mazatenango Suchitepéquez, Guatemala. For at least 3 weekends per month, Dr. Otto, his family members and other volunteers travel 4-6 hours to remote villages and mountain communities to provide medical clinics and share the Word. VIM has had a partnership with Dr. Otto for over 20 years and sent numerous short-term missions to assist with his work. There is nothing glamorous about the mission field in Guatemala. But most participants remark on the beauty of the country and the warmth of the people they serve.
When we were in Guatemala we went to 3 different villages. In the first village 5 boys gave their lives to God. It was amazing to see their eyes bright and smiles on there faces as they learned about their savior. In the 2nd and 3rd village Dr. Otto set up medical clinics and saw over 100 families in the two days. After the clinics he did kids church and preached to them about Jesus. I couldn't tell you how many hands shot up when he asked who wanted to receive Jesus Christ. Countless number of children dedicated their lives to Jesus. What a sight.
When I decide to go on a missions trip I never thought God would take me to Guatemala, just not one of the first places I think of that is needy for medical attention or to hear about God. But when God lead me in that direction I figured He must have a plan. And I am glad that I went, I will forever be impacted by this trip.
The main thing God showed me was to get back to the simplicity of the Gospel. So often we get hung up on the things we don't understand or the things that don't make sense and we try to make sense of it or we try to look for proof to make ourselves feel better. We just need to take comfort in knowing that God is love, He is mighty, He is powerful and merciful. We don't need to make sense of the things we won't ever understand. Simple.
Liz Gadomski