I loved you from the first time we met

Guatemala - it was love at first sight. 

From the moment my feet hit the ground, I knew God was calling me here with purpose. The feeling coursed through my veins and my bones in a way I've never felt anything else. Here, the world made sense and what I was doing made sense. Here, I found a purpose and a peace in the chaos of a life that constantly makes us question our reason and why we're here. For the very first time in my life, I felt like I was where I needed to be, and I was doing what I was meant to do.

I won't bore you with the details of that first trip back in 2016 - but here was the takeaway - this was the place I was meant to be, and I had to get back to it.

If you read my first blog post, Who is the Global Health Nurse

I talk about this a little and how since then I've had the amazing opportunity of working with Extra Mile Pediatrics and One Atta Time.

Now, I want to share with you a little more about what led to our first clinic and filter distribution in Antigua, Guatemala in July, and why it was such an amazing success.

Back in January we scoped out the locations we would have the clinics and I talk about that and why we picked this location a little bit here.

Bella Vista Coffee Plantation

What I didn't talk about was the course of events that led us here. So hold tight, because it gets interesting...

Let's jump back to 2016 just for a minute. In 2016, I had a great opportunity to join a team ministering and performing medical clinics with Hope of Life International. While there, I met Pablo, a coffee entrepreneur that lives in Guatemala. He was one of our translators that week. Through the years, we kept in touch off and on, shared interesting things about what God was doing in our lives, and had those "what if" conversations.

What if we could start a pediatric clinic on the coffee farms... wouldn't that be cool.  

You see, Pablo was already doing medical clinics on the coffee farms for adults. He partnered with a nursing school in the states to perform regular blood pressure checks, blood sugar checks, and health assessments for the adults on the coffee farms and the surrounding communities - but never kids. I worked with kids at the time as a pediatric nurse, so my first thought was - we need to do this, but for the kids.

That's me back in 2016 in Guatemala for the first time - a moment of pure joy

So years passed and those what if conversations seemed to turn into dreams that would never materialize. Until the Extra Mile Pediatrics Facebook page started showing up on my feed. I clicked on it out of pure curiosity, because I hadn't forgotten the desires that were on my heart - as it turns out, God hadn't forgotten either.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord. Jeremiah 29:11-14

Clicking on their page led to reaching out and scheduling a call with them. I quickly learned they were already doing amazing work in Central America - performing pediatric medical clinics - the very thing God had laid on my heart. I learned about their teams, the communities they serve, and I got to see their heart for these people. I quickly saw that we shared that same passion and I couldn't wait to join them. I shared with them my dream of doing pediatric clinics in the coffee plantations in Guatemala, and in that moment, it didn't just feel like a dream, but that maybe someday it could happen.

It was about this time I was also having a conversation with Pablo about my desire to return to Guatemala.

It had been 4-5 years now and I was itching to get back there. This part is important

In passing, Pablo mentioned I should check out this group that was doing some amazing work in Guatemala and El Salvador - Extra Mile Pediatrics.

You see, by fate - through Instagram, Pablo had become acquainted with Extra Mile Pediatrics. They had some conversations and were arranging to meet in Guatemala.

This is the cool part - after all those years of God laying this desire on my heart. After all those years of me sitting on that desire and waiting for something to materialize, questioning if it ever would. After all those years of me wondering if I would ever even make it back to Guatemala - the place my heart yearned to be. God aligned the three of us - me, Pablo, and Extra Mile Pediatrics.

There are 17.1 million people in Guatemala - but God chose the one person I knew there and the one organization that was already doing what God had placed on my heart - and he brought us all together.

Our odds were 17.1 million to 1 - but God made it happen.

This showed me three things:

1. My timing is not God's timing -

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven - Ecclesiastes 3:1

2. The plans God has for me are far greater than I could have ever dreamed or imagined -

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts - Isaiah 55:8

3. God was building me up and molding me to be ready for this opportunity when He presented it

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you - James 4:8

This was all in 2021, I was working a full time nursing job in the Neonatal ICU, so it took some time for me to arrange time off - but in July of 2022 I was able to join Extra Mile Pediatrics for the first time in Guatemala. It was that same week I was able to meet up with Pablo again along with Extra Mile. Things really had come full circle and it was amazing seeing the way God was moving and working in my life.

Fast forward a little bit to December of 2022 - 

God presented the perfect opportunity for us to dive into this mission that He placed on my heart so many years ago. Several things happened to make this a reality and it was all in God's infinite wisdom that He was able to orchestrate it as such. So we returned in January - myself, the Extra Mile team, and Pablo - and in July we were able to launch the first ever pediatric medical clinic at the coffee plantation.

I will never doubt or underestimate God's goodness and when He places something on your heart for His glory, He will see it through.

In July 2023, we saw over 300 kids in the communities surrounding the coffee plantations. Additionally, because of God's provision, God allowed me to become the Director of Guatemala for One Atta Time - an organization that provides clean water filters to communities without access to clean water. In this joint partnership between Extra Mile Pediatrics and One Atta Time, we were able to give every family that came through our clinic a clean water filter that will last over 10 years. I'll make another post about that to give you a better idea of how that went.

And here we are in July 2023, 7 years later - like no time had passed

When I started writing this, I thought it would be a recap of our clinic this week in July - but instead what poured out ended up being how God got me there. Maybe today you just needed to hear a story about God's faithfulness and infinite wisdom in our lives - and how even though we don't have the control, God has all the control.

So look out for a recap of our trip to be posted soon!