16 of us – from five different states, arrived in Guatemala late January 25, 2007. The following day we were joined by a young 27 year old Guatemalan doctor – Byron Saban, and his wife Judith along with Betty Merida – an Equipo SEPAL (OC International) missionary. Byron had gone with us last year on our short term dental/medical/ministry short term team. Two dentists went with us this year on our short term team – Jack Matthews and Rosalba Bandrowsky. Jack and Rosalba live in Colorado Springs. Two nurses also went with us – Val and Cheri Meister. Val lives in Colorado Springs while her daughter-in-law lives in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

Guatemala 2007 Short Term Dental/Medical/Ministry Team

Two couples – Jack and Sandi Matthews and Tim and Amy Ottaway, have gone with us to Guatemala the past two years. Peg and Jerry Baas – from Minnesota, went back with us this year. Peg and Jerry went with us last year. Our daughter and her husband – Don and Connie Rock, from Texas, went to Guatemala with us this year.

Gary's sister and husband - Jerry and Peg Baas

After a very short night’s sleep in Guatemala City, we left early by bus on Friday – January 26, for Lanquin. We stopped to eat breakfast at a Saritas – a nice restaurant with very clean bathrooms located at the turnoff to Coban. We arrived at the El Recreo Hotel in Lanquin late in the afternoon.

Riding the Bus

Eating Breakfast at Saritas

On Saturday – January 27, dental and medical clinics were setup in the church of one of the men who is studying in the P.E.B. (

Programa de Educación

) – the Bible education program that has been ongoing in Lanquin. Everyone had their times filled in one or another with either the clinics or with kids activities.

Pulling Teeth

Medical Clinics

On Sunday – January 28, we participated in the church activities in the morning. In the afternoon, we went to Champey – a nearby scenic river, to walk around and to enjoy the sights.

Abbe, Val and Cheri at Champey

More of Champey

On Monday and Tuesday – January 29-30, we had more clinics and more kids activities. On Monday, we had the clinics in the same church that we had the clinics on Saturday. On Tuesday, we went by bus to a community of about 800 people – where we set up the dental and the medical clinics and where we had several kids activities. There are purportedly about 35,000 people living in the Lanquin area. There are just four small churches in Lanquin and four small preaching points in communities outside Lanquin. We were able to encourage the seven P.E.B. students while we were in the Lanquin area.

Community Outside Lanquin

On Wednesday – January 31, we made the long trip out of Lanquin all the way to Santa Clara. When we got to Santa Clara, we found that one of the hotels where we were supposed to stay had already closed and the other hotel only had three rooms. The rooms in the second hotel were on the second floor. In order to get to the three rooms – serviced by one bathroom and one shower, would have meant going through an attic type opening. Even though it was already late, we decided that our only option for a good night’s sleep was to head for a hotel in San Juan. To get to San Juan, we had to go down a steep, winding road that has seventeen switchbacks.

Medical Clinic in Santa Clara

The following morning – Thursday – February 1, we went back up the winding road to Santa Clara to have dental and medical clinics and kids activities in a church located in Santa Clara. A number of years ago, Tim and Amy had worked on the church. Even before Tim and Amy were in Santa Clara – where they have a Compassion Child, I had joined a work team to work on the same church.