Vision:
A world that recognizes and declares God’s glory as individuals, communities and nations experience healing through truth and compassion.
Project Objectives:
Our medical and dental team seeks to glorify the Lord through the skills and knowledge that He has graciously blessed us with. Physical healing is an incredible bridge to share God’s great love. We see this through so many Bible stories and even in the life and ministry of Jesus.
Our teams goals are to:
- Provide compassionate medical and dental care in the Membrillal and Santo Tomas communities
- Build relationships with our patients and local ministries
- Be purposeful in sharing God’s love through our medical outreach
Trip Dates:
Biannual trips in January and July.
Travel and Clinic Itinerary:
Guatemala involves one day of travel to/from the country and may involve a red-eye flight going in (the itinerary will be finalized at a later date). There will be five clinic days with additional sightseeing and cultural experiences.
Healing Nations Staff Assisting Your Group:
The Director of Medical Missions (DMM) will oversee the medical logistics for your trip. The DMM will lead the clinic orientation, order/pack the necessary medicine/supplies, and work directly with your team to prepare for the medical outreach. The DMM will also travel with you to Guatemala and oversee medical logistics in country. If you have any questions regarding the project or the trip, you can email the Director of Medical Missions at [email protected].
A Teams Engagement staff member will oversee all of your trip preparations in order to get you to and from Guatemala safely. A Healing Nations Team Leader will travel with your team and the DMM to manage the daily non-medical logistics for your team.
Application Process and Deadline:
Your complete application and deposit are due 5 months before your trip departure date.
Checklist
- Application (please fill it out online; follow the link in the menu on this page)
- Color copy of your passport
- Copy of medical licensure
- Deposit of $500 (use the trip payment link)
Please note that we accept applications on a first come first serve basis; all applications require two references (employer, peer, and/or spiritual). If you do not have a spiritual mentor/pastor who knows you, you may get an employer or 2nd peer reference.
If you need to renew your passport or you do not have one currently, we need your name exactly as it will appear on your passport. Your passport must not expire within 6 months of your travel dates to Guatemala. If this is the case, you will need to apply to renew your passport as soon as possible. The online process can be found here: https://pptform.state.gov.
If you prefer to send your payments in the mail, please address all payments to Healing Nations and put Medical Team in the memo line. Mail all payments to the following address:
Healing Nations
138 E. 12300 S. Suite C-222
Draper, UT 84020
Food and Lodging:
The team will be staying at a guest house in Ciudad Vieja. Meals will be provided and are a mix of Guatemalan and North American food.
Weather:
Expect temperatures in the 70’s with mixed sun and rain. Very cool temperatures at night. Our tourist day (usually in Antigua) is hot and humid.
Financial Information:
The trip cost is approximately $2,300-2,500 USD. This is subject to final flight bookings and the final number of individuals traveling. Incremental payments will be due over a period of months preceding the trip.
PLEASE NOTE: Deposits and trip payments are non-refundable.
The cost includes:
- Flights
- Food, lodging and transportation within Guatemala
- Trip Insurance and Liability Insurance
- Translators
- Project money for medication/supplies for the clinic
The cost does not include:
- Souvenirs
- Meals while traveling to and from Guatemala
- Immunizations – see below
Health:
Healing Nations strongly suggests that all travelers be immunized against Hepatitis A and B and are up to date on their tetanus. Please check with your local travel clinic on scheduling these vaccines.
Zika Virus:
Guatemala has been affected by the Zika virus. Zika is a disease caused by a virus that is primarily spread to people through the bite of an infected mosquito. The incubation of the virus is 3-14 days. Many people who get infected never have symptoms. In people who get sick, symptoms (fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes) are usually mild and last up to one week.
The mosquitoes that spread Zika usually do not live at elevations above 6,500 feet (2,000 meters). People who live in or visit areas above this elevation are at a very low risk of getting Zika from a mosquito unless they visit or travel through areas of lower elevation. Because there is no vaccine or treatment for Zika, people visiting areas with Zika should take steps to prevent infection such as wearing mosquito repellent or lemon eucalyptus oil, sleeping in mosquito nets, and avoid standing water.
Zika can spread through sexual transmission. People with Zika can pass Zika to their partners even if they do not have symptoms at the time, or if their symptoms have gone away. Zika virus can live in semen for up to 188 days.
Zika can cause miscarriages, still births, and serious birth defects in babies born to women who were infected with Zika during pregnancy. Current CDC research suggests that Zika also is linked to Guillain-Barré syndrome. For more information about Zika please visit: http://www.cdc.gov/zika/.