“I miss your hugs, your affection. I miss you, but...you live in my heart even though we are far apart.” - Ana Garcia
I know you all are missing Guatemala. I am missing Guatemala. It is as if I am lacking an essential nutrient or vitamin. I can feel it physically, this absence. And, then I speak with Ana Garcia. As I listen to her words, I feel myself remembering, breathing it in, and finding myself encouraged and fed. So, I will do my best to bring Ana, to bring Guatemala, to you. So, you too might remember, breathe in, and find yourself encouraged, fed.
Ana’s Story. Ana’s life has been hard, so hard that I do not feel comfortable sharing the details here. And, yet, when I ask her, how is it that she has always been so positive, so energetic, in spite of the tragedies she has suffered from the beginning and throughout all of her life, she does not hesitate. Her first words: “God has never abandoned me, and I know God never will.”
She speaks with great strength and conviction.
Ana’s story could be seen as one of despair. Or human triumph over the cruelties of life. But, instead, Ana’s story is one of faith and witness to a love that overcomes, that swallows up death. I could feel it through the phone, the strength and wonder rising within her as she spoke of God’s presence in her life. As I listened, I found myself encouraged and fed.
Ana and Faith In Practice. You all know her, our dear Anita. She began volunteering with Faith In Practice in 2013 in the medical clinic we held in Las Marias. She always had a burning desire to help others and could not believe her eyes when she saw the clinic. Immediately, she knew she wanted to be a part of this mission. For the last seven years, Ana has done more than this, she and her faith have come to define it. She is the best of who we are.
Ana never does anything half-way. Immediately and consistently, she was, and is, everywhere. You in the medical jornadas especially have seen it. She never stops, until she climbs on the bus and immediately falls asleep. We all have received her hugs, have found ourselves smiling, giggling, simply by listening to her laughter. She accompanies patients to Las Obras and Hilario Galindo.
Ana trained under Dr. Peter Thompson and Dra. Patty Baiza to do VIA/Cryo and became an instructor. Then to be a traditional birth attendant instructor with Felicity Thompson. During this time, she went to nursing school. She now co-runs our cervical cancer screening and treatment clinics during all of our medical jornadas. She speaks to the women who await screening with patience, compassion, respect and love, traits she specifically tells me she saw and admired in Peter Thompson. She tells me he taught her these things. I, on the other hand, know that she and Peter were kindred spirits. She saw in him what naturally lives in her heart.
And, Ana, in addition to all of this, also works at Hilario Galindo to manage and provide care in the Dr. Peter Thompson Women’s Health Clinic there as she continues his legacy of patience, compassion, and love. (We hope the clinic will reopen on a limited basis in the not-too-distant future.)
Ana and COVID-19. Ana is true to her nature. She is sharing the food we send monthly with others. She is checking on her neighbors. She says, “We may not be able to give money and all the food everyone needs, but we can give them love. We can give them spiritual comfort.” It is hard for Ana not to hug, but we all know that her spirit, energy, and love radiate from her. And, I know that when she visits those in her community who are suffering – many with COVID-19, others through the collateral damage of this scourge – are being blessed by Ana.
Angels on Ana’s “Camino”. Ana tells me of how all of you have inspired and encouraged her. She sent me pictures of many of you from across the years through WhatsApp. She shared stories from years ago, from this year. Again, she tells me that although her life has been hard, God has never abandoned her, sharing that God has provided ‘angels for her along her life’s journey’. She tells me you are those angels. And, she encourages you not to lose faith, hope, and love. For with faith, hope, and love, she says, everything is possible. She asks me to tell you how she cannot wait to see you all again.
Encouraged and Fed. As I listen to Ana share stories of you, how you have inspired her, encouraged her, how you have been ‘angels on her life’s journey’, I realize that it is not only Guatemala I miss. I miss you. The ways I have watched you offer everything you have to one patient, then the next, and the next. I have watched your tears in a devotional, or at dinner at the Quinta as you have shared your heart with once, but no longer, strangers. I have seen the awe in your eyes, even as I have watched you in awe.
We have all been blessed through this mission with transcendent moments. The beauty of these moments is that they are eternal. This time away shall pass. We shall once again be in Guatemala together. Things will be different, however. Surely, they shall. For the moments will be sweeter, more treasured than before. We shall savor each moment with new eyes. With a renewed faith, hope, and love. Encouraged and fed by this amazing community God has and is creating.
So, please take a moment, now, to remember one of those transcendent moments. And, as you lose yourself in that memory, I hope that you find yourself encouraged and fed. With faith, hope, and love, and un abrazo from our dear Ana Garcia.
Love, Linda
Rev. Linda L. McCarty
President & CEO
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