Minnesota Nice

Day 3 (11/7/24)

Reflections from Kim Hiniker

It's day three, and oh, what a beautiful day three it has been. I woke up to a glorious morning, with spectacular views and sounds that filled not only my ears but also my heart. Our day began with a beautiful poem read by Emily, which I felt touched all our souls on the rooftop of our hotel, with views of the volcanoes behind us. We started with breakfast, reflection, and conversing with fellow missionaries before they left for the day and who had completed their missionary work here in Guatemala. Only our group remained and I was ready for the second day of clinic. 

We didn’t have to venture off too far today which was nice.  In the morning, we saw 43 patients which surpassed our whole clinic at the other village yesterday. In the afternoon we saw 14 patients making our total 57 patients. I truly don’t even know how to describe how I felt knowing the work we did today. We impacted so many lives and I will continue to pray for them regarding their health and their healing. 

Following our clinic day, we went to Café Juan Ana and learned how the coffee of Guatemala is purchased, the type of beans used, and just how amazing it tastes. I normally need creamer and sugar with my coffee but the flavor of this coffee was so amazing that no additional ingredients were necessary. This country has become more and more interesting every day and I’ve grown to love it so much. The kind people in the streets saying “buenos dias, buenos tardes and just a simple “hola,” made me feel that “Minnesota nice” was in the streets of Guatemala. 

We finished our night with dinner with the wonderful staff/volunteers where we reflected on our day. While washing the dishes after another amazing meal, I continued reflecting on how full my heart truly was. God is so good and I’ve truly realized that in this wonderful country of Guatemala and San Lucas, Toliman!