ACHC-Guatemala
(Association of Christian Hospitals
and Clinics of Guatemala)

 

Recently, Dr. Estrada and I were able to fly, with the help of our friends at AGAPE, to Quetzaltenango, also known as Xela. There, we were met by our good friend Dr. Hugo Gomez. The purpose of our trip was to tour their facility, Arbol de Vida, and to meet with their leadership. It was a wonderful time of sharing and getting to know our brothers in Christ there.

 

Arbol de Vida (English translation = Tree of Life) is what is known as a Sanatorio, which is the term often used here to refer to a smaller-sized hospital. It was established a year and half ago as an outreach of Hugo's church in Xela. They have become the newest member of our Association. We spent time touring the building and talking with the doctors, dentist, and other members of the hospital staff. There is tremendous potential in this facility in that it is located in the second or third largest city in Guatemala and is in a very good part of town. The leadership has a vision to reach people with the Gospel using an integrated approach to delivering healthcare. Our job now will be putting together a plan that we can offer to them as to how they can move forward and become more self-sustaining. We hope to help them form a strong partnership with a healthcare facility in the US.

 

We are especially grateful to AGAPE and our friends Rick Carey, who invited us to go with them on this flight, without cost, and our pilot Anthony Verwys. It was truly a blessing to be able to make this trip in one day.

 

Dr. Mike Soderling, M.D.