MINISTERING TO THE WHOLE PERSON, BODY AND SOUL

MINISTERING TO THE WHOLE PERSON, BODY AND SOUL. Ten years as translator for numerous medical teams to Guatemala has opened my eyes to the need of ministering to the whole person, body and soul. Reaching out to the humble Mayan people in our village clinic of Aguacate, as they arrive in all their … [Read more...]

VISION TEAM BRINGS SIGHT TO CLINIC

Of the many miracles that Jesus performed, surely the healing of the man born blind ranks among the greatest. According to St. John Chrysostom’s interpretation, the man’s eyes were literally created with mud moistened by Jesus’s saliva and opened by washing them in the Pool of Siloam. While modern … [Read more...]

NEW VIDEO UPDATE ON CLINIC

Archbishop Athenagoras of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Mexico, motivated by his pastoral concern and deep love for the Mayan people, initiated the construction of the FATHER ANDRES GIRON CLINIC in the remote village of Aguacate, Guatemala. Now after two years of compassionate medical outreach … [Read more...]

HOLY CROSS PARISH MEDICAL/DENTAL TEAM OFFERS CARE IN GUATEMALA

Four years ago, the first OCMC mission team to visit the Mayan Orthodox Christians in the highlands of Guatemala elicited this poignant response from the late Fr. Andres Giron: “Now we know that we are not alone.” Since that time many teams have arrived offering their musical, catechetical, medical, … [Read more...]

MEDICAL MISSION UPDATE- GUATEMALA

As the debate rages on in the US  over medical insurance, poor people in countries like Guatemala can only dream that one day they might have some kind of medical coverage or even a doctor to see them. The scale of the crisis in the highlands of Guatemala where we have our clinic is not so much … [Read more...]

MEDICAL TEAM VISITS CLINIC- Alexandra Chakos

Life goes on in chilly, cloudy Aguacate! If you have ever flown on a plane through the clouds, you will have an idea what it's like outside of our windows in Aguacate. The village is so high up in the mountains, that clouds usually sit on it. Clouds, being comprised of water vapor, make everything … [Read more...]

OCMC INAUGURATES CLINIC OUTREACH

After one year of planning, building, equipping and hectic last-minute preparations, the Father Andres Giron Clinic in Aguacate, Guatemala began operations on August 20, 2015. It was staffed by a dedicated team of nine 0CMC (Orthodox Christian Mission Center) health professionals. It had been a year … [Read more...]

AN URGENT RESPONSIBILITY: SHARING THE GRACE OF HEALING WITH OTHERS

Addressing the special gift of physicians to alleviate pain and save lives, St. John Chrysostom would say that "they have an urgent responsibility to share their talents." St. Basil, likewise acknowledging the gift, taught that "God's grace is as evident in the healing power of medicine and its … [Read more...]

THE MIDWIVES OF AGUACATE: BIRTHING A VILLAGE

As we approach the glorious celebration of our Lord’s Nativity in the cave of Bethlehem, the thought occurred to me that there might have been a midwife present to assist with the delivery of Jesus. Although the Holy Scriptures remain silent about this, the Orthodox Church’s iconographic depiction … [Read more...]

HEALTH CARE IN GUATEMALA: THE OTHER CRISIS

As I follow the tragic news of the Ebola crisis in West Africa, and now in the United States, I cannot help but wonder what would happen if such an outbreak occurred in Guatemala. The effects of such an epidemic would be overwhelming and calamitous, to say the least. Healthcare, such as it is, for … [Read more...]