It's been more than a year in the making.

An e-mail request received from Dr. Maria Mercedes Ancheta Gonzalez requesting us to bring a teaching team to Guatemala started the wheels turning.

Slowly, but surely, the wheels were greased, and the trip started to really take shape 6 months ago.  

As is typical with international trips of this sort, the details came together "just in time"--we are down to the wire!  Increasing my faith big-time.

7 professionals: 5 family docs, 1 obstetrician-gynecologist, and the best L&D/Women's Health RN I know toting 7 pelvic mannequins and teaching supplies.

We'll be based out of Xela.  Health professionals from 4 different hospitals/local cities will attend the Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics Course--we are offering two provider courses and one instructor course.  We are also planning to offer a community-level obstetrics skills course to local midwives.  My sense is that we have as much to learn as we have to teach.  

THANK YOU to this incredible team: Audra Lehman, Rebecca Darsey, Allison Bacon, Candace Pau, Isabella Zuber, and Sarah McCarthy for making this trip possible!  Thank you to AAFP for sending the Spanish curriculum and to my dear friend and colleague Ann Evensen for last minute consultations.

And we owe a debt of thanks to friends and family who've contributed toward the purchase of the teaching mannequins, have offered countless words of encouragement and prayer.  We invite you to join our journey!

Thank you to our colleagues who are holding down the fort while we are away.

Thank you to our Guatemalan hosts for inviting us to work alongside you.

An especial thanks to our families for your ongoing love and willingness to support us as we go to far-off places in the name of safe motherhood.  

With joy,

Sarah--for the team

--we hope to upload pictures and tales of our experiences--both exploring beautiful Guatemala and our teaching time as regularly as possible.