As I mentioned, there are 40 people on our mission team in Guatemala.

While most are skilled medical pros, the primary criteria for making the team is that they “want” to be here.

Some have retired.  It’s the only week they provide medical care all year.  The equipment is mostly “older school”.  They aren’t working in the well-equipped setting they usually find at home.

We don’t come here knowing what we will find, so there’s a degree of flexibility we must employ.  This hour you do one thing, the next hour you do another.

The work load is more.  Some of the surgeons report they do more surgeries in a day than they do at home in a week.

We gather at the end of the day.  Stories are told about the accomplishments of the day.  The best are how the unforeseen circumstances were encountered and dealt with.  There is joy, satisfaction, fulfillment in the work.

It all starts with the “wanting to be here.”  It reminds me that a great desire to be on the team and help each other goes a long way toward achieving great results.  Talent matters to be sure.  But, attitude magnifies talent.