Hello Proyecto Fe supporters,

My name is Jasmine Wilmarth, the granddaughter of the leaders of this year’s dental mission trip to Guatemala, Paul and Jennifer Biederman. The team who made this trip possible came from Alaska, Washington, and Massachusetts, to make up a total of 17 dedicated volunteers. Everyone came together with one common purpose: to serve the people of San Pedro La Laguna and provide dental care at the clinic located next to the Christian school that we partnered with, ‘Collegio Evangelico Bethel’ (in English, Bethel Evangelical School). Unfortunately, the dental part of the clinic is only in operation when a dental team comes prepared to see patients. On this year’s team we had four dentists, two dental hygienists, three dental assistants, and many more amazing people who made the clinic run smoothly for the week we were there.

Throughout the week the patients we saw were many of the teachers and students from the school. We also had the opportunity to serve the people in some of the surrounding villages. Over the course of the trip we worked to offer services ranging from routine cleanings to extractions, focusing on promoting oral health and wellbeing. It was such a blessing to be able to serve these people as they do not have access to modern dental care. We met new patients and were able to continue to develop relationships with many of the patients that we had seen on previous trips, by asking them about their lives  and praying for them after their dental treatment.

Our team would not be able to do the work we did without having a team of seven incredible translators that met us at the airport in Guatemala City. They were all wonderful helping us communicate and build relationships with the people we came in contact with. They all quickly became our close friends and enjoyed learning more about the community through them. All of the translators truly enriched our team as a whole, and we are grateful for the week we had with them. 

Along with attending to the dental needs of San Pedro, the team also included an amazing musically inclined women Jenny Remillard, who was able to go into many of the classrooms and teach the children different songs and dances! Outside of the clinic, Rob and Beth Stutzman were also in and out of the classrooms as Rob helped process over a hundred computes for the students, while Beth taught in multiple high school classes about business principles and strategies. Working around the clinic and clsssrooms, my husband James Wilmarth and dad Kyle Biederman were put to work right away doing various projects around the clinic and school. They were crucial with keeping the clinic up and running and fixing things aournd the school. They were such a blessing to everyone, especially Pamela who is the school director and is heavily involved with organizing transportation, food and many more things for the Proyecto Fe teams.

The last day we were there, the whole school gathered and blessed us with a program filled with performances the students had been working on, along with many worship songs. As we worshiped with these students, you can see the Lord working through the school and creating many disciples. The staff and students of the school make us feel extremely loved and are thankful for the work we were able to do in the short amount of time we were there. Many of the students walked us to the boat dock where we said our goodbyes. One of the hardest things of the entire trip is saying goodbye, there were many hugs and tears shed. 

By the end of the week many of our team members sponsored students of Colegio Bethel, which makes a huge impact on not only the school, helping pay for facilities and supplies, but also on the children, building a deeper connection with them is such a gift. These children are the most loving, grateful, and happy kids you’ll meet. The love of God shines through them as we see them lifting their hands as they praise our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  

 God is so good to us, and we are extremely grateful for safe travels to and from with no major set backs, and blessing us with the supplies donated that were used daily in the medical clinic. We are excited to see what the Lord has in store for San Pedro and Proyecto Fe as I pray that there will be many more teams, meeting the needs of these precious people. The love of the volunteers combined with the warmth and gratitude of the people we served, created unforgettable connections and lasting impacts. We feel incredibly blessed to have had the opportunity to share our skills and support the health initiatives in this beautiful town. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this mission, making it a truly rewarding experience for all involved!

Jasmine

Jasmine is the daughter of Kyle and Susana Biederman, granddaughter of Paul and Jennifer Biederman. She traveled with her husband James Willmarth. This mission team had 3 generations of a family serving the Lord in San Pedro!