Meet Our Patients

“Alone, we can do so little; Together, we can do so much.”
— Helen Keller

With every medical mission trip, we are humbled by the strength and resilience of the people of Guatemala. This fuels our drive to continue our mission to improve the living conditions in these remote areas.

Patient stories are more than just stories, they are evidence of lives saved and forever changed. These are just a few of the testimonies that gives our mission meaning and fulfillment. 

Cruz Ajqui Ixquiactep

Cruz Ajqui Ixquiactep

Cruz Ajqui Ixquiactep, a shy, quiet 27-year-old from Xojola (pronounced “show-ho-la”), came to the Chocolá clinic during our July mission trip for a...

Abner Cordova

Abner Cordova

Refuge International met Abner Cordova and his family during a mission trip in San Raymundo, Guatemala in February, 2018. The Cordovas live in the...

John Pettit & Gregorio Hernandez

John Pettit & Gregorio Hernandez

I met Gregorio during the summer of 2011. I was serving as a proselyting missionary in Chinique, Quiche. When I met Gregorio, he was living in a...

Angel Hernandez-Torres

Angel Hernandez-Torres

Despite prior surgical procedures, Angel Hernandez-Torres had two large cysts on his legs that had grown back for a third time. So once again, Angel...

Elena Cocom

Elena Cocom

In September 2014, 6-year-old Elena Cocom walked into our clinic in Chocolá with a mass the size of a baseball above her right eye. Six months...

Katarina Morales Tambiz

Katarina Morales Tambiz

Refuge International volunteers met Katarina for the first time at the Chocolá clinic in 2015. After standing in a long line of patients waiting her...

Consider being part of the Refuge International Mission. Whether you volunteer locally, donate valuable resources or go on a medical mission trip, your help makes all the difference.

Some of our most urgent needs include:

  • Mission Trip Volunteers
    • Surgeons:  General, GYN, Urology, Ortho
    • Nurses:  Peri-op areas
    • Clinicians:  Adult and Pediatric
    • Lab and Ultrasound Techs
    • Pharmacists
  • Local (Longview) Volunteers
    • Warehouse Help:  sorting and packing inventory
    • Hiway 80 Mission:  Clinicians
  • Donations of Supplies and Equipment