Contact:  Bonnie Zimmerman
Director, Marketing and Physician Services
Florida Hospital Waterman
1000 Waterman Way
Tavares, FL  32778
(352) 253-3442


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Florida Hospital Waterman “Mission Possible” Team Returns from Guatemala

Tavares, FL:  A 20-member team returned from Machaquila, Guatemala, Florida Hospital Waterman’s 17th annual foreign mission trip.  Their project was at “God’s Helping Hands,” a clinic on property owned by Dr. Elden Lopez, a Guatemalen-born physician from Washington State. 

In addition to installing donated x-ray, ultrasound, EKG, and blood pressure machines and surgical equipment, team members worked on constructing the walls of a health sciences vocational school near the clinic.  “Hiring local masons to work with us helped us get a lot more blocks laid, and gave the four unemployed men each a week’s salary,” said Ken Mattison, CEO of Florida Hospital Waterman.

Other team members worked in the agricultural project on the property, planting different types of corn.  “Dr. Lopez has a wonderful vision of planting acres of a wide variety of fruits and vegetables to be sold at the local market and beyond, to help fund his project and make it self-sustaining,” said mission team member Marty Kotula, President of the Florida Hospital Waterman Auxiliary. 

Team members also held Vacation Bible School for 150 children in the local elementary school.

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