written by James Sawyer, Pinnacle View UMC communications director
In July 2025, a team of fifteen from Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church (PHUMC) in Little Rock, Arkansas, traveled to Guatemala to continue a partnership nearly a quarter-century strong. Their destination was Salud y Paz, a Methodist mission dedicated to bringing health, healing, and hope to rural Mayan communities.
This collaboration was more than just another trip—it was a living expression of United Methodist connectionalism, where churches, leaders, and lay members come together across borders to embody Christ’s love through tangible acts of service. PHUMC member and volunteer Nancy Meredith reflected, “It was extra special to work side by side with a United Methodist Church Volunteer in Missions organization. I loved seeing Connectionalism at its best.”
Pulaski Heights UMC began working with Salud y Paz in 2001 when Gwen Efird and Rev. Vic Nixon caught the vision of combining medical expertise with mission. That vision grew into a long-term partnership shaping both the Arkansas congregation and countless Guatemalan communities.
Emily Erkel, who led the 2025 medical team, first joined the mission in 2005. She was drawn to its philosophy of working with the people of Guatemala rather than doing ministry for them. “Salud y Paz brings health and healing WITH the people. They partner with community leaders, offer education, and create trust. A permanent clinic staffed by Guatemalan professionals anchors the work, while short-term teams reach very rural villages,” she explained.
This approach has defined the mission for more than two decades: volunteers arrive not as outsiders offering charity but as partners in a shared ministry of healing and hope.
Founded 25 years ago, Salud y Paz began with dental care in Mayan communities recovering from Guatemala’s civil war. Today it operates a medical and dental clinic, pharmacy, preschool, and mobile clinics serving fifteen rural villages around Chichicastenango. In 2025 alone, fourteen short-term teams are scheduled to serve. Each community takes responsibility for hosting and supporting these clinics, ensuring trust and long-term partnership.
Rev. Katye Chambers emphasized another key strength: “It has been amazing to support the growth of Salud y Paz as an organization. I’m especially proud of the way Salud y Paz supports local economies—purchasing pharmaceuticals in-country and hiring translators from the very communities where we serve.”
The Pulaski Heights medical team included three medical providers, a nurse, eight high school and college students, and three other adults. Since 2008, youth have been central to the team’s approach, thanks in part to the leadership of Rev. Jay Clark.
“Young people are an integral part of our teams,” said Chambers. “They assist physicians and pharmacists, but just as importantly, they share love with children waiting for hours while their parents receive care. These youth are emerging leaders, serving as the hands, feet, and heart of Christ.”
The team treated more than 300 patients—infants through age 88—diagnosing diabetes, hypertension, infections, and illnesses less common in Arkansas, such as parasitic worms and scabies. The pharmacy filled 1,200 prescriptions, distributed 500 toothbrushes and tubes of toothpaste, and shared 45 pairs of glasses. Soccer balls, craft supplies, and bubbles created instant joy and connection with children.
One of the most moving moments came in the pharmacy, shared by team member Aimee Littrell: “An 88-year-old woman spoke a blessing over us in her native language. The joy to serve and be present was ours, but she returned it tenfold.”
While the PHUMC team focused on mobile clinics, a surgical team led by Denise Johnson served the same week at Buen Samaritano Hospital in Chichicastenango. After triaging patients and setting up, they operated Monday through Thursday, performing 83 surgeries—most of them hernia repairs.
Some patients’ stories remain unforgettable. A little girl who had one hernia repaired two years ago returned for the other side. An elderly man, with hernias on both sides and no family support, was brought in by a young friend from his community. Johnson noted the striking sense of community: “Perfect strangers step up to help one another, even in the hospital during discharge. The patients are gracious, trusting, and friendly—always capturing our hearts.”
This year, the surgical team also partnered with Dr. Ernesto Malino of the Salud y Paz clinic. He will follow all post-operative patients, sending reports back to the U.S. team, ensuring continuity of care.
Beyond clinics and surgeries, mission trips are about culture and relationship. The team stayed in Chichicastenango, reuniting with local vendors who remembered them from past visits, exploring vibrant markets, and even climbing a volcano near Antigua to roast marshmallows over an active lava dome.
For Erkel, the deeper power of the mission is faith across cultures: “We speak very different languages, but love of God comes through.”
The youth echoed that lesson: compassion and connection need no translation.
Plans are already underway for the next PHUMC mission trip, scheduled for July 11–19, 2026. An information session will be held early in the year, and the church has already begun collecting toothbrushes and toothpaste.
The Guatemala mission leaves both participants and patients transformed. Littrell summed it up: “The universal language of love was apparent whether they understood each other’s words or not. The bonds formed in such a brief time were palpable.”
For Pulaski Heights UMC, the mission with Salud y Paz is about more than medicine. It is about living the Gospel, walking humbly with God, and practicing connectionalism in its truest form. Every patient seen, every child who laughed while blowing bubbles, and every blessing spoken in a native tongue was a glimpse of the Kingdom of God breaking through.
By the Numbers: PHUMC’s 2025 Mission Impact
- 305 patients treated
- 1,200 prescriptions filled
- 500 toothbrushes distributed
- 45 glasses provided
- 11 soccer balls shared
- $250 of preschool supplies donated
- 8 youth/college students included
- 83 surgeries performed