A Legacy of Partnership – A Future of Care

Make-A-Will Month: Leave a Legacy of Hope in Guatemala

As Salud y Paz celebrates 25 years of serving alongside communities in the highlands of Guatemala, we are reminded that lasting impact is built through relationships, consistency, and a shared commitment to serving others.

For Dr. H. Frank Andersen, that journey began in 2004 with what he expected would be a single medical mission trip. Instead, it became more than two decades of partnership with the people of Guatemala, serving not only as a physician, but also as a board member, mentor, and advocate for the mission of Salud y Paz.

Reflecting on those years, Dr. Andersen shares that while medicine brought him to Guatemala, it was the relationships that kept him returning. He learned that meaningful change is not found in a single clinic or one-time intervention, but through listening, walking alongside communities, and remaining committed over time. These were the reflections that led Frank and his wife Jan to make the powerful decision to include Salud y Paz in their planned giving.

Their story mirrors the journey of Salud y Paz itself. What began with the vision of our founder, Dr. Phil Plunk, has grown into a mission providing healthcare, education, and hope for thousands of families each year. Through faithful partners, dedicated volunteers, local leadership, and generous donors, that vision continues to grow.

Now, think about your own legacy. 

As we celebrate 25 years of Salud y Paz, we invite you to think about the next 25—and the legacy you want to leave behind. August is Make-A-Will Month, making it a meaningful time to create or update your will and consider the causes that matter most to you. By including Salud y Paz in your will, you can help ensure that the work you care about continues long after today—bringing healthcare, education, and hope to generations of families in Guatemala.

A gift through your will, of any size, can become part of the story you leave behind. It is a way to say, “I believe in this work, and I want it to continue.” Just as Frank and Jan Andersen’s faithful partnership has helped shape the past 25 years, your legacy can help shape the 25 years ahead.

Expanding Access to Eye Care 

Access to specialized eye care is limited for many families living in the rural communities we serve. Through our partnership with Hospital El Buen Samaritano, we are making these services more readily available while strengthening a shared commitment to serve the needs of our patients.

During a recent vision clinic, 35 patients received comprehensive eye evaluations. The screenings helped identify individuals requiring specialized care, with several patients scheduled for follow-up consultations and others preparing to receive cataract and pterygium surgeries.

Looking ahead, we hope to continue offering vision clinics every month or every other month, depending on community need and volunteer availability.

Preventive eye care remains an important need throughout the communities we serve. Many people are unaware that conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, glaucoma, and cataracts can gradually affect vision without causing pain or noticeable symptoms. Because healthcare is often sought only after problems become severe, raising awareness about prevention and early detection is just as important as providing treatment.

Through partnerships like the one we share with Hospital El Buen Samaritano, specialized consultations, follow-up care, and sight-restoring procedures become more accessible to those who need them most. Together, we are helping preserve vision, improve quality of life, and expand access to care for the communities we serve.

Faith, Healing and Community: Highlights from Our Summer Volunteer Teams

We are so grateful for the incredible medical teams who joined Salud y Paz during the months of July and August! Their compassion, dedication, and willingness to serve brought meaningful care and hope to Indigenous Maya communities who face many barriers to accessing essential healthcare.

Here is the impact they made:

Coronado Community UMC: Provided medical and optical care to 298 patients, while also contributing valuable resources to our clinic and classrooms and sharing faith and fellowship with local families.

Pulaski Heights UMC Medical Team: Provided medical and dental care to 453 patients, while bringing resources, encouragement, and joy to the community throughout their week with us.

Pulaski Heights UMC Surgical Team: Provided life-changing procedures to 80 patients in just one week. Their skill and dedication opened the door to specialized care that many patients would otherwise struggle to access.

Together, these teams reached 831 patients through medical, dental, optical and surgical care. Beyond the numbers, each patient represents a person, a family and an opportunity to show compassion and share hope.

Thank you for partnering with us to bring quality healthcare and hope to the communities we serve!

Building Hope: New Clinic Construction Update 

We are excited to share another month of progress on our new clinic! Construction continues to move forward steadily, with the second floor taking shape and important installations being coordinated throughout the building.

Here is where we stand today:

• First-Floor Progress: The team has advanced with the installation of windows and sanitary fixtures, bringing the first floor closer to becoming a functional space.

• Second-Floor Construction: The crew continues raising the block walls, installing intermediate tie beams, and pouring reinforced concrete columns. At the current pace, we expect the remaining columns to be completed within the next couple of weeks.

• Electrical & Clinic Installations: Power and lighting installations have been reviewed and the team has coordinated the future intercom system. We also worked through the specific needs of the dental area, including air, suction, drainage, water and electrical connections.

• Looking Ahead: Once the columns are completed, the next major phase will be the construction of the beams and final slab. 

Every wall, column, window, and carefully planned installation brings us one step closer to completing this clinic and creating a space that will serve the community for years to come.

Thank you to our volunteers from Owasso First Methodist and to our entire global community for continuing to support this project and be part of the journey. Stay tuned for more updates!

Platinum Seal of Transparency 2026

We are proud to announce that International Hands in Service (Salud y Paz) has earned the Platinum Seal of Transparency from GuideStar for 2026! This is the highest level and the most widely adopted symbol of transparency in the U.S. social sector.

This seal reflects our commitment to sharing open and honest information about our goals, impact, and progress. We want to make sure you have all the financial, programmatic, and progress updates you need to confidently support our work.

Thank you for partnering with us!