Every six months, a team from Big Stone Therapies travels to San Lucas Tolimán, Guatemala, a small community on the shores of Lake Atitlán where rehabilitation services and health insurance simply aren’t part of daily life. This August, three of our own made the trip, joined by 14-year-old Titus Schotzko and a crew of PT students and faculty from the University of Mary.
A week later, they came home with sunburns, sore feet, and stories that capture exactly what our core values look like when they’re lived out 2,600 miles from home.
Getting There Was Half the Battle
The trip started before dawn on a Saturday, with a 6 a.m. flight out of Minneapolis, a layover in Chicago, and a duffel bag full of durable medical equipment that United’s staff weren’t thrilled about. It made it through anyway. By 7 p.m., the team had checked into their hotel in San Lucas and taken a quiet group walk to stretch their legs after a long day of travel.
Sunday began with 7 a.m. Mass, in Spanish, which none of the team spoke fluently. But as Emma put it, just being present for the way a community worships together was its own kind of experience. A boat tour of San Juan and Panajachel followed, complete with coconut water straight from the coconut and a first taste of authentic Guatemalan food.
Four Days of Care, Dozens of Stories
Starting Monday, the team split into groups alongside University of Mary students and local interpreters, setting up open-air treatment stations in nearby communities and making home visits for patients who couldn’t travel. Over the course of the week, they treated more than 30 patients in a single day at times: orthopedic injuries, chronic pain, developmental delays, and everything in between, fitting people with walkers, canes, braces, splints, and shoes, often built or adapted on the spot from whatever supplies were on hand.
A few moments stood out:
- A shared story of loss and resilience. One patient was struggling with an ill-fitting below-knee prosthetic. The student who worked with her most closely, Nate, had become an amputee himself just seven months earlier while still in his PT program. Andrew described it simply: it wasn’t the treatment that mattered most, but the human connection between two people who understood the same struggle from opposite sides of the world.
- New shoes, a grandmother’s tears. During a home visit, Emma fitted a barefoot child, living on a dirt floor, with socks and tennis shoes for the first time. The child’s grandmother squeezed her leg and teared up, overwhelmed with gratitude.
- A father’s hug. Colton’s group saw eight patients in one day, including a father whose son received a new pair of shoes. His thank-you was a hug that, in Colton’s words, “melted my heart.”
Between patient visits, the team squeezed in a 4 a.m. sunrise hike up Volcán Atitlán-Tolimán, mango ice cream after a hot day in the field, a 6-mile run along Lake Atitlán, and an evening soccer game against the mission staff and students that Andrew still smiles about.
Faith, Family, and a Different Pace of Life
Ask any of the three what stuck with them most, and the answer isn’t really about equipment or diagnoses.
“It’s been such a blessing to be immersed in another culture that is family-centered and less rushed than our busy lives in the states. It’s a great reminder to focus on what is most important, Faith and Family… and some fun.”
Colton Paskewitz, PT
Andrew, on his fifth trip to Guatemala after a decade away, noticed how much has changed: more organized clinic days, PT students working alongside licensed therapists, simple digital documentation. But also how much hasn’t. Patients still respond to care with overwhelming gratitude, often thanking the team through an interpreter no matter how small the help. He was struck, too, by the legacy of it all: after 36 mission trips spanning years, word of mouth in these communities now fills every open appointment slot within days of the schedule going out.
Emma, on her first trip as a new graduate, said the experience made her stop and reflect on everything she typically takes for granted, and gave her hands-on exposure to physical therapy treatment she doesn’t usually see up close in her day-to-day OT role.
Advice for the Next Person on the Fence
All three were asked the same question: if someone was considering this trip, what would you tell them?
“Just DO IT. Jump in… everything is well organized and smooth. It is a great opportunity that helps your overall practice.”
Colton Paskewitz, PT
“I would tell the person to just go because your experience level does not matter. You are going with other therapists, and you will never be alone.”
Emma Bass, COTA
“I have never heard a participant wish they didn’t do it… I would assure anyone not only that you have what you need, but God will provide whatever or whoever you need in the moment.”
Andrew Schotzko, PT
More Than a Mission Trip
This trip is a small window into something Big Stone Therapies has been part of for a long time: a partnership with the San Lucas mission that’s given clinicians the chance to serve, grow, and be reminded of exactly why they chose this career in the first place. It’s Faith, Family, Fairness, and Fun, lived out one patient, one pair of shoes, and one home visit at a time.
Interested in joining a future Guatemala mission trip? Reach out to your regional lead to learn more about how BST supports clinicians who want to serve.
