A Mission to Heal: St. Luke’s Health Mother-Daughter Nursing Duo Put their Faith in Practice in Guatemala

Every Spring for the last three years, Ruth Potts, RN, an orthopedic PACU (post-anesthesia care unit) nurse at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, has joined a group of about 60 other medical professionals from across the U.S. on a journey of healing to one of the most impoverished countries in the world.

Through Faith in Practice, a Houston-based organization that provides free medical care to underserved people in Guatemala, Potts and a team of surgical specialists, nurses, hospitalists and other healthcare professionals, spend a week at a makeshift clinic in Guatemala’s capital city, Antigua. There, they perform dozens of orthopedic procedures ranging from total hip and knee replacements to foot and ankle surgeries, to amputations and prosthetics. Their patients often travel long distances from remote villages to receive care that otherwise simply isn’t available, or is unaffordable to them.

In Guatemala, where almost half of the population’s 17 million people live in poverty and more than 85% of the total population is economically vulnerable, patients often struggle to afford even the most basic care. 

"If you have a car accident and break a bone, you’ll get what you can pay for, but that often means incomplete surgeries and malformed conditions,” Ruth explains. “Our job is to help correct those issues when we can."

For Ruth, doing mission work has been a lifelong ambition that Faith in Practice made possible. Founded in 1991 to provide ​​medical and health-related educational programs to Guatemala’s poorest citizens, Faith in Practice today works with an all-volunteer team of 1,100 U.S. and 300 Guatemalan volunteers to provide healthcare to more than 17,000 Guatemalans annually.

"I got involved because one of the doctors I worked with at St. Luke’s went every year,” says Ruth. “People would go again and again, and when a spot opened up, I was invited to join. It felt like the right time."

Mission work, she adds, “opened my eyes to what’s truly important in medicine: providing care with compassion, no matter the tools at your disposal."

Antigua is a city rich in history and culture. But Ruth admits she was initially nervous about traveling there, knowing that the country lacks modern medical infrastructure and its medical facilities are extremely basic.

"It was a little daunting at first,” Ruth recalls of her first mission trip. “We worked with very limited resources—for instance, reusing single-use glass canisters for suctioning and repurposed materials we might discard in the U.S.

"Seeing the way the people of Guatemala make do with what they have is humbling.” 

The work is not always straightforward, either. Sometimes, surgeons must inform patients that the damage is too extensive to repair.

"There are times when amputation is the only option," she says. "But even then, we provide prosthetics and help patients adjust so they can live productive lives. It’s a hard conversation to have, but it’s part of the process.”

Ruth returned from her first mission trip with a heightened sense of purpose for her chosen profession—and the desire to inspire her colleagues, too.

Every nurse should do a mission trip at least once, Ruth says. "It really fills your cup and makes you appreciate what you have. You also learn to be creative with limited resources, which makes you a better nurse."

One of the nurses she inspired was her own daughter Bailee, who joined her mother’s second mission trip with Faith in Practice last year.

Growing up hearing about Ruth’s experiences as a nurse led Bailee to follow a similar career path.

"My mom had such a big influence on me, and I loved hearing her stories," says Bailee, currently an RN in CV Recovery at BSLMC. “I was always interested in medicine, and nursing seemed like a great career that would give me the chance to help people.”

Though Bailee had participated in domestic mission trips through her church, this was her first international medical mission.

"The experience was eye-opening," Bailee says. "I’ve worked with transplant patients in the U.S., but seeing people in Guatemala who had gone years without the care they needed—it was life-changing."

Bailee adds, "It’s inspiring to see how resilient these people are, even in the face of such difficult challenges."

Mother and daughter returned again this year for their second mission trip together with Faith in Practice.

During the week-long mission, the surgical team works 12-15 hour days. Aside from the surgeries, the mission team also works to address the broader needs of the community. Translators are key in making sure patients understand their treatment plans.

The few waking hours the team is not in the operating rooms or recovery wards are spent taking in Antigua’s vibrant culture.

"We have some free time to explore the city and enjoy the local food," says Bailee, "It’s a beautiful place, with its ornate churches and colorful Sunday parades that are all about celebrating their faith.  It’s an honor to take part in the parade and also worship with the local people.

“Their faith in God is incredibly inspiring."

She also appreciates the natural wonders of the country, with its lush foliage and views from their accommodations in Antigua of Volcán de Fuego, one of the most active volcanoes in the world, with frequent eruptions and lava flows.

Ruth speaks some Spanish, and vows to improve her command of the language for the next trip. "Being able to communicate directly with the patients makes a huge difference."

The Faith in Practice mission is about more than just medical care—it’s about building relationships and sharing faith.

For Ruth and Bailee, the annual mission trip, which they pay out of their own pockets, has now become an annual tradition, and a way to combine their faith, skills, and love for helping others. And with each trip, they are making a profound difference.

"It’s amazing to see how life-changing our work can be for these patients,” Bailee says. “A simple surgery can completely transform someone’s life. Knowing you played a part in that is incredible."

St. Luke’s Health Mother-Daughter Nursing Duo, Ruth and Bailee Potts, put their Faith in Practice in Guatemala.