The Beginning of the End

It's hard to try and sum-up the feelings and experiences I've had this past week. It was the fourth time that I had traveled to the area of Izabal, but it was the first time doing clinics in the towns we were in. In addition, the team of 15 SPU students made set this trip apart and made it special from past trips to this place. For the first two days, we were in the town that was farthest away, Creek Maya, and it took us about two hours just to get there. The hills were definately more difficult to navigate, but thanks to the Lord, it barely rained while we were there and we were able to get there and back every day. Along with having less rain, there was also more humidity and heat. It only took a few minutes before our scrubs changed a darker shade from the sweat, even so, the faces of those working were rarely without joy. It was the first time that a team from La Mision had come to help in this area and it was clear that it was needed. We were struck by how much education was needed in this area concerning sanitation and proper nutrition. The majority of patients were infected with a certain skin parasite, called Scabies, and it was only within a few hours before we ran out of medicine to treat it. This made me feel pretty angry, with myself especially, because I know we had a whole bottle full of this medicine back at the office, in the city. We decided not to bring more because we weren't expecting Scabies to be so prevalent. However, it was important to remember that in our weakness or in our lacking, God is strong and it is then when He usually chooses to do miracles. God did not make it possible to reach these areas to just bring people medicine. He made the journey possible, so that He could reveal Himself to His people, whether that be to the people of these villages or us. During the first two days of clinics, we saw around 150 people in medical and about 50-60 people in dental. The people that came to the clinics in Creek Maya seemed much more hesitant to receive healthcare, but it was a great foundation for future clinics. On the third day of clinics, we were in the village of San Carlos. La Mision had been in this area one time previously, but had experienced disorganization in the past with the patients. This time it was better organized and we were able to see over 100 patients in medical and at least 30 in dental. The people in this town seemed extremely grateful to see us there and were more receptive to accepting help as well. The indigenous language spoken in this area of Guatemala is Qu'eqchi and there numerous times were I wish I could speak this language. One word I did learn, after giving albendazol (a chewable anti-parasite) to basically every kid, sounded like, "Osh." This meant to chew or eat. During these clinics, the Lord blessed me with energy. Most mornings I felt tired upon arriving, especially after riding in the back of the truck requiring a strong grip to stay on. It was amazing how the Lord provided in little ways renewing our strength and enabling us to continue working.

Aside from working in the clinics, I was given yet another opportunity to get to know a great team of people with beautiful hearts. At the start of this last week, I was actually not very excited about meeting this group. I have been blessed greatly by meeting people from teams all over the U.S., but it always pains me to have to say goodbye after making such great friends. When it came time to meeting this group, I honestly felt drained of relationships. Thankfully, the Lord filled me yet again with a desire to get to know the people of this team and I was yet again blessed greatly by it. Even though the students from SPU were younger than most teams, they came with honest motives and open arms to serve the Lord. Overall, this last week was an excellent way to conclude working here.

As for doing medical missions in the future, it is always in the Lord's hands, but I would not mind doing this kind of work for a more extended period of time. Working with the people at La Mision have given me different view of how I imagined doing medical missions and a respect for those who work here. As for now, I head back to California the coming Wednesday to hunt down a nursing job and start paying back those dreaded college loans. Although this seems like the end of a chapter, I anticipate another one starting with more unknowns than any before. I am truly thankful that God is in control and not myself. Thank you for your prayers and please continue praying for La Mision and the beautiful people of Guatemala.

Here is a verse that was spoken of this week by one of the staff members, Maco, at La Mision that kind of summed-up the week...

"No eye has seen ,

no ear has heard,

no mind has conceived

what God has prepared for those who love Him."

-1 Corinthians 2:9 also Isaiah 64:4

Another one that I stumbled upon, reading this morning, that serves as a great reminder...

"For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him."

-Isaiah 40:13

En Christo,

Stephanie

A lesson in compassion

One of my favorite worship songs has a line in it that says, "Let my heart break for what breaks Yours." This past week God has blessed me with experiences that have done just this. A professor at Whitworth taught me that another meaning for the word compassion is a feeling that comes from the guts or the insides of your being. This is a great picture of how I felt when helping some of the family in the towns of Sarita and San Pedro la Cocona. In one instance in Sarita, I was explaining medicine instructions to a mother with 4 children. She had just delivered her youngest recently via C-section and appeared extremely exhausted and obviously was not recovered from the operation. Her newborn baby was probably one of the sickest I have seen since being here. He had just received a nebulizer breathing treatment for bronchial pneumonia. I remember vividly the mother's face and how tired her eyes looked. We saw more mothers that day with their children than I remember at other times. During this trip to the town of San Pedro la Cocona, Tito explained to us how one family had impacted him and helped him to better understand what was needed in addition to medical help. Tito first met this family after tending to one of their younger children who had been extremely sick from parasites and was extremely malnourished. After setting up the clinics for our last day, we stopped by the home of this family. The mother was home with her five children and the second youngest was very sick at the time. They lived in a two-room structure that no one in the U.S. would consider a house. It was not even able to give them proper shelter from the intense rains and possible intruders. Their roof was basically rusted away and it was obvious that the family was not eating well from the looks of what had to have been a kitchen. As we prayed for this family and gave the mother some medicine for her child, I felt the now more familiar wrenching in my heart. The following day we were blessed to serve this family with medicine, including the drug of choice for the trip (albendazol-an antiparasitic), and vitamins. We were also able to put a new roof on this family's house and bring food to them. It is amazing how important the father is in the families here. You can tell if a family has a good father if the children are being fed and they have sufficient shelter. Sadly, some of the fathers in this area have not been taught the importance of how to spend money. It pains me to see that most of the families we see do not have the father present with them. It is evident in the faces of the mothers how life is for them and their children at home. Not all of the families are without a father-figure present, but it seems more common than the contrary. It is also amazing how important clean water, shelter, and food is and how everyday I unknowingly take these things for granted. It is so easy to forget that there are people without access to these basic needs. Along with feeling helpless about providing all that these people need, I am reminded of how powerful the hope I have found in Christ is to share. Without hope, we really have nothing, regardless of the material possessions or necessities we are blessed with. What was different after leaving on the last day was a sense of hope instilled in the people. Prais God for moving in ways we can not. He doesn't need us to be a part of His great plan to bring His children back into His embrace. One of the things I have been learning here is to do every work using all of my ability taking every opportunity to love others no matter where they are from. The people who came from this last team taught me much about loving others whole-heartedly. Either from working diligently counting pills in the Pharmacy or for praying for those who receive them. These people would jump at the chance to sweat profusely outside while putting fluoride in the mouths of the children. Joy was definately a contagious feeling with these fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. There are many stories I could share about the people I have spent time with last week. It is so great how you can be blessed through the most unexpected conversations, especially when Jesus is included.
This week we have been working in the office. It has been great having the new addition to our intern team, Trevor, here to help organize medicine and play an occasional, roaring game of King's Corner after work. He is going on his last year of medical school and has been a great help to the doctors here. It's also great to have a new person here for the Guatemalan's to tease. This morning we met all of the SPU students who are joining us next week in the clinics. Half of the students are working in the medical part and the other half is working with the children. They have been helping at America Latina (a private Christian school in the city) with the teachers and also traveling to schools, giving fluoride to the students. Prayers for preparing the hearts of these students are gladly welcomed. These students have an obvious excitement to serve and my hopes are that we are all able to work together well. Prayers so that the staff at La Mision does not get over-exhausted from the expected stress with the upcoming week having so many young people to organize. Praises again for the time that has been extended for me here and for the unknown that is to come tomorrow. Praises for being blessed in the greatest and smallest ways. Thank you for your prayers and for reading. Here is one of my favorite prayers by A.W. Tozer:

O God, be Thou exalted over my possessions. Nothing of earth's treasures shall seem dear unto me if only Thou art glorified in my life. Be Thou exalted over my friendships. I am determined that Thou shalt be above all, though I must stand deserted and alone in the midst of the earth. Be Thou exalted above my comforts. Though it mean the loss of bodily comforts and the carrying of heavy crosses, I shall keep my vow made this day before Thee. Be Thou exalted over my reputation. Make me ambitious to please Thee even if as a result I must sink into obscurity and my name be forgotten as a dream. Rise, O Lord, into The proper place of honor, above my ambitions, above my likes and dislikes, above my family, my health and even my life itself. Let me sink that Thou mayest rise above. Ride forth upon me as Thou didst ride into Jerusalem mounted upon the humble little beast, a colt, the foal of an ass, and let me hear the children cry to Thee, 'Hosanna in the highest.'
Amen.