Day 2 of Clinic

The day began with devotions and a well-inspired reminder that our God is an awesome God of mercy and forgiveness. We travelled to a small village of Hota Vieja, a very poor village about 45 minutes outside of Juan Dolio. The countryside was very serene, full of God’s wonder. We passed sugarcane fields and small houses. All of the children dressed in school uniforms of light blue shirts and khaki pants or skirts joyfully headed off to school. I have come to realize that most of the Major League Baseball teams have huge, magnificent sports compounds in the Dominican Republic. Today, we passed the Phillies, the Mets, and the Marlins. When we arrived to the small school which was to be our clinic for the day, there was already a line of over 100 people. Again, in a matter of minutes, the supplies were unloaded and before us stood a fully functional first care clinic. The team joined the community to hear the Good News that Kenneth was bringing to the people with his unique combination of witnessing and painting. The morning proved challenging for some of the team members, myself especially. By the time I saw my last patient at lunchtime, I felt as though I had seen 1000. During lunch, I took time to reflect and try to identify exactly what it was about the morning that was so hard. I sat in a small chair staring through the doorway and watching the crowd of people who remained, ages ranging from 18 days to eighty years…people who have been waiting for us to see them since early morning: In the sun, in the heat, without water or food, children without toys or games, no chairs, no TV, only the Word of God to nourish them throughout the morning until our daily feeding of rice with hot dogs and salad. I recalled the first five patients that I had seen this morning…stomachache, headache, and dizziness. So I asked about their food and water. “How much do you drink each day?” “When was your last meal?” The answers were surreal, like something from a TV program on PBS…they each answered their last meal was two or more days ago and they have no water to drink because the water is dirty and makes them ill. Many of them said that the only fluid they drink is the juice from lemons and oranges that they pick from the trees. Wait a minute…Isn’t this the 21^st century? How is this possible? In the weeks leading up to this trip, many friends who have served on mission trips around the world gave me advice on how to prepare my heart and soul and what things I would see, but I never imagined that it would be like this…people starving right in front of me…and I am helpless to help them in the long run. I asked the Lord to give me strength to face the remainder of the day. We prayed together and asked for strength for ourselves and the people we were about to care for. The good Lord gives what we need in his time, as I looked around again, I noticed that though the children hadn’t eaten in days and had no toys to play with, they were smiling and laughing, now playing with a hackiesack ball made from a piece of ripped t-shirt and some pebbles. There was a great sense of community among the people. God gave me peace in my heart so that I could shower people with His love and truth. Eventually the day ended with a musical meditation and worship. Our God truly is an AWESOME God. “The rich and the poor have this in common, the Lord is the maker of them all.” Proverbs 22:2.

S.H.

10/19/10