Saturday, August 18, 2012

Our first use of the Clinic-in-a-Box
In Africa, at least here, things are rarely used for their originally designed purpose.  I could go on for quite some time about the unique and inventive ideas that I have seen in practice here.  One definitely learns to think outside the box.  That being said, I have discovered that I had packed a Rubbermaid stationary box in our crates.  Lately, I have noticed that I am needing a little more than a basic first aid kit when I go places.  So, I have taken my office box and turned it into a clinic box.  I am really excited about it because I had been looking for a way to go with Roy and the guys when they do evangelism in nearby towns.  I would like to offer some basic medical care as a compliment to the evangelism.
One of our students has been faithfully continuing to do evangelism in his assigned town, in spite of the fact that school is no longer in session and he is not required to go any longer.  Because of his faithfulness, a church has been established and are meeting faithfully each week.  A child of one of these families had been sick for about 2 weeks without improvement.  A medicine man approached them, saying that he could help them.  The pastor tried to encourage them not to go to th medicine man, but instead to trust God, so he came and asked me to help.  The kids and I took my clinic-in-a-box and walked with him to see the child, only to find that the family had already left to go and meet the medicine man in a nearby town.  Disappointed, we headed for home, but as we walked, we prayed that the family would be unable to meet the medicine man and would return home unsuccessful.  Sure enough, the next morning the family arrived on my front porch.  They had walked quite a ways to the village and then could not find the medicine man.  I was able to treat him and he is now doing better. That same afternoon, someone else from another town came and asked me to come and see his wife, whose leg was swollen up so that she could not walk.  I was able to take my clinic box and walk to her house, and not only treat her, but three other people as well while I was there.  I was humbled and grateful to discover today that all of the patients I attempted to treat are doing well and have almost completely improved. God is so GOOD!  And yet at the same time, I am more aware than ever that physical care is much more than just physical, especially here.  One cannot treat the physical without touching on the spiritual realm... and in that there is a battle... please pray for us whenever you can... and pray for these people who need so much... have so little... and try so hard.

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Hello to all...it has been such a long time and SO much has happened since I was last able to write.  We have had several guests, which was a lot of fun... AND we got our shipment... FINALLY!  WOOHOO!  The clinic is also underway now and we have plans to open it in September.  However, it is going to be tight because, as we were about to start moving in, we discovered that the floor under the exam room was hollow... yes, our friends and constant companions, the termites, have struck again.  Sooooo, now we are breaking up the floor and digging down to where there are no termites...pouring bug-killer in the space, putting down SALT (of all things)...and then refilling the space with rocks and then cement.  Oh well... sigh.... we wouldn't want things to be BORING now would we?  :) 
Anyway, I was thinking the other day about the 12 men who spied out Cannan land.  I was teaching my kids the song I learned as a child...
     12 men spied out Cannan land, 10 were bad and 2 were good.
     And what did they see in Cannan's land, 10 were bad and 2 were good.
    Some saw giants big and strong, some saw grapes in clusters long,
    Some saw God was in it all...
    10 were bad and 2 were good.

Such a simple song...
And then it struck me...
WE are like that!  Whenever some new adventure comes along, there are generally 3 responses to it: 1 - We see the "grapes in clusters long" - the benefits that we can experience and the opportunities... not necessarily bad per se... but somewhat "self-focused".
2 - We see "giants strong" - those things that could go wrong...the dangers... the risks... the what-if's...

Now,
 I tend to be... I must confess... a "what-if-er"...
 big fan of the safe side...
 always wanting to prepare for "just-in-case"....
Yet, here I am... in the land of the giants (or termites, whichever) and I want to fall into the third category...
I want to be one of the ones who "SAW GOD WAS IN IT ALL".  There are not very many who fall into that category, but I am striving for membership in that club.  HE is in it all, we just so often fail to notice.
SO, even when my heart fails a little at the thought of spending three weeks here with just me and the kids and no one else ( Roy is in the States to see his mom, who is preparing to move to her cancer-free mansion.  Dad and Clare are back in the States as well.) and even though my heart sunk at the discovery of the termites... I CHOOSE not to be daunted.  God is in it ALL!  Blessings are hidden like buried treasure in the things that look like problems...it is all a matter of perspective!


Be a treasure hunter with me today... it is easier if you know you can work with a friend! :)


I still wonder why none of the 12 men mentioned anything about termites...