This morning, we set up two tents in a neighbor's front yard. A cement wall divided the dirt yard from a busy highway. Opposite was a small cinder block house with a tin roof, a makeshift greenhouse with gorgeous flowers and orchids for sale, and a small patch of weeds where a pig fed. Several dogs rested beneath a truck, taking shelter from the blazing sun. Behind the house, the ground fell straight down the mountainside.
Under the tents, we set plywood boards across sawhorses and spread out our donated medical supplies. One makeshift table was for patient check-in and examination, and another two tables were for dispensing medicine. Our team consisted of four medical volunteers, three non-medical volunteers, and three volunteer interpreters - the family of the missionaries we are serving with, a huge blessing! We had no pill cutters, so we sterilized a large butcher knife procured from the family kitchen. I felt like Crocodile Dundee as I chopped deworming pills in half.
The patient waiting area was a semi-circle of kid-size plastic chairs set up next to the plywood tables. Families came on foot from up and down the highway and the mountainside. They came seeking help for hypertension, skin infections, worms, foot ulcers, kidney pain, high fevers, respiratory difficulties, sore throats, headaches, diabetes (including a 480 blood sugar level), diarrhea, joint pain (from walking everywhere and lots of heavy lifting), and generalized pain.
Many patients were severely dehydrated and received teaching on the importance of proper hydration. Pregnant mothers were in need of vitamins and iron. Many children received a ziploc packet of 10 chewable vitamins. Each child was given a new toothbrush and a small donated toy.
While the families waited to see the medical team, the children entertained themselves with soap bubbles, small plastic balls, and a tug-of-war rope provided by the mission team. I made a friend, a little boy named Daniel, who is an excellent soccer player. I cannot play soccer to save my life, but my competitive nature and his sweet smile led me to run all over the dirt yard, trying (unsuccessfully) to get the ball away from him. As I doubled over, gasping for breath, he walked up, shook my hand, and showed that adorable smile. Despite my lack of soccer skills, apparently he found me a worthy opponent. :)
A little while later, a two-year-old girl came in with a burn on her leg. Her screams pierced my heart. As we crushed up some baby aspirin in water, the medical team applied Sylvadene cream and a non-adhesive dressing. We prayed for the Lord to lift her pain and trauma and heal the burn caused by a pot of boiling soup she tipped over.
In the early afternoon, we took a quick lunch break and prepared for another wave of 100 patients. We were rained out, however, so we had to call it a day. Now we are back at the ministry house, sorting through medical supplies we hurriedly boxed up in the rainstorm, and setting out our next day's supply of children's toys and games. We're thinking of bringing beach balls and punching balls for our medical mission tomorrow, along with more donated stuffed animals (dressed in colorful outfits knitted by a dear friend of the team) and animal finger puppets. We've decided to go with just one tent for the medical station tomorrow, because the $60 per tent rental fee is eating into our supply budget, and we're trying to be good stewards of what we've been blessed with for this mission trip.
It's hard to walk away at the end of the day, knowing we put a band-aid on a gaping wound. As with Jesus, our hearts are moved with compassion for these people who struggle with so much. I'm reminded, however, of the deeper meaning of what the Lord did today. He allowed us to offer strength and encouragement to our Guatemalan brothers and sisters, as they walk out their faith in our precious Lord, in this difficult environment. A smile, a hug, some needed pain relief, some medicine to kill parasites and stop the damage of infection, words exchanged in kindness, a stuffed animal to hold, a shout of encouragement on the makeshift soccer field ... in each of these moments, in all these different ways, Heaven met earth today.
We were all reminded, together, that we are children of the King. We suffer together in this earth, but still we live in God's Kingdom. Little by little, in moments like this, we help each other see His Kingdom more and more. Wherever we gather together in His name, our Lord Jesus Christ is there. By His love, we are healed, strengthened, encouraged, and transformed.
"Asi, todos nosotros, que con el rostro descubierto reflejamos como en un espejo la gloria del Senior, somos transformados a su semejanza con mas y mas gloria por la accion del Senor, que es el Espiritu." (2 Corintios 3:18)
"And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:18)
Gloria a Dios! Praise be to God.
Blessings from Janet Eriksson, Guatemala Team 2011
Under the tents, we set plywood boards across sawhorses and spread out our donated medical supplies. One makeshift table was for patient check-in and examination, and another two tables were for dispensing medicine. Our team consisted of four medical volunteers, three non-medical volunteers, and three volunteer interpreters - the family of the missionaries we are serving with, a huge blessing! We had no pill cutters, so we sterilized a large butcher knife procured from the family kitchen. I felt like Crocodile Dundee as I chopped deworming pills in half.
The patient waiting area was a semi-circle of kid-size plastic chairs set up next to the plywood tables. Families came on foot from up and down the highway and the mountainside. They came seeking help for hypertension, skin infections, worms, foot ulcers, kidney pain, high fevers, respiratory difficulties, sore throats, headaches, diabetes (including a 480 blood sugar level), diarrhea, joint pain (from walking everywhere and lots of heavy lifting), and generalized pain.
Many patients were severely dehydrated and received teaching on the importance of proper hydration. Pregnant mothers were in need of vitamins and iron. Many children received a ziploc packet of 10 chewable vitamins. Each child was given a new toothbrush and a small donated toy.
While the families waited to see the medical team, the children entertained themselves with soap bubbles, small plastic balls, and a tug-of-war rope provided by the mission team. I made a friend, a little boy named Daniel, who is an excellent soccer player. I cannot play soccer to save my life, but my competitive nature and his sweet smile led me to run all over the dirt yard, trying (unsuccessfully) to get the ball away from him. As I doubled over, gasping for breath, he walked up, shook my hand, and showed that adorable smile. Despite my lack of soccer skills, apparently he found me a worthy opponent. :)
A little while later, a two-year-old girl came in with a burn on her leg. Her screams pierced my heart. As we crushed up some baby aspirin in water, the medical team applied Sylvadene cream and a non-adhesive dressing. We prayed for the Lord to lift her pain and trauma and heal the burn caused by a pot of boiling soup she tipped over.
In the early afternoon, we took a quick lunch break and prepared for another wave of 100 patients. We were rained out, however, so we had to call it a day. Now we are back at the ministry house, sorting through medical supplies we hurriedly boxed up in the rainstorm, and setting out our next day's supply of children's toys and games. We're thinking of bringing beach balls and punching balls for our medical mission tomorrow, along with more donated stuffed animals (dressed in colorful outfits knitted by a dear friend of the team) and animal finger puppets. We've decided to go with just one tent for the medical station tomorrow, because the $60 per tent rental fee is eating into our supply budget, and we're trying to be good stewards of what we've been blessed with for this mission trip.
It's hard to walk away at the end of the day, knowing we put a band-aid on a gaping wound. As with Jesus, our hearts are moved with compassion for these people who struggle with so much. I'm reminded, however, of the deeper meaning of what the Lord did today. He allowed us to offer strength and encouragement to our Guatemalan brothers and sisters, as they walk out their faith in our precious Lord, in this difficult environment. A smile, a hug, some needed pain relief, some medicine to kill parasites and stop the damage of infection, words exchanged in kindness, a stuffed animal to hold, a shout of encouragement on the makeshift soccer field ... in each of these moments, in all these different ways, Heaven met earth today.
We were all reminded, together, that we are children of the King. We suffer together in this earth, but still we live in God's Kingdom. Little by little, in moments like this, we help each other see His Kingdom more and more. Wherever we gather together in His name, our Lord Jesus Christ is there. By His love, we are healed, strengthened, encouraged, and transformed.
"Asi, todos nosotros, que con el rostro descubierto reflejamos como en un espejo la gloria del Senior, somos transformados a su semejanza con mas y mas gloria por la accion del Senor, que es el Espiritu." (2 Corintios 3:18)
"And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:18)
Gloria a Dios! Praise be to God.
Blessings from Janet Eriksson, Guatemala Team 2011
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