Wrapping Up in Honduras

A panoramic view of Tegucigalpa from the street we are staying on

It's hard to believe that our week in Honduras is coming to an end. It has been an incredible week, and we are so thankful for all that the Lord has done!

Since the last post, we held held a clinic in the mountains one day and in a village near the city's dump for two days. In the mountains, we partnered with a ministry at the local school. I had the chance to work at the evangelism station. It was so good to be able to share the good news of the Gospel with our patients and show the that we care about more than their physical health. I was reminded that no matter what our situation in life is: in wealth or poverty, in hunger or plenty, in health or sickness, we all have the same primary need. A savior to redeem us from the worst malady of all, our sin. Through a translator, I shared the Gospel with I don't know how many people and prayed with many of them to receive Christ. It is my hope and prayer that the Lord uses the seeds we planted to grow faithful followers for Himself.

At the dump today, I got to witness the poverty of some of the families first hand while I served on the outreach team. We visited the homes of two families that I had met in the clinic and got to deliver them some food. It was sobering to see how the families took care of what little they had and the joy they had despite their meager lifestyle. I was struck by how often I take what I have for granted. Psalm 73 has been heavy on my mind this week when I consider the poverty that has surrounded us. I pray that I will be like the Psalmist and be able to say, regardless of my situation, "For me it is good to be near God..."

The line to get into the clinic in the mountains

Amy, Hannah, and Bethany in front of our trusty bus

Inside the mountain clinic. Not visible are all of the flies, the room was covered with them!

This is Brian with Fabrizio. I don't know if Fabrizio ever saw a doctor because he seemed to prefer sitting in someone's lap all day.

Greg with some of the kids outside the school at the mountain clinic

Our bus wasn't able to get us to the church at the dump, so we had a bit of a hike to our clinic site

This is the church that hosted our clinic near the dump

Clinic at the dump. It was cleaner, and didn't smell as bad as it sounds!

This is the outside of the first house we visited on outreach this afternoon.

This is their kitchen

Me, Ben, Shante, and Greg with the first family we visited.

Greg with the mother at the second home we visited

The father, Alex, made recovers car seats using a sewing machine in their back yard.

As the week comes to a close, I want to share with you what we have been thankful for this week and what we are praying for as we leave. First, what we are thankful for:

•   Your prayer and financial support. To bring our team and supplies here cost a lot of money and many of you provides the money necessary for us to be able to get here. And we believe that the week would not have run as smoothly without your prayer.

•   For the Honduran nationals who hosted us. Their hospitality has been overwhelming. We have had delicious home cooked meals every day. If it were our responsibility to drive ANYWHERE in this town, we would have died! And the fellowship we have shared as brothers and sisters on Christ has been refreshing!

•   For our Honduran doctors, translators, and pharmacist. Their patience in teaching us has been incredible. Most of us have very little experience with patients, much less patients who do not speak our language! And still, the doctors helped us practice exams and were patient with our mistakes. Because of my translator, Dunia, my Spanish is probably better than it ever was after any Spanish class I ever took. (My English, on the other hand, has gotten worse.)

•   For the camaraderie in our team. I am always amazed at the unity we experience in the Lord when we are serving Him.

•   For our health and safety. To have no major injuries or sicknesses in a team of our size is no small blessing and wouldn't have been possible apart from the Lord's protection.

•   For themes believers that the Lord has drawn to Himself. We heard that at the Thursday night service at the first church we worked with, they had 17 new people and they are expecting more this Sunday.

And our prayer requests:

•   We saw a lot of sick people at our clinics this week and in the hospital. In particular, we got to watch and participate in some burn surgeries with a general surgeon from Tulsa. Someone the patients were burned over large parts of their bodies and will have nothing or almost nothing to manage their pain as they recover. In one family I helped to treat, 4 of the 6 family members we saw were anemic and they do not have much money to be able to afford beans or meat that would be helpful. And finally, we saw a 7 year old girl with a congenital heart defect that severely limits her abilities. We were amazed that she has lived this long and we are afraid that she will not live long without surgery. There is a team coming in a month or so that will be able to perform her surgery, but she gets sick easily. We are praying that the lord will help the grafts to take, to provide for the needs of the families we have met, and that he will keep the little girl healthy enough for her surgery.

•   For the continued growth of the new believers. We pray that they will be able to be plugged in with a local church and will be old with the Gospel with their friends and neighbors.

•   For our new Honduran friends that they will be encouraged in the Lord.

•   And for peace in Honduras. I was surprised to learn about how violent Honduras is.   The people here live with the constant threat of violence and are surrounded by poverty and corruption. Many of them feel that there is no hope, but we know that there is always hope in Christ.

Again, thank you for your prayer and support. It has been a great week!

Esperanza en Cristo,

Griffin Collins MS II

Tegucigalpa at night

First Two Days at the Clinics and Hospital

Written by: Payton Statkewicz - 2nd year medical student

Above and below are pictures of some of the nicer homes my husband and I saw on our way to bring a basket of food to a family in need. These are homes we walked to from our clinic and this is where many of the patients we saw lived.

When we made it to the home we were walking to I was speechless. The father of the family we were going to visit has cancer and we were told is very sick, yet he was still out working trying to provide for his family. His daughter was home and was able to let us in to their one room home that was maybe 8ft by 8ft and housed their whole family. We were able to pray with the daughter for her father and family and left them their basket of food. Russell and I left their home with so much more than what we came with. The image of their home is burned into my brain permanently and a sense of immediate thankfulness came over both of us when we thought of what we call home. I know the food will be a temporary blessing for that family, but the blessing they gave to us will last a lifetime. Please keep this family in your prayers.

Above is a picture of the clinic we worked at the first two days. It is the building on the left and is actually this community's church. The pastor of the church is a precious christian, who truly is changing and blessing so many lives in this community. Many people from this church along with the pastor graciously helped us set up our clinic and helped us throughout our time there. We saw close to 400 people from this community in these two days. It was really awesome that as we were helping these people, they were also helping us learn and perfect some of our clinical skills. The Honduran doctors that worked with us were so patient teaching us and so kind to give up their time to help the community in need.

This is the public and main hospital in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. I was able to visit this hospital for an afternoon  on our second day of our clinic and watch two orthopedic surgeries. This gave me a whole new perspective on the waiting time in ER rooms in the United States. One patient that received surgery on Monday had been waiting 18 months for it. We will be setting a clinic up tomorrow in a new location, please keep our group and our patients in your prayers.

First Day of Clinic

Ben Cason, MS-3

Today we held our first day of clinic. We set up shop in a small covered amphitheatre in an outlying neighborhood in the hills. The drive getting there was quite adventurous, and at times we wondered whether we would be hiking the final couple of miles. Thanks to our very skilled bus driver, we were able to get within a few hundred yards of the amphitheatre before we had to start carrying supplies by hand.

After getting settled and manning our stations - intake, physician, pharmacy, evangelism, children, and outreach - we began seeing patients. I was assigned to intake in the morning and was immediately aware of how difficult today would have been if it had not been for our amazing interpreters. The language barrier still made communication difficult at times, but we were able to get patients through our station pretty quickly so that their health concerns could be addressed. It was remarkable how many health problems many of these patients had, and today was the first time many of these people had seen a physician in about a year.

After lunch, most of us changed stations. Emily and I were assigned to the evangelism and prayer station ("the E team"). We teamed up with a local minister who was able to interpret for us as we attempted to address these patients' spiritual needs after they had been treated medically. It was truly a blessing to see how thankful these people were to have people from another country donate their time to take care of them. Most of the people seemed to understand that we were there out of love, and some of them knew that our love came out of our relationship with Christ. Many of those who came through our station were believers themselves, and all of them had some knowledge of the Gospel, mostly from a Catholic background.

Those who were not believers were given the opportunity to receive Christ, and many new believers were added to the Kingdom.

The crowd as we arrived around 10:00. Some of these had been waiting since before 6:00.

 

Me taking vitals at intake.

Griffin had a great time playing with the kids. Apparently Hershey's Kisses are the way into children's hearts even here.

Tricia and Ethan playing with the kids.

Here's Shante taking a patient's vitals at intake in the afternoon.

Dr. Butts deep in converstation with one of our Honduran physicians, Radolpho.

This is a father and daughter we were able to help receive Christ. On the far left in Ricardo, who was both a minister for the people and an interpreter for us.

We thank God for the great success we had today. Please continue to pray for the people of Honduras and especially for the new believers, as they will be facing new challenges in the midst of an already difficult life. 

"Hola!"from Tegucigalpa, Honduras!

The team safely arrived on Saturday afternoon, and we've been on the move ever since. 

After getting settled at the Mission House, the packing of the meds began. We had a little help from translators in figuring out proper dosages in Spanish.

The food here is amazing- we have had the opportunity to experience many dishes unique to Central America. Chef Griffin has even learned how to make papooses (that is most likely not how that dish is spelled). 

Sunday morning was spent at the Basilica where we worshipped with our Honduran brothers and sisters for upwards of three hours. The service began with a special processional, and we're not sure how it ended because the entire service was in Spanish, but it was fun experiencing the different cultural worship.

Here's a group shot of our team: 

We are here with another medical team from Oklahoma. Here we all are at lunch on Sunday. 

Sunday night, we had a pizza party with a few Honduran medical students. It was interesting being able to compare their medical training to ours in the States. Hopefully, our new friends will be able to come out to the clinics and work with us after their classes. 

Monday marks our first day of clinic here in Tegucigalpa. We'll have a full update on both the hospital team as well as the clinic team. 

Thank you for your prayers! Specific needs include patience with the language barrier, strength to get through the physical demands the day will bring, safety in health, and of course, that we will constantly be aware of opportunities to preach the gospel of Christ's love to these precious people of Honduras. 

http://kjacksonp.blogspot.com/2012/04/leaving-kibogora.html

spreading the love all the way to Rwanda...

-Elizabeth

Soaking It All In

Pretend it is Monday, April 9th. Just a few days behind posting this. Today is our last day at kibogora hospital. It has been an amazing experience And we are sad to go, but anxious to return and see all those we miss back home. In this short time, we have built personal an professional relationships with many of the staff here and we hate to leave them. Dr. Ngoy, one of the pediatricians, and Immanuel, one of the scrub techs, welcomed their respective teams into their homes this past weekend. I was lucky to be able to visit immamuel's home, which he just moved into a week ago. He and his family are overjoyed to have their new home, as evidenced by their warm welcome and offering of fanta and coke. We were able to take the family's first photo in front of their new home, which he was thrilled to receive. I will never forget Immanuel, as he was truly dedicated to serving the hospital, the people and patients of Kibogora, and also our team during our short time in his country. Today, we are trying to soak up the views, the people, and the memories of Kibogora before we depart tomorrow. Though anxious to return, I will always remember my time here at Kibogora and the lessons I have learned through God's will for me. William

HAPPY EASTER FROM RWANDA!

Oh death! Where is your sting?

Oh hell! Where is your victory?

Oh Church! Come stand in the light!

Our God is not dead, he's alive! he's alive!

The African Kangaroo Flying Death Rat ATTACKS

Disclaimer – This story is to be read in the reader’s most dramatic and theatrical tone of voice in order for it to be fully appreciated. The authors of this blog would like to state the story that follows is in fact truth, and every event written about did actually occur. Poetic license may have been used by some authors in order to covey to the reading public the fear, anxiety and hilarity of the situation. Thank you. 

Shannon:  As a member of the pediatrics team here, we had been invited to enjoy a traditional Congolese meal with our local pediatrician Dr. Ngoy.  The food was amazing!  I have learned that I have a new love of plantains.  Anyway, after we came back to the house, the evening was dying down so I headed into my room to change into my lounge clothes.  I walk into the closet and turn on the light, after which I heard a pitter-patter of tiny feet above my head.  I look up, assuming that it was a small animal running across the roof.  I quickly realize how wrong my assumption was when I saw two beady little eyes staring down at me.  Not 2 seconds later, a monster rat is leaping towards my face!  My lightning fast reflexes kick in and the rat lands on my right shoulder instead of my face.  It jumps to the floor, and then I chase it around the room, trying to trap it into a corner so I can get it outside.  That rat was a feisty little critter!  I thought I had him cornered when he squished his little body under the door to my room, entering the hallway.  I thrust the door open to see where he is going when I see his little tail scoot under Leanna’s door.  I think for a minute, then realize that I need to tell her there is an invader in her room.  I walk out to the living room and calmly announce to Leanna that there is a rat in her room, after which pandemonium ensues!  I didn’t realize the chaos that I would be starting.  We all run back to Leanna’s room, where the scoundrel is hiding under the bed.  I am stuck in the hall, amidst screaming and shrieking and others chasing the rat with their shoes and other items that might be used to harm our friendly visitor.  The rat finally makes it out of Leanna’s room and makes a break for it down the hall, where Becky Bryars (who admits to having a severe rat phobia) is standing, watching the commotion while holding the butter bowl.  The rat jumps on her foot, she leaps in the air, loses her footing, and she hits the floor and the butter dish goes flying down the hallway and shatters!  The rat is still at large in the living room.  It runs along the wall behind all the furniture.

Elizabeth: First, I heard screams and shouts of confusion.  Did I hear something about a rat? Before I knew it, there were people running down the hallway towards the bedroom across from mine.  I heard Shannon say it had squeezed beneath the closed door.  I found myself screaming along with the others and preparing myself to make it to higher ground.  Little did I know that would not be sufficient… as they opened the door I saw the rat scaling the wall about 2.5 feet and jumping into the air, trying to escape the crowds of people, several with weapons in hand ready to take out the little critter.  “Why am I screaming like a little girl?” yelled a 26-year-old male in pursuit of the invader.  In rapid succession there were more screams, the sound of a dish breaking, and the rat chasers running in the opposite direction down the hall.  I made it down the hallway, past the broken glass, and into the living room, where the chaos continued.  Somehow, the rat made it out the back door.  Will it return? Stay tuned.  Since this magical rat can squeeze into tiny spaces, climb walls, and apparently fly, I could only think "i am safe nowhere!" My mosquito net now serves a dual function: it not only keeps me mosquito free, but also serves as a second barrier to any other rodents who try to make an appearance.

Britni: I was sitting on my bed in the back bedroom that I share with Elizabeth, going through some of the notes I’d taken from our early morning bible study. I heard yelling and high-pitched screaming coming from the room next to mine but didn’t think much of it since our team is mostly composed of boisterous and theatrical persons. There is always someone yelling, singing or running around screaming at the top of his or her lungs in our house. I continued to focus on the task at hand - clipping my toenails – until out of nowhere, I was bowled over backward by a large, grown man who had dive-bombed me on my bed in an attempt to escape the source of all of the commotion: a very large rat. This large man-child had me pinned down on my bed and was yelling into my ear over and over again, “There’s a rat, there’s a rat, there’s a RAT!” I was able to fandangle myself out from under him just in time to see a stampede of people run down the hallway, past the door to my bedroom and into the room across the hall from mine (Leanna’s room). The scene that ensued was reminiscent of the squirrel-in-the-Christmas-tree scene from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation: it was absolute chaos. There were about ten people in hot pursuit of the rat, most of them carrying weapons of varying caliber – shoes, books, glass butter dishes, pitchforks…you know, the usual. And ALL of them were screaming at the tops of their very large lungs. I jumped from my twin bed to Elizabeth’s, which afforded me a better view of the pandemonium that was ensuing across the hall. I watched the mess for about four minutes without even so much as a glance at the “rat” which had everyone up in arms. Just as I was about to write them all off (they must have overdosed on their Malaria prophylaxis medications) and return to my toenails, I heard a collective gasp and watched as a rat the size of a small house cat hauled arse out of Leanna’s room and booked it down the hallway towards the living room. Once again, I was knocked backwards onto the bed by the same man-child who’d attacked me earlier – he had backpedaled into my room when the rat charged towards the door and tripped backward onto my standing self over the baseboard of the bed. The last thing I recall before being thrown backward onto my butt was Becky’s scream and the sound of glass shattering onto the concrete floor in the hallway…

Melissa:  I was standing in the kitchen washing dishes when I heard a commotion in the living room.  Assuming it was just the group being dramatic about something as usual, I ignored it and went about my business.  A minute later, I hear Mrs. Becky scream, “A RAT?!?!”  As quickly as I could turn around, I notice that she has gone off to see if this story is really true.  As I’m finishing up the dishwashing, I hear a loud bang and the sound of shattering glass.  At this point I decided that maybe the group WASN’T just being dramatic and I should investigate.  As I make my way into the living room I see Bryan, Dr. Albertson, Brannon, and Dr. Peevy sitting on the couches as if nothing is going on.  I can see in the hallway that there is broken glass from the butter dish all over the floor, so everyone else is trapped at the end of the hallway.  Then, very nonchalantly, Bryan (who very slyly picked his feet up off the floor) says, “The rat just ran in here and it’s over in that corner behind the couch.”  There were many thoughts going through my head at this point.  Why are all of the men sitting on the couch as if nothing is going on??  THERE IS A RAT IN THE HOUSE!!  Is there really a rat in the house, or is everybody hallucinating?  What are we going to do to get this mouse out of the house??  Since everyone else was still in the hallway, I decided to be brave and see if I could tease the rat to come out from behind the couch.  He wasn’t behind the curtains, but I couldn’t bring myself to get on the floor to see where he was, but as soon as I looked up I realized Caroline was on the other side of the couch on the floor trying to get the rat to run my direction.  I knew at that moment that I should get out of the way, but alas, I was too late.  In the blink of an eye, I looked back down at the floor and see the MONSTER RAT running straight towards me.  Everything that happened after this is really a blur.  I recall myself running, knees to chest (afraid that the rat would get under my feet), then the last thing I remember is rounding the corner in my socked feet and wiping out on the floor. 

Shannon again:  The next thing I see as I enter the living room is Melissa Moon hitting the deck!  The rat took her down!  So Melissa is on the floor and Francie Albertson is standing on a chair with her hands to the sky, screaming as she watches the rat jump up on the curtains.  Melissa gets up and I hear her say, “I was going to be so brave, until the rat came after me!” This rat is athletic, it banks off the curtains to get to the chairs and avoid us.  Somehow Micki Peevy coerces it out the door, she slams it shut, and we all shout Hallelujah!  No more rat – whew!

This amateur sketch is what many believe the rat to look like.

God's power changes lives

My apologies up front for a very scattered and not well thought out post.

Each day I am becoming more aware of how limited our time at Kibogora is. As Friday comes to a close, I realize we only have one more day of working at the hospital. The thought of leaving is more bitter than sweet. There are still beds filled with hurting people who need help, lives in which we could possibly make a difference.

One life, I believe God has allowed us to impact, is the life of Jacqueline. She is a young lady who has been in the hospital for one year with burns. When we arrived she was without hope of recovery and had no desire to continue living. I have worked with her every day to begin moving her three fingers and thumb on her left had as well as remobilizing her right shoulder. Ultimately I have tried to be her friend, encourage her that there is hope and most importantly pray!

One week ago Thursday, she received skin grafts on her right hand. The following day she was incredibly depressed. As I tried working with her, she pulled away. Jacqueline refused to smile or speak or work with me. I had a nurse tell her that she needed to work with me if she wanted to get better. Jacqueline said she did not care to get better because she only wanted to die. Instead, I sat on her bed and prayed for her. But in my heart I was really discouraged.

Monday, Jacqueline was in good spirits. She worked with me, she ate, she went outside, and she was smiling again. Every day this week has been better than the day before. On Wednesday we happened to be doing rounds as she was drinking hot cereal. Dr. Albertson showed Jacqueline how to hold the bowl herself and she ate more than I have ever seen her eat before.

A few hours later, I came into the women’s ward to work with patients, and Jacqueline was preparing to eat rice and beans. Apparently feeding herself inspired an appetite that she has not had since she was admitted one year ago. She managed to hold the spoon between her thumb and palm and feed herself. Today Jacqueline had the bandages removed for the first time since the skin graft. And she was excited to tell me that it is healing well. I know that this is the power of God.

In the past days I have worked with Jacqueline, and many other patients, I have felt inadequate and under trained. While I have enjoyed being able to spend time with the same people each day and build relationships (as much as is possible when I cannot speak their language), I have been quite unsure of myself.

Because of my felt inadequacies, I have been praying without ceasing. I always need to rely on God, but it is very easy when I feel adequate to think I no longer need him every moment of every day. Additionally, I am able to give glory to God for the work he has done in Jacqueline’s life, and the life of other patients I have worked with. My hope and prayer is that this change will be a lasting change because whether I feel like I need God or not, I do.

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

-Leanna

Kibogora Week Three

Week three comments: see http://kjacksonp.blogspot.com

Pictures from week 1 and 2

As the bandwidth of the internet is not very high in SW Rwanda, it is difficult and time consuming to upload photos.  As I've traveled back to the states ahead of the group I've decided to post a portion of the photos on our website for viewing.  It took me 15 minutes to upload these photos, it would have taken the team 15 hours.  Here's the link.  Click the "Launch Photo Gallery" button and choose Rwanda 2012 in the drop-down menu.


I had a great time with the team and was sad to leave.  The Lord is doing some tremendous things in and through the lives of everyone on the team.  They will all have so many stories to share when they get home so please ask them.  It was a privilege to be a part of such a talented group. 


Thank you Cody, William and Britni for taking such great pictures!  The pictures posted are only a 10th of the ones taken.


Enjoy,
Duane

More Than We Can Handle

“God will never give you more than you can handle.” This quote is often repeated whenever we find ourselves in the midst of a trying situation. We’ve all heard it numerous times and it often brings comfort to those who are weary or frustrated. Unfortunately, I don’t necessarily believe that God never gives us more than we can handle. I think that often times He does allow us to be overwhelmed and that He intentionally gives us more than we can handle. I think that He has various reasons for doing so, but I believe that most often God chooses to overwhelm us because it causes us to surrender to Him. And after we’ve surrendered, He takes over and it is then that we are able to see His grace and faithfulness shining through our lives.

These past three weeks, God has overwhelmed most of us on the team and made us to feel as if treating patients in a third-world hospital is too much to handle. He has given us impossible cases to solve, impoverished families to worry over, a ginormous language barrier to fight against and so much more. He has placed numerous patients on our hearts and caused many of us to weep over them as we labor to treat and heal and love them. There have been moments on this trip when, I’m almost ashamed to admit, I’ve thought I’d finally reached my breaking point and I wondered if I could make it to April 14^thhaving “finished the race well”.  

But our God is so faithful and He restores our hope! “I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills His purpose for me…God sends His love and His faithfulness,” Psalm 57:2-3, Amen!! A very wise and godly friend of mine told me a few days ago that missions aren’t always just about the people we’re serving. She told me that sometimes God’s purpose on a mission trip is to refine those who have come to serve. I think that there is much wisdom in that thought. After hearing those insightful words, I began to try to discern what it is that the Lord is trying to refine in me while I’m over here.

Perhaps He is trying to teach me (or all of us) that we should learn to ask for “more than we can handle,” since it’s in those stressful times that God shows Himself victorious. And He reminds us that we were never meant to walk through this life alone. All of this life requires more of Him and less of us. He allows us to feel overwhelmed intentionally and lovingly so that His glory might be displayed through our lives and so that we have no doubt of Who is in control. And I think that as we learn this lesson, He graciously allows us to be filled with much joy and peace – even more joy and peace than we can handle!

I want big things from God. And He wants big things from me.  He wants me to trust Him with my heart and my life. He wants me to lay my weaknesses and fears down at the foot of the cross and to crawl into His arms and rest and draw from His strength. He wants me pour myself out, giving the best that I have to the point of being “poor” for the sake of others. Sometimes it hurts, this loving unconditionally and loving unto the point that I feel ‘poor’ (or spent). But I believe that God does this intentionally and lovingly as well; He saved and sanctified us to exhaust us so that we might come to realize that He is our supply and our strength. “All of my springs are in You,” the Psalmist writes in Psalm 87:7. There is a fountain of grace, purchased by the blood of the beautiful Lamb, and it is available to all of His children, whenever they are in need. And so we learn to pray for “more than we can handle,” expecting that God will meet our poor selves in the midst of the struggle and prove Himself mighty.

Give us more than we can handle today, Lord, so that You might be glorified in us. When we begin to tire or to struggle, please help us to remember that we need only to call upon Your name in order to receive boundless grace for the task at hand. Amen.

 - Britni

Encouragement for the day:

“A saint’s life is in the hands of God like a bow and arrow in the hands of an archer. God is aiming at something the saint cannot see, but our Lord continues to stretch and strain, and every once in a while the saint says, “I can’t take any more.” Yet God pays no attention; He goes on stretching until His purpose is in sight, and then He lets the arrow fly. Entrust yourself to God’s hands. Maintain your intimate relationship with Jesus through the perseverance of faith. Proclaim as Job did, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (Job 13:15).  God ventured His all in Jesus to save us, and now He wants us to venture our all with total abandoned confidence in Him.” – Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

“Now we see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God knows me now,” 1 Corinthians 13:12. Amen!

God of This City

It’s the third week into the trip and our last full week at the hospital. After two weeks of working in the heat, running on little sleep (usually our fault for staying up talking), and the huge language and cultural barrier between our team and the local doctors and nurses, we’re slowly wearing out. Some days we feel defeated and hopeless, but for the most part our days are good and a lot is accomplished. Most of our blogs have been telling you about the poor health conditions and even a few deaths. It is heart breaking to see so much pain in this community and there is a time for mourning the deaths of patients, but we must not lose sight of our purpose here. We came to glorify God and make His name know by serving the people of Kibogora. We will not change the hospital in three weeks. We will not cure every patient we encounter. I do not doubt God’s ability to do this, but I don't want to be so focused on changing these conditions that we forget about the souls of these people. They need Christ in their lives just as we do. Cultures are different, names are different, but every person was created in the image of God. Everyone wants to feel loved and have significance and dignity. With Christ we can experience these things for eternity and that is why we came- to share the gospel. 

Saturday night a small group of our team stayed up and sang worship songs. One of the songs we sang was “God of This City” by Chris Tomlin. As I sang the song I really began to think about the lyrics, “ You’re the God of this City. You’re the King of these people. You’re the Lord of this nation…. For greater things have yet to come and greater things are still to be done in this city.” Greater things are still to be done in Kibogora. Greater things are still to be done in the kingdom of God. God is present in Africa and He has a sovereign plan for every life. Some will live to be ninety years old and some will live to be nine hours old. It doesn't seem fair for babies to die. Ever since Adam and Eve sinned death has been apart of our physical life. Our spiritual life, on the other hand, that is eternal. Whether someone is a believer or nonbeliever his spiritual life is forever. Yes, I would love to see every patient be healed by the time we leave; however, I am more concerned with the transformation of their hearts and the renewal of their minds. In the end, that is what truly matters. This mindset is difficult to grasp when all we are seeing is the physical suffering. We need Christ daily. We will never be completely satisfied until he consumes our entire being. He is the God of the broken hearted, the weary, the poor, the hopeless, and the restless. And He is a redemptive God who heals our hearts, gives us strength and eternal life.  These things are still being done in Africa and God has hand picked this team to be His hands and His feet in this community. 

In the midst of all this suffering I am comforted that this life is only a vapor. 2 Corinthians 4:16 states, “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.” Thank the Lord this life is nothing in comparison to the eternal life we can enjoy in Heaven. I am so thankful that even though I might not have perfect health that does not hinder me from growing in my faith. My health doesn't keep me from having a relationship with the Lord. And at the end of the day it doesn't matter if our earthly bodies are intact.  It matters if our faith is.

As Christians we have a hope that others cannot rest in.  We know this life isn’t all there is to experience. He has so much more in store for us. We know the promises and covenants He has made. We know on That Day He will return and take us home. Knowing these things allows us to endure the sufferings of this life for the sake of the elect (2 Timothy 210) and have peace with His perfect wisdom for our lives.  

As we finish this last full week in Kibogora, please pray for strength for our team to finish strong. Pray we will be bold in leading people to Christ. Pray that we will be salt and light to this community. Pray for lives to be changed by God’s unfailing love. And please pray that the people of Rwanda will rest in the truth that He is the Lord of this nation.  

-Caroline

Contentment

Mwiriwe (Good afternoon)!  It’s been a great day here in Rwanda.  Starting out my day with my Bible, journal, and this view: not too shabby!  I know I’ll be quite underwhelmed by my backyard view upon returning to Mobile (rusting patio furniture).  We are currently studying 2 Timothy, but I got very sidetracked this morning.  I was thinking about Paul, the author of this book.  He was imprisoned, flogged, beaten with rods, stoned, shipwrecked, etc, in his sufferings for Christ.  I wondered, was he was ever angry or resentful?  What if he hadn’t had perfect peace in his Savior- that there was a plan in all his suffering?  He knew the truth of who God is and he chose to forever focus on Him instead of his sufferings and circumstances.  Because of him (and his superb writing skills/inspiration from God) we have a majority of the New Testament!

I found comfort in this for myself and for my team.  We have watched things not go as we planned here.  The hospital lacks basic labs that we would write for in a second back home.  There are many medications we would rely on that are not available.  There’s no CT machine (what would the USA ER do?!), no Echo, no ventilators, no crash carts, and the list goes on.  Communication barriers are obviously very real.  Babies that would have a fighting chance in the US have passed away.  Patients come in with burns, ingestions, and scars from initially visiting the ‘traditional healers’ or the not so PC term, witch doctors.  We don’t understand why some of the medical decisions are made.  It can be very frustrating when we watch what we don’t believe is enough being done or even the wrong things being done.  I pray today Lord, give us a heart like Paul! In the midst of what seems like defeat, may our path not stray from You.  Satan is on the prowl right now.  He senses our exhaustions, frustrations, and discouragements, and if only we will let him, he will feed those feelings with the ultimate goal of bringing on our destruction.  That makes me want to fight back!

“Be self controlled and alert.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” 1 Peter 5:8-9

While we can’t always understand and see the purpose in the hardships of life, we can know that God is good.  I long and pray for full contentment in Christ and nothing else.  And to accept the knowledge that I may not know this side of heaven why some things happen the way they do, but if I understood all that he did and all that he was, he wouldn’t be God, he’d just be one of us!  Patients are dying and suffering and that is so tough to watch.  We have sick and hurting family back in the States.  But You are in each and every event that takes place here, back home, and everywhere in between.  We don’t understand it all, but we don’t need to, just give us the strength to trust you in the hard times and be content in the fact that you know so much better than we do.  Whatever our sufferings, help us to rejoice in them as Paul did!  Our troubles and heartache only show us that we were made for something better, that we do not belong in this world.  And somehow he’s using these struggles to draw us closer to himself. 

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:4

I am loving peds.  I asked Cody yesterday if it was inappropriate to write in my note- “general appearance: SO FREAKING CUTE!” Unfortunately, he said to not EVER do that… One of my babies in the NICU who was malnourished did a good job gaining weight and went home yesterday! I missed him this morning… Destin is the boy with the terrible empyema who Shannon chest tubed last week.  His Xray looked so much better and clinically he is much improved.  He was SO close to smiling yesterday when we taught him how to fist bump.  This morning, we handed out beautifully handmade dresses to the kids, boys and girls alike (it is very, very hard to tell the difference between boys are girls here because the girls have short hair and the boys wear dresses.).  They loved that.  They are also obsessed with pictures.  If ever I have a kid who is scared for me to examine him, all I have to do if take out my phone and take their picture and they are enthralled.  I will have to come up with better tricks for American kids who would be very unimpressed with that trick.

We have less than a week here in Kibogora! Pray that our hearts are refreshed and we are carrying out the work God brought us here to do. Murabeho!

-Elizabeth