"We simply cannot be obedient disciples of the Lord Jesus and continue to choose self-indulgence, all the while ignoring the desperate needs of others." (Exert from Beth Moore Study of James)
As I sit here in Starbucks trying to kill time between lunch with a friend and a night out with others, I cannot help but think about the last 9 days. My time in Huaraz was the most heartbreaking, humbling, and wonderful thing I have experienced thus far in life {as far as I can recall}. It was exhausting and frustrating (at times); however, setting aside my selfish complaints, it was the best experience ever; it was an experience I hope to one day repeat.
As I recount stories of the people in my mind, tears literally come to my eyes. Last week there was no time to cry for the patients as we were busy night and day; although now that I have time to process it bit, my heart is breaking inside my chest...literally. I hurt for Christ's creation, I am disgusted over my wealth and under-appreciation, and most of all I am overwhelmed with joy that all along the Lord had this trip planned for me without me having known anything of it until I arrived in Peru.
To think that I was on the verge of changing my plane ticket to spend less time in Peru this summer for lack of things to do gives me even more joy that the Lord knew all along exactly what He had planned for me during my time here. Had Leo asked me before I arrived in Peru if I would go on this medical trip, I probably would have said no. Actually, I'm 99% certain I would have said no. However, the Lord's timing is always perfect. A few days after arriving in Peru, frustrated with lack of initiative from friends to plan outings, and wondering how I would spend 5 weeks here, the Lord called me to the mountains of Peru. Leo asked me to go and told me I had to respond that night; without hesitation I replied, "YES! I would love to go!" Only afterwards did I panic a bit. I thought, "What if I don't know the vocabulary and misdiagnose someone through poor translating?" "What if I get sick working with these people?" "What if I miss out on something in Lima because I'm away in the mountains with people I don't know?" I recognized these attacks as the work of Satan, and I quickly shot him down asking the Lord to intervene and provide health, safety, and wisdom throughout the trip. I shared a quote a few posts ago that I cannot help but think of again and again.
"God put you here for this moment in history. You are here for a reason; there are hurting people who need you."
The Facts
Basically there were two teams of people working together to make the whole medical campaign function properly. About twenty-two people came from the States to work as the medical team, and there were about 20-25 people from "Peru" who went as evangelists and translators. (I was part of the Peru team.) As Leo put it last evening, the whole thing would have failed if all parts weren't working together (see 1 Corinthians 12).
We stayed about 30 minutes outside of the city of Huaraz - 8 hours northeast of Lima - the capital of the province Huaraz. Each day (Wednesday-Saturday & Monday) we traveled about an hour to hour and half up and around the mountains to semi-unreached and unreached villages. The roads were treacherous at times, but our drivers kept us safe on the journey each day. Every day we spent in a different village. We would set up our stuff in either a school or city building and get to work. We worked with patients from about 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day with a half-hour/hour break for lunch.
We saw between 250-300 patients each day ranging in age from newborn babies to 90 year old adults. Most of the children had rashes, stomachaches, headaches, poor vision, etc. Most of the adults had acid reflux, arthritis, poor vision, headaches, etc. As Leo said, after the first 4 patients, everything started sounding the same and translating got easier each day. I think the toughest translating were the patients who only spoke Quechua (a language of the mountains of Peru). We had Quechua/Spanish translators, then I translated from Spanish to English. When the doctor responded, I translated from English to Spanish then another translator translated the message to the patient from Spanish to Quechua.
While I spent most of my time with the Peruvian group {our housing was separate from the U.S. team's accommodations}, I did bond with a few of the U.S. team members. I connected with a few doctors who later in the week argued about who I would get to translate for that day (no worries, the argument wasn't too intense). There were a few others on the U.S. team that I got to know quite well, too, over lunch conversation, time spent on the bus, and small talk throughout the work day. I also made some new Peruvian friends who touched my heart and soul in a special way last week. I was proud when they recognized me as a "Peruvian" despite my height and American accent, and I was awed by the deep spiritual conversations we engaged in throughout the week.
The Stories
I wish I could share with you each person's story that touched my heart last week, but that is literally impossible. Instead, I'll settle for sharing some of the most humbling accounts.
Most of the adult patients we saw worked in the 'chacra' or agriculture. Because of the hot sun and dry air many of them had dry skin, age spots, and wrinkles beyond their years. Fifty year old women appeared to be 70-80 years old walking into the room, crippled with Arthritis and hunched over from years of hard work.
A few of the doctors allowed the kids to listen to their heartbeats. I loved seeing the kids faces light up as they recognized the distinct sound of the rhythm beating inside. As I asked what it sounded like a few replied, "Boom, boom, boom." Others said it sounded like a drum, and one child very sheepishly said, "It sounds like a live person's heart." It was all I could do not to laugh out loud.
One specific patient came to us complaining of bad headaches. After talking with myself and the doctor about her medical condition, she began to cry. I asked her if she was hurting, and she explained to me some of the pain she has in her life. She explained that most of her pain is emotional which has caused her physical pain as well. She went on to tell of her children who are grown and moved away. She explained that she has no husband, and she works night and day in the fields to be able to support herself. I asked her if she was depressed, and she told me that she thought she might be. The doctor spoke with her (through my translations) about praying to the Lord to deliver her from the stress. We shared with her that only through the Lord's help are we able to survive life here on Earth. She told us that she was a believer in Christ, so I then asked her if she read the Bible regularly. She explained to me that she doesn't read the Bible because she was never permitted to go to school to learn to read. I was humbled immediately. I shared a few scripture verses with her, and we asked if we could pray with her. After we finished praying, she stood up to leave and kissed me on the cheek saying "Gracias angel de Dios!" - Thank you angel of God. I choked on my words as I told her I am just human doing the work the Lord has asked me to do, and she left.
On Saturday a man came in with his 9 year old daughter to see us. The daughter had a cold and the father had knee pain. After checking the daughter over and subscribing some medicine to help her heal, the doctor checked the knees of the father. We decided he should receive knee injections for Arthritis. As we were prepping the area to be injected, the doctor was pulled away to check another patient to ensure a correct diagnosis. He was gone for quite a while, so I first talked with the daughter about school and her interests. Then I began speaking with the father about my reasons for being in Peru and how I got involved with the medical trip. He was very interested in what I had to say, and began asking me questions about church, the Lord, and missions. I shared with the man my personal knowledge and then pulled out a track I had been given about salvation. I read the track with him and we talked through it. Afterwards, he told me he wanted to know the Lord and live for him. He thanked me for the work we were doing, and expressed that he wanted to be used to help people, too. He asked me to pray with him, and after I finished his face changed from distraught to joy. You could feel the presence of the Lord among us as his smile glowed from his face. I was humbled that the Lord chose me to serve this man, and I pray that his life was changed that day for forever.
One of the most difficult stories occurred on Monday in Paccha. A lady came in the morning for her own check-up and as she was finishing up the lead doctor asked me if he could pull me away from my patient to translate for him. I began talking with the lady, and she expressed to me that her 24 year old son was unable to walk and needed medical attention. She said that she lived about 10 minutes up the mountain, and she was begging that a doctor go with her to see her son. Dr. Sealy asked me to see if she could return after lunch, and he ensured her that then a team would be free to travel with her to her home. She did in fact return (we weren't sure if she would), and a team of doctors and translators went up to the house with her. A while later they came back, and Dr. Sealy explained that her son was bedridden and terminally ill, and there was very little that they could do; the mother was his sole caregiver. We took up a collection among our team, and the money was given to the mother to help pay for expenses for her son. We connected her to a local church to find someone to come visit and help meet their needs twice a week. We were also able to provide wound care items and tons of vitamins, Tylenol and ibuprofen.
In Closing
While I could go on and on for hours {actually I've been typing for hours off and on as I've had time}, there is no way to fully express exactly what I experienced last week. All there is are my words and a small hope that maybe through the text you are able to understand the mighty work of my Lord Jesus and His love for the world. In no way do I wish to take credit for any of the work that was done last week in Huaraz. I am simply a girl following the will of the Lord. Where He calls me, I go, and what He asks of me, I do {sometimes a bit hesitantly}. I am overjoyed and humbled that God has chosen me to be His servant here in Peru, even if it's just for a few weeks each summer.
"Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." ~ Matthew 25:40
"Not my will, but yours be done." ~ Luke 22:42
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