Medical Clinic for Yalmachac

We currently have an all ladies team here from Jacksonville, Florida. On the team are various medical people and so, today and tomorrow we are doing a medical clinic in the village of Yamachac, about 45 minutes from the mission site.

A week ago, the leaders of the community gave out numbers/tickets so that those who were truly sick would have priority.  What happens here is that everyone wants to see the doctor, whether they have a need or not.  It is not uncommon for them to have never been to see a doctor and when word gets out that there is a North American doctor in town seeing patience, the crowds arrive!  

This group also brought with them enough fluoride treatment for the entire community.  Every child had their teeth checked, received a toothbrush and a fluoride treatment.  And, after seeing the doctor they also received whatever medicine they needed, free of charge.    

While the appointments were taking place, those not involved in the medical clinic were outside doing crafts and activities with the kids. They brought with them t-shirts for the kids to paint, play dough, colouring sheets, bubbles, balls,...you name it, they had it!

What an amazing blessing for this community!  

The Precious Word of God!

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  John 1:1

As a North American who was brought up in a Christian home, I was always surrounded by Bibles.  I remember my dad’s office had a book shelf behind the desk and he had numerous different Bibles along with concordances and other study tools. In my parent’s bedroom, there was always a Bible on the night stand and I think there was one that “lived” on the kitchen table, too.   I remember as a child having not one, but multiple Bibles of my own.  I didn’t count it a privilege to have a Bible; it was just the norm.   

This week I was reminded multiple times how precious the Word of God is and what a privilege it is to have a Bible and be able to read it.  We had a group here from Xenia, Ohio and one of the things we did was pass out Bibles. 

After doing children’s ministry and passing out shoes, clothing, school supplies, candies (you know, all the good stuff), we announced that each student would be receiving their own personal Bible.  To my surprise and delight, the kids cheered.  Yes, cheered!  They were thankful for the other things we gave them, but they cheered when they heard they were going to get a Bible.

As the team handed them out, I watched the face of one young guy, probably 12 years old and definitely one of the “cool kids” in the class.  He had a silly grin on his face as he received his Bible and he held it very gently.  He rubbed the cover and turned it over a couple of times to really have a good look at it.  Then he sat down, opened it up, and began to read.  There was chaos all around him, but he was drawn into the Word and nothing was going to pull him away.  God spoke to me in that moment and I don’t think I will ever forget the picture of this boy’s face. 

My prayer for this young man is that God will minister to him in a very real and powerful way through His Word.  That he will grow to become a man after God’s heart.  That God’s Word will be alive and active in his life and accomplish much!  

 I have another prayer, although, and this one is for me…Lord, may I know what a privilege it is to hold Your Word in my hand, to read Your Love letter to me.  May I have an unquenchable thirst for your Word.  May I value Your Word as the treasure It is and allow Its truths to speak to my spirit and change me into who You want me to be.      

The Value of a Short-term Missions Experience

When I worked at Kamloops Christian School, we used to send two short term mission teams to Guatemala every year.  And, every year people questioned the value of these teams.   They would say the money we spent on the trip would be put to better use if we just sent it all to missionaries already working in the area. 

The truth is, it is expensive to participate in a short term missions trip.  The cost is usually between $1500 and $2000 per person for a 10 day trip.  A portion of that is set aside for the project ($300 - $500), but the majority is used to cover flights, in-country travel, accommodations and food. 

If all you do is run the numbers, then it is easy to see how you come to the conclusion that it is better to just send money.  Missions and ministry, although, is about more than just numbers.  It is about relationships and that cannot happen if we don’t engage, personally. 

This week, as we sat in a circle for our evening debrief with the team from Trenton, I listened as a young man gave words to how this missions experience was affecting him.  He shared how he could see now how materially focussed he was back home and how hesitant he was to share the Gospel with others.  He said what he was learning and living out here in Guatemala was teaching him how he could live back home.  It was changing him; changing his focus and his heart. 

David Platt, in his book Radical, issues a 5 point challenge to believers, a part of which is to “spend your time in another context (missions).”  It could be a car ride away or a plane ride away – the distance isn’t important.  What is important is to go somewhere where you can share the gospel and care for the needy in Christ’s name.  “If we are going to accomplish the global purpose of God, it will not be primarily through giving our money, as important as that is.  It will happen primarily through giving ourselves.”   

We see, time and time again, how people are impacted by the missions experience and how, if they are willing, 1 week away from their home culture and context  can affect the other 51 weeks of the year.   The value of a short term missions experience is not just what can be accomplished, like building a classroom or a church, or giving shoes away to an impoverished community.  The value is in the relationships that are built with the local people and the inner work of the Holy Spirit in both those being ministered to and those who came to minister.  As the Master Card commercial used to say…Priceless!