Bringing HOPE Through Help


It was one of those times when it seem like all traffic converged at one intersection with too many pedestrians moving, horns honking, lights flashing, and choices being made as quickly as possible to keep the flow going. Only the traffic was not of the vehicular kind.

Pam and I had just returned home after spending a rare two hours of private conversation together.  The first honking horn was a phone call from Pastor Robert telling us that he was with a 2 year old with a serious leg problem ... and "would the doctors from America be able to see him?"  Then it was a young woman who works at the maximum security prison, a friend of mine, who showed up, with her marriage in crisis. Soon after a business lady from town arrived to request ... "could the medical team PLEASE come to the village where she is working to bring the Gospel?"  Then a text arrived on my phone.  "Would you plz be my friend?"  Then another text .. from my attorney ... "I should be there in 20 minutes."  Then a Muslim friend showed up on the veranda with his son who was sick.


A quick call to the medical team assured me that they would be back soon from their tour of the Source of the Nile and boat ride on Lake Victoria.  The medical issues would have to wait until they arrived.

Little William with his hopeful grandmother
The prison employee finally had to leave for work after I convinced her husband to wait so that Edgar and Peter could advise him with me.  He was supposed to have come one week previously and never showed up. I convinced him he could wait 20 minutes if we had waited all week.

The Medical Team arrived and the leader listened to the appeal of the business lady for them to come to her village.  He and the team agreed that they would give their next Sunday ... and made her VERY happy.


Slowly, the intersection began to see some open space.  The two year old was examined by the medical personnel and they discovered he had a life threatening issue.  I dropped Peter and Edgar at the radio station for the GENERATION 784 program on the way to the hospital.

Saving a life ... hoping to save a leg
The doctor on call at the hospital quickly made a diagnosis, which agreed with the doctors from Oklahoma, and the boy was admitted for treatment and continued observation.

And this is a pretty normal pattern for the Medical Team who is here from the United States.  Their coming to help brings so much  hope to those they provide free medical diagnosis and often treatment.  They are seeing things they have never seen before.  And, maybe things they would never encounter in America.  Occasionally they don't like the reality that there is nothing they can do for the patient ... but, we remind them that just giving these people, so many of them forgotten and neglected, some focused attention and a personal touch and compassion brings them HOPE.


Comments

  1. Thanks for sharing Paul, we are praying for you and the Medical Team. Leon

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  2. Thanks for being a patient traffic cop, you do a great job!

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  3. This sounded like my day with a "first world" twist. :) Thanks for serving Paul & Pam!

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  4. Thanks for the encouragement, Leon and Chapmans and John!

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  5. I noticed that this blog post didn't show up on your new website. And it sounds like you had a day of it! Well done. :-)

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