CLINIC: GIFT, PRIVILEGE, OFFERING (August 6-present)

As I mentioned before, my new assignment here at Emmanuel is the clinic. The week after I left Emmanuel there was an outbreak of chicken pox. That outbreak is still going on. Every day since I've been back I've been working many hours in the clinic. When I got here there were only 2 other people who were able to work in the clinic and one of those was Owen who also teaches in the school. When there are children in the clinic it is the volunteers' responsibility to be in the clinic 24 hours a day to care for them. With only 3 volunteers and over 10 kids in the clinic, my schedule included being in the clinic 15-18 hours a day. When I wasn't scheduled for the clinic I tried to catch up on sleep. At first the kids in the clinic had bad cases of chicken pox but they were doing okay. Gradually over a week or two, the number of kids dwindled down to just one little boy, Kevin. The afternoon that Kevin was released we got a new little girl in with chicken pox. The next day 5 more came. The number was back up to 10 in just 3 days. However this group of kids was much different than the first. Many toddlers were in the second group of kids and for quite a few days all the children had over a 101.0 fever and were really sick. It was really stressful for quite some time and I was worried about how we were going to make it.

I have been extremely busy being a mom to these kids. There's just something in us as children that when we are sick we want our mommas. The same is true for these kids, except that don't have a momma here – or maybe anywhere for many of them. It didn't take long for me to realize this. Night after night and day after day I spent with these kids who were so sick and some of them would just cry for hours, "Mama, mama, por favor, yo quiero mi mama." Break your heart. There were many times when all I could do was just cry with them and rock them. A couple of them asked me if I would be there momma. And this is why I am here. Anyone who knows me knows that I long to be a wife and mother some day. I love children and always have. I knew that preparing to come here meant that I would fill various roles and would be responsible for children, however I had no idea I would have this level of responsibility so soon. If there is a role that comes with much responsibility...it is that of a mom. For this reason, I am thankful that I am a woman and that God has instilled in every woman the abilities and characteristics needed to be a mother. He created me to nurture and care for, to comfort and encourage, to serve, help and love others. There have been many moments recently in the clinic that I didn't know what to do, but the Lord has formed my heart from the beginning of time to be prepared to be a mother – even if the children aren't "mine". Yet these children are mine for right now. They are my sweet little ones and they're sick. So my days are spent caring for them.

Wade told me the other day, "With many blessings comes much responsibility". These children are a blessing to me and it is a blessing to have the opportunity to care for them, but with that blessing there is a whole lot of responsibility attached. I am finding this out to be true. I have struggled with patience the longer that I've been in the clinic. The longer that I'm there the more difficult it is to be gentle and patient and kind with the children – especially with the frustrations of the language barrier. I've been begging to have one day off from the clinic to do another "job" – to have something accomplished during the last 4 weeks other than staying in the clinic. And although I've been trying to work on other things during my off hours, the reality is that the clinic is my job. Many times I find myself complaining about always having to be in the clinic. I wrote Philippians 2:14 on my mirror as a reminder, but still failed to live by it. Yet while I was reading the other night I came across this quote by Elisabeth Elliot and it was such an encouragement in changing my perspective on the whole clinic issue.

"This job has been given to me to do. Therefore, it is a gift. Therefore, it is a privilege. Therefore, it is an offering I may make to God. Therefore, it is to be done gladly, if it is done for Him. Here, not somewhere else, I may learn God’s way. In this job, not in some other, God looks for faithfulness."

Therefore the clinic is the job that the Lord has given me to do. It is a gift. Caring for His children in the clinic is a privilege. It is an offering that I may make to Him. If I am here to serve Him I should serve Him gladly, willing to do whatever job He gives. It is my time in the clinic, my job of being a nurse and mother, in which God is looking for faithfulness. Many hours in the clinic the Lord has brought Matthew 25 to my mind. "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' I encourage you to go read the whole chapter as a humbling reminder.
Thanks to all of you who have prayed for the health and safety of these precious children in the past few weeks. I know Mom sent out an email asking you to pray for not only the kids but for those of us who are taking care of them. The Lord is faithful and has heard our prayers. Praise be to Him that slowly but surely the kids are getting better. There were also quite a few staff and staff children that had dengue and they are doing well. Please continue to pray for the health of those here – children, staff and volunteers. Also, please continue to pray that the Lord would work in the hearts of people to come here and serve as well.