One of the things that caught my eye while at the clinic in Kenya was this sign. We treat & God heals. I had to stop and think about this for a moment. Sometimes I think in America we simply declare "We treat" and see no need or place for God. Well when you rooms filled with medications, fancy machinery, and adequate staffing with years of education backing the "we," it would be easy to place the credit on humanity. However, the world I witnessed was a lot different. There were moments when I looked at the situation in front of me and thought to myself, "we" can do absolutely nothing. Sometimes this was due to a lack of something or perhaps the failure to intervene at the opportune time. Other times the situation simply was beyond man's scope of practice. Kenyans are eager to make the God claim. In fact, sometimes that is simply all there is. God's mercy. I found myself having to truly wrestle with the question, Do I believe God heals? Do I believe He heals the same way that he did in the gospel accounts? Do I believe He heals even without modern medicine? It still tests my faith to this day. I can tell you I saw miracles. I saw a woman bleeding enormous amounts, losing consciousness...and God saved her life. I saw a young boy with a horrific burn injury happily sitting on his bed rocking out to some music. I saw mothers fighting against all odds to preserve the health of their children, born and unborn. What a privilege it is to see the hand of God at work. What an honor to surrender my hands to allow him to touch others through me.
My heart still yearns to go back. I wonder if that's what the Israelites felt like. Knowing the Promised Land awaited them, but not knowing when they were going to get there, and facing many setbacks along the way. All I know is God did not plant this desire, this calling, this insanity in me for nothing. And I must place my hope, my trust not in Kenya but in the Lord. Psalm 37:4 says "Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart."
As Christmas approaches, my thoughts and prayers are with the slum children. My heart breaks to think that for them, Christmas is just another day of the year- the anticipated American Christmas just a distant fantasy, part of me hopes they just do not know.... One day I will be with you again...I will teach you Christmas songs and show you pictures of snow....We will cut out paper chains and I will give you my heart....
