2/3/05 (Thursday)
5:35 AM. I am sitting at gate A3 at the airport having checked in, processed through security and immigration and walked to the gate. I was at the front of the line at the ticket desk so that process went quite fast. Jane picked me up about 4:55 and we encountered hardly any traffic on the way to the airport. The airport is about a 5 minute drive from the guesthouse. We said our goodbyes and I went into the check in area. Here Jane cannot go in to the check in area like one can in the U.S. Total time from guest house to gate A3 was 30 minutes!
I didn’t sleep well last night. I tossed and turned and watched the clock. I do feel rested, however. The flight leaves at 8 AM so i have a couple hours to sit at gate A3 before boarding.
Lord, thank You for this new day. Thank You for allowing me the opportunity to walk with You here in Ecuador. Thank You for giving me the skills and abilities to serve You as a surgeon. Thank You for wrapping Your arms of love and protection around the people we saw and treated in San Lorenzo. Thank You for equipping Jane, Jorge, Gonzalo, Angelita, Maria Luisa and Nancy so they can make the clinic a place where Your love translates to better health and relief of symptoms and pain. Lord, You are awesome! Thank You for answering our prayers by sending Rob Lindsay. Thank You for protecting us from problems that could have stopped our work at San Lorenzo. I pray for Jane. Please keep Your hand upon her and equip her to be able to direct the clinic and offer expert care. I pray for the staff as they partner with Jane at the clinic. I pray for John and Mary Doerfer as they serve at San Lorenzo. Also, I pray for the physician and dentist as they serve the patients at the clinic. Lord, I pray for safety in the air today and easy passage through Miami. Thank You for Phyl. Please give her safety as she travels to meet me at Fort Myers. Lord, I praise Your name today. You have been so good to me. Thank You! Amen.
1:35 PM. I am sitting in the plane waiting to depart Miami for Fort Myers. My flight from Quito to Miami went well. We landed on time in Miami and I got through customs and to the next gate in time. I had an hour and a half layover and that only gave about 15 minutes to spare. It shouldn’t be long and I will be able to see Phyl again. I talked with her twice on the phone and it was really good to hear her voice. Also, Shelly sent me an email welcoming me home knowing I would pick it up when I turned on my cell phone. That was nice!
What a great two weeks, Lord! Thank You for blessing me so richly! Thank You, thank You, thank You! Amen.
It’s a God thing…
As I reflect on this trip and all that happened, there are many instances where God was clearly working above and beyond what we were doing to ministry to the people we saw. I read in the Gospels about Jesus and His compassion for the people. Over and over He touched and healed people. Their diseased bodies became whole. Their demon tormented souls were freed. The scriptures do not give actual numbers but just state that Jesus healed them all. The blind could see, the deaf could hear, the mute could speak, the lame could walk and the dead came to life again. Those events must have been phenomenal to witness.
Reflecting on this trip, again I see Jesus doing some phenomenal things:
- The working out of my schedule so I could go. There were no hassles or problems 6 months ago and now.
- The clear calling for me to participate in this. It was not a lark or a fun thing to do. It was clear to me that God was calling me to do this. The call remains to do this again and again.
- The flight to Ecuador. I was carrying controlled drugs which could have been easily confiscated by the customs personnel. Yet, I walked through customs like a VIP – no inspections, no questions, no stopping, nothing!
- The protection on the road to San Lorenzo. The police and military were stopping and searching yet we were waved on through these checkpoints. Our medications and supplies remained preserved.
- The physical protection on the road from the dangers of landslides. The rains had loosened the dirt and several places the road was partially blocked. One place, very remote, had a huge landslide that covered the road 20 feet deep. Yet, this had been reached by a road crew and had been opened so the traffic could get through.
- The people who came to the clinic to receive care. Literally, several hundred came. They all heard the Good News while they waited. They saw the Jesus film. They were prayed for. They received care from an orthopedic surgeon, plastic surgeon, family medicine physicians, dentist, and Jane and me. We all were placed there and God drew the people in to receive physical and spiritual healing.
- The ability to give medical, especially specialized care, in a place with none of the resources we would want.
- The endurance given to Jane, me and the others to work in the heat and adverse conditions.
- The provision of an anesthesiologist when we felt our work would stop. The fact that Rob Lindsay was available and his heart had been prepared by the events in his life makes it even more incredible. The hopelessness we felt was managed by God as He answered our prayers.
- The surgeries that we were able to do, again in very limiting conditions with very limited resources. Risks were taken and God provided safety and healing.
- The fibroid that felt like a 20-week pregnancy and the uncertainty in our minds as to what to do once we had the abdomen opened. Our immediate prayers were answered with the assurance to proceed and do the work that needed done.
- The difficult hysterectomy surgeries that went so smooth with minimal blood loss and no problems with other conditions of the patients.
- The sacrospinous fixation that exposed so well with a vaginal speculum – something that should not have happened.
- The lady who incompletely aborted and was sent to us by another hospital whee the appropriate treatment was not given.
- The lady with the tubal pregnancy that was about to rupture. Had this occurred at another time she would have received no care and likely would have bled to death.
- The ability to witness to Rob about the truth of Jesus Christ. The courage of John Doerfer to present the plan of salvation to Rob.
- The protection of all the patients from blood loss, infection, adverse events.
- The incredible mountain scenery that dazzled my eyes and convinced me even more about God’s creativity and imagination.
- The hummingbirds – what a sight!
- The flight home, smooth, safe, nothing lost, no delays.
- The trip to Ecuador where I was privileged to drink in God’s glory watching the sunset from 37,000 feet in the air.
- The wise words from Pastor Tony Evans about how I can make God visible to the people I meet each day and the multiple opportunities to do just that in San Lorenzo.
- It’s a God thing…
One young man I met in June of last year and again this time is a teenager who has grown up deaf and mute. He is friendly and always seems to appear when we go into town. As I read about Jesus and how He encountered people who were deaf and mute, He would cast out demons responsible for this and restore the person to wholeness. I wonder if this young man is this way because of demons. He seems so healthy otherwise. I feel compelled to pray for him. Lord, consider this man. You know him; You created him. If he is controlled by demons who have stopped his ears and stilled his tongue, please correct that for him. I pray for healing for this man. Thank You, Lord, for listening to me. Thank You for what You will do for this young man. Amen.
Father, Lord Jesus, I think about this trip and all the times You directly guided us and kept us safe. I think about the people we saw and the desperation they live each day and how You protect them. I think about all the “miracles” You accomplished for us and through us. I think about the strengthening of my faith as You stretched me out of my comfort zone and then filled me with confidence to work there. Father, all I can say is, “It’s a God thing.” You called, You provided, You served. You allowed Jane and me as well as the clinic staff to walk with You in San Lorenzo. Thank You, Lord, for this incredible experience. I give you all the praise today. Amen.
Medical Missions 
Comments»
No comments yet — be the first.