Today we were in the village of Alpuyeca. Ingenious setup of individual exam rooms. The youth of the mission church there made brilliant use of cording, vinyl sheets, duct tape, and paper clips.
Some people sketches from the day:
Clothilde
A tiny grandma with a long, thin, salt and pepper braid was having trouble with her eyes. Turns out she had pretty sizable cataracts in both eyes. We told her she could get a quick outpatient surgery that would give her back her vision, but that procedure was beyond our capability. Then, she proceeded to cry and purse her toothless mouth sharing that she lived all alone and there was no one to take care of her. She wasn't sure anyone could take her to the clinic. We listened attentively, held her hands, and asked if we could pray with her interceeding that the Lord would comfort her with His presence and cover her with His love. She gave hugs and kisses to everyone at least twice, and got some medicine for her "dolor" (pain). Mom gave her a big, stuffed bear from the box of toys that we were distributing to the kids. Now she's not alone.
The Farmer
A creased and weathered 73 year-old man with sensory neuropathy (numbness, weakness, pain, and tingling in the extremities) who wept on his cot because he was sad to be growing old. He wanted to keep working in the fields but his feet bothered him, and he couldn't work as fast or as productively as in the past. We listened. We acknowledged his value as a child of God. He was given something to help with his feet and pronounced fit to work as he was able. You'd have thought we had given him an extension on life. He tearfully and profusely thanked us. Hugs all around. He left in smiles.
The Griever
There was a man waiting to see the dentist. He could not read and did not know he had to sign in. Dr. Harry noticed something was wrong and sent him to our room. The man had recently lost his wife of 35 years. Severely depressed. Suicidal. Couldn't make eye contact. We spoke hope. We spoke love. We spoke truth. We prayed healing over him. I brought him a cup of water as we think he'd been sitting in the sun patiently waiting for his turn that wouldn't have come if someone hadn't noticed he was still there. "For whenever you gave even a cup of cold water to the least of these, you did so unto me."
The Children
A shy little girl with yellow heart earrings. Exuberant boys. Two things are universal: smiles and babies that are afraid of doctors.
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