I enjoyed my trip and would not change a thing that happened especially getting sick. Getting sick is all apart of the journey to Ecuador. Its something you can't really avoid--it just happens. This year for me it hit me really hard. I came home with a bad chest cold that I gave to my mother. She in turn got a viral infection and my chest cold turned into bronchitis and an upper respiratory infection. Now this to a blind eye may seem like a consequence of place and circumstance. However, to my spiritual eye I know this was an attempt of the devil. He knew he couldn't break my focus while I was gone so he wanted to knock me down while I was at home. He knows the circumstance I'm facing here at home and he knows that I need to be at work, but I give God glory anyway. I may not be 100% in my body just yet but like the saying goes "One monkey don't stop no show" and my show will not be canceled by the attempts of someone that fell from grace---NOT HERE NOT NOW NOT NEVER!!!
Well what can I say. I made it!! I went to Ecuador and back with God's grace and mercy on my shoulders. My trip this year was different to say the least. There was a lot of warfare in the spiritual going on. It seem like everyone had something going on with them by way of the devil. He tried and he tried to take our focus but in the end God already claimed the victory. I was blessed by so many people and families. I was actually pulled out of my element by my pastor this year. He asked me to do intake with him. We sat down with the families and took notes on what some of their medical issues were before they saw the doctor. This was trying for me a first because I know very little Spanish but the amount that I do know was enough to understand the needs and concerns of the people coming in.
I can't tell you how many people/families came in with the flu, parasites, bronchitis, inflammation of the body, vision problem, or all of the above. It sadden me to see the really young and the really old. They were the worse patients. They were the ones that could hardly do for themselves and to see them go through so much pain was heartbreaking. I know here seeing a single mother is nothing new but to see one down there is something completely different. Being a single mother there means literally having no money and no way of getting assistance. At least here the government will step in and give some type of aid versus in Ecuador or the city of Guayaquil, were the government is pretty much ran on the notion of autonomy.
For the entire time we were doing the make-shift medical clinic we were located in the most dangerous part of the city. We didn't know how dangerous it was until we found out that our three bus drivers had been robbed at gun point while we were working one day. Now the gang members that did this could have come in and really hurt us and did more damage to our drivers, but by the grace of God all they did was take their money and cell phones. No one was harmed physically so thank God for that.
I do have more to tell and as the days go by and I begin to feel better I will post more with pictures too....until them....
Welcome Home!
ReplyDelete