El Salvador, Monday, March 10th
Tue, 11 Mar 2008 01:40:22 -0400
Dear Family,
Today was our second day working and I have several stories to tell. So let me get right to it.
A MODERN DAY DORCUS
One of our team members is Annie Massey from Franklin, KY. This is her first trip. What's special about here is that last year she sent 20 to 30 hand made dresses by the hands of one of our docs on last year's team. The dresses were an instant hit as you can imagine. This year the doc could not came again, so he told her "I guess you'll just have to TAKE them yourself." That is just what she did, only she brought over 100 dresses and pants for children. Today she gave away about 25 of them to some of the children she is teaching in the children's class. Tonight she came over to me and pointed out a little girl in a red dress with large white polka-dots and said "that's one of mine." At first I thought she meant that the little girl had been one of her students in class today. I later found out that she was talking about the dress the little girl had on. I can tell you Annie will never be the same. Be sure and check out my pictures at: http://groups.msn.com/PanamaJacksplace/elsalvador2008.msnw. You will find a picture of a proud Annie with the little girl and her pretty polka-dotted dress.
MY 94 YEAR OLD GRANDMOTHER
This afternoon, Buddy Pickler and I went out side to check out the line. It was long on a very hot day. I felt compassion on those poor folks who were standing in the hot afternoon sunshine. I like to talk to people when they are in line. I try to give them a genuine greeting about coming to our clinic and that we plan to help them with their health. I like to shake their hand and joke a little with them, especially the children and the older folks. For the little kids I like to ask them to tell me their name and how old they are while all the time shaking their hand real hard and fast. With the older folks, I call them my little grandmother or grandfather and tell them how happy I am to see such "young" folks in our lines. I also try to find out how old they are.
Well this afternoon the line was almost a block long, and at the very end was a little old lady that was standing there with a walker. I asked her how old she was, and she told me 94 years old. After getting back into the compound, I sent 2 native nurses out to the line to get all the 80+ year old folks out there, and of course my little 94 year old "abuela" was among them. When they weighed her, I kneeled down beside her for a photo, and told her I wanted to have a picture with my "girl friend". Her toothless face just lit up and was so bright and happy.
FIRST BAPTISM
Sometime just before noon, I was asked by Anna Maria Bonilla to take some time to talk with a sister of one of the sisters of Alta Vista. She pointed out the girl, so we went over to talk to her. Anna Maria said that she has been coming and showed some interest in getting to know the Bible more. A few minutes later I saw Jonathan Winchester and asked him if he had time for a study. He eagerly agreed, so I took him to introduce him to the girl. They got together with her, and asked Ana Maria to come and help with.
Right in the middle of lunch, Jonathan announced that she was ready to be baptized. After finding some baptismal clothes, we took her and Enrique baptized her in the smaller of the two swimming pool. We were VERY HAPPY that God gave the increase.
"SHE AIN'T HEAVY"
One of our evangelism teams came in with a little lady in a wheel chair to be baptized. They were looking for someone to help her be baptized given her lack of the ability to walk and stand. Derek Shrull was with us 2 years ago and had lifted a crippled man from his wheeled chair to the van after his baptism. That thought stuck out in my mind as we tried to figure out how to baptize her. We asked Derek over to do the honors. He climbed into the pool and took the little lady and submerged her under the water. I got a video clip. I'll try to upload it so all can see it.
FOR THE LACK OF $10
One of our nurses who is with us for the first time came around the building where Buddy and I were chatting about some difficulty that had cropped up. She was looking very much disturbed about something. Buddy asked if she needed to talk to some one, but she waived him off. We later found out that she had helped a doc just a few minutes earlier with a lady who had a large cyst on one of her breasts. The doc, who is an Oncologist, said it didn't look cancerous but that she needed to have a Sonogram done. Well the lady said that she did not have the $10 to pay for the Sonogram, our nurse graciouslly gave the lady $10 for the exam. It broke this sweet lady's heart to know that with all the opulence we have and all our material things in the world, that $10 was keeping a lady from getting the help she needed. Our nurse will never be the same.
I hope these stories inspired you. The GOSPEL is "FOR ALL".
Please check out my web page for the latest pictures: http://groups.msn.com/PanamaJacksplace/elsalvador2008.msnw
Keep us in your prayers.
God bless.