Meeting the Needs
Okay, I confess. I am trying to stay away from something very important in my life—buffet meals. When I am near a buffet at a restaurant temptation grabs a hold of me and I cave in, resulting in me eating way too much. I am working on one of my New Year’s resolutions, which is trying to stay away from these types of dining options. They are just too much fun and way too tempting for me!
The buffet I experienced on a recent trip to Honduras would actually take pounds off instead of adding them. Our buffet happened to be an entire 40-foot container filled with medical supplies and equipment that we unloaded when it arrived at our new clinic, Las Lajas Centro de Salud, located near the town of Taulabe.
We had a ball unloading the container, which was overflowing with bandages, chemical supplies, medicines, medical equipment and other necessary items that will stock our new clinic designed to serve 58,000 people who live in about 41 small mountain villages.
Physicians, nurses and other medical staff will do more for these people than simply provide necessary medical care in this clinic. They will have a chance to offer kind words and emotional support to families battling major illnesses, they will be able to administer compassion and a loving touch to those in need and there may even be windows of opportunity to prescribe the Good News of Jesus Christ.
We can’t discount the effectiveness of medicines and medical care, but as we read in Proverbs 15:30, a simple touch, a gentle smile and a heartfelt caring word can equally provide the necessary healing in someone’s life. This verse states:
“A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones.”
There is still work to be done before the medical clinic is finally completed. If you would like to learn more about this Rivers of the World (ROW) project or if you’re interested in lending a hand, visit us at www.row.org.
