Closing Thoughts on Grenada 2009

We're Back! To wrap things up, here are some of my closing thoughts on the trip:




The Big Swim
To show they were "real" men, several swam from our hotel all the way to Grand Anse beach. All told, it was about half a mile along the beach. Not an easy chore. As soon as they were finished, they were spirited away for the Wednesday night service.


Wednesday Sing Song

Church Wednesday night church at Grand Anse consisted of mostly of singing intermixed with a few prayers and a devotional thought by Jim. The singing was great. Better yet, Dorthy, a Jamaican who brought us food and sold us recipes, came just to help with the clinic and attend church that night.




Devo
The devo was short. We sang a few songs and Drew led our thoughts. He talked about how we are all members of a global body diverse in form and function.


Woody played a couple of jokes on us. First, he said he had some great confession to get off his chest. After several minutes of hem-hawing, we found out that the sin was passing someone on a hill. Considering the offensive driving in Grenada, I chalk this up as Woody going native. Woody then called out several people who sinned by leaving half-drank water bottles lying around. Shame!

As was done last year, Woody later took several out to Peron's house for a crab bake.

Bye Bye
After VBS, Crystal was cleaning up in the Limes Pre-School. After VBS, they close the doors as a hint to the kids that VBS is over. So, when she hears a knock at the door, she ignores it. When the knocking persists, she opens it and politely tells the kid that VBS is over. After several excuses, Crystal thinks he has taken the hint. Then she hears something being put under the door. The kid has put a paper heart with a note that says "Thanks for coming to Grenada, bye-bye" for his special teachers. Turns out, that's all the kid really wanted. Crystal opened the door, apologized, hugged, and talked with the kid. Its bitter sweet when kids remind of why we're really here. What a blessing.




28/31
Unfortunately, we had to leave 3 behind. The sick medical professional remains in the hospital but is expected to be released tomorrow. To help him return, Tim and Michelle will fly back with him Saturday.




Carribean Lectureship
Gaynell, Bonnie, and several from Galon's family will attend the Caribbean Lectureship in Barbados starting Sunday. Gaynell and Bonnie flew there straight today while Galon will fly back Sunday. I'm not sure what Gaynell and Bonnie will do in the Bahamas until the lectureships begin. I hope they don't get too bored!






The Final Report
Kathy Mixson has the forms each patient filled out. She will prepare a report for the Grenadian heath department on how many people we saw, common problems, and our assessment of the situation.


The same forms identify who had prayer requests and how to contact them. This information will be given to Jim and Marie for follow-up in the coming weeks.








Thanks Tony!
Tony Samuel, the member from Concord who brought us the fruit basket, carried our luggage to the airport this morning in his flat bed truck. He even let Tim drive his van to shuttle everyone there. When unloading all the luggage at the airport, we left Tony's van alone for too long and it was toed. We'll bail him out and try to find a better way of saying thanks next year.






Noyle
I gave Noyle my copy of How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. I got his email address. As soon as I find another copy, I'm going to trip to startup a long-distance dialogue. When I was reading it, I would have liked to discuss parts with someone. Now God has granted my prayer.







Grenada
Grenada is easy to love. While the climate is warm, so are the people. They are easy going, quick to smile, and generous with their time. They have lots of problems, but so do I.




Grenada vs. Nicaragua
It is interesting to compare my 2 trips to Nicaragua with this one to Grenada:

• We saw over 300 hundred total in Grenada over 4 days. In Nicaragua, we saw about 1300-1500 over 3 days.
• In Nicaragua, we had fewer but longer days were longer because we drove up to 1.5 hours each way to get to our destination. We never turned away patients and we all took a lunch hour to eat a meal prepared by the locals.
• Grenada had a greater spiritual focus than Nicaragua. It had classes for the adults, teens, and small children. We prayed with many people and made a large efforts to interact with the locals. Nicaragua was almost exclusively focused on the physical needs of the community. I think the language barrier also kept many from effectively ministering to the Nicaraguans.
• HTI in Nicaragua is a well oiled machine. They've been doing this for almost 20 years. They have great programs that mature young people and prepare them to be the leaders of their local church community in the future.
• Grenada is much healthier than Nicaragua. Their standard of living is higher, though nothing compared to that of the U.S. Sadly, we barely recognize what God has done for us while for people in Grenada and Nicaragua, it is plain before their eyes. I wonder who among us would trade some of our standard of living for a more acute awareness of how God works in our lives. That's one of the things that make the Sullengers, Dolingers, Becks, etc. so special.

The Gang

I've talked a lot about the people in Grenada. Let me say something about the people I went with. I'd like to pick on a few that I talked to and stand out to me. I'm reluctant to call out people since it guarantees I'll leave out somebody. Everyone played a vital role. I'll mention the few I interacted with the most:

• Tim and Michelle - o.k., really, just Michelle. Wow! A lot of blood, sweat, and work was poured into this trip and it shows. Things went very smoothly. Everyone knew what was expected of them and what was going to happen at all times. They were the oil in our engine.
• Woody and Drew were invaluable driving us (safely) around everywhere. They were our personal chauffeurs driving us to the market, beach, clinic, VBS, Sullengers, etc. every day all day.
• Julie Mabry and everyone in the dental area were awesome. They bore the brunt of the patients cheerfully with little time for rest or reprieve.
• The Becks are cool. Find out for yourself.
• Gaynell and Mike Kellum are cool. Gaynell was born to teach VBS. Mike is the ideal family doctor. They have a great sense of humor - something we didn't expect in a elder. Of course, while we just found this out by sharing a suite with them, most of you probably already knew it.
• Jim is a hoot. Marie is the modern day Donna Reed - the mother everyone wishes they had.
• I loved talking Hillary and Bonnie and listening to their plans for living a life of service. They make my heart glow with hope for the future.
• Randy and Allison are full of fun and energy. Randy cracks us up with his southern accent, jokes, and outgoing "coach" personality. Allison is a great teacher and puts up with Randy (not so easy a job).
• I tried my hardest to be near Galon and just soak him up. God has given him a vision of the Kingdom that we need to hear and understand. I think I'm starting to catch on, but I need time to let it stew.
• Lastly, my wife, Tammy. Her skills as an O.T. allowed her to fit in easily in the pharmacy. What a blessing it is to share a common spiritual mission with your spouse.

One of the big reasons Tammy and I came on the trip was to get to know the locals (at Greenville Oaks). Mission accomplished. It has been a blessing to spend so much time with so many that share so much in common. We're eager to deepen the friendships planted over the last week.

The Shack
A shout out to Jimmy Campbell who kept bugging me to read The Shack. While I might be the last one at Greenville Oaks to read it, I started it and finished it on the trip back today.


Since coming to Greenville Oaks, I've been thinking a lot about the way God works in our lives. I don't live at either end of the spectrum. I'm neither a deist nor do I believe God is a omnipotent micro manager. I've struggled with putting into words my personal belief, but made some progress on the trip back today. Maybe some day I'll write about it - but it won't be soon.






Thanks!
Thank you for listening to my thoughts, posting replies, and most of all your prayers. As of 7/16/9, Google Analytics says 326 of you have read the blog. This is more than I could have hoped for.


God has good things in store for Grenada. We just need to be ready.


Until next time ...


Mark

Ditto Ditto

I'm writing this mid-day because tonight is likely to be too busy.

VBS & Clinic

We had our last VBS and clinic today. The clinic ran from 9-3, but we had so many people we stopped taking new people around 10. We saw over 100 today, so our 3 day total will be around 300.

I spent 3+ hours praying with many, many people today. The fall into a few categories:

• A couple of women expressing interest in baptism
• A few seeking work
• The majority were single mothers taking care of their 9 or 10 kids as well as aging family members. I see a great need for spiritual husbands and fathers.

We had several return from previous days.

I don't just play a doctor on TV ...

A local TV station MTV came by yesterday and today. Dr. Kellum starred on last nights 10 o'clock news. Galon talked to the station this afternoon and will try to get a copy of the clip for our personal use.

Tonight we're going to worship with the local church, eat pizza, have a pre-departure meeting, sleep and leave early in the morning.

Until we meet face to face ...

Ditto

Today was almost a carbon copy of the first day. Here are the highlights and differences:

• Tony (a member of the church in Concord) brought a large box full of mangoes, pineapple, and cashew fruit.
• We had two critical medical personnel who could not work today. One had pink eye and one was admitted to a local hospital with pneumonia. Please pray for them.
• When we arrived at the clinic, there were 30+ people already waiting for us. Chaos ensued. We had to stop taking patients about half way through because we knew we'd never be able to see the rest today. To accelerate things, we stopped cleaning teeth. We ended up seeing 100+ even being short by two.
• Angela returned from yesterday with salt fish, green bananas, and plantains.
• We prayed with several people today. A common theme seems to be young woman with babies, no job, and no man. I keep being struck by the number of children taking care of children (their own or others) without adults around.
• Noyle returned briefly and we continued our conversation on the way God works in the church.
• I played soccer with the kids at VBS. Even though they called me "old man", they picked me over Randy. I even heard them yell "pass the ball to the white guy" by which they meant me.
• David shared his story with me. He and his wife (girlfriend at the time) went to a clinic in 1989 at one of the local stadiums. A stranger named Paul Winkler sat down by David, introduced himself, and asked if he wanted to study the Bible. David said yes, was baptized soon after, was married soon after, and now is the minister at the Grand Anse church. He went on to describe the value of regular church attendance in the process of maturing of a christian.
• Caleb gave the devo tonight. He and Jenny are a huge blessing God has given us.

Tomorrow will be very busy. I'll try to get in one more quick blog before we leave early Thursday.

VBS and Day 1 of the Public Clinic

Hello again. Here's what I saw and have been thinking about:

God is Good ... All the Time

One thing I forgot to mention about yesterday's service was Noyle's contribution. Twice he led the closing prayer. Each time he engaged the congregation in a reader-response that went like this:

• Noyle - God is good
• Congregation - All the Time
• Noyle - and All the Time
• Congregation - God is good.

Each time, he read a passage, read his student Bible's interpretation of it, and concluded with his own thoughts.

Speaking of Noyle, he dropped by today. I gave him my copy of "Reading the Bible for All its Worth". Hopefully we'll get a chance to share some more on the topic.

Day 2

Our second day has been exhausting. The clinic was from 2 till 8. The sandwiches arrived at 6, we stopped accepting new patients at 7, closed shop at 8, and had a devo at 9.

The church has been advertising on the radio since early July. The 90+ people we saw today proves it was effective. In order to handle the additional load, we called an "all hands on deck" where everyone worked in the clinic. The additional people helped with the meeting & greet and giving relief to miscellaneous workers as needed. We anticipate even more tomorrow.

No Water

Unfortunately, at 4:30, the water shut off. Before panic set in, we recommissioned a water cooler for cleaning dental instruments and such. The same thing happened late yesterday, but few noticed because it was near the end of our shift. Apparently, the water authority periodically shuts off water in areas where it detects spikes usage. I'm guessing we should anticipate it again tomorrow. We'll just bring big coolers of water and force shuttled bathroom breaks en masse.

Prayer List

We are interested in the physical and spiritual health of our patients. Everyone filled out a short form with their contact information. Included at the end of the questionnaire was the ability to ask for prayers. Here's a couple of snapshots of the people I met:

• Angela is the 5th of 17 children. Her father left her mother to raise 11 by herself as a single mom. Angela has 3 daughters a husband that is emotionally and spiritually distant.
• Desmond & Esther are boyfriend/girlfriend with 2 children together and 10 overall. They asked for prayers in their relationship.

Grenadians on Grenada

Here are a few comments about Grenada from Grenadians:

• It is safe.
• The pace is slow.
• There's not much crime.
• There is a drug problem.
• Garbage collection happens twice a week.
• If you are willing to do anything, you can find a job.
• White collar jobs are extremely difficult to obtain and are typically granted based on relationships rather than merit.

VBS

Our first day at VBS had 30-40 kids ranging from 4 to 15. Randy brought his "A" game as a coach by tricking even the oldest kids into a coloring contest. The winners were the team captains for the futbol (soccer) game.

With the arrival of our supplies last night, Gaynell did an excellent job teaching lessons about keeping the body pure via Romans 12. Allison used what I would call a Chinese box to show how what you put in affects the box itself. Gaynell and Bonnie even put on a puppet show that was well received.

The kids ate PBJs, had arts and crafts, and left the 2.5 hour experience happy and content.

Kingdom Triad

No, this isn't a new type of Chinese mafia. Galon met with Paron and Peter this afternoon. They discussed the differences between the physical manifestation of the church versus God's Kingdom. How do the two differ? Can you have one without the other? How does have small groups (triads) of believers sharing "God stories" relate to these concepts.

This is food for fodder over the coming weeks, months, and years.

Electrical Outages

Did I mention we have blocks of rooms without electricity? Sometimes we overload the system and have to live without air conditioning, lights, etc.

Patient Outtakes

Here's a notable patients from today:

• One man in his early 20s came in and announced (loudly) that he was a drug addict. The drugs had obviously caused some mental health issues and led to criminal activity.
• One poor girl just flat refused to be poked for a glucose test. Kathy Mixon tried every trick, but ultimately lost the battle.
• A young local member came in yesterday with hearing problems. Dr. Kellum put drops in his ears along with cotton to hold them in. Upon his return today, Dr. Kellum removed the ear wax and now the boy can hear again.

God Lessons

Here's some "God lessons" various peopled shared during tonight's devotional:

• 30+ people can accomplish a lot when we work as a team.
• We have nothing to complain about and should reject the negativity of complainers.
• Using my talents here makes me realize that this is where I belong.
• Talking with someone isn't about going from a -10 to a 10. Sometimes it is just about going from -9 to -8.
• It is wonderful when the church, the Kingdom, and the community are all one in the same.

Until tomorrow ...

Mark

Sunday Worship and In-House Clinic

Today was spent attending the Grand Anse Church of Christ and conducting a medical clinic for the members of the 7 churches of Christ in Grenada.

Worship

The morning worship began at 10 and lasted until 1 p.m. The evening worship began at 7 p.m. and lasted until a little after 8 p.m. Our crew of 30+ slightly outnumbered the number of locals in the morning service. Like most churches, attendance dropped a bit in the evening.

Adam did his usual great job leading singing traditional "Songs of the Church". We even tackled "O Lord Our Lord" and made more than just a joyful noise to the Lord.

The remainder of service was led by the local brothers from Grenada. David spoke on "Everyone needs the Gospel" and the "Power of Satan". Just before worship ended, Chris - who had been taking notes in the back - stood up and gave a summary of the lesson. Rather than being redundant, it was a great way to give the congregants a "take away" as well as boosting his confidence.

Medical Clinic

Today we had the first day of the medical clinic. Between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., we saw around 50 patients. We had

• 2 general practitioners - Dr. Kellum & Dr. Henson Cummings (a local doctor)
• 2 dentists - Dr. Burch & Dr. David Goydan
• 3 dental hygienist - Tina Woodbridge, Julie Mabry, and Ashley
• 3 nurses - Misty Lawrence, Kathy Mixson, and Lydia Medina
• 1 eye dude - Kyle Myatt
• 2 instrument cleaners - Bonnie Kellum and Crystal Spencer
• 2 pill pushers - Tammy Maxey & Zach Woodbridge
• 1 patient care coodinator - Gaynell Kellum
• 2 spiritual outreach - Jim and Marie Sullenger
• 2 receptionists - Mark Maxey and Adam Looney

We will conduct all the clinics at the Grand Anse church building. It was comfortable, the right size, and had a good "waiting room" outside.

Meet the Members

Let me introduce you to the member of the church I met and a little of what we talked about:

• David is the preacher. He was converted at a medical clinic years ago. When he preaches, he'll fall into a cadence that is deliberately emphasizes the simple truth of the gospel.


• Francis is an 86 year old wonder woman. She talked in a fast Caribbean/creole accent that was very difficult to understand. She thinks everything she says was hilarious. While she uses a walking stick, she is very healthy overall.
• Chris is a quiet seeker who takes notes at the back of the church and then shares his thoughts. His family have been members for 20-30 years. This is true of most of the people.
• Simon is an elderly gentleman who usually leads singing.
• Tony is a member of another congregation across the island. He works as a produce distributor for the hotel industry. He goes around from farm to farm, picking up what's fresh and delivering it to restaurants and hotels that need them. He focuses on tomatoes, watermelons, mangoes, and pineapple. I think it was pretty clear that I'm a foodie. He promised to bring me a variety of mangoes (they have 5 different kinds here) and pineapple.
• Ruth is from Guyana. She moved to Grenada in '95 with her sons. Her sister converted her while in Guyana but has since left the church. She moved to Grenada for the peace and safety she felt she lacked in her home country. She works in the hotel industry and travels back home on vacations to see her family. We talked extensively about the Jim Jones travesty. It was interesting for her to share a local's perspective on the events that shocked the world.


• Noyle is a seeker. When I told him I worked with computers, he said he loved to use the Internet to pursue his passions like making stained glass and apologetics. He showed me some pictures of the glass he's made (its quite good). We spent the next hour or so talking about Bible translations, themes of the Bible, and sharing with each other our love for the truth found in God's word. He uses a student Bible I had not seen before that has summaries of each passage and spoke frequently of how everything needs to be checked against the KJV for authenticity. I shared with him the 4 different ways to translate the Bible and walked him through our study of Jude. I brought my copy of "Reading the Bible for all its Worth" and will share it with him when I see him next. Hopefully, that will spurn more conversations that will sharpen us both.

Gone Native

Maybe its just me, but it seems like Jim has acclimated quickly to Grenada. Maybe its is his perpetual relax extroverted personality, maybe its the way he is frequently seen with his button down shirt untucked and completely unbuttoned.

Luggage

We got all our luggage! Some of the recently arrived luggage included the VBS materials. Just in time!

Shout Outs

Let me give a shout out to all the spouses, grandparents, family members, who are supporting us while we're gone. Thanks!

Another shout out to Hillary who delivered my lunch yesterday. Thanks!

Please continue to pray that God reveals his message for us here in Grenada. I know I've already been encouraged by the conversations I've had with Noyle, Galon, Caleb & Jenny and many others. What a blessing!

Pills, Purity, Pants, Patience, Power, and Prodigal Packages

What a blessed day!

Before I start talking about today, let me mention a couple of things I forgot about yesterday ...

God's Valentine

While were were eating Cuban food at a restaurant called Carreta in the Miami airport, an elderly Hispanic "bus boy" walked up to me and handed me some lyrics. We struck up a conversation in Spanish and before I knew it, he had handed me several sets of song lyrics. All were worship songs he had written and wanted to share with us.

The one that sticks out the most is "14 de Febrero". As he was half reading half singing the song to me, it struck me as a love song. Because I am a man and as such predisposed to ask stupid questions, I asked him what was special about that date. He said "it is Valentine's day". Duh!

I think it is great that someone writes a love song to God. Even more so, I think it is great that there are people who are bold enough to walk up to a stranger and start a spiritual conversation in a different language (he didn't know I spoke a bit of Spanish when he approached me).

There's a dress code in Grenada?

One humorous side note - Adam wore camouflage short pants on the plane from Miami to Grenada. Before passing through customs, Adam was informed that he would not be allowed to "leave the compound" unless he changed pants. Thankfully, Adam had a change in his carry on luggage.

Finally, here's a run down of the day's events:

Pill Packing

The medical team started the day by allocating medication and vitamins into pre-packaged doses. Some of us wrote the dosages on plastic baggies. Some of us counted pills. We're looking forward to putting them to good use tomorrow when we have a clinic for the local church members.

Marriage Workshop

Tim and Michelle hosted a marriage enrichment workshop for the adults. Two people came and were given an abbreviated intimate version of the full set of lessons prepared. While disappointed in the turnout, we can't say what God's plan is. Maybe we'll find others throughout the week who are interested. Maybe God has something special in mind for these two people. Maybe this is just "rocky soil". We'll wait and pray that God will reveal to us where this will go.

Purity Retreat

Hillary led the purity retreat for the youth today. While the kids didn't show up until almost an hour after it was suppose to start, they did show up. There were 3 girls and 7 or so boys. We knew several from previous trips.

The retreat was broken down into 4 lessons taught by different people dealing with the world's view of purity, God's view of purity, dating, and forgiveness. They had group sessions, split into groups for boys and girls, played games, ate lunch, etc.

Talking about sexual purity is difficult in any circumstances. Talking about it with strangers from another culture is super-tough. That's why we are so happy that a few of the Grenadians opened up about their culture and personal struggles to us. Hillary said that she thought it went about as well as she could hope.

We still have several days left. I pray with confidence that God will bless these young people in our common struggle to remain pure in a world that mocks purity.

Beck Power

I had a great conversation with Caleb and Jenny Beck. What a fantastic family! I wish I had their maturity and courage.

They shared with me their work in Rwanda with the "Extra Mile" program, the Franco/Anglo influence in Rwanda, the segregation of Christians according to their ethnicity or tribe, and the difficulty in communicating openly and directly. I could try to repeat what they said, but I think it better for you to reward yourself by asking them directly. Getting to know Christians like them is one of the main reasons I come on trips like this.

Prodigal Packages

Good news! We got 9 of 14 pieces of luggage tonight. They arrived on the 9 p.m. flight from San Jaun. 5 more to go ...

Off Road Adventures

After pill packing and making 40 or so sandwiches, the medical crew had the afternoon off. Some went to the beach and some went to see the 2nd floor apartment the Sullingers are renting. A few were lucky recipients of a 4.5 hour tour of the island. Along the bumpy rolling way, they got a flat and were chased by a drunken mechanic demanding payment for services not rendered. Sounds like an episode of "Cops: Grenada", huh?!

Devotional

Galon closed our evening with a devotional thought on Kingdom Living. He started by asking the following question: What is God telling us when things don't go according to our plan? Some of us planned on having a change of clothes. Tim and Michelle planned on having more than two people at the adult workshop. Before letting depression and anxiety take over our spirit and actions, we need to ask what God is saying to us in these moments.

As an illustration, he brought up the story in Luke 7:36 of when Jesus was anointed by the "sinful woman". While the host (Simon) wanted to reject Jesus because of his association with a social outcast, Jesus saw something different. We in the world are tainted by hidden presumptions and biases that drive our thoughts and actions. Not so God. When things do go as we anticipated, these are great opportunities to introspect on what the Kingdom view is.

Remember that when Jesus sent out the disciples, he gave them explicit instructions to "take nothing with you". Control is an illusion. The fallacy of self-reliance is a hard lesson for us to learn. That's why God gives us so many opportunities to learn this over and over again.

Until tomorrow ...

Mark

We made it!

Hello from Grenada!

I'm excited to be writing you from the restaurant in the Lexus Inn in St. George Grenada. God has blessed us with a safe journey and good stories of how we got here.

Lost in Translation

As most of you know, Jim and Marie Sullinger moved here to Grenada for 3 years to work with the local church. To help them move, several of us checked moving boxes full of their household supplies to save the expense of shipping them here separately.

What we didn't know is that last week, a new "summer traveler" rule went into affect forbidding bulky baggage such as these and the lockers containing the medical supplies (and my luggage). While some of us had no problems checking our boxes and lockers, the airline raised a red flag and wouldn't allow any new boxes & lockers go through. Moreover, the ones that were already checked couldn't go through.

After some prayers and negotiations, the lockers were allowed to go through but the boxes were "unchecked" and were sent via FexEx. Some of the regular luggage didn't make it through either. Hopefully, we'll receive everything soon. I think this is par for the course.

31/32

While we rejoice in the 31 that arrived safely, we ended up with one "lost sheep". Katie Phillips had accidentally washed her passport. While functional, it was rejected by the airlines and she was not allowed to board with the rest of us. She will be missed.

Becks are in the house!

Happily, we have Caleb, Jenny, and little Adin with us. They are back from Rwanda and were able to join us on the mission. I look forward to picking their brain about their work in Africa and where they see God leading them.

Kindred Souls

Speaking of Africa, guess who we saw at the airport coming back from D.C.? Brian and Christy Dollinger. While God blessed us with this happy coincidence, this wasn't our only encounter:

• I met 1st Baptist Garland pastor and his family on the shuttle from express parking. They were heading to Vancouver to work with a sister church their.
• A security guard at the airport asked us if he could come to our church. He currently goes to Calvary in Irving.
• We met a group from the Still Water Community Church in Rowlett. They were heading to northern Peru to plant 16 churches.
• In addition to our 31 from Greenville Oaks flying from Miami to Grenada, we had 2 other church groups coming to work with other local churches.

What a blessing to know God is working in so many lives on this big blue marble.

Who is being ministered to?

I had a short talk with Gaylon about why we're really here. We expend a lot of energy on logistics. We're lucky to have such a fantastic organizer in Michelle! She and Tim have the spiritual gift of organization and are putting it to full use.

While we talk a lot about accommodations, food, heat, etc., let's make room for some God talk too. Seeking God's direction in prayer is essential. Just as important is to not keep what God is showing us individually to ourselves.

As the week progresses, I'll be sharing the works of God with you that I see. I hope you return the favor.

I'll be honest, I go on mission trips for myself. I love to travel. I love to see God working in cultures outside the Bible belt. I love the way God pricks my heart with the message he has for me in people I've never met. As Gaylon put it, "steel sharpens steel".

May God bless you, the words conveyed here, and His work here in Grenada.

Until tomorrow ...

Mark

The Schedule

I'm sure many of you are wondering what we'll be doing in Grenada. Here is an abbreviated agenda of the events:

1st Event - Adult Workshop - Couples: Made in God's Image

Friday & Saturday

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A study of God's design and plan for men and women to reflect His image to the world, both individually and as a couple.

2nd Event - Teen Purity Retreat

Saturday & Sunday

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Design for teenagers to learn the biblical principles and benefits of sexual purity before marriage.

3rd Event - Special Medical/Dental/Vision Clinic

Sunday - Wednesday

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Sunday is reserved for members of the church in Grenada. Monday - Wednesday is open to the public.

4th Event -Vacation Bible School

Monday - Wednesday

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Open to children in pre-school thru elementary.

USA 4 - Grenada 0

As my fellow soccer fanatics already know, the USA just defeated Grenada in the U.S. hosted Gold Cup. Watching it made me excitied about the trip to Grenada this Friday.

I've been on a couple of medical missions to Nicaragua (as you can see from this blog). This will be Tammy's first. We'll both be helping in the medical clinic. On the side, we'll report back to you on what we see and hear. It is a blessing for couples to have common spiritual goals and a common spiritual mission. I know it will bring us closer to each other and closer to God.

I want this to be a two-way street. As eager as I am to tell you what I see, we'd love to hear your insights as well. Please post you own thoughts, advice, insights, etc. We need the wisdom of those who've gone before us to guide us to fulfill God's purpose for us in Grenada. Please pray for the team and the people of Grenada.

Nicaragua - The Last Day

I'm Home!

I'm so thrilled to be able to write to you again from the United States. I just created http://www.flickr.com/groups/hti_nicaragua_2008/pool to hold the best of our photos. Be sure to check back every few days as members add their photos to the pool.

The total number of patients we ended up seeing was 1085. Saturday and Monday were our busiest days. That's probably because the clinic at Rene Polanco is open on those days and word got around.

Let me tell you about the patient you probably know best: Ruben Davila. Monday night he was chatting with our doctors while we were cleaning up. Turns out, his family has a history of diabetes. After a simple blood test, Ruben found out he that he too has diabetes. After he found out, there was a line of doctors waiting to lecture him on his diet and medication.

I wish I had the time to tell you about all the special people I met. Let me just focus on a few:

• Carlos & Sylvia: A couple that work at the hospital in Guatemala. I ate lunch with them Monday. What sweet hearts and hard workers for the Lord! Carlos went to Harding under the HTI scholarship. For every year in school funded by HTI, students must spend that long working for HTI in Guatemala. Carlos now runs the hospital there. I think this type of financial giving is a key to success.
  
• Jose: The engine of Rene Polanco. He organizes the kids program, the clinic, the deaf program, etc. Basically, everything. Oh, he has a full time job outside the church too.
  
• Carlos Rugama (from Momotombo): He's the preacher at a town outside of Managua. He came to help us even though his church far away was not affected by our presence. He road a bus 2 hours (each way) just to see us.
  

Let me close these set of blogs about Nicaragua by describing our last Devo Monday night. Pete asked us to talk about what the trip meant to us. Here are some common responses:

• This is my Christmas.
• Its a compulsion. I have to go.
  
• It rejuvenates my spirit.
• It makes me aware of what the other 98% of the world is like.
• This is my family.
  
• To give hope to those that have none.
  

Aye! That last one was a bit controversial. It's actually at the heart of my sentiment. You see, while materially Nicaraguans are greatly lacking, that doesn't translate into someone who is poor in spirit. I've met many Nicaraguans and Latinos in general whose faith is deeper and has been proven by fire. Who of us can say the same?

I also think hope flows both ways. HTI's mission is to show Christ's love to those in need (paraphrased). We certainly do that. What we don't do is anything that will last more than a few weeks or months. Hope that Nicaragua will turn around economically is slim. Hope that Nicaragua will have a spiritual revolution is a certainty. This hope is my great gift given to me by the Nicaraguans.


Finally, I want to say thank you to all the fantastic spiritual giants on this trip. If anything, just being with them and listening to their life of service inspires me to imitate their good works.

Adios!

Nicaragua - Day ??

Buenas Dias,

It is 4:20 in the morning on Tuesday. We're about to leave for the airport. Monday was a long and very rewarding day. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to write. By the time we finished eating and having a devotional, it was after 11 p.m.

We were back at Rene Polanco Monday. I spent the whole day translating for our dermatologist again. I've found this to be exhausting. My typical day at work involves doing stuff like what I'm doing now: typing in a quiet place. Having to talk all day long, arbitrating between two parties in 2 languages, plus all the medical stuff I don't understand in either language simply zapped the energy out of me.

Monday was largely the same as Saturday. Same type of patients, lunch, etc.

Remember the boy I mentioned Saturday that had a open bacterial infection on his skin? He came back Monday and was much improved. It was still there, but only a couple of inches in diameter instead of the 5-6 inches it was before.

I have to go soon, so I wanted to brag on our Ruben. While we were off lolygaggin at the hotel, Ruben used the opportunity to talk to the staff about his faith. He started the day we arrived and it culminated last night with a Bible study with two of the men that work here. Ruben gave their contact information to Jose and Noel (the new evangalist at Rene Polanco). We'll see were it goes. God willing, the seeds will grow to bear good fruit.

Got to go now. I'll write again soon ...

Nicaragua: Day 4

Ola!

Its halftime at the Super Bowl, so I thought I´d take a minute to write. Its been a relaxing day.

We worshiped with Rene Polanco this morning. We had a combined service where the Central and North Americans lead the service. Ruben and I lead a prayer (in Spanish) while Pete and Noel gave 2 sermons - one in English and one in Spanish.

After the service, we headed for the market in Masaya. The group goes there most years to buy suvenirs. I bought a few things, though there will be no spoilers in this blog.

Now were back at the hotel, eating Pizza Hut pizza and watching the Super Bowl. How much more American can you get?

I don't have much else to add. We'll be hosting another clinic in Rene Polanco tomorrow. Tomorrow night I'll write my final entry from Nicaragua. It'll probably be short since our flight leaves early Tuesday morning.

Until tomorrow ...

Nicaragua: Day 3

Whoohoo! We got our medicine! We got it around noon from Nicaraguan customs. It was a huge blessing. There were no fees (or bribes). Each piece of luggage of almost 50 lbs of medicine was insepcted, each baggy opened, and each bottle inspected. I learned that we could of had it last night, but 20 minutes before closing the customs people said it'd be too much work and they were going to home. Fortunately, the only medicine we didn't get back were a few tubes of sun screen somebody "confiscated" for pesonal use.


The new medicine made an immediate impact. One of the members of the church at the clinic yesterday even showed up to claim some of the prescriptions we wrote yesterday.







Overall, today was shorter but more intense. The clinic today was at Rene Polanco (the church Waterview supports). I translated for the dermatologist all day today. We saw around 40-50 patients and overall the clinic had around 300 patients. The patients we saw were less dire than yesterday. Virtually every case involved soap, cream, shampoo, and - about half the time - a shot. Yes, I saw around 20 shots today.




A couple of patients stick out:




There was a women today that had a few small "skin tags" - little places that stick out that you can barely grab hold of. She also had a large one on her groin about the size of a thumb. Since she was our last patient, the dermatolist performed a little minor surgery by cutting it off. Thankfully, he said he didn't need me for that part.




There was also a 3 year old boy. He had extreme rashes all over his body for 2 years. His ear was almost scabbed over inside it was so dry. Worse, he had an open oozing scab the size of a grapefruit in his arm pit. It radiated out and dissapated about 6 inches up his arm and 6 inches down is chest. The dermatologist thought it was special because he wanted to take a picture of it. I´ll have to ask him why tomorrow.

I found it interesting that 2 different people on separate occasions told me the same thing: some people see the doctor just to have someone to talk to that will listen to them. They come in to complain about phantom problems, but after being prescribed with a few vitamins, they walk away content. It pangs me to know that some are so starved for attention that they'll go to such extremes. Why do they choose a doctor and not the church?

Our day started with another excellent devotional. What should we pray for? James says wisdom, but that's not what you want when your short on rent, have a child in the hospital, etc. What does James have to say about the link between your prayer life and your physical & mental health?

A couple of notable conversations:



One was with a couple of the local ministers. Juan (Jose's brother), said that the goal of Rene Polanco this was was to have a church that is organized Biblically, i.e., one that has deacons and elders. He said that they have several prospects for deacons, but have realized that they actually have to find 2 elders instead of 1. That has been very difficult for them.



It made me think: a few years ago, Waterview had a "town hall" meeting on why a church of over 1,000 people couldn't find one more elder. This has some interesting implications on both churches. Small churches makeup the majority of the churches in the 'hood (brotherhood). How are they expected to follow plan laid out in 1 & 2 Timothy with such a small census? For that matter, how did the congratations Paul wrote to do it? On the other hand, why did a spiritually and resource (people and money) congregation like Waterview have so difficult a time growing new elders?

Christians all over the world struggle with the same things. We have more in common than we are unalike.


Another conversation was with one of the regulars here on the dangers of the American style of benevolence. HTI simply forbids anything that resembles give-aways, e.g., building houses, giving away stuff, money, etc. They feel it creates a culture of dependency, reinforces perceptions of Americans, creates jelousy and strife in the 'hood, and ultimately does more harm than good.



Benevolence everywhere - inside and outside the church - suffers from the same thing: well meaning people who end up being part of the problem and don't care enough to seek a solution. One interesting view I heard was that benevolence should not be seen as a outreach ministry. Instead, benevolence and evangalism should be separate. Benevolence demoralizes people and cultivates poverty instead of ending it. Perhaps the question is this: does benevolence keep more souls out of the church than it does to bring it in?



BTW - I don't have any anwers. Just questions.





HTI splurged on an extravegant meal tonight. We ate at a stakehouse. The food was excellent. I had a tenerloin topped with a chimichuri sauce (an Argentinan pesto made from parsely, olive oil, capers, garlic, lemon, etc.). For desert, I had the tres leches. Everyone ate well.



Well, its almost 11 now. I'm going to sign off. There will be little to write about tomorrow. We're going to church, go do something touristy like go to the local market, and watch the Super Bowl (in Spanish). I'll probably write more tomorrow about today.



Until then ...

Nicaragua: Day 2

Ola!

We had a frustrating day. The 12 bags of medicine that customs confiscated were not returned. Despite 2 hours at the Ministry of Health and all afternoon chasing paperwork, they were still unwilling to release our medicine. That meant that most of the patients we saw and diagnosed today were unable to get the medicine that will make them better. That made for a lot of angry doctors and frustrated patients. Tomorrow, a group is going back to central customs office to see what we can do. Hopefully, it'll work out. Many believe this is because the new president (Ortega) likes Chavez and dislikes America. Many of us fear there's going to be "fee" associated with the return of our medicine.

Our day started with breakfast at 7. Our short devo afterwards was focused on a singular thought: Is there a connection between mental, physical, and spiritual health? Can the things we think about affect our health?

We spent most of the morning outside the Minstry of Health at a roadside food stall drinking coke and eating bananas. BTW - the bananas are really good here. You wouldn't think there's much difference in bananas, but everyone noticed that these smaller and thinner ones were sweeter and more intense.

We traveled about an hour outside of Managua to a small town called San Benito. The church there is small but strong: a common theme in Latin America. After setting up, we started seeing patients around 11.

I spent most of the day either translating for our dermatologist or helping people choose glasses. Ther dermatologist saw mostly children and a few adults. The kids all had worms, bug bites, and/or scabies. All were infected. Many had large infected blisters all over there body.

I'm proud to report that I was able to obey the Hypocratic oath: my translating did no harm. Unfortunately, the words like "scabies" or "fungus" don't really come up in my conversations with the Hispanic church. So, I had to cram a few lesser used words into my vocabulary.

Here's an excerpt from some of the more interesting answers I got for some of my questions:

Q: How long has you child had these open sores?
A: 3 years.

Q: What type of soap do you use at home?
A: I don't use soap.

Q: Can you read this line from the eye chart?
A: I can't read. (I got this same answer 4 times from mostly elderly adults.)


Small problems go unchecked and untreated. People largely self-medicate. Prescriptions drugs are sold freely here as in most of Latin America. The problem is cost. No one has money, so no one sees a doctor or buys medicine. There simply is no concept of insurance or health care. All problems are tied together: corruption, unemployment, lack of insurance, poor diet, poor sanitization, etc. No one can espape the cycle.


The church meets in a small building on a dirt road. Very common. Only the main roads are paved. Many residential streets are dirt even in a large city like Managua. Beside the church was a convenience store (pulperia), a pig, and a few chicks. The church and surrounding buildings have no running water and no electricity. The bathroom was a "whole in the ground". I won't go any further. Again, all very common.


I was fortunate to talk with many interesting people today. I'll pick on one: Carlos. Carlos is the minister at the congregation in Montotumbo located in a town named after the volcano where its located. He asked about my preference for President (they honor Bill Clinton as the man who ended their war with Honduras).

One question was particularly astute: Why does the church seem to grow in Latin America so easy and not so in the United States? His belief was that their poverty was an advantage because it kept them reliant on God. Our opulance (my word) inhibited people from thinking they need a God.

In case you don't know, Christianity is spreading in all forms in Central America. Mormons, Pentecostals, and Catholics are the main bunches, but the churches of Christ are catching up. There are more than 100 congregations her in Nicaragua consisting of around 40 or 50 members. Each year the number grows. That may seem like small potatoes in the U.S., but can you say the same thin outside the Bible belt? For example, are the number of churches doubling every decade or so in New York like they are in Africa? We have a lot to learn ...


Well, I'm back here at the hotel and its 8 o'clock and we're about to eat. Our lunch didn't come until around 3, so that's o.k. We'll spend the rest of our time at the church in Rene Polanco in Managua. The clinics Saturday and Monday will be there and we'll go to church Sunday there as well.

Until tomorrow ...

Nicaragua: Day 1

We're here! We had a couple of problems on the way.

First, the weather didn't cooperate. Our flight from Dallas to Houston was canceled and we had to scramble to find another on a different airline. Unfortunately, not everyone from our group made it. A few (including our leader) were stuck in their home towns not able to get to Houston.

Second, they confiscated half our luggage. The people in customs claim we needed special papers to bring medicine into the country. That's a big change over last year when we were waived through customs without a word. Anywho, we're going to go by some special goverment offices to get a waiver before we can get started.


As usual, I have to adjust my definition of "normal". Acclamation begins on the drive from the airport to the hotel. Imagine the worst parts of Oak Cliff or Fair Park and then imagine how those are the best places in Managua. Of course, they are often right next door to a glamous Casino that could have been straight out of Vegas.

Now imagine contentment, happiness that's not defined by materialism, and a thriving church. You can find it all here.

Its after 11, so I'll keep it short. Until tomorrow ...

Nicaragua: Day 0

Hello!

I decided this year to blog about our trip to Nicaragua. Many people expressed an interest in our experiences and the work being done in Rene Polanco. I hope this peeks your interest.

Grace, Ruben, and myself will be leaving church at 9 a.m. and arriving in Managua at 9 p.m. The 5.5 hour layover in Houston gives me time to meet my Brother Jason for lunch.

We'll be meeting the "usuals" that travel with Health Talents International (HTI). 18 total people are going: 4 doctors, 3 pharmacists, 2 nurses, 3 chaplains, 5 volunteers (that's me!), and our leader. For many, this will be 10th, 15th, or more years they have gone. We'll join several local physicians & nurses (mostly young and still in school) for 3 clinics on Friday, Saturday, and Monday.


I look forward to sharing with you how God has blessed the people of Nicaragua and Guatemala through HTI. We'll be spending a lot of time together, so expect to hear a lot about the people on the team. Mostly, though, I hope my stories of the road gives you a glimpse into the lives of the people in Central America.

Before I sign off, I wanted to prime the pump with a few questions that linger from my last trip:

• What is the purpose of the trip? Obviously medical, but that can't be it. One visit a year is akin to putting your finger in a fire hose.
• What can I do to spiritually help these people?
• Is it better to send me or just send my money?
• What is the appropriate use of money?
• When does money do more harm than good?

Until tomorrow ...