When the work ends, the fun begins…. sort of.
Medical Trip Summary.
We ended our ministry in El Rama on Tuesday evening. It was a good week. Many of us wished we could have stayed another day. So much to do and so little time.
We ended up seeing 707 patients and giving out 1,900 prescriptions which is about 40,000 pills. This does not include all the ultrasounds, minor operations, and counseling. We gave out 13 mattresses and 48 food baskets. We made 12 water purifying systems to be passed out next week with more mattresses and gravel for flooring for the homes to help with future flooding. It was a great week.
Travel, Fun, & Volcano.
Wednesday was a full day of travel. Not much to report on but we saw some beautiful scenery on the 8-9 hour trip to Montelimar, a resort area on the Pacific Ocean (west Nicaragua). We stayed here for two nights. Some went horseback riding. Some went 4-wheeling. Some got massages, And all enjoyed the pool and the all-you-can-eat buffet. It was a wonderful time to relax after a stressful week. Remember, even Jesus took time away after a stressful ministry season.
On our last full day, Friday, we traveled to Masaya Volcano. It’s an active volcano that had a minor eruption last week. We were able to look down and see the hot lava boiling. National Geographic scientists were there. We also got some souvenirs for our loved ones back home.
Thanks to all who helped on our Missions Trip.
Max & Jennifer Kennedy have been so good to us. They got us a motel for the day so we could rest for our fight at midnight tonight. I’m up writing while the guys are sleeping. Many of us got sick for a day or two. (I wasn’t so good yesterday) Max ended up getting the Zika virus. I think we’re all tired and ready for home.
I wonder if that’s how Jesus felt when He spent His last 10 days on earth (between the resurrection and the ascension). He needed to do a great work but wanted to go back to His Father. Sometimes I feel that way. I get weary in serving the Lord. Sometimes it’s just hard, difficult exhausting work. And I want so much to go to Heaven and rest. But not today.
Luis (our driver) and Pastor Denis.
God has a mission field for all of us. For some of us, we got to travel for a week and minister with and to people we will probably never seen until Heaven. Our bus driver, Luis, was such a wonderful man. He never lost his cool, even when our bus got stuck. Pastor Dennis & Denis were great leaders. We couldn’t have done the work without the translators. The church from Midway had a great team. It seems we just get to know each other and have to say goodbye.
But we are headed back to our mission field – Michigan. My prayer is that we will be able to minister to the people who love Jesus and those who need Jesus just as we did down here.
Find your mission field and be Jesus where you are. Help the hurting… there’s plenty of them. Do what you can – it might not be much but at least its a start. Get out of your comfort zone and do what Jesus wants you to do.
You can read about all the other days at: Nicaragua Missions Trip 2016.