Medical Outreach in Ethiopia

This is a letter from a friend of mine who is in Ethiopia on a medical outreach trip. Anytime we are tempted to feel sorry for ourselves, just imagine raising our children in a place like this.

Dear Friends and Family,

This is a slightly longer update, so hope you don't mind.

"Do not fear little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. (Lk 12:32)
Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father." (Mt 13:43)

OPEN DOORS

It is as if some door or flood gate has swung wide open.

There is a joy here that is beyond words...so subtle, yet so palpable and foundational that it underlies every moment and every effort made in this place.

Joy is the ground beneath our feet.
The trip over was filled with surprises. I made several new friends.
We flew over BONO's house,
We flew over the RIFT IN CARDIFF (for Tiff and Vanessa)
We flew over Chuck in PARIS.
And halfway through we stopped on Easter Sunday morning in ROME and they opened all the doors in the airplane. AHHHH, the sweet smell of Italian air on an Easter Sunday morning.

But the greatest blessing for me was when my friend Mary Walker gave up her seat in First Class to me and I got to lie down and SLEEP for the last four hours of the trip. It saved me. I arrived in Addis rested, had a great night's sleep that first night, and woke up Monday morning refreshed and TIME CORRECTED. That was a complete miracle.

The first day of clinic was amazing. We saw 1000 patients and ran out of contact cards so had to stop...but it was the biggest clinic day ever. And then today, we topped that number by almost 200...and broke our own record.

Stories from today...
Blind people were literally healed and could see. Deaf people were healed. One person who was color blind began to see in color.

In my own pediatrics clinic I saw a young boy I had last seen two years ago. The mother showed up at the clinic asking for me personally and carrying an Amharic Bible I had given her two years ago. At that time, she had received Jesus as her Savior. She was from the Bet Israel community and I had sadly been the person to recognize her son's symptoms and diagnosed him with Muscular Dystrophy. At that time I paid for her to go to the hospital to have a muscle biopsy done. I never knew the results. But she returned today with her son who could now barely walk. No one had told her that the muscle biopsy had confirmed the diagnosis and all he had had was a series of physical therapy. Now he was mostly crawling around on his stomach to get from place to place.

Long story very, very short, she had no resources and was so overwhelmed when I had to sit her down and explain his diagnosis and prognosis. She wept and wept and then became very angry and overwhelmed. There are resources available to this little boy if she went through the government for funds, but the bureaucracy was so terrible that to get there was almost impossible for an impoverished woman like herself.

So, I went to our Medical Director, Dr. Everette Holley, and explained the situation.

Then the miracle occurred for this little boy. Within two hours, Everette had someone from the Bet Israel community meeting with her. She had an appointment for the next day with another doctor and an appointment for the prosthetics clinic on Thursday so he could be fitted with braces and special crutches. They are going to see her through the process and take care of his needs and help him get all that he will require. Please pray for this Mother and this little boy. The prognosis is not good for him in this kind of environment.

So, that was a huge thing for me this morning and I was filled with emotion. Everette is my personal hero. If I had ever had a brother....I would want him to be just like Everette.

There are so many other incredible stories. I saw so many children who needed medicines that we just didn't have. So many children whose only problem was malnutrition. I even saw one child (2 yrs old) whose family was essentially starving him serving him only bread because the Orthodox church here is in fasting for Lent and they are not allowed to even have milk or meat or eggs, etc in their house. They are not even allowed to touch the food. So, I started pulling gloves out of my box and I told her to wear the gloves to make his food so she wouldn't have to touch it and she agreed...and if she runs out, come back for more. Unbelievable. I began to realize that many other children were in the same situation here. It was an eye opening experience.

Please pray for these precious people. Nearly half of the 1200 people who came through clinic today prayed to receive Jesus as their Savior. Some who have been saved are Muslim as well.

Finally, the word for today:
"I will never leave you nor forsake you. So we may boldly say: " The Lord is my helper, I will not fear. What can man to do to me?" (Heb 13:5,6)

"Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to You" Gen 28:15

I love you all and am amazed at the sheer numbers of people we are seeing in clinic. It is breaking all records and yet is so smooth and God is moving mightily. Praise and worship in the mornings is nearly transcendent at times and you can hear the voices of the Intercessors lifted up filling the air with cries and worship and prayer that seems to waft all over the clinic compound, and fill the air like a cloud. We step outside our little rooms from time to time and just breathe it in and are refreshed to go back in and begin work again.

Thank you for praying for us. The peace and mercy and grace of the Lord Jesus is mighty in this place and the Joy is palpable. (I've already said that, haven't I?)
Love to you all,

Signing off from another day in Paradise.....
Tessalah.......