23 November 2013

Oct 13 Medical Ministry in Nepal

It is not too hard for  folks to imagine what we do in  the medical ministry.  We set up  tables. We sort out our medicines.  We organize the people to see the doctor in turn. What is difficult to describe is how we manage to get up a mountain  to reach a people who have little access to any kind of health care.  We were a group of 18 people and a mountain of  supplies  in  three trucks. I was the only  American in  what was most definitely a Nepali  project. Two of our trucks were four wheel drive, but still   became stuck in some of the deep  muddy ditches. The other truck was a  two wheel  drive and got stuck in  EVERY ditch. There is no way to get a tow truck up in this mountain. We had to rely on  man power to  keep progress moving. Fortunately, we had  a good group of young men with us.  I slept in a store (storage) building  literally hanging on the side of a mountain with six other women with me.The men slept in the church, which was closer to the toilets. Twas necessary to scale a rock face to get first to the store building and then on  up to the church where we held the clinics. During the day,  people sat on the rock as they waited their  turn to see the doctor. During the night,  I climbed the rock several times- in the dark--one handed  (mobile phone shedding light in the other hand)  and with full bladder  to reach the church and then the walk way to the toilets.  I love adventure.


During the day, we showed the Jesus video in   Nepali,  from the back of one of the trucks. The people gathered and watched it over and over. At night, the big screen was brought out and the  Jesus Video was the  social event of the year for a village without much ( any)  technology.  Now we are praying that the words they heard and the truths they learned will  take root in their hearts, that they will be drawn to the Lord and to the little church in their village.

We  have 6  children in  our sponsorship program  from  this village. The children  must walk for hours to get from their homes to the place to meet me for the annual  Allow gathering. I always feel badly about it, but there is nothing that can be done.  I need to meet every child at least once a year-- for accountability.  If they come, then  I know that they are getting their money. If  they are still in school, then we know how the great part of their sponsorship money is being spent. I need to get a new photo and progress report each year and we also give them each a  Christmas  bag. This year,  the bag will contain a new  T-shirt,  Bible, warm  hat,  school  notebooks, a  Christmas craft,  toothbrush and toothpaste, soap, candy   and hopefully   a letter from their sponsor.