“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9
The Bible tells us in Ephesians 2:10 that believers in Christ “are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do! WOW! God prepared good works for me to do before I even knew Him! God’s sovereignty is a whole other subject that we could spend time on, but for now, let’s concentrate on us as believers, created before time began to do good works.
I am getting ready to go on a mission trip to Honduras and there are hundreds of things to think about. At times, I become “weary.” Everything has to be thought through in advance, so we will be able to hit the ground running and set up our medical clinic. Along with the clinic, we need to plan for the children who hang around out of curiosity to see what the “foreigners” are up to. Jesus told us to “let the little children come to Me,” so we welcome the little ones! What to bring? Little plush animals, toy cars, “Smarties” and suckers, toothbrushes, quiet toys and noisy toys, but most of all the love of Jesus. We will be “Jesus’ hands and feet” to these dear little ones. We want to share the love of Jesus and tell them the good news of salvation, open and free to all. They don’t need money to buy it because salvation is free! As I pack these gifts, I pray over the children who will receive them and pray they will see “Jesus” in each of the workers. I pray for the Bible teacher who will share a story from God’s Word that she will tell it simply in a way they can understand. I pray for those who receive Christ as Savior and pray they go on to serve the Lord. That God will have “work” for them to do!
As I pack the medical supplies: Tylenol and Ibuprofen, vitamins, over the counter medicines, anti-biotics for adults and children, and other life-giving medicines, I pray for each person who will receive them. Whether they are part of the church family, or folks in the community, our clinic is open to all. We have a wonderful opportunity to be Jesus to people who may not know Him! Some start attending the Bible teaching churches and become followers of Jesus. The last time we were there, 30 people came to Christ and began attending the church because of our witness through medicine!
God uses whatever gifts we have! On this trip, we have a teenage artist who wants to use her art ability to teach children to draw. Another young artist likes to do “face painting” to have fun with the kids. Another is a beautician who wants to help the ladies have beautiful hands and make them feel special. Other volunteers, not necessarily medical people, can do triage as patients come to the clinic, measuring height, taking weight, doing blood pressures and just making them feel welcome. Many have never seen a doctor or stood on a scale. They have no money to buy anti-biotics since their monthly income is usually $30-$50. USD. Reading glasses are a big hit! What a pleasure to fit people with glasses so they can read God’s Word! The smiles on their faces are precious. Then there is the Pharmacy where busy people fill prescriptions and hand out free medicines. The workers quickly learn the strange chemical names since they are the same in any language. RN’s, LPN’s, medical doctors and volunteers all have a spot on a mission team. Any willing person who desires to serve the Lord and feels the call to do so, will be greatly blessed! We serve the native pastors and teachers on the “front lines,” who fight disease, discouragement, and lack of funds to support their families. Please pray for us that we would bring words of encouragement, hope and love to all we come in contact with. That we would not become “weary in doing good” but reap a harvest of blessing!
Your friend, Jean