31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy[c] angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ " Matthew 25:31-40
Yesterday afternoon we visited the local hospital with our kids and our four IGNITE interns serving here in Guatemala. It had been three weeks since our last visit and we all were looking forward to seeing the patients again. Our purpose with this visit was to be available to help serve dinner and to be of assistance to the hospital staff.
This hospital is supported and funded solely by volunteers and donations. Doctors and dentists from around the United States and Canada donate their time and resources to come to Antigua and meet the needs of the patients who live in the hospital and also of the community. Throughout the year, many different volunteer groups come and serve the patients and give assistance to the hospital staff. There are many humanitarian groups as well as some ministries in the area that have partnered with the hospital. We almost always see other volunteers in the hospital when we are there. The hospital staff give the volunteers the freedom to choose where they would like to serve. The first time we visited the hospital and were given a tour of the entire facility, we were told that the older women were rarely visited and the older men were visited even less. Most groups come and serve in the children's wing.
We've now served in almost all of the wings. In each area, there are certain patients that have touched our hearts and we have begun to build relationships with not only the patients but the staff as well.
When we arrived yesterday, we spoke with the staff and decided we would visit with the 'ancianos' or the elderly men. There about 40 men in this wing of the hospital. The men are rarely visited by the volunteers that come to the hospital. When we arrived at the door, one of the men who is always so welcoming when we arrive, quickly got the attention of the hospital staff to open the doors and allow us to enter. This man's normal routine is to bring at least one or two of us chairs right away so that we can sit down. He also usually offers us a glass of water. When none of us take a drink, he always shrugs his shoulders and drinks it himself. Today was no different. He welcomed us and brought me a chair right away, later on the big mug of water was passed around until he finally drank it all himself.
For the first hour or so we just visited with the men. In their wing of the hospital, there is a square corridor with doors leading to the rooms on one side and a large courtyard with a fountain in the middle on the other side.This is typical Antigua style architecture. Many of these men have some sort of mental incapacitation. Several are blind or partially blind. Most of them cannot walk. Many cannot speak. The more we are there, the more we learn about each one and the more we begin to discover their personalties. And the more we build relationships with them.
We began 'dando la vuelta' or giving wheelchair rides around the corridor and courtyard to various patients. For some of us, these visits are not comfortable or easy. For others, they are almost more comfortable than in other areas of ministry here. And so, each visit we learn a little more about ourselves and are stretched a little more by God in different ways. I watched one of our interns, one who has struggled in this setting, begin giving a man a ride in his wheelchair. Even though I knew this was uncomfortable for the intern, I could see that he recognized this was the Lord giving him an opportunity to serve and to be stretched.
I watched another intern walk immediately to one of the men who he had previously made friends with on a different visit. Our son was quickly joined by a couple of men who he had befriended. Our other two interns also found a few of their friends. Last month when we had visited, many of the patients who have family had been away visiting with them for the holidays. Yesterday, most of the patients had returned and so we met some of the men for the first time. One man of these men was younger than the others and carried a bag and a small rubber ball with him in his wheelchair. Matt had been walking with this man and eventually the man dropped the ball onto the ground and motioned to it with his hand and also began kicking out his feet. Matt caught on and put the ball near the man's feet and the man gave a good kick and hit the ball spot on. And so began the game for the next half hour or so. Matt called me over to cheer on the man. I was amazed at his accuracy. His legs were atrophied and too weak to support him, yet he could repeatedly kick the ball with great accuracy. He began to kick it through the legs of the chair that had been set out earlier by our greeter. So each time the ball made it through the legs, I would say "GOOOOLLL!" in typical Latin American style and he would give me an incredibly wide smile and a fist bump!
It was almost time for the food to arrive and I had been talking with one man. He was able to communicate very well, but very slowly. He was very friendly. After some time talking with him, he asked me in his raspy voice to please get him a glass of water.
"Dame agua, por favor. Dame agua."
As I looked at him over his shoulder, I heard Jesus..."Give him Me..."
"I was thirsty and you gave Me drink;" Mathew 25:30
I realized in that moment God was allowing me to be His very hands and feet...to serve this man and to serve HIM, the King of the universe in that moment. My breath caught in my chest and I paused a moment before going to get him water. As I held the cup to his mouth and gave him water, I prayed for him and talked with him about the Living Water that Jesus offers him.
After some time visiting with the patients it was time to begin gathering them at the table for dinner. As the food trays were passed out, one man with a super sweet countenance went to the cupboard and began setting out the cups. I walked over and began to help him and as I set them out on the tray, he gently moved them into the correct order. He was very systematic in the placement of the cups. He told me 'gracias' numerous times. He also filled every one of the cups with coffee and passed them out to every patient there. The hospital staff instructed us who could feed themselves and who would need help and so we began to serve those who needed help. As the food began to get passed out, the group grew lively. They were obviously hungry and thirsty. The arrival of the food brought great excitement to the whole group! As I fed one man, he told me 'gracias' over and over again. He ate every last bite of food that I served him. He was blind. He could not see me or the food he was eating, but his enjoyment and gratitude were obvious.
I watched as the others served in a way that was way out of their comfort zone. But they served with joy, with patience, and with the love of Jesus.
After finishing with dinner, we went to visit the children's wing. We only had a few minutes to spend, but we were able to visit with every child in one room of the wing. We each have special friends in this room and it is always a joy to see them, touch their hands, sing to them, caress their foreheads.
As we walked home, I could not stop thinking about how good our God is. I cannot understand the life these precious people live, but one thing I do. I believe in God, and I believe his Sovereignty, and I believe that none of this is out of his sight. I believe that He is still on the throne. I believe that he will continue to guide us and lead us as we press on to take every opportunity we can to serve Him there and share HIs word ad His love with the patients and the staff.
No comments:
Post a Comment