HE IS RISEN INDEED!

This is eighth, and final, week to be sharing with you from my journal of the Medical Missions trip taken to Ecuador in February. Last week's article took a look at Day 8. This week, we look at the last day of trip - heading home.

That Saturday actually began the night before. We didn't get through packing until a little after midnight and we had to be back at the main guesthouse by 3 am to get everything loaded on the bus and to get to the airport by 4:30 for our 6:30 flight back to Houston.

As everyone gathers around and rubs the sleep from their eyes, Tim, our Missions Pastor, announces that the plane that was to carry us home was supposed to land at 11pm last night. Due to the fog, the plane was diverted to another part of the country and wouldn't get into Quito until about ten this morning.

Everyone was obviously a little saddened at this news. We were all very tired and many were battling flu symptoms.

But, you know what? Instead of grumbling and complaining, people took the time to sit and visit with one another. They took time to call home or to hop on the internet and check email. The delay also allowed time to shop in the airport stores. And, to buy some beautiful roses to take home. I bought two dozen for Cindy and another couple of dozen for Megan.

We finally left Quito and, a mere five and a half hours later, got into Houston. Well, sort of. It took another hour to clear Customs for those of us who brought roses home... they had to shake each rose to make sure we didn't bring any unwanted guests into the USA!

I finally walked through the doors and what do I see? My wife and daughter standing there with a big balloon that says "Welcome Home." Our Pastor and others from the church are also there to greet us.

- the team at Houston - before the flight out

Yes, it was good to be home. Yet, at the same time, there was a void... a yearning to continue serving those we had left back in Ecuador.

It is that yearning that will keep many of us going back and going to other places to serve. THAT is, I believe, the exact plan that our REAL CHIEF has for those of us who are called to serve...

This is now the seventh week to be sharing with you from my journal of the Medical Missions trip taken to Ecuador in February. Last week's article took a look at Day 7 of 9. This week, we look at Day 8 - the last day of clinic.

You may recall from last week's article about Day 7 that we were to see 400 elementary school children - 200 on Thursday and another 200 on Day 8 - Friday. And, so, we did. We had opened the clinic at 0900 both days to accommodate the kiddos - then, everyone ran up the hill to our bus to eat our packed lunch and then run back down the hill to get the clinic operational again for the people of the surrounding area.

I forgot to mention last week that it rained both Thursday and Friday - starting about 1400 and continued into the night. Since we are at about 11,000 feet, as soon as the clouds and wind and rain rolled in, it got pretty chilly.

I was in triage and someone said, "Skip, you need to look at this one." Joel was bringing to me a young mom and her son. Her had a little knit cap on and he was squirming and crying in her arms. As she sat down, she placed the two year old on her lap. As I bent down on one knee, I could see that almost the entire right side of his face was completely swollen and his right eye swollen shut and crusted over. I gently reached up to remove the knit cap and the child screamed in pain. I could hardly comprehend what I was seeing - the child's head was covered in golf-ball size tumors - with the worst one being about the size of  grapefruit. Dr. Steve came over and confirmed what we were seeing - metastasized cancer. Mom tells us that he has been seen at the cancer hospital in Quito and they have discharged him, giving him about a month to live.

I take mom and son over to our prayer and counseling area while Dr. Steve goes to write prescriptions for pain medication. As the team stood and prayed over this young boy, I lost it - I began crying. This little boy was in such pain.

Mom says she can't afford the Rx medications. So, two team members went down the mountain to the closest pharmacy and paid the $2 for the medication.

That night, we prayed again for the young boy and his mother. We prayed for our REAL CHIEF to completely heal him - either on earth or in Heaven. We also asked that his pain be taken away.

I haven't heard how he did yet. I am hoping that Dr. Steve will be able to find out for us.

It was a very long, dark, rainy day. Several more team members have come down with flu symptoms and some that were ill earlier in the week are on the mend. All in all, it was a bittersweet day. The sweet side was learning that we had seen almost 1300 patients in the five days of clinic. The sweetest side was the almost 300 sweet people who had given their life to CHRIST.

Join me now in prayer for those people - "GOD, we pray that those new believers have found a church home that will bring them in and help nurture their new relationship with YOU. GOD, we also pray right now for all the patients seen there - GOD that each and every one has the outcome that YOU have planned for them and that more and more of them will come to YOU, as the GREAT PHYSICIAN."

Until next week... stay safe out there as you serve...

...On HIS Shift,