Thursday. The last day of clinic at Philadelphia Baptist Church. The “lasts” can always be described differently. I am sure each of our team members would choose their own word to describe this day but I am going to use CELEBRATE. I will admit I shed my fair share of tears during the day but I want to focus on this idea of celebration. As we arrived Thursday morning, both sides of the alley were lined with people saying “Bom Dia” which is good morning. Indeed it was a great morning. The morning devotional which Sharon led every morning before clinic concluded with a praise song. Thursday’s song was The Goodness of God. I love the words of the chorus:
All my life you have been faithful
All my life you have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh I will sing of the goodness of God.
Yes God was so good to us during these days in Rio. But I also want to share the goodness of God that the people of Rio shared with all three medical teams and the pharmacy. The gratitude that each person showed after receiving their specific treatment was one of thankfulness. I was so fortunate to serve on the eye team with David Fairchild and Debbie McBee(Debbie is from a church in Hendersonville, TN). It was a celebration after every person received their own pair of glasses. One of my many blessings was the opportunity to pray for the families and the churches of Brazil. After several times of praying with these individuals, some would ask to pray for the interpreter and our medical team. Many of those I gave readers to were so pleased that they would now be able to read the Bible. That is worthy of celebration. Many children left dental waving their new toothbrushes. So many patients, each with their own story to tell. I pray that they will continue to feel the Goodness of God.
Clinic ended around lunchtime. After lunch we gathered upstairs and were able to celebrate those who made our efforts possible. The pastors of the church and their wives, the kitchen ladies who prepared meals for us all on a two burner stove, the interpreters, who spoke beautiful English, and our fabulous driver who took us back and forth each day. His driving skills especially in tight spots was just amazing.
What I thought was about to be a very difficult task of taking all of the equipment and medicine up the narrow alleyway to the trailer was met with smiling faces of the church members and interpreters ready to aid a hand. Indeed many hands made light work.
I want to end with a quote that one of the interpreters that was working with Stacy Gilbert said “That is Jesus Good”. My first trip to Rio was “Jesus Good” and I look forward to going next year and seeing the wonderful work that God is doing in the lives of all of these people.
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