Mexico Mission ’08

Re-introduction

It was like waking up from a deep sleep. Driving through San Diego, walking around the KOA campground, and eating a hamburger at Carl’s Jr. did nothing to help me ‘wake-up’.

And then came heaven. An opportunity to go swimming in the pool was eagerly embraced – the moment I completely submerged, it was as if the dirt and tiredness suddenly washed away. All I wanted to do was stay underwater as much as possible. Unfortunately, my hour in the pool came at a price. It resulted in the first sunburn of the trip which I did not realize until I was in the airport!

Vision Clinic

Overall, it was a very different trip from the previous years. Working on the vision clinic was more mentally challenging than physically demanding. In five days we helped over 400 people. On Tuesday and Wednesday the clinic received over 100 registrations. Many were children and everyone received sunglasses.

For the first two days I helped out at the Nurse Suzi’s table with blood pressure and education for healthy living and diabetes. Thankfully, God provided interpreters to help us with translating difficult information. A few people who came for glasses discovered for the first time that they had diabetes, and it was difficult for the two of us to explain with our limited Spanish. Even when we could explain, it was difficult to express empathy with our limited vocabulary.

Organizing glasses and filling prescriptions took up most of my time for the last three days. While waiting for the prescription, I organized and labeled the glasses. I never did completely finish the organization, but it would be easier to complete here in the U.S. where I am not interrupted every few minutes.

Struggles

This week injuries and illness plagued our camp. A teenager from my church ended up in a hospital in San Diego – and a subsequent flight home, because of pain in his colon. At least two others almost needed stitches for cuts, and then there were the numerous scraps, bruises, twisted ankles, problematic knees, and other injuries. One of our team members couldn’t even go on the trip because of his back and ended up in the hospital on the 24^th for surgery.

Personally, I struggled with working ‘behind the scenes’. Most of the time I am up front serving – and for two days I served people in the open. However, in filling prescriptions, I was behind a door where I had few opportunities to practice my Spanish. Every night I prayed for patience and peace in serving behind the scenes. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to serve, but that I felt like I wasn’t making a difference. While I knew this to be a false truth, sometimes we need to struggle through our feelings and focus on God’s view.

Conclusion

In the end, God was glorified. We were able to build homes and a church, provide a VBS and Vision Clinic, and welcome new members into God’s family. It was worth it, and I’m honored to be a part of it.

: Battle Ground Church Team Members

: Cristo Vive Church, Monday’s Vision Clinic

: Ann and Susan working with children

: Suzie and Hilde in the foreground educating someone about diabetes and proper health; Brooke and Jill in background testing for diabetes and blood pressure