Day 2 and 3 at the Shalom clinic exceeded our expectations. The Lord continues to work and move in all of our lives. Multiple times through the day, we all mentioned stopping to reflect on the Lord and the goodness of our God. We give thanks to the Lord for the many blessings we have and the opportunity to bless others through our small efforts.
All of us started the day at the Shalom clinic in the morning. At noon, Carrie left with another team member to go to Ica, Peru to deliver wheelchairs. These are the highlights of our experiences.
Stephanie: “I fit a lady who had spina bifida for a wheelchair. She had a chair that did not work for her for 5 years and she was very uncomfortable. She volunteers with making crafts with other disabled individuals in order to get them out and into the community. When she sat in her wheelchair for the first time, she began crying and said that it will assist her in her efforts to serve individuals with disabilities. She prayed for us and we prayed over her at the end of the treatment session. I also helped cast a few of the pediatric patients with clubfoot to make custom braces. On these two days, the most important thing that stood out to me was that I thought I was going to come here to bless others, but it’s the people here who have blessed me. The smiles and gratitude from the patients is a blessing in itself. It feels like they are doing just as much for me as I am doing for them.”
Dan: “We had a 92 y/o lady come in with debility, arthritis, and osteoporosis of the right knee. We fitted her to a wheelchair, gave her a walker and new shoes, all which she desperately needed. The wheelchair she was using previously was an old rusty wheelchair that barely functioned. The velcro straps on her ragged shoes were so far worn down, they did not fasten her shoe. She was very appreciative for everything, became overwhelmed with emotion and prayed blessings over us. Another highlight was seeing a 9 year old boy with cerebral palsy. We had him on the mat to see what he could do. He was unable to roll on his own. When placed on his stomach, all he could do was pick up his head and reach with his hands. We fitted him to a pediatric wheelchair, but it required multiple adjustments to meet his needs. Due to his diagnosis, he would cross his legs or scissors, and required a pummel to go in between his legs to prevent the scissoring. Being as resourceful as possible, we used some neck and arm supports with wheelchair straps and created for him a working pummel. “
Carrie: “We traveled to Ica, Peru by train. When we got there, we stayed the night with a preacher. At the clinic the next morning, we fitted 6 wheelchairs in the first hour including sawing off parts and adjustments. One of the patients had polio, she prayed over us and thanked us for what we were doing for her. There was another older man with ALS who received his first wheelchair. The two of them sat in the corner examining every part of the wheelchair. They were talking and joking about racing each other in their new wheelchairs. We also went on a home visit. The home was very run down with chickens running throughout the home. There were 2 sisters with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. With the arthritis being so progressive, both sisters just laid on a mattress with significant pain being unable to move. It was sad to see. Due to the fact that we could not get them into their wheelchair, we were unable to issue and leave the wheelchair. I prayed that God would relieve their pain just a little so that she could get a chair. It was a reminder to me that it is not what I want them to do, but it is God’s ultimate picture and not mine. We left that night to meet up with the Team again.
On Wednesday evening, Carrie, Dan and Dr. Schoeneberg had the opportunity to do some sightseeing in Lima, Peru.
We thank you for your continued prayers.
No comments:
Post a Comment