Sharing life without agenda

Sit back, this post is wordy, but hopefully worth the read J  This past weekend I read the Shack by Wm. Paul Young.  I feel like that is a bit of a confession.  I say that because I am usually the last to jump on the latest reading bandwagon. . .especially Christian books.  I’m not sure why that is.  I guess I just know that sometimes people get overly excited about something just because everyone they know is also excited about it.  I like to let the wave of popularity die out and then I usually end up reading the book and being in a better position to decide for myself how I feel about what is written without getting caught up in all the hype.  That make sense?  All of that to say that I really feel that the Lord led me to pick up that book this weekend.  So much has been swirling around in my brain over these last couple weeks regarding our work here and parts of this book helped me to better understand some of what I’m feeling.

Let me back up a bit. Last Monday was the screening day for Mercy Ships. Cora and I were able to go for about 4 hours. John was there for about 17 hours! It was a long day for many people but in the end it was an amazing day. Over 3,000 people were let through the gates into a large complex called the People’s Palace where they underwent screening to determine if we could help their various medical conditions on the ship. This does not count the thousands that were turned away before even entering the gates. Since there are only 2 doctors for every 10,000 people in Guinea, there is an obvious need for medical care. Our ship is specialized in certain surgeries and so, unfortunately, there are many that we cannot help.  (photos thanks to Michelle Murray, one of our amazing photographers!) 

 The line of patients extending along the coast

 

 Waiting to be seen

 

 Inside the courtyard of the people's palace

 

 

More lines

 

The People’s Palace is a large building/theater complex for various events.  The Mercy Ships team that organized the day needs to be commended for a seemingly flawless day with little, if any, hiccups.  John and I both had roles of “patient escorts”.  Our job was to take patients from one station to another.  John led people from a station that took their medical history to where they would have a physical.  I was at the photo station and led patients from there to the table where they checked out and left for home.  The photo station was the last stop for patients after hours of waiting and answering questions.  At this point they had a surgery date and were getting photos taken so the doctors would have something to visualize in preparation for their surgeries.  It was a humbling place for patients as they not only exposed their deformities but had photographs taken.  I could see the tension the patients were going through, grateful that they could be helped but embarrassed or ashamed as they were required to expose the condition that made them different.

Most of the patients we help fall into the categories of: facial tumors or deformities, pediatric orthopedic deformities, burn contractures and cleft lip/palate.  So this is mainly what I saw.  To see such a concentrated amount of these types of deformities was really unbelievable.  There were many with football or basketball sized tumors on their necks or faces.  Most of the children I saw were orthopedic patients and so either not walking or not walking well.  Some were joyful that they had their appointment card and the cares of their deformities seemed to have lessened, but there were still those who couldn’t hide the toll that years of being “different” had taken on them.  Two people that stood out to me most were a man with a deformed face and a little boy with a tumor coming out of his eye socket.  The man with the deformed face kept a rag over his face and a hat pulled down low.  He didn’t look anyone in the face and was clearly feeling ashamed or embarrassed at his condition.  He was asked to remove his hat and the rag for the pictures and you could see the anguish on his face to feel so exposed.  My heart broke for him as I could imagine that his actions must be spurred by a lifetime of negative reactions to his appearance.  I found myself praying so much for him that day and the following days that his surgery would not only restore function but bring him dignity and allow him to better see that he is loved by God and worthy. 

The other patient that struck me was a little 3 year old boy with a large tumor growing out of his right eye.  The tumor filled the entire eye socket and protruded about 3 inches from his face.  It was not pretty.  Most of the other kids were very interactive and really loved being talked to and interacting with Cora, especially.  This little boy looked very sad and afraid.  He didn’t want us anywhere near him. Whether this was from pain or the knowledge that he was different and had been treated poorly was hard to discern.  His mother seemed very loving and attentive but the boy was obviously hurting.  Once again, I felt called to pray that his healing would restore his dignity and allow him to grow up loving himself just as God made him. 

My heart broke for these people but also felt joyful as most of the people I interacted with would have a chance to be helped!  It was really great to be able to share that with them.  Having Cora there was really great too as she provided a bridge to the patients. They all wanted to touch her hair and talk to her and it broke down some walls and allowed me to communicate a little better with them.  Surgeries started on Thursday this past week and the hospital is now up and running.  It is so exciting to be a part of all that is going on here. The screening allowed both of us to see that a little more first-hand.

So what does that have to do with The Shack?  A very good question.  After the screening I found myself wondering what it meant to love these people well.  The majority of the people in Guinea (85%) are Muslim.  They have grown up as Muslims and it is very much a part of their lives.  I see great benefit in the work we are doing to provide physical healing, but what does it look like to be Jesus to these people?  Jesus didn’t just heal people, he left them better than he found them.  He revealed himself to them and that was what they were really hungering for, whether they knew it or not. Physical healing only lasts until we all die anyway and Spiritual healing is for eternity.  So does that mean that we need to convert them to Christianity, which would, in their eyes, tear them from their family structure and culture?  I felt myself wrestling with so many questions.  I believe Jesus came for all people, but where did that put me?  What is my role? It feels good to see the results of physical healing but I know that the man with the deformed face needs Jesus if he is going to truly be healed.  The little boy with the tumor in his eye may have some temporary healing in this lifetime, but what of his eternal healing?

This is where The Shack comes in.  This book along with some wonderful teaching by Steve Schwind (our Staff Development director) helped me to better understand what Jesus wants of me, of all of us.  There is a part in the book where the main character, Mack, is having a conversation with the character Jesus about The Church and what the body of believers is supposed to be.  The character that is portraying Jesus says to him

“It’s simple, Mack.  It’s all about relationships and simply sharing life. What we are doing right now—just doing this—and being open and available to others around us.  My church is all about people and life is all about relationships.  You can’t build it.  It’s my job and I’m actually pretty good at it.”

Later the character Jesus says, “Remember, the people who know me are the ones who are free to live and love without any agenda. . .Those who love me come from every system that exists. They were Buddhists or Mormons, Baptists or Muslims, Democrats, Republicans and many who don’t vote or are not part of any Sunday morning or religious institutions.  I have followers who were murderers and many who were self-righteous.  Some are bankers and bookies, Americans and Iraqis, Jews and Palestinians.  I have no desire to make them Christian, but I do want to join them in their transformation into sons and daughters of my Papa (God the Father), into my brothers and sisters, into my Beloved.  This doesn’t mean that all roads lead to God.  Most roads don’t lead anywhere.  What it does mean is that I will travel any road to find you.”

Even though this is not a quote from the Bible itself, I feel that it is truth.  Jesus calls us to love others right where they are and he does the work of transformation.  We are not called to create Christians (ie: conform others to our Western ideas of what it means to follow Jesus).  We are not called to “convert” people.  We are called to meet people in their lives, right where they are and love them with the love of Jesus and HE does the work of meeting them there, no matter where “there” is, and drawing them to himself and inviting them into relationship with him.  I guess I knew this deep down but my knowledge has been tainted by many things over the years.  I feel freedom now to just love people without an agenda.  To live my life here asking Jesus to love others through me.  What an amazing truth.  Jesus wants to know us and have relationships with us. . .with all his people!  Please pray with us that we would be open to loving others, no matter what, and that Jesus would meet patients here on this ship and work through their physical healing to bring them to a relationship with himself.  And. . .if you haven’t read The Shack, I recommend it!

And. . .of course, some pics of the girls:

 

 Wagon rides on Deck 7 while watching the sunset.  Does it get much better than that?  I couldn't believe Cora could sit up in the wagon! She is getting so big. She also had shots this week and I was able to weigh her finally. She is 17 lbs. 2 pounds heavier than Adalynn at her age.

Cora's hair is getting more curly, especially in the humidity.  I also think her eyes are bluer than Adalynn's ever were, so maybe they will stay blue?