What’s up everybody!
One last day of waking up before 6:00AM! Today marked our last day of clinic. As we filed in for worship at the crack of dawn we were filled with excited anticipation to meet the physical and spiritual needs of the Dominicans once again. We kicked off the morning singing to the Lord about returning to the heart of worship (the worship team being Dr. Brian Shaw, Ivana Smith, MC Carlton, and Seth Baxter, I would be remiss if I did not include the entire team’s names verbatim), and centering our souls on truth from the scriptures as Hope Harris led us for our devotions out of Titus 3. The mess hall was filled with hearty laughter as we gathered and ate breakfast together and we were soon loading the buses for a final time to serve the Dominicans. We unloaded our buses at Experimental (Municipio Consuelo), a village in which many of our translators and their families lived. It was a delight to serve and care for the families of our translators who have given so much of themselves on this trip to make our medical care and evangelism possible. It was a joy to see our translators showing us their children, mothers, and grandparents: trusting them to our care and inviting us into their lives in an even deeper way. There were many beautiful moments and stories shared today. We met a woman who came to us after missed periods, and after a pregnancy test we were able to share the (well received) news that she was pregnant! After giving her a supply of prenatal pills that would last for her remaining pregnancy, she was ushered to our evangelism station where she excitedly received Christ. There was a boy with a moderate-severe hydrocele on his testicle who we were able to start coordinating fundraising for within the church. There was a woman whose marriage was failing and whose life seemed to be falling apart, who we were able to encourage with the hope of Christ, and though she said she was not a Christian because she said she no longer read her bible or went to church anymore, she was able to leave with the hope and truth of Christ. As we packed up, the church was filled with song as we sang in Spanish with the Dominicans, praising the Lord in their native tongue. We prayed over their church, and before we disembarked for the SCORE compound, shared a bittersweet goodbye with the translators that we lived alongside and grew close with (shoutout to Willy and Piña, I love you guys!) When we returned, we met for our last session of worship, and our last session all together in the upper room. Tears fell as one after another student and doctor stood and presented passionate stories, wisdom, and testimonies. We encouraged each other to not let the trip ending be the conclusion of this beautiful family that God has brought together. We encouraged each other to not let the medical system and the culture in America to swallow us up and place idols in our hearts. We encouraged each other that we are not alone, and that we will always be here for one another. I am humbled to have been a part of a team that has welcomed outsiders with open arms and has loved and served each other with such tenacity. “Great Physician, heal through me”, I wrote these words in my devotional right before we began our first day of clinic. As I set up each chair of my station every morning next to Dr. Brian Buning, I would repeat this prayer. Through every early morning and every late clinic, through exhaustion and setbacks, God has used us to be His healing hands. We have been used as instruments of mercy, and that is a privilege that I cannot properly express into words. I am blessed that my first students were those on this team, and it is the highest honor that the first patients of my career were on this mission trip. I am undeserving to have met as wonderful people as these, but God has been kind to me. -- Dr. Brian Shaw Orlando Regional Medical Center – PGY-1
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